BY MARLEEN KASSEL, Ph.D.
IN OUR FIERCELY COMPETITIVE EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT, every advantage to attract parents searching for schools is critical. Nothing attracts more than the belief that their children will be better prepared as viable job seekers. CHINALINK can help. China is exploding on the world stage in every way. Hence even a fundamental understanding of Chinese culture, language and business will help students compete upon graduation.
Set your school apart
The likelihood is that schools with whom you compete do little that is specifically related to China. You can be among the first in your community.
China is a major world player
The Berlin Wall came tumbling down and the former Soviet Union has been dismantled. The reverse is true for China. Theirs is one of the world’s fastest growing economies. “Made in China” is a phrase appearing in the United States more often than “new and improved.” China is the USA’s major trading partner. Marketers always say: “Know the competition.” Educators need to adjust that slightly: “Know your partners.”
Boost your school’s enrollment
How many of your students are enrolled in any China-related course? Do they have any understanding of the language? Do they even know where China is on the map? What are its major cities? How can students compete with one of the world’s great powers with such limited knowledge? The lesson of the past 30 years is that America’s competitors learn all they can about us. Sadly, with our children the opposite is typically true.
Relatively few graduating students are as familiar with Chinese culture, language and history as the typical Chinese student is familiar with us. Those American students who have even a basic knowledge of China stand a far better chance of success than those who do not.
What better way for your students to succeed than to be exposed to these important challenges? And if your students succeed so will your school. Once parents realize that your school goes beyond the norm with a program that offers their child an advantage others lack, family retention and new student enrollment will increase—once they learn of your innovative curriculum. In our new world where China is quickly becoming the central player it is incumbent upon educators to offer these opportunities to students. It will benefit both them and your school.
Often, the weight of completing the current curricular challenges overshadows the importance of special programs like Asian or Chinese studies. Sometimes these programs are only found in AP and in gifted and talented classrooms. “We are too busy teaching basic math and reading to spend time on those kinds of programs” is the common refrain. This objection is understandable. Yet when schools are forced to compete as they are today there is little choice but to accommodate the changes that are sweeping our world. For better or worse, schools competing for students must adapt and incorporate these kinds of programs into their curriculum to retain old and attract new parents.
Imagine, for example, what an advantage it would be for
a young person in any area of international business (which itself is booming) to be able to speak Chinese or even to
“just” understand Chinese culture.
What CHINALINK Offers
ONE. Face-to-face with Chinese students:
Your students can talk with Chinese students about their differences and similarities via real-time computer video hookups. Diversity
is a great stimulus for learning.
TWO: Staff Development: administrators, staff and students
can travel to China to learn more about the country’s education, business, art, and daily life. This travel can often be supported by outside funding that PSI helps to arrange.
THREE: Learning Chinese: CHINALINK offers a variety of ways to learn Chinese.
FOUR: Chinese Social and Cultural History: Why was the
Great Wall built? How did Confucius gain renown? Then, there’s the abacus. Don’t forget paper, printing and silk
production. The list goes on. Understanding their success will help bolster ours.
PSI’s CHINALINK program can make an exciting
contribution to your educational curriculum. Find more about its potential by calling Karen
McKelvey at 800. 841.4774,
ext. 104 or e-mail: karenmckelvey@psi-solutions.org.
Dr. Kassel, online at: psi-solutions.org/experts/kasselm/, has helped design the CHINALINK program. She offers seminars on Asian topics for school administrators, teachers and students. Contact her by e-mail at: info@psi-solutions.org.