Pangliu Village School

Today, we visited the Pangliu Village School. This rural school is located outside of Xian and serves a collection of rural villages. The primary industry in the villages is the making of bricks. The school has been adopted by Primary Source in Watertown, MA. The school serves students in grades 1-6. We were very impressed with the level of enthusiasm of the principal and the teachers. As we entered the school grounds, the entire school (some 300+ students) were assembled to greet us. Students played drums and bugles and students with flags led us into the school. It is obvious these students have a great deal of pride in their school. The school's principal and the village mayor addressed our group. We als0 had a chance to visit the school's library and technology lab. It was interesting to watch these young students use technology. We broke into two groups and visited both fifth and sixth grade classrooms. There were at least 42 students per class and the students were very eager to practice their English skills. It was instructive to hear these young student converse in English. We asked the students to tell us what types of job they hoped to do when they were grown....many said doctors, teachers and engineers. The family plays a key role in the lives of these children. The major focus of instruction in China appears to be on the preparation for the entrance exams into the next level of schooling. Much of the curriculum focuses on math, Chinese and English. Students begin the study of English at grade 3.

Following our visit to the school, we had a lunch in the home of one of the villagers. We were overwhelmed by the level of generosity of these villagers. Imagine opening your home to strangers. Today's visit to the Pangliu Village School was very emotional and instructive. Our group plans to identify a project that we can support. Last year's group supported a field trip to see the Terracotta Warriors for the entire sixth grade. These students had never taken such a field trip. It was clear that last year's students were very much impacted by this opportunity.