SAD 1 officials
optimistic about Chinese partnership
Contributed photo
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE — SAD 1 Superintendent Gehrig Johnson, center, and Business manager Charles Anderson, to Johnson’s left, pose with Chinese students during a recent eight-day trip to Beijing, China. The administrators were in Beijing to discuss continuing plans to establish a Presque Isle International School.
WHILE MUCH OF THEIR TIME in China was spent meeting with officials at the Niulanshan High School to discuss continuing plans to establish a Presque Isle International School in Beijing, SAD 1 Business Manager Charles Anderson, left, and Superintendent Gehrig Johnson also found time to take in the sights. Here the administrators stand in front of Tiananmen Square. They also visited the Beijing Olympic Stadium, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and the Great Wall of China.
PRESQUE ISLE — SAD 1 Superintendent Gehrig Johnson described his recent eight-day visit to Beijing, China as “an unbelievable trip. Highly educational.”
Johnson and Business Manager Charles Anderson flew overseas last month as guests of the Boa/Phoenix Educational Consortium to continue discussing plans to establish a Presque Isle International School in Beijing.
“It was an amazing experience,” said Johnson. “It was a learning curve for us, and we’re optimistic at the possibilities this could bring Presque Isle both financially and culturally.
“The state of Maine is the least diverse state in the country, and Aroostook County is one of the least diverse counties in the state,” he said. “We have very few citizens that are from other cultures and races. We could benefit from the cultural exchange this would bring.”
During their trip, Johnson and Anderson visited four high school campuses in and around Beijing.
“Those four campuses are owned by a mix of private corporations and the Chinese government,” said Johnson. “Every day we visited a different school to discuss, compare and share.
“In China, starting in grade 10, there is no compulsory education. Education stops at grade 9 unless you can test your way into high school or a trade school. How you do on this test determines which school you go to,” he said. “The rest of the population goes into the workforce or to trade schools if they show an aptitude for a trade. Education in China is very competitive.”
Upon flying into the world’s largest airport, the administrators quickly noticed both the cleanliness and the relative quietness of the airport.
“Our first impressions were that it’s very clean,” Johnson said. “The second impression was how quiet it was. There’s not a bustle going on in their airport. Very little comes in over the intercoms.”
Ironically their first morning in China, a developing story on CNN was “China’s Smog Worsens.”
“There was a haze over the whole city,” said Johnson. “You couldn’t see the sun as pollution at times is very heavy in the cities there. Our first day the smog was the worst that had ever been recorded in Beijing. We saw many face masks.”
Johnson said each of the high schools resemble a small college campus.
“Seventy percent of the students are boarded there,” he said, “and most of the teachers live on campus. “The size of the schools range from 4,000 to 7,000 students. What fascinated me was that each campus was surrounded by a wall … 10-foot walls with gates and guards. They were inquisitive as to why we don’t do that in the United States.”
The average class size in China is about 60 students.
“The square footage of their classrooms isn’t much different than ours,” said Johnson. “It was crowded, but that’s what they’re used to. They seemed to all speak English. The students asked questions and we had an interesting dialogue. They have a very good grasp of the English language.”
Johnson told SAD 1 directors at the Feb. 13 board meeting that the Chinese students are in school 10 hours a day, six days a week, 230 days a year.
“It was probably 5:45 p.m. one evening and we were walking down a hallway and in room after room I could see 60 heads looking down in their books, but I didn’t see an adult there,” he said. “I asked the principal about that and he said there wasn’t an adult there. They have a teacher on call. When I asked how they deal with any disciplinary issues, the principal said it wasn’t a concern. He went onto explain that every one of these students had to compete to get into the school, their parents pay considerable sums to enroll them, and there’s so much pressure to succeed that discipline is not an issue.”
Anderson shared his thoughts on the cultural experience at the board meeting.
“One of the places that we stayed in was — by our standards — a bed and breakfast. It was 250 years old,” said Anderson. “We also stayed in a hotel that’s 10 years old. It’s an interesting mixture of old and new in China.”
Anderson said he “fell in love with the food” during his stay.
“Everybody sits in a circle and there’s a glass tabletop in the middle that rotates. On the tabletop there’s many different dishes. At one meal, there were at least 30 dishes in front of us. As it turns, you take what you want,” he said. “There was very little fried food; most everything was either boiled or steamed. There were many soups, vegetables and fruits, and we were introduced to dog and duck tongue, donkey and other exotic kinds of foods. I was struck by how much effort went into preparing and serving the meals. Presentation is a very important part of the culture.”
The unique agreement which will allow up to 50 Chinese students per year to take PIHS courses in China was signed in 2011.
“The students would be taking PIHS courses while they also participate in their own program,” said Johnson. “They will be working toward a dual high school degree — Chinese and American.
“We’ll be delivering a basic core curriculum that our own students would take. They will likely begin with English, health and world history,” he said. “Many of the classes that the Chinese students currently take like physical education, for example, we would accept for credit.”
The superintendent explained that the goal of Chinese students who attend international schools is to enroll in U.S. universities.
“It’s very difficult to get into their universities, so for many students the only option is to go to other countries,” said Johnson. “They’re interested in the U.S. because of our academic innovation. China doesn’t presently produce a Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, but that is their goal.”
Chinese officials are now waiting for approval from the Chinese government.
“Once they get approval,” Johnson said, “we would go back in June or July and meet the parents and help recruit the students. Nothing is concrete yet; the whole thing could still come apart, but we’re building important relationships and we feel positive about the outcome.”
While in China, Johnson and Anderson had the opportunity to take in the sights.
“We visited the Beijing Olympic Stadium nicknamed ‘The Bird’s Nest.’ That was the centerpiece of the 2008 Summer Olympics,” said Johnson. “We also visited the Beijing National Aquatics Center or ‘The Water Cube’ which is where the swimming competitions were held.
“We also visited The Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Summer Palace and the Great Wall of China,” he said. “The Great Wall of China was unbelievable. It’s thousands of miles long and was built more than 2,000 years ago. It’s amazing. The whole trip was amazing.”
