Accepting A Mentor Teacher Position in China!
-Eddy is Taking You
and "Ping" Along-
and "Ping" Along-
This opportunity involves a one-year civic education pilot program that will end in late August.aThe local school district is in Shenzhen, a major
city in southern China immediately north of Hong Kong (click on the city name
for a fact page). My friend, Mary, a Resource
Teacher for the Anne Arundel
County Social Studies Department had a similar position and when she got wind that another teacher, who
couldn't get the time off, dropped out-she referred me. Taking the leap I said, as
Jeff Probst suggests, "Yes!" to the adventure.
I'm glad
Mary is going to be there, it will be so great to know someone! My family is totally on
board and has encouraged me to have this experience. Maybe they will come visit!
Actually, since the paperwork has taken so long, I’ll only be gone for nine months. The shortened trip and the fact that I have so much support, both from here and abroad (not the broad, Mary:) make the positives column regarding this decision-making process all heavily weighted on the "go" side.
This pilot
program is promoted and coordinated by The Center For Civic Education as a joint effort between the Beijing Ideal School Institute and the Shenzhen National Training Center. Half of the American teaching team of
ten will each be mentoring five Chinese fourth-grade teachers
with "Project Citizen” and the other half will mentor high school teachers
with the “Foundations of Democracy" program. Both are similar to the Center
for Civic Education’s "We the People... The Citizen and the Constitution"
program I worked with during many summers, and taught in my
classroom. The programs we are bringing to China will focus on civic
participation in government. Here is more information from the CCE website:
Project Citizen
is a curricular program for middle, secondary, and post-secondary students,
youth organizations, and adult groups that promotes competent and responsible
participation in local and state government. The program helps participants
learn how to monitor and influence public policy. In the process, they develop
support for democratic values and principles, tolerance, and feelings of
political efficacy
Entire classes
of students or members of youth or adult organizations work cooperatively to
identify a public policy problem in their community. They then research the
problem, evaluate alternative solutions, develop their own solution in the form
of a public policy, and create a political action plan to enlist local or state
authorities to adopt their proposed policy. Participants develop a portfolio of
their work and present their project in a public hearing showcase
before a panel of civic-minded community members.
"Project Citizen is a terrific way to learn
strategies for becoming an involved citizen and a strong community leader. It
also helps good team building in the classroom. My personal experience has shown how much each person in my class learned about responsible citizenship". -Lauren Smith, 7th
grade, Northern Middle School, Grand Rapids, Michigan 2004
Since it is
a pilot program it has already had a few hiccups, many due to paperwork
problems. Most recently, my “Letter of Invitation” was supposed to be sent
sometime during the week of Thanksgiving, and then I would apply for the Visa. However,
I just got word today that it will be mailed today (11/29/12). I have a
“date” with my friend, Betsy, to navigate the streets of DC and find my way to the Chinese Embassy to get my Visa. I’m hoping to be writing to you from China
before Christmas! It will be fun to celebrate the New Year Chinese style!
Just FYI - Some
benefits of this salaried position include:
• Free furnished “apartment”
with kitchen and bathroom, hotel-management style at the Sheraton. Although we are in efficiency apartments on a building
to the side, click on this – Four Points – to see pictures of
the address! Shenzhen is a BIG city (Click for more pics).
• One roundtrip ticket between
the United States and China.
• Cash subsidy for
business-related transportation or reimbursement for business-related
transportation.
• Subsidized or free lunch
during workdays and breakfast at the hotel
• A liaison and assistant to
support mentor teachers’ experience of working and living in China. (I’m told
we will each have a translator, too.)
• Training for the pilot civic
education programs by American trainers.
• Opportunity to observe schools
in China and gain teaching experience in a different culture.
Posted by EddyTour-In-Chief: Doug
STAY TUNED!
