Nihao, Greetings from China.

I am writing this article on a Bullet Train, which travels in excess of 300km/hr from Quingxhou to Xuzhou. 

It has been a busy few days here in China, with a lot of travel and meeting a number of Government officials, Principals, teachers and students. It is quite amazing the size of their minor cities and their associated schools.  The first city we went to was Weifang which has a population of nine million. The schools we have visited so far are huge with five story buildings, 3000+ students  and 100's of teachers.

Despite the size of these schools, it is apparent that kids are kids and they thrive in an environment where they feel safe, stimulated and treated with respect.

The opportunity to visit these schools, network with educators from China and other Principals across New Zealand has certainly developed a better understanding of what quality education should look like, in all contexts.

The hospitality from the hosting schools and the agents has been fantastic allowing us to observe their teaching practices, sample their unique provincial dishes and experience significant cultural and geographically significant features.

The fact that this trip has been sponsored by the Chinese government to allow sharing of teaching practice, and connect with other countries to develop their own curriculum, speaks volumes for their motivation to make change in their delivery model.

Over the next seven days I will be visiting a multitude of cities and schools to develop opportunities for reciprocal partnerships and spreading the word about our little piece of paradise.

It has also given me a chance to reflect on just how well our students are supported in our school. The standard class sizes in China are 40+ and their school days last from 8am to 5.30pm. I think we have it pretty good.

Nga  mihi nui.