As a part of a sister school exchange, Chinese students from No. 6 Middle School in Yichang, China visited Sonoran Trails Middle School in Cave Creek, Arizona, with the support from the Teachers of Critical Languages Program (TCLP).
While in the U.S, the students spent several days in Arizona, where they visited the Grand Canyon, attended a rodeo, and shadowed their sister school peers.
Chinese students noticed several differences in student life between the two countries. The trip's organizer, Li Qiong, previously taught Mandarin at Sonoran Trails Middle School as a TCLP exchange teacher. According to Ms. Li, her students "used to think US kids had a very relaxing life. But they found out Cave Creek kids have to get up at 6:00 A.M. and wait for the school bus at 7:00 A.M., when lots of Chinese kids are just getting up."
Ms. Li's students also joined their Arizona peers for after school activities, even helping to feed and groom horses. The principal from No. 6 Middle School and a Chinese Ministry of Education administrator accompanied Ms. Li during the trip. While in the US, the trio met with Cave Creek educators to exchange best practices in professional development, classroom management, curriculum development, and online learning.
The delegation also visited several US cities including Washington, D.C., where American Councils and the D.C. Center for Global Education and Leadership arranged a face-to-face exchange with local students, during which they taught each other Chinese and American slang phrases.
Earlier this year, Arizonan students travelled to China's city of Yichang located in western China on the Yangtze River and home of the Three Gorges Dam on a trip to their Chinese sister school. The student exchanges took place as part of a sister-school agreement signed by principals at the two schools, supported by a TCLP alumni grant. TCLP is funded by the US Department of State and implemented by American Councils.
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