Visiting Scholar Wang Yinghong reflects on her first week in Vermont

On the eve of the new Chinese Lunar Year, Wang Yinghong’s plane was descending at the Burlington Airport. While Wang Yonghing has never traveled to Vermont before, the placement at Randolph Union High School is almost a homecoming since Yonghing had the opportunity to work with staff from the school. In 2009, Dean Meltzer, 8^th grade science teacher, and his wife Dona from Braintree School, went on sabbatical for a year in the Lijiang Province. Wang Yonghing met the Metltzers during their sabbatical and even had the chance to meet with their daughter.  

Wang Yonghing shared these thoughts of her first few weeks in Vermont:

“I'm getting used to being here. I can sleep well at night. Dean and Dona, my host family, cook different foods every day. They try to let me find the foods I like most.

       Everyone in the school are all very nice. I observed different classes last week. I had the most interesting math class here. I enjoyed the Spanish class even I can't understand a word in there. I learned a lot from the science class. I found a new way to teach English. I'm very surprised that the English teacher and the man who teach geography prepared a class together. Students can learn a lot about Africa when they learn from an African novel. I observed the students practice drama, and I joined the students in the gym.

     I will have class soon. I will share Mandarin and Chinese culture in my class. I also want to show them Ljiang (culture & scenic spots). I will teach Naxi dance with the physical teacher. I will do Dongba pictographic characters with the art teacher. I also will go to some elementary school to do some workshop.”