Seven Yale College seniors will be heading back to the classroom after graduation this May. These classrooms, however, will be located in the People's Republic of China, and the erstwhile students will be the teachers this time around.
The Yale-China Association has awarded two-year teaching fellowships to seniors Caroline Ross, Maya Nayak, Matt Easter, Cindy Chung, Alma Robledo, David Facciani and Jess Row, as well as to 1996 graduate Dung Nguyen. The fellows will teach English at schools in four Chinese cities during the 1997-98 and 1998-99 academic years.
"The selection of the Teaching Fellows was especially rigorous this year, as we had a much higher number of applicants than usual," says Heather McGray, program manager for Yale-China. "The new fellows are very talented and thoughtful people. I am sure that they will prove to be insightful explorers of Chinese culture, and will make valuable contributions to their students' education."
This year, the Yale-China Association is adding a new site to its program: Huizhen Academy, a new school established in 1994 in Hangzhu, the capital city of Zhejiang province. Huizhen Academy is one of the few Chinese schools that emphasizes a well-rounded education. While traditional Chinese schools prepare students for standardized examinations, Huizhen Academy also offers elective courses, art classes and community service programs. Yale-China's participation at Huizhen Academy is made possible by the support of Henry H.L. Fan of Hong Kong.
"We are excited to have the opportunity to begin a partnership with Huizhen Academy because of the school's dedication to making innovations in education, and because it will be an ideal setting for intercultural exchange," notes Ms. McGray. "With China's phenomenonal rate of economic growth and increasing involvement in international affairs, a solid, broad-minded education is becoming ever more necessary for the nation's young people. We hope Yale- China's Teaching Fellowship Program will be a valuable element in the Huizhen curriculum as the school seeks new ways of addressing China's educational needs."
Mr. Easter and current Hong Kong Teaching Fellow Jennifer Weyburn U94 will be the first Yale-China teachers to work at Huizhen Academy. Both have experience working with young children and will teach English to first through ninth graders.
Mr. Row, Ms. Nguyen, and Ms. Ross will teach at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where they will be responsible for a series of English courses called "Writing About Language and Literature," as well as elective courses on American culture and history. The three majored in English, American studies and American literature, respectively. In addition, Ms. Nguyen has one year of professional teaching experience in the Philadelphia Public School System.
Ms. Nayak, Ms. Chung, and Ms. Robledo will live in Changsha, where Yale-China has been sending teachers since its earliest years. Ms. Nayak and Ms. Chung will teach conversational English to middle school and high school students at Yali Middle School. Both women served as freshman counselors during their senior year at Yale and have spent summers working with children. Ms. Robledo will teach English to doctors, medical students and medical administrators in the English Language Center at Hunan Medical University. An art major and photographer, she hopes to use her time outside the classroom to explore the arts in Changsha.
Mr. Facciani will teach English to economics and computer science majors at Zhongshan University's Lingnan College in Guangzhou. This is the second year that Yale-China has sent teachers to Zhongshan, with support from the Lingnan Foundation. Mr. Facciani taught English in Guangxi Province during the summer after his first year at Yale.
The Yale-China Association, founded in 1901, is a private, non-profit organization that seeks to promote mutual understanding between the peoples of China and the United States through a broad range of educational, medical, environmental, and cultural programs in the United States, Hong Kong and the People's Republic of China.
For further information, contact Ms. McGray at 203-432-0881.