Trip to China provides close look at education
FRHSD superintendent praises Chinese pupils' commitment to learning
BY LARRY HLAVENKA JR.
Correspondent

It wasn't quite the vacation Freehold Regional High School District Superintendent of Schools James Wasser had in mind.

After an arduous school year, Wasser hoped to relax on a beach in North Carolina or somewhere quiet in order to decompress.

Instead, he went to China.

Along with about 800 fellow educators from the United States, Wasser recently participated in a one-week tour of the Chinese school system as part of the American-Chinese Bridge Delegation. The trip was sponsored by Hanban, which is China's office of Chinese Language Council International. The council paid for all expenses of the 800 delegates, including airfare, lodging and meals.

The program encourages the participants from the United States and China to broaden their cultural and educational understanding of each other. Delegates are chosen by the council through an application process.

Despite his initial hesitation regarding the overseas voyage, Wasser said the experience was invaluable and eye-opening.

"This was not a vacation, this was a very advanced study of the culture and the language," he said. "It was a real worthwhile experience - it exceeded my expectations."

After touring classrooms packed with

70 students ("they were literally on top of one another"), no air conditioning and minimal technology, Wasser said American students - especially those in the FRHSD - are afforded many educational benefits they make take for granted.

"Seeing as how [Chinese students] learn in an environment that is so different than any environment we have - the resources we have here are unbelievable - our kids, I don't think, really value what we have here," the superintendent said.

And despite the difficult environment in which the Chinese students are instructed, Wasser remained astounded by their devotion to education and their desire to learn.

"They really understand that education is the key to success and moving on," he said. "Their focus is on learning and they have an intrinsic motivation that education is so important. I think many of our students say, 'you have to go to high school.' I don't think until sometime during their junior or senior year it starts to click in that they have to get to the university level. And then they say, 'this is really important.' [The Chinese students] make the connection early on."

Although he anticipated the Chinese students' grasp of the English language, hearing high school students speak fluent English did not fail to impress Wasser - not to mention the students' discipline and respect for teachers.

"The level of respect was phenomenal," he said. "The teacher spoke, the students listened. I could not believe the level of discipline and classroom management. They put [teachers] on a pedestal, they make you feel so good that you are a teacher. I've been in education for 35 years and it made me feel like I could go for another 35 years."

Although the classrooms were crowded, Wasser said the similarities between the Chinese schools and American schools are nonetheless prevalent. Wasser believes the simple fact that China's school administrators thoroughly teach English indicates their respect for the United States. Wasser said the Chinese curriculum was modeled after American districts¿ too.

"Even as tired as I was from the flight coming back, what I looked at was how much they appreciate America and the American education system," he said. "They really think we have it altogether. That's pretty darn good when a pretty powerful country like China looks at it and says America is doing it right - that's a compliment to us."

Still, as Chinese students continue to broaden their reach and enhance their global influence, the United States lags behind. It is estimated that while more than 200 million Chinese students study English, no more than 50,000 American students study Chinese.

Wasser said he would like the FRHSD to reverse that reality.

"I think we need to get a handle on offering more languages in our curriculum," he said. "I really think we need to branch out in some of the other Asian languages because in the world economy our kids won't be able to compete without these languages."

The superintendent said he intends to discuss the potential expansion of the district's foreign language offerings with his fellow administrators and the Board of Education.

"I can't see them not being interested," he said, adding that if a suitable program can be devised, a Chinese language class could be offered in the 2008-09 school year.

Although the trip remained school system based, Wasser also had time to marvel at the country's sights and sounds - namely the Great Wall and China's congestion problems.

"Once you've driven in Beijing, New York is no problem," he said, noting that the volume of automobiles also produces an inordinate amount of pollution - so much so that he did not see a blue sky until he returned to the United States.

Although he is glad to be home and pleased with the trip, Wasser remained serious about keeping the FRHSD top-notch. Given the advantages afforded - and especially after seeing the difficulties Chinese students experience - Wasser said that when it comes to education in the United States, "We have no excuses here. We have it very, very good and we need to appreciate that."