Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/48237
WE ARE AEA! • WE ARE AEA! • WE ARE AEA! • WE ARE AEA! The China Experience This past Things I wish I had known: summer, Holiday Park Elementary Special Education teacher and Cartwright EA member Rae Ann Rumery joined a group of 26 2011 NEA Foundation Awards for Teaching Excellence recipi- ents for a 10-day educational and cultural tour of China. The tour included visits to schools in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong and provided educators with structured opportuni- ties to observe high-quality instruction and in- teract with Chinese teachers and administrators. The tour was designed and led by Education First and was sponsored by the NEA Foundation and the Pearson Foundation. Below are reflec- tions from Rumery on her tour of China. from our "compulsory" level of education were tainted by the times and political climate of the Cold War. I never had a desire to learn more about the history and culture from any of my circumstances until now. I held a negative atti- tude about Chinese influences on our economic markets. But since this experience, I have had a significant adjustment to my global thinking. The prevalence of "Made in China" labels O is a result of trade agreements crafted by our governments in efforts to bring goods to the populace. The trade-offs for loss of locus-of- control are now felt in a myriad of ways both positive and negative. Perhaps past decisions will help guide our thoughts and determinations for future agreements that take into account the "greater good" on the global scale. 36 Winter 2011/12 ❘ AEA Advocate ne thing that really stood out is how little I really knew about China prior to this experience. My recollections of my learning • More particulars about the Chinese education system ✔ retention and recruiting practices ✔ education and certification requirements ✔ professional development requirements ✔ salary and benefits ✔ evaluation processes ✔ standards development (teacher, administration, and student) • Data about student performance (from reliable sources) ✔ graduation rates ✔ percentages of students with exceptional needs My plan is to share the school-related com- ponents, first with administration, and explore how these parts fit into our school mission and values. I will be telling my story as a means to promote others to submit application for our state Christa McAuliffe award and the NEA Teacher Excellence Award. I intend to utilize my platform as the chair of the Instruction and Professional Development Task Force to dis- seminate information about the award opportu- nities and invite the many teachers that I come into contact with through support for National Board Certification to consider making the application. I have had some opportunities to share informal reflections on the experience and how it came to be. My prompt has been to encour- age all teachers to tout what they do in their classrooms and seek avenues to highlight their accomplishments whenever and wherever pos- sible. Each of us must strive to elevate the teach- ing profession to the esteemed level it should be in our country as it is in others. As for my classroom application of this awe- some China experience, I am integrating Tai Chi, inner peace and harmony, classic symbols, and art into my classroom with the help of my new hero – Po – aka Kung Fu Panda. Upon returning from China, I watched both the first and second films of Kung Fu Panda. Students will be greeted by a large poster of the lovable panda alongside my door asking "Can you be a Dragon Warrior?" Through the elements of the movies and stories surrounding the Dragon Warrior and his masters, the Furious Five, I will engage the young academically challenged individuals whom I service through a variety of lessons intertwining academic content stan-