Feb 12 2009
An article from Newfound Regional High School newspaper…
Pakistani Teachers Visit Newfound
On July 23rd twenty Pakistani teachers from PSU’s Pakistani Educational Leadership Institute visited N.R.H.S. During their visit they wer given a tour of the building by Computer Science teacher Christina Swenson and four students; Maria Avery, Keegan Wright, Ryan Emerson and Chad Jasperson. Bridge Academy teachers Sheila Miller, Dave Harlow and Susan Blake gave further assistance. Vice Principal Cathy Leaver also joined the tour and was available to answer questions regarding discipline and administrative issues.
Their visit started at the office, where Gail Bliss signed our guests into the visitor’s book. The tour started iin the foyer of the high school, first by pointing out that all the flowers in the front of the school were planted by students, as well as, all the student work featured on the walls and display cases. The tour continued to the cafeteria wehre questions about the mission statement hanging on the wall were fielded. They had high compliments regarding our mission statement and the student guides elaborated how it is tied into our assessments at the high school.
Our visitors were very touched by Rachel’s challenge in the hallway. We told them about the Columbine shootings and our anti-bullying campaign at the high school. They asked our student guides to pose under the banner while they took multiple pictures.
We spent about a half an hour in the lobby with our guests holding an informal question and answer session. Questions ranged from how our school receives funds, how teachers are paid, assessments and standardized testing. Some of the teachers spoke individually with students about sports and after school activities.
The tour continued throughout the school from the auditorium, gym, and Technical Education classroom. Many of the teachers pointed out that the type of classes in our Technical Education program are reserved in their country as college level courses.
Upstairs in the science classrooms, our visitors were snapping pictures of all the student work on the walls as well as the maps. They adored the ceiling tiles painted by students, and again, snapped many pictures. The group was invited into the room where the Bridge Academy was meeting. Here the teachers were afforded the opportunity to ask questions to some of our newest members of the school.
When the tour continued downstairs, the group was shown where our reading specialist works, our SSC and ISS rooms. Further down the hall they were given and explanation of how our Learning Center is used as well as our inclusion room. The concept of inclusion education was new to them, and they had a great deal of questions regarding how inclusion works. Another area that fascinated the visitors was the Family and Consumer Science room. When entering this room they wanted to know what type of textbooks this field of study used and about the curriculum.
The tour ended in the computer lab on the first floor with a more formal question and answer session. The focus of this session rested on discipline issues and our continuum for discipline issues. Many of the visiting teachers are concerned with classroom management and discipline issues because their culture still allows corporal punishment, a practice they are trying to change. Cathy Leaver was on hand to answer their questions and talk about their concerns.
At the end of the tour our goodbyes were said and the visiting Pakistani loaded onto their shuttle to return to PSU. More information about the PSU Pakistani Educational Leadership Institute is available on their website: http://pelinstitute.org.
