Saying Goodbye to Dandelion

We said our goodbyes to the students and teachers at the Dandelion School today. Before we departed, however, we spent the morning and early afternoon wrapping up our time at the school. In the morning, we visited the homes of two students. It was a real pleasure to visit with their parents and learn more about their home life. Most students at Dandelion live at the school during the week and return to their families only on weekends. Much of their time at home is spent helping out with household chores or working in the fields, especially during harvest time.

We then returned to the school for a teacher-to-teacher discussion on the teaching methods and strategies we have been using throughout the week. Dandelion teachers have been carefully observing us and were eager to ask questions about our lessons. We were happy to share reflections on our experiences and give further information about why we chose particular methods for our chosen topics. We are hopeful that the strategies we modeled and the activities we shared will inspire Dandelion teachers to expand their own teaching repertoires to include more group work and periodic assessments - important strategies for ensuring students of all abilities are learning.

We concluded the day with a series of student presentations. Each class demonstrated what they learned this week. Students shared art, poetry, science, skits, stories, role play, and much more. It was rewarding to see the students' proud faces as they performed and presented. We also hope that these presentations will help their teachers better understand how the methods we used helped students develop deep understandings.
Today was a challenging day: it was sad to leave the students and teachers we have grown to know and love, but it was uplifting to know that we have shared so much and learned from each other.

Tomorrow we conclude our study tour with a visit to the Great Wall. We are eager to see this magnificent construction and learn more about who built it and why it was made. Stay tuned for the final post from China!