December 2018: Eric Forman and Tina McCauley Represent Shaker Heights Schools in China

From November 2-11, Onaway Principal Eric Forman and Lomond Assistant Principal Tina McCauley traveled to China with the Chinese Bridge Delegations for American Principals, a group of 150 teachers, administrators and school board members from around the country. The trip was sponsored by the College Board and the Confucius Institute. Both Mr. Forman and Ms. McCauley spent time in Beijing with the larger group, visiting many sites including the Great Wall of China, and learning more about the College Board and the Confucius Institute. The pair then broke off with a smaller group and took the bullet train to visit two cities and six elementary schools in the Shangdong province, a coastal province in eastern China on the Yellow Sea. 

“Trips like these always reinforce how important it is that we’re connected to the world,” says Mr. Forman. “It also helped me to appreciate that while we focus on how our students view the world, it’s also important to understand how the world views us.”

Mr. Forman says that visiting the schools in the Shangdong province was the highlight of his trip because he had the opportunity to engage with teachers and students. “Of course, there were differences, but some of the similarities were pretty profound,” says Mr. Forman. “The elementary schools we saw were clearly joyous places. The schools were really focused on making sure that the kids were enjoying themselves and enjoying school.” 

Ms. McCauley was grateful for the experience, especially as it relates to Shaker. “This was an incredible opportunity to makes connections around the world and have a better understanding of the culture and language that we’re fortunate to teach to our students here,” she says.