June 23

In the last 2 days we have visited two top foreign language schools in the Suzhou area of Jingsu province. Here is a evening shot from near our restaurant.

We ended the night in downtown historic Suzhou for a wonderful meal. I am learning to eat boldly! This dish is one of the more desired in the area.

One of the goals of the Culture Matters Inc. Tour I am on is to gain an understanding of the educational landscape of the Chinese schools. In the last 2 days, I have gained a clear perspective of the Chinese private schools. Their end goal is sharply clear: Chinese students want to attend elite US colleges and universities.

If the goal of Unity is to recruit private students who are seeking elite programs, then we will face serious obstacles as a Christian school.

1. The Chinese parents of these private academies are leery of their children becoming brainwashed into the Christian faith. For the most part the Chinese are nominally Buddhist, but live mostly a non-religious life. A Christian school is scary to them.
2. In general, the Chinese are interested in the best prestigious American universities. Therefore they want prestigious American high schools They want the name brand top 50 Universities in the US ( Stanford, MIT, Harvard, Columbia). Dordt, Trinity, Calvin and Wheaton are not on their radars.
3. As a Christian school, we need to be clear and unashamed on our mission and vision. We need not cater to students who are simply seeking an elite education.

At Unity, I believe we offer the best of academic quality and a sharp reformed biblical perspective.

It is becoming clear to me that our focus moving forward needs to be on the Hidden Christian Schools of China. These schools provide a better opportunity for us. Christian schools in China align with our biblical worldview. The Christian schools in China also face the discrimination of not being able to take the placement exam for universities and colleges in China. We can be a blessing to them and these students can be a spiritual and cultural blessing to us.

The obstacle in serving the Chinese Christian schools and their families is money. The school families cannot afford the cost of travel and tuition, and yet they desire to attend American Christian schools. We want to be a Kingdom partner with these schools, learning together in our cultural differences and similarities.

We have tremendous opportunities to grow our school enrollment in China through Chinese Christian schools. Where might God lead us in these partnerships?

Wayne

June 22, 2016

Friends,

The weather here is hot and rainy.  I should have packed an umbrella! It has been one week in China.  The experience has been absolutely amazing.  Everything site I see and meal I eat is unique and memorable.  I truly feel I am in a different world.  The language and culture of China is beautiful and impressive.  My world has been stretched. 

That said, I am starting to get cravings for American food.  A plate of spaghetti, a dish of ice cream…..  The Chinese have very little sugar and dairy products in their diet.  Lots of salt, meat, seafood and vegetables.  Every meal we eat is a banquet!  Here is a typical spread:

We crossed over the famous Yangtze River in our drive to Suzhou.  We are also very close to Shanghai. 

We are now in Suzhou.  Suzhou (pronounced Sue-Joe) is a city of 10 million with mountains, beautiful gardens and an amazing downtown skyline.  The city is historically part of the ancient Kingdom of Woo.  It is a city known for its fish and rice and classic gardens. 

Today we visited an amazing International school, Suzhou North America High School.  This school has aspirations to be the number one private English speaking school in China.

Uniquely, this school is sponsored by two groups.  First, they have a partnership with North Carolina State.  NC State manages their American curriculum.  Second, the Wuzhong Group heavily sponsors the school.  The Wuzhong Group is a Chinese equivalent of a Fortune 500 company.  This company is currently building a new campus for the school.  We toured both the old campus and the new campus.  The campus is absolutely stunning in design and grandeur.  It rivals a college campus new construction.

Here is a screen shot of the campus currently being built.  The campus even includes apartments for teachers.  It is a gated campus with security guards.

What would it look like in the United States if we had corporations building and funding high schools?  Tuition at this school is 120,000 yuan or approximately $20,000 US.

Suzhou North America High School currently has 102 students and has plans to reach 500 students within 3 years.  They also plan to add a middle school to their school within 4 years. 

SNA School Motto – Aim Higher, Do Better, Viewing the World as One

Education at SNA is about:
•    Building landscape
•    Creating Atmosphere
•    Nurturing Youth

What do you think is missing in their philosophy?

The Chinese are aggressive in new construction everywhere we look. This school is one big example of that.  It appears they have a “build it and they will come” philosophy. SNA is seeking to serve the need to learn English without students leaving the country.

The Chinese school leaders and students we met, are absolutely committed to preparing themselves to go to top American colleges and Universities.  The focus is sharp and the students are diligent and attentive. 

I cannot read any email unless it is in yahoo.  I am sending the posts to Karl Kaemingk via yahoo mail.  If you need to reach me, try:

wayne_dykstra@yahoo.com

 Wayne

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Dear Friends,

Today the focus was on English training programs.  We visited an international training center for English learners in Yancheng. We also visited a summer English camp held at a luxurious resort. This resort is full of students studying English all summer long. 

 The impression I am getting is the Chinese see English mastery as a key to their future.  With that, there is a goal for many Chinese students to study in the United States.  There is definitely a sense that America is the needed stepping-stone to educational improvement. 

Yancheng, China is a highly industrious and progressive city of over 8 million people, with a New York feel to it.  A highlight for the group today was finding a Starbucks.  The Chinese are not into coffee as much as Americans.  Hotels serve a prepackaged Nescafe with sugar, creamer and coffee all mixed in one.  A Starbucks coffee hit the spot for many today in Yancheng.

This is a prominent landmark, a TV tower in Yancheng. 


Tomorrow we visit Suzhou where we will visit local school officials and make presentations on our schools. 

The educational systems we have met so far are void of Christ in their mission and vision.  They offer dedicated staffs, beautiful campus and a hunger for learning that is somewhat intimidating.  But they are missing the mark on the core of their education, that being a Kingdom building effort centered on Jesus Christ and a transformational Biblical worldview.

Monday, June 20, 2016

Today we visited a high school of 3500 students and 400 teachers in Xiangshui.  The school day began with calisthenics on the soccer field.  It was absolutely stunning to see 3500 students choreograph exercises in perfect synchronicity.  I sent Sue a video of the dancing and she is going to put it up on my Facebook page.  I will see if it can get transferred to this blog. 

Mid-morning I was assigned to speak to a class of 35 10th grade students.  They call them Grade 1 in China. Juniors are grade 2 and seniors are grade 3.  These kids were in an English class, and I talked about Unity, my family and their school with them.  They were so full of smiles and respect.  It was amazing.  I talked about our school and how we are a Christian school so we follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. 

The school runs on a 15 period schedule, with study hall sessions running until 10pm each night.  The school day begins before 7am. School runs 6 1/2 days a week, with a Christmas break of one month and summer break of just under 2 months. Their educational program is solely focused on the mind.  I shared how we focus on the mind, body and the soul at our Christian school.  The students sit in un-air conditioned rooms at large tables facing each other. 

The school has a 10 floor administrative building and the campus resembles a college campus and then some.  Xiangshui High School is an elite high school and many consider it a privilege for their children to attend it.

We ended the day in a friendly basketball game of our group versus the faculty of Xiangshui school.  They love their basketball and are very good! We on the other hand looked our age.  Wished we had Cliff Warner here.  Some of the only American words they can exchange are Steph Curry and Lebron James.  We enjoyed competing in a friendly game with them.  In World Cup soccer fashion we exchanged t-shirts with the other team.  They were gracious hosts allowing us to erase a 30 point deficit and almost winning the game.  

Again, I am blown away with the Chinese people and their hospitality.  What great people. 

Tuesday is a travel day. We head to Nanching.

Wayne