Chinese Education Delegation Visits Aldine ISD Schools

The education delegation from Beijing’s Tongzhou district is pictured visiting a classroom at Kujawa Elementary School.

A 20-member education delegation from Beijing’s Tongzhou district recently visited several Aldine ISD campuses. Featured on the delegation’s agenda included visits to Kujawa Elementary School, Wilson Intermediate School, Shotwell Middle School, MacArthur Ninth Grade School and MacArthur High School.

While at Kujawa Elementary School, Principal Debera Thomas, assistant principals Sonia Pace and Kim Corrick, as well as school counselor Carla Smith and Linda Johnson, International Baccalaureate (IB) coordinator at the campus, provided information ranging from the school’s demographics to discipline management. They also discussed the campus’ parental involvement initiative and provided an overview of the IB Primary Years Program at Kujawa Elementary.

Corrick commented, “The group seemed very interested about what a typical day for a principal was like and had a number of questions regarding management, processes and programs.”

The delegation — comprised of elementary and high school principals, teachers and a representative with the education bureau — enjoyed a performance by the campus’ honor choir, toured the building and observed classrooms at Kujawa Elementary School. The visitors also enjoyed listening to students from Benjamin Valle’s fourth grade class talk about the outdoor learning environment.

According to Corrick, the delegation members were delighted by a third grade classroom’s hallway display designed to welcome the visitors.

“The students created a brochure about the city of Houston and included comparisons to the city of Tonghszu,” said Corrick.

The delegation’s was also impressed by MacArthur High School.

“The delegation members visited the campus’ fine arts classes and were extremely impressed with a number of teachers, especially José Díaz and John Reeves,” commented Marguerita Guerra, assistant principal at MacArthur High School.

Guerra stated that the visitors observed all types of different classes where they noted the students’ high level of engagement.

“The visitors said our students were highly motivated,” related Guerra. “The delegation members were also impressed by the various classroom resources used to teach the courses and were equally impressed by the library media center.

“They also commented that our teachers taught very engaging lessons.”

The Chinese education delegation spent several days visiting schools in the Houston area. Tongzhou, which is considered the eastern gateway to the nation’s capital, has seen incredible growth in the last decade. With a growing population, officials are seeking ways to continue to provide a high quality education to students.

The Chinese education delegation is pictured at Kujawa Elementary School.

Educators from Tongzhou are pictured at Kujawa Elementary School.

The education delegation from Tongzhou is pictured with MacArthur High School staff members.