Chinese school chief visits Sisters schools

From literally halfway around the world (9,320 miles) school principal Mr. Zhang visited Sisters' schools last week. Zhang is from the city of Xi'an in east-central China. With more than 1.5 billion people in the country, Xi'an is a "smaller city" by Chinese standards, a population of 8 million. Mr. Zhang is the new principal of his 1,600-student grade 7-12 public school.

"The students here (Sisters) get very hands-on experiential learning," observed Zhang, speaking through interpreter David Perkins. "It is like real life, a hands-on life learning sort of experience. In China the students learn about theory ... they are really good at studying on theory and systems and logic. They have to learn how to study and they have to learn how to take tests. They are under a lot of pressure. They have to learn very quickly, and they have to learn a large amount of material.

"The difference here is creativity," said Zhang. "In China we test kids for many things, but we can't test them for creativity, for character. At the same time the American students ... are not so good at the testing. The reason why I am here is to learn how to take the two (styles) and merge them for the good of both cultures."

Students in Zhang's Yucai School go to school Monday through Saturday from 7:40 a.m. to 6 p.m. and many also take night classes. They have a pyramidal system in China, and available slots for college are limited to the top 75 percent of students. Perkins reports that if you don't get into college you are relegated to a lower-level job.

"Because of that, there is a huge amount of pressure to do well on exams and to have a high GPA," said Zhang. "Here there is no pressure. You don't give up on any child."

Zhang continued, "Also, the way people live here is very interesting. People when they relate to each other it is very candid and open. It seem like everyone is pretty equal. In China it is often guarded. You have to understand the pecking order. People (here) are very relaxed, laughing and joking, even when Jim is in the room (Superintendent Jim Golden). In China when the leader is in the room everyone is stern and quiet and reserved.

"America is very bountiful and very organized and very clean," said Zhang. "My shoes in China I have to polish them every day. I've been in America for 12 days and I haven't had to polish them once."

Mr. Zhang reported that he has been very well taken care of by Superintendent Golden and by Perkins during his visit.

"I have been here (Sisters) for four days and I feel very warm and envious and moved by this place," he said.

Zhang is part of a 10-member "China/American Principals Exchange" delegation that landed in New York City in mid-October as part of a three-week tour of "typical" United States educational facilities. After visiting New York City, the group traveled to Washington D.C. where they had meetings about the American education system. They moved on to Boston where they visited MIT, Harvard and some Boston high schools. The group then split up and Zhang flew to Portland.

Golden picked Zhang up at the Portland Airport on Saturday, October 27, and brought him to Sisters via the Mt. Hood route. Golden speaks little Chinese and Zhang speaks very limited English. "Charades" were the order of the day on the ride to Sisters, said Golden. Zhang spent the weekend with the Goldens.

Monday night Zhang moved to Perkins' home. The Perkins' lived in Asia for 26 years, and their house is "east meets west" according to David, who is fluent in Mandarin and teaches Mandarin at Sisters High School. Earlier this summer, Perkins took 10 Sisters High School (SHS) students to Beijing for two weeks to study Chinese culture and language. They studied at a school that is part of the same Yucai school network that includes Zhang's school.

During The Nugget interview in the atrium at Sisters High School, several students stopped by and chatted casually with Zhang in Mandarin.

Zhang visited a Sisters Rotary meeting at Aspen Lakes on Monday, and was treated to a Halloween party at board member Andrew Gorayeb's house on Wednesday night. Mr. Zhang visited a number of SHS classes from Monday through Wednesday, with SHS Mandarin students as guides. He left Sisters on Thursday.

Zhang, a math teacher by training, has been working in education for 22 years. His wife is a chemistry teacher and his daughter is studying aviation physics.

For the second part of this exchange program, Superintendent Golden will be one of 10 Oregon educators selected to make a reciprocal visit to China during spring break in 2013. It is hoped that these exchanges will create a dialogue between the respective schools and the cities that will blossom into an ongoing and deeper working relationship between the two cultures.