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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 18, 2005
CONTACT: Daniel P. Finney, (515) 271-2833 or Daniel.Finney@drake.edu
NEW DRAKE ALUMS TRAIN FOR TEACHING ENGLISH IN CHINA
Fifteen recent Drake University graduates and five other recent Iowa college
graduates are training to teach English as a second language at middle schools
and colleges in China.
The group began an intensive 40-hour training process on Monday, May 16, and
will continue throughout this and the following week on Drake’s camps.
The program covers culture, English as a second language teaching skills.
Sixteen of the recent graduates will teach in Hebei, a sister state of Iowa.
The remaining four will teach in Chongqing, where a Drake delegation will visit
this summer to seek more exchange opportunities.
“This is a very exciting time for these recent graduates to be in China,”
said Mark Ferrara, assistant professor of English at Drake and director of Drake’s
Chinese Cultural Exchange Program. “The nation is changing so quickly
and these young people will be on the front lines of that.”
The graduates spend the first half of their training days at Drake getting an
overview of Chinese culture and the second half doing intensive Chinese language
training. Along with Drake graduates, new alumni from other Iowa institutions,
including Central College, Luther College and Morningside College, are taking
the trek to teach in China.
The Chinese host institution provides one-bedroom apartments with small kitchens
for the graduates. For graduates who plan to teach in Hebei for a full year,
round-trip airfare is provided. Participants are paid a wage that is about double
what the average Chinese teacher earns, which allows for entertainment and travel
opportunities.
“China is such a bustling and growing country, it is important that we
create good relationships with their educational institutions,” said Gretchen
Olson, director of International Programs and Services at Drake.
Five members of the Drake faculty are visiting China now in effort to learn
more about the country and seek future exchange educational opportunities.
For more information on the teaching program, contact Mark Ferrara at (515)
271-3828 or mark.ferrara@drake.edu.
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