The RCEF Blog 博客

Recently, I read a paper by Huhua Ouyang called “One-Way Ticket: A Story of an Innovative Teacher in Mainland China” (Anthropology & Education Quarterly, Dec. 2000). It chronicles the journey of “Cheng”, a highly decorated English teacher from a rural area. She received free training at an urban university aimed at raising her English skills and ability to teach. The training was very tough. She had to re-learn how to learn, because the university emphasized speaking and required her to be an independent thinker. After two years, Cheng returned to her hometown, a convert to the new methods. Re-instated to her former position as a middle school teacher, she tried to put her experience into practice. The results? Painful.

Her colleagues, superiors, and even students opposed her new methods. Unable to gain recognition or support for the value of her new abilities, she left the rural school and went to teach in a large city, where her skills and teaching philosophy were more appreciated and financially rewarded.

The bottom line is that even after an individual teacher thinking has changed internally, many environmental factors may need to change in order for that teacher to enact change externally in the disadvantaged rural schools where they are most needed. Thus, RCEF must constantly take into account the complex social and political environment surrounding education in rural China.

RCEF is one of the only organizations in China focusing on the holistic process of rural educational change. We invite you to join us as we figure out what the environmental factors are that are needed to make teacher training most effective. Your donations help to allow this important work continue. You can contribute now online by clicking here.

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