Chinese pupils are eager—teacher

Press, 6 December 1989, Page 28

Chinese pupils are eager —teacher

By

MARITA

VANDENBERG One of the things that impressed a Christchurch, English teacher, Mrs Isabelle Powley, about teaching in China was the eagerness of the pupils to learn. “They worked long hours because they saw it as the only way to get away from the drudgery of their farms,” she said. Mrs Powley spent nine months teaching at the Shandan Bailie School in a poor and remote area of north-west China last year. Her husband helped to establish the school farm, and her children, aged 10, 13 and 18, went to the school. The school was based on the original school formed by the New Zealander, Rewi Alley, which teaches pupils modern practical skills as

well as theory. “New Zealand is viewed very favourably because of Rewi Alley — he is greatly respected.”

She said the school that her family had worked at was very remote. The

nearest other foreigners, were some Australians' 800 km away. Mrs Powley said she could see the run-up to events at Tiananmen Square even where she lived. “We could see something like this was going to happen. We didn’t know what would happen or that it would be on such a scale. People were openly critical of the Government — even the press.” Mrs Powley will be one of the people helping to raise funds for the school during a fundraising drive through the New ZealandChina Friendship Society. “The school receives a lot of support from people around the world and especially from Christchurch, where Rewi Alley originally came from,” she said.