I am always impressed by our students and our faculty and frequently share how competent, engaged, and productive they are and the magic that they create together at Applewild. Sometimes I wonder if my audience is suspicious that the messenger might not be completely objective, so external confirmation may be occasionally welcome.

The positive energy and creative talent exhibited in so many ways at Applewild in April were inspiring!

We also enjoyed a further celebration of our music program at our Board of Visitors on April 25, an event designed to share Applewild’s energy and strength with people from our region. The Jazz Band played under the leadership of Frank Bonanno. Erin Schlesinger and some of her Lower School students explained the Orff program and had the audience up and dancing.

I found myself marveling at the hospitality and generosity of spirit that we experienced. One example is the effort made by an English teacher from Shenzhen whom I happened to meet while we were both serendipitously attending Lawrence Academy’s Board of Visitors.

Meals are a community experience in China. Every meal is painstakingly prepared and is eaten at round tables with a big Lazy Susan in the center. Piping hot dishes are placed on the table as they are ready. During meals, there is constant interaction about the types and tastes of the food, and participants in the meal use their own chopsticks to dig into the dishes rotating in the center. Meals are enjoyed slowly and each dish is appreciated for its unique texture and flavor. It is a wonderful way to enjoy food and conversation!

The landscape of China is so varied, as one would expect in such a vast country.  As we were descending to Beijing, we flew over a completely brown landscape. The mountains, hills with terraced sides, and river beds were a uniform color.  On the ground, we saw the outskirts of the cities as a combination of small farms next to building construction, mostly new residences. 

 

School visits –
Our school visits exposed us to three different Chinese educational experiences – a public high school rated top in its area, a private school endeavor aimed at international exchange housed within that school, and a regional middle school serving children of primarily farming families.

Language-
The Chinese language is a beautiful one.

Cities –

The cities are vibrant, active, full of growth and energy!

One of the joys of being a teacher is that of being a learner, sometimes at the same time! 

I was inspired by this, as by happy coincidence, I had prepared a story on Johnny Appleseed to hopefully tell to the class. It was a thrill to tell a story in China!

Something that keeps bubbling up to the surface for me as I think about my incredible experience in China is the poetry-- literal poetry, potential poetry, and the beauty of written and spoken language. I attended a Chinese poetry class at the Qinling Middle School in Xi'an where students took turns reciting and analyzing, where their reading was accompanied by music and drawings, and they often spoke in unison in a single, strong voice.

As I process this trip through different lenses--as an American, as a parent, as a member of my communities-- what does the experience bring to me as a teacher? 

It reminds me that children are precious all around the world and that parents and educators want for them as much opportunity as they can find. 

Our students and faculty have returned refreshed and eager to get back to the joy of learning. Some of us, admittedly, have returned slightly jet lagged; but that foggy feeling is on the wane. The trip to China was an extraordinary opportunity for growth, connections and reflection. At the risk of “cult of personality” (something that the Chinese Communist Party has learned to avoid), if you have not read my blog posts about our trip, I encourage you to skim them. I will be posting reflections from all seven of us “fellow travelers” one at a time in the next week or so, together with a couple of accompanying photos for each reminiscence.