Chinese visitors 'impressed' at Delano

Posted on: Oct 16, 2017

Visitors from the other side of the world recently took their first look at life and learning in Delano, and they liked what they saw.

“The environment is very beautiful and clean,” said Zhu Lili, an English teacher at ZiYun (Purple Cloud) High School in the Tanggu district of Tianjin, China, which has a sister-school relationship with Delano High School. “The fresh air, beautiful trees and friendly people impress me a lot.”

The schools have a relationship dating back to 2005, but three Chinese teachers and eight students returning a June visit by Delano staff and students were seeing America for the first time when they moved in with local host families Sept. 24-30. The annual visits allow teachers on both sides of the Pacific to observe different methods of education, and help students forge relationships with their counterparts in a very different culture.

“I think the biggest thing is our students come back with a perspective of the world that is so different from the life they live here,” said DHS math teacher Lanette Faul, who has headed up the school’s China Club and organized visits since 2005. “It gives them a much deeper understanding of a part of the world they might have had preconceived notions about, and I think they really realize how fortunate they are. They also realize that just because these people are Chinese, it doesn’t mean they are different. People are people.”

Impressions

For Lili, who served as the interpreter for her group, that personal connection highlighted her time in Delano.

“My favorite part has been the people we have stayed with here,” she said. “The people here are very friendly and kind.”

A view of life in an outlying Minnesota suburb was also eye-opening to the group, which lives in one of China’s largest cities. The municipality of Tianjin has a population of over 15 million.

“Minneapolis-St. Paul is just peanuts to them,” said Faul with a laugh.

“The lifestyle here surprised me,” said Lili. “People here live a simple and relaxed life, not like the people in big cities. They enjoy a peaceful life. I feel the people and the children here are very fortunate to live here.”

Educational differences

From an educational standpoint, Lili said her group immediately noticed differences in the Delano schools.

“In the high school we feel the teaching style is very impressive,” she said. “It is very different from ours. In our school students sit and listen to the teachers. They do not have much time to talk with each other in class. Here we are finding that students divide into groups, teachers give directions and the students finish the tasks by themselves. What impressed me the most was that students here are relaxed in class, but their mind is still focused on their studies.”

In the middle school and elementary school, Lili said her group noticed a different overall atmosphere than in Chinese schools.

“It was very caring, very enthusiastic, very warm-hearted,” she said. “We felt that influence. Many of the kids said, ‘Ni hao,’ (hello) to us in Chinese.”

Special education practices here also caught Lili’s attention.

“I saw a child with a disability at the elementary, and there was a teacher helping her all the time,” Lili said. “In China children with disabilities may go to a special school, not with the other children, so that impressed me a lot.”

Asked if she would recommend any changes to Delano’s education, Lili said she would encourage students here to learn Chinese. As an English teacher, she said her Chinese students benefit from learning English even though it is a challenge.

“It is very difficult for them,” she said. “They feel it is very hard to learn.”

Other highlights

Aside from visiting classrooms and interacting with Delano students and staff, the visitors also toured the facilities, enjoyed a pep fest in their honor, appeared at a school board meeting, met Delano Mayor Dale Graunke, toured Delano, went shopping at the Mall of America and other stores, and spent a day in Minneapolis at sites like the sculpture garden and Minnehaha Falls.

The week ended with a visit to an apple orchard, complete with hay rides, a corn maze, pumpkin carving, potluck and more.

Life-changing experience

The recent visit gave Delano students and their families a chance to return the favor for students who hosted them when they visited China this past summer. While there the Delano contingent spent five days at ZiYun, which Lili said has about 2,000 high school students. Then they traveled to Beijing, Guilin and Yangshuo, visited rice terraces and the Li River, and finally saw Shanghai.

Faul has visited China four times as one of the organizers of the Delano delegations, and said she hopes the exchange program can continue to flourish in the future because interest remains strong on the Chinese side.

“I wish we could have at least 20 students go each year, because for every student we have that goes they probably have 20-30 students who have applied to host,” she said.

The trip costs about $3,000, but that price covers everything from Visas to transportation and meals, making it a good value. Some area organizations have donated to defray that cost in recent years.

Lili echoed Faul’s hopes for a strong continued partnership, though it is difficult for Chinese participants to visit the United States more than once.

“We all feel fortunate to be invited to your school, and many teachers in our school are looking forward to visiting your school in the future,” she said. “Our students have a good time here.”

Faul said some students end up referring to their counterparts as sisters or brothers, and that members of one Chinese host family actually came to a former Delano student’s wedding years later.

“For some kids who go this is something that can be life changing,” she said. “Some of the friendships and bonds I’ve seen form over the years are absolutely incredible.”

� Since 2005 a total of 58 Delano teachers and 118 students have visited ZiYun, and 138 Chinese students, teachers and administrators have visited Delano.

� Relationships with other Chinese schools began earlier in 1994 and included multiple visits from Delano teachers and staff, but not students.