Marie Corfield: Happy Teacher Appreciation Week: How China and the US are swapping education philosophies

Marie Corfield: Happy Teacher Appreciation Week: How China and the US are swapping education philosophies:

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week: How China and the US are swapping education philosophies

Early on in my teaching career I taught elementary art in the Bernards Township School District in Somerset County. The township is about 83% white with the largest minority being Asian at 14%. With a median family income of $153,000 and poverty below 3%, the children don't want for much. Many parents take an active role in their children's education, encouraging and even demanding they be involved in several after school activities. They expect the schools to offer top-notch curriculums including the arts, foreign languages, plenty of AP classes, sports and extracurricular programs because they pay top dollar in property taxes and they want their children to attend excellent colleges and universities. And the schools deliver.

US News and World Report gave the only high school in the district, Ridge High School, a gold medal in its annual rankings of US high schools. It placed 177th in the country overall, 7th in the state, 136th in the country for STEM education, with almost 100% of its students proficient in math and language arts, and a College and Career index of 65%.

This is an excellent school fed by excellent elementary and middle schools.

My story is about a 3rd grade girl whom I taught there. I don't remember her name, but she was Chinese American. Her father worked at one of the big pharmaceutical companies for which New Jersey was once famous. (Many are pulling up stakes and leaving the state.) She was very bright and eager to please.

She was done with her project and was doing some free drawing when it was time to clean up. She begged me to let her finish her drawing. I couldn't let her stay because I had another class coming in. She was really pushing me on this. When I suggested she take it home and finish it, she told me she couldn't; she didn't have any time. I jokingly told her I found that hard to believe, to which she replied, "I have no time at home. I have violin lessons and soccer practice after school, then I Marie Corfield: Happy Teacher Appreciation Week: How China and the US are swapping education philosophies: