Friday, Sep. 05, 2008

Principal enjoys Asian experience

By NABEEL JAITAPKER

For the News-Mirror

Gary Manns is no Olympic athlete.

But then again, he did not need to be one to feel a sense of accomplishment when he spent the summer in China.

"It was my first time overseas, if you don’t count Mexico," the principal of Mary Jo Sheppard Elementary School said. "I learned so much in such a short time about the culture and people. It was truly gratifying."

Manns, who is also an adjunct professor at Dallas Baptist University, accompanied 25 of his college students for 37 days on a teaching assignment to Shanghai, China.

The majority of the students took the trip as credit for a course. And Manns, who acted as a principal, evaluated the teachers and filled in as a substitute teacher when needed.

"The idea was to incorporate teaching techniques we use here and implement them there," he said. "I helped teachers with better classroom management and discipline."

Manns added that the opportunity to teach abroad came via a Chinese company called Semiconductor Manufacturing International that runs six schools.

"The chief executive officer of the company wanted to bring Christianity to communist China," he said. "So, he opened these schools and got in touch with Dallas Baptist University to send teachers and graduate students to help."

He said that one of his duties there included giving students a pre-test and then leveling them based on their English fluency.

The students ranged from kindergartners to sixth-graders.

He added that the company only provided money for food, while the school paid for round trip tickets to China and housing.

"We received no pay for the teaching we provided," Manns said. "So, it was literally a learning experience for us."

Rebecca Finn, a graduate student at Dallas Baptist University, agrees.

"We got to teach in an environment a bit different than here," said Finn, who also teaches at Alice Ponder Elementary School. "We got to use language techniques not through books but rather, through taste, touch and sound."

She added that she wasn’t worried about traveling to China, since she has spent a lot of time living abroad.

"I grew up in Argentina, so that has made me fearless," she said. "Shanghai is unbelievable. It is innovative and the people are kind, caring and wonderful. They are extremely proud of their culture and are very sharing."

Manns, who recently underwent back surgery, said that he made the trip against his doctor’s wishes.

"This was too big of an opportunity to pass on," he said. "I knew that God was going to see me through this."

He added that the trip has taught him a lot.

"Going to China was a humbling experience," he said. "We’re used to getting water here as soon as we turn the faucet on. It’s not quite that easy there."

Manns also learned to walk to work in China.

"We’re so used to driving here to go anywhere," he said. "I walked about a mile every day to get to the school and back. And, I actually missed doing that when I came home."

He added that he lost about 40 pounds while in China and is now continuing to walk about a mile every night before bed.

"My family could not believe the weight loss," he said. "I watch what I eat and do not snack anymore."

He added that he intends to go back next year to teach again and maybe even move there one day.

"Education is a high-priority in Asian culture," Manns said. "And, it’s not as bad as people think over here in the United States. I find the Chinese culture to be very attractive."