Local Educators To Instruct Students In China

Summer break provides an opportunity for students and teachers to relax and take a vacation. While the beach or the mountains would be suitable for most, seven local educators will travel to China.

The trip isn’t a vacation, but an opportunity to teach English to students while gaining a first-hand account of education from a different perspective.

The educators will be teaching English as a summer school course at the University of Science and Technology Beijing.

The students will be matriculating as freshman at the university or at associated universities throughout the country. Students were selected by test scores and their tuition is financed by the Chinese government.

Five Batesville Middle School teachers will be traveling abroad including Alex Davis, language arts teacher; Eric Feller, math and computer teacher; Karen Salvitti, 6th grade teacher; Lisa Horn, 6th grade teacher; and Grace Kontour, art teacher.

Batesville Schools Director of Student Learning Melisa Burton and Greensburg teacher Nicole Batta will also travel to China.

“It is a great opportunity for me personally to experience another culture, but also for the school corporation for me to gain some knowledge of what life is like in China and in China schools,” said Melissa Burton. “I can bring that back and share that experience with our children.”

The teachers will be delivering lectures on American culture and will facilitate discussion among the students in smaller groups throughout the fifteen days of the summer session. The school day ends at 3:00 p.m., so instructors will have time to explore Beijing.

Lisa Horn said, “I have never been out of North America, and I am looking forward to traveling to China. What a great opportunity I am getting. I am looking forward to being immersed in the Chinese culture. Being able to see how Chinese students view and work in school is exciting. I will be able to bring back ideas for my students-and am hoping to come away with new information to share with my colleagues.”

“I am a little nervous about the language and speaking with the students. However, after we get there and settled, I know that things will fall into place and the students and I will learn many things from each other,” she added.