Teach in China program is a success with Drake graduates

07/09/2007

Renae Steichen, AS'06, and Nathan Wallace, AS'06, enjoy sightseeing during their year in China.

By Tory Thaemert Olson, JO'05

With a college degree in one hand and a plane ticket in the other, 21 Drake grads will take off in August to land their first job with the Teach in China program for the 2007-08 academic year. Four graduates registered for a second or third year to fuel their hunger for international experience.

"What we want at Drake, and why we are doing this, is to facilitate a life changing experience by living in a developing country" said Mark Ferrara, director of the Chinese Cultural Exchange Program (CCEP) and assistant professor of English at Drake.

This life changing experience is one reason why Drake grads are choosing the program. Graduate school admission, travel, international experience and the 2008 Olympics have also drawn participants to the program.

Jenna Wilcox, AS'06, hopes to gain even more than "professional experience, personal experience, life experience and fun." After teaching, she plans to stay for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. "I'm hoping to be a volunteer at the Olympics," she said, "I've never seen the Olympics before and I'll have a year of experience in the country by then."

Wilcox, who plans to become a physician, is one of 65 graduates who have trained for the program since it began in 2004. Once accepted, participants are placed in Hebei Province, China, Iowa's sister state, in Chongqing and Kunming. Graduates teach mostly middle school through college level English classes for 16-18 hours per week through September to June, with a break for the Chinese New Year, and earn 3,000 to 3,500 Yuan per month (about $458 US dollars).

Before their departure, grads take an intense two-week training session to learn about teaching English, the Chinese culture and prepare for challenges such as the language barrier and being a minority. Training gives graduates the basics, but they are expected to spend the summer learning and preparing, Ferrara said.

“Learning those basic skills really helped me when I got to China," said Renae Steichen, AS'06. "Also, learning about the culture was very helpful because it made things a bit less shocking when I got here, and learning the history helped me understand why things are as they are today.”

Brock Bethke, AS'06, explores the Great Wall -- one of the most popular sightseeing destinations for Drake alumni teaching in China.

In addition to teaching, Steichen found time to travel extensively. "By the end of my year, I will have seen nearly all of the major sights and cities in this country," she said. "I have seen such a huge range, from big cities like Shanghai and Beijing, to natural areas like the Gobi Desert and Guilin mountains, and to the rural countryside areas where some of my students' families live.”

Steve Sandie, AS'05, will return for a third year in the program this fall, but his journey hasn't been without hardships. "The list of challenges I've faced is innumerable," he said. "From massive construction projects to water shortages and power outages, my experience in Chongqing has been unpredictable. The most significant challenges have been adapting to everyday life in China and coming to understand the Chinese education system."

When asked why he's staying another year, Sandie said, "I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing a few years out of college than living and working in a foreign country, making friends from all over the world." As for his future, he said he would consider returning to China again because it will play an increasingly pivotal role internationally, economically and politically.

With knowledge of the Chinese culture, these graduates have armed themselves with international experience that will benefit them wherever they go. "No matter where our participants find employment after completing the program," Ferrara said, "when potential employers see that they've taught in China for a year it really sets these Drake grads apart."

To view more photos of Drake grads in China, visit the online gallery. For more information and blogs on the Teach in China program, visit this link.

Hebei Province, Iowa's sister state, is highlighted in dark red on this map of China.

International Sisterhood

Although separated by more than 6,600 miles of ocean and land, Iowa and Hebei Province, China have many common threads. In 1983, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, LW'74, and Hebei Gov. Zhang Shu Guang agreed on a partnership to become Sister States. What makes this sister state partnership so interesting is the commonalities found between both states.

Climate -- Iowa and China share similar climates with heavy summer rains and flooding.

Education -- Iowa and Hebei Province both have at least 50 universities, colleges and higher learning institutions.

Agriculture -- These sister states share corn as a major crop. Hebei Province also produces fish, fruit, cotton, wheat and maize.
 
International experience -- The sister state partnership helps the Teach in China program to be so successful, because we are government to government, said Mark Ferrara. The Chinese highly value an American native speaker and Americans gain international, professional and personal experience.

Other facts on Hebei Province:

• 68 million people
• Shijiazhuang is the sister city of Des Moines and capital of Hebei Province
• 98 percent of people are Han Chinese
• The common language is Mandarin Chinese
• History dates back to the Xia Dynasty, 2200-1700 B.C. when Hebei Province was called "Ji"