2010.01.30: China RPCV Tiffany Nelson teaches English as a second language classes at an international school in Pekin
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2010.01.30: China RPCV Tiffany Nelson teaches English as a second language classes at an international school in Pekin
China RPCV Tiffany Nelson teaches English as a second language classes at an international school in Pekin
When Tiffany Nelson asked students at L.E. Starke Primary School if they had ever tried "beetle-on-a-stick," the response was "Ewww!" and "Yuck!" But when the Pekin Community High School graduate and former Peace Corps volunteer asked how many had been to a Chinese restaurant, almost every hand went up. "Just because their foods are different doesn't mean they're bad," said Nelson, who was pictured in a PowerPoint presentation eating beetles on a stick in China. "It's pretty good, really. Maybe you can try them sometime." Nelson, who came to Pekin during the Chinese New Year - from Jan. 25 through Feb. 16 - shared her experiences of living in China with students during the school's multimedia assembly held earlier this week. She spoke of Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tibet, Beijing, and other cities in China, and explained about the many different languages and dialects that are spoken throughout the country. Nelson served in the Peace Corps in China as a university ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher from 2007 to 2009. One of her responsibilities as a former Peace Corps volunteer is to promote helping Americans understand different countries, people, and their cultures. So when Starke School Principal Stan Fitzanko invited Nelson to participate in the assembly, she didn't hesitate.
China RPCV Tiffany Nelson teaches English as a second language classes at an international school in Pekin
Children learn about foreign cultures
Caption: Third-graders in the classes of teachers Laura Bieller, Abby Hill and Erin Johnson at L.E. Starke Elementary School react to Chinese customs as described by Tiffany Nelson, who served in the Peace Corps in China and currently teaches English as a second language classes at an international school. Photo: Joni Andrews / Times staff
By Valari Hyatt
Pekin Daily Times
Sat Jan 30, 2010, 05:00 PM CST
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PEKIN, Ill. -
When Tiffany Nelson asked students at L.E. Starke Primary School if they had ever tried "beetle-on-a-stick," the response was "Ewww!" and "Yuck!" But when the Pekin Community High School graduate and former Peace Corps volunteer asked how many had been to a Chinese restaurant, almost every hand went up.
"Just because their foods are different doesn't mean they're bad," said Nelson, who was pictured in a PowerPoint presentation eating beetles on a stick in China. "It's pretty good, really. Maybe you can try them sometime."
Nelson, who came to Pekin during the Chinese New Year - from Jan. 25 through Feb. 16 - shared her experiences of living in China with students during the school's multimedia assembly held earlier this week. She spoke of Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tibet, Beijing, and other cities in China, and explained about the many different languages and dialects that are spoken throughout the country.
Nelson served in the Peace Corps in China as a university ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher from 2007 to 2009. One of her responsibilities as a former Peace Corps volunteer is to promote helping Americans understand different countries, people, and their cultures. So when Starke School Principal Stan Fitzanko invited Nelson to participate in the assembly, she didn't hesitate.
"I have 40 students in one class," said Nelson, who presently lives and works in Chengdu, Sichuan in China where she teaches ESL to elementary students at the Chengdu Meishi International School. "We have two teachers for each class. There's not a lot of room in the class so they all sit close to each other, right by the teacher."
During her presentation, she discussed the Chinese New Year and how it is celebrated in China.
"This year the Chinese New Year falls on Feb. 14. On our calendar, that's Valentine's Day but in China, it's actually Jan. 1 on the Chinese calendar. They celebrate much like we do at Christmas, with presents, food and family. They don't have school. No one goes to work. It's their biggest holiday of the year."
After the early morning assembly, students returned to their individual classes where they continued learning about China from Nelson and another special Chinese guest, Sylvia Chen, owner of Fast Dragon, a Chinese restaurant located in downtown Pekin.
Marj Oesch, who unofficially dubbed the assembly "Diversity Day," invited Chen to speak to the second-graders. "Their culture is so different than ours and the children have been asking a lot of questions. When we needed extra resources, Sylvia Chen supplied us with chopsticks, fortune cookies, newspapers written in Mandarin, and zodiac place mats. She's been so helpful so I asked her to come as our special guest speaker and answer questions about her home country."
Happy to oblige, Chen came loaded down with gifts. Not only did she bring gift certificates for a free meal at her restaurant, but she also brought chop sticks which she used to demonstrate how to pick up a piece of paper or a grain of rice. She also brought "cheater chopsticks" for beginners.
She also brought a Chinese calendar, red Chinese New Year envelopes that are stuffed with money for their children on New Year's Day festivities, a Chinese mask that is worn by children in their New Year's Day parade, and Chinese currency.
She also translated students' names into Chinese writing. "It took about two hours to do all 50 names. First I had to type out all of their names, then translate their names into Chinese," Chen said. "It was fun but time-consuming but I think it's worth it that they can see how their names look and sound in Chinese. It's very different."
Oesch told Chen about a book they read in class, from the learning center. "It reported that families in China only have one child. The children were concerned about Chinese children not having any brothers and sisters. They wondered if the book was true?"
Chen said the book is right. "In China there are seven people living together as one family. Every family has one mother, one father, two grandmothers and two grandfathers - one of each on each parents' side - and one child. So they already have a big family and they only have one child per family because they don't want to overpopulate. China is already crowded."
Oesch said not only are Starke students learning about China, Russia and other countries and their cultures, but they are actively participating in helping other countries. For instance, Oesch's students collected coins to donate to Haiti through Broadmoor Junior High. And the PTA reported that 12 Pekin families had a brighter Christmas this year because of their Helping Hands program.
"Pekin 108 has a core value to treat everyone with respect and kindness," Oesch said. "Our ‘I Care' rules stress that we care about each other and are responsible for what we say and do. We will do our best to practice those beliefs as we learn about diversity and unity in our world. Especially at Starke School."
Meanwhile, diversity isn't just happening at Starke School. According to Bill Link, Superintendent of Schools, District 108, "Several of our board members are attending a diversity workshop titled, ‘Diversity and Inclusion Awareness.'"
Link said the purpose of the workshop is to create a common understanding of diversity and inclusion, behaviors required to create an inclusive environment, and how it all links to achieving district goals.
Links to Related Topics (Tags):
Headlines: January, 2010; Peace Corps China; Directory of China RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for China RPCVs; Education; Primary Education; The Third Goal
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Story Source: Pekin Daily Times
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - China; Education; Primary Education; Third Goal
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