First day with the students!
They are very polite and respectful. Their English is not as bad as I thought. Overall, they seem very eager to learn. It was a little challenging at first to get them to participate in class discussions and ask questions, but they are starting to feel more comfortable. Their secondary schooling is very regimented. They sit in large classrooms of 40 or more, bolted seats, with a podium. The professor just lectures, and they simply repeat the information, no interaction.
Yesterday, we met the students at their dorms as they arrived for the summer intensive. It reminded me of freshman year, undergrad. The parents and the freshmen seem very enthusiastic. They really make the faculty feel very special. Here, educators seem to be held in high regard. Are we listening, America?
...Wenzhou is somewhat isolated from the rest of China. It is not seen as being as sophisticated and evolved as Beijing and Shanghai. It is most interesting how cultural stereotypes exist everywhere, north and south, east and west.
Until next time, comrades,
Jonathan