[Kirstjen Pollock]

Observations: I would say all of these are fair assertions about modern China's rhetoric, and the history of Chinese textbooks lays decent foundations for further understanding. I have encountered these ideas about China's place in the world on multiple levels: from my travels, from conversations with Chinese peers, from my (Chinese) students, and even from my own child's stories about what she's learning in public school (we had a talk about Japan).

Challenges: What is difficult for me, as a foreigner, is how to discuss most of these themes with my students from a personal yet objective standpoint. The Chinese viewpoint is very different from that presented in English language materials. I teach critical thinking skills and let my students peruse and argue with materials on their own--with encouragement from me to look at sources from both languages--but the struggle remains, especially since the recent past has affected people we live and work with. 

[Kirstjen Pollock]

I can't really choose a favorite, but I was really surprised to learn that in Vietnam, it is the Year of the Cat! I have often visited Vietnam at this time of year and always thought China and Vietnam shared folklore, calendar, and astrology. What a surprise to see that they have a different animal this year!

[Kirstjen Pollock]

Hi Everyone! It's nice to meet you all!

My name is Kirstjen Pollock and I teach 9th grade social studies (Individuals & Societies) at an international boarding school in Hangzhou, China. I have lived here for 13 years and have 2 small children who attend local public schools. The campus where I teach is a 1-year "study abroad" satellite program for our Hong Kong-based international school; each year, our whole 9th grade comes to Hangzhou for 1 year of intensive Mandarin language and culture study. The students largely come from Chinese/Hong Kongnese family backgrounds, with some international students whose families hail from all over the world. All students are native English speakers.

I teach interdisciplinary, collaborative project-based learning inquiries. My 2 big units are a "Shark Tank" style marketing competition and an immersive arts exploration of China since Reform & Opening. The latter unit of inquiry is the reason for my interest in taking this course. In our inquiry, we look at some of the major policy changes that happened in the late 1970s and early 1980s through 改革开放, then students interview a family member about their lives since 1979. Afterwards, we layer with knowledge about China's developing economy, and look for a personal account that offers a different perspective from their own family's perspective. Last year, we pulled heavily from "Invisible China," which I encountered through USC's US-China Institute.

Though I have prepared and studied a lot on my own and in conjunction with my husband (the other Social Studies teacher at our school), it will be nice to bounce learning off of others!

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