Final Entry

Hello to all my faces. As usual, I hope this message finds you all in good health and spirit. I survived my first trip to China. Great experience and memories to match. Great to be back in the good old USA! When I got off the plane it was odd to see the clear blue skies of the northwest. China has definitely earned the title of the leading country when it comes to pollution. The country is rich in history and the people are very accommodating and hard working. I will try to post a few pictures as soon as possible. To conclude I will list what I have learned about their educational system:

• The tour guide stated that the Chinese are good at math and science. I agree, but not because they are Chinese but because they start school at 7:30am and finish at 4:00pm. After school the students will study until 11:00 or 12:00 pm.
  
• The culture also considers it a disgrace to not do well in the area of education. Couple that with families being allowed only 1 child per household and you have a pretty solid support system for students.
• The academic competition is fierce based on so many hard working students trying to get into the best colleges.
• The facilities are not as good as our public schools. They still use chalk and didn't see much technology in the schools. Class size ranged from 30 to 60 students per class which was amazing based on schools that had no central air conditioning. At times the heat and humidity was unbearable which shows you how spoiled we really are in regards to school facilities.
• What can we do to compete with the Chinese educational system? I believe one thing we can do is form solid partnerships with parents and students to help them understand the importance of education. We basically need to work much harder as a country if we plan on competing with a country like China. Now is the time to change our system or face the fact that we will soon be overshadowed by other countries who are working harder.
  

Back Home

Hello to all my faces. I have just finished a 14 hour plane ride. Had many difficulties trying to reach technology that worked. Dead tired and so will update trip and will provide photos
tomorrow. I will also give a summary of what was learned on trip to China:) rre

The Great China Wall

To all my faces, hope this message finds everyone in good health and spirits. Having serious difficulities getting technology to work in China. Will probably have to post pictures when I come back in four days. Just climbed the Great Wall of China yesterday. What an experience climbing something that is over a 1000 years old. You can see where the stones have been worn down from all the years of use. Wish I could post a picture but currently can't find a computer that will accept my memory card. Went to visit a school today and learned a lot about Chinese educational system. Found a basketball outside and couldn't resist throwing up a three point shot. I made the shot and so am a 100 percent shooter in China:) So all you people who I play basketball with you best be afraid when I come back:) rre

Still Alive

Hello to all my "Faces". As always ,I hope this message finds everyone in good health and spirit:) I am on the run because we need to catch the bus in 30 minutes. Our days have been filled with meetings, speeches, and some siteseeing. A little overwhelming at times with time change and on the move until about 9:oopm every night. Yesterday we were at the Great Hall of the people. Today we will be visiting the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China. Definitely am not in Kansas anymore. I have learned that things are pretty different and you must be prepared. For example, I was in a department store yesterday and found out they don't keep toilet paper in the bathrooms. Luckily I checked in advance and found a store that was stocked:) And as my daughter would say, TMI dad! Don't worry Tasha, I won't go into anymore detail. Next message I will try to upload some photos. We are supposed to visit another school and then go to a performance at the National Performing Arts Theater. A message to all my card playing friends, don't lose:) rre

Preparing for trip....

Hello to all my family, allies, colleagues, and enemies (faces). I will be addressing everyone as all my (faces) in the future so I don't have to type so much:) I am officially on summer vacation even though my cell phone keeps ringing with needs, wants, etc. I just went through 93 emails to finish out my 2007 school year. Ten of the emails had to do with all the specifics of the China trip. Found out that I have to wear suit and tie at all gatherings and casual business attire for school visitations. Because of the weather forecast of hot and humid, I think I am not looking forward to the dress codes. Summer is a time for shorts and t- shirts so I will do my best to bend the rules ( just a little).
This will be my first experience with using this Blog system and so please have patience with my lack of skill. I will do my best to keep up with this system and learn how to upload pictures from China like the Great Wall and other fun things. Until then, I hope this message finds all my( faces) in good health and spirit
Sincerely,
Richard Ricardo Esparza (rre)

Coming Soon!

I'm excited to start writing about my upcoming trip to China as part of the College Board's Bridge Delegation. I will be joining educators and administrators from around the country as a part of this amazing experience.

Please visit this page again in the coming days and weeks as I prepare for the big trip and start posting comments from the road.