Four years of teaching in China has given Jerry Wichman a lot of valuable insight into cultural differences, education and the international relationship with Oxford Schools.
‘I think I grew a lot as a person and as a teacher,? said the 2004 Oxford High School graduate. ‘In hindsight, it was awesome. It was life-changing.?
Wichman recently arrived back in the U.S. for good after teaching social studies and physical education at the Northeast Yucai Oxford International High School (NYO) since it opened in Shenyang, China in 2011.
The tuition-based school was originally formed as a partnership between the Oxford school district, Beijing Channel Consulting and Northeast Yucai Education Group.
Now, Wichman said it’s not really an Oxford school anymore except in name. He explained the Chinese and Oxford ‘just kind of drifted apart? in their relationship.
‘Not to fault? the Chinese or Oxford, Wichman explained, they’re ‘just kind of going in different directions.?
Wichman stopped by the Leader office last week to share his first-hand experiences in China and offer a unique perspective.
In the beginning . . .
It was no picnic for Wichman and his fellow American teachers when they first arrived in Shenyang four years ago.
‘Initially, it was rough. It was very challenging,? he said. ‘To be fair, we were told that. We were never told this is going to be wonderful. All the challenges were laid out in front of us, but we never expected (it) to be truly as challenging as it was.?
The obstacles were both professional and personal.
‘When the school started out, it was 14 or 15 students in a broom closet,? Wichman said. ‘It was about 1,000 degrees in the middle of nowhere.?
As for living conditions, the teachers had to adapt to apartments that often had no water and/or electricity for days or even weeks at a time.
All this led to a lot of arguing and crying.
‘It was pretty emotional,? he said. ‘Early on, there were a lot of discussions over brewskis like, ‘Let’s get the (heck) out of here.? We knew it was going to be difficult, but when we got there, we were pretty shocked.?
‘That’s why initially, we lost a lot of the teachers that went over there,? Wichman explained. ‘Myself and one of the other (teachers) were the only two that actually (completed) the first year.?
On a positive note, the adversity the teachers experienced led them to forge some strong bonds and close friendships, according to Wichman, who likened it to being away at camp.
Things improve
Over time, many of the difficulties at NYO were ‘ironed out,? according to Wichman, as the school shed its American character in favor of a more native one.
‘It just kind of became a little bit more Chinese as it went along,? he said. ‘We had an American principal and he was kind of doing his thing and that was rubbing the Chinese the wrong way a little bit. Once he resigned, we just kind of became a Chinese school, basically.
‘For the day-to-day (operations), it was a lot nicer because there wasn’t the friction (anymore). It wasn’t like Oxford High School. It was quite a bit different.?
For example, as a teacher, Wichman said he could be suddenly handed a three-week schedule and told it begins immediately with no time to plan or prepare.
‘Everything’s spur of the moment,? he said. ‘I’m not going to miss that, but it made me super-adaptable (and taught me to) be ready for anything.?
He called it a ‘good character-building experience,? but noted it’s just not the way he wished to continue teaching.
As time went on, school conditions improved and the student body grew.
‘It’s actually in a school that has books and WiFi and things we didn’t have in the beginning,? he said.
When he left, Wichman said there were about 30 ninth-graders and about 40 tenth-graders attending NYO. The idea is they will go on to the United States for the 11th and 12th grades.
One thing Wichman observed is that kids are basically kids and the Chinese are not all obedient, super-students who spend every waking moment studying and preparing for college.
‘When I first went to China, I was told all the stereotypes are true ? they’re all great students and you’re never going to have to worry about classroom management,? he said.
Over time, he learned Chinese students are really no different than Oxford students
‘There’s all colors of the rainbow, all different personalities ? class clowns, jocks,? he said. ‘They’re kids. It’s exactly the same.?
Why did NYO and Oxford drift apart?
According to Wichman, in the beginning, the idea was Chinese students who attend NYO would eventually go to Oxford High School to complete their education.
He explained that was the ‘carrot? to convince Chinese parents to send their children to NYO.
Guaranteed admission to OHS in America had to be the incentive because NYO was just a start-up school with no reputation of its own to draw students.
‘In China, prestige is very important,? Wichman explained. ‘Chinese people want to buy from companies that have a proven track record.?
The problem became ‘then you have kids coming to Oxford that maybe aren’t totally ready to go to Oxford,? he said. ‘Their English isn’t good enough or they’re not prepared.?
‘We had groups of kids coming (to OHS) that weren’t totally, 100 percent ready and so that doesn’t make Oxford happy ? understandably so,? he continued.
As a result, Oxford decided NYO students had to meet certain requirements and standards to attend high school here, according to Wichman.
‘That made the Chinese school nervous because we can’t promise guaranteed admission to parents if Oxford’s not going to let everybody in,? he said.
NYO then began reaching out to other high schools in Michigan and around the U.S. who were willing to admit its students.
‘I think this (past) year we (had) something like 35 tenth-graders that are going to America,? Wichman said. ‘I think four or five of them are going to Oxford, to my knowledge. I’d say 80 percent of them are going to different schools in Michigan and then there’s some going to California and different places.?
‘As time goes on, (NYO is) getting less and less affiliated with (Oxford),? he said.
Wichman noted that for a number of the Chinese students who attended OHS, it was a very positive experience.
‘I know students that did come to Oxford, that were successful. I keep in touch with a lot of them and they have nothing but great things to say about Oxford. They rave about the people and the school and the students. A lot of good did come out of it.?
Keep the numbers small
Wichman believes cultural exchanges in which students are educated in other countries are valuable experiences for both the visitors and the hosts.
‘I do like the idea of there being some culture (at) Oxford High School and bringing in 10 or 20 (international) students a semester,? he said. ‘I think that’s good for the kids and the people.?
However, when there are too many international students in one place, he believes it can cease to be beneficial to the school, the students and the community.
‘I don’t think it would ever be good for Oxford if it became this big, huge, monstrous thing that I think they thought it might be where we have hundreds and hundreds of (international) students,? Wichman said.
One reason is international students typically require more resources from the host school.
‘A lot of these kids, they need more attention, they need more help and support,? Wichman said. ‘Even some of the best kids, their heads are swimming when they first get here.?
Another reason is having too many international students makes it easier for them to only socialize with each other and speak their native language as opposed to interacting with new people, experiencing new things and practicing their English.
Wichman said this is particularly true for the Chinese.
‘Traditionally, Chinese people are very comfortable around other Chinese people,? he said. ‘They have a tendency to kind of group together and I think that hurts your development.?
This self-imposed segregation also makes it more difficult for teachers and other students, who wonder why there’s this separation, this divide, he explained.
‘It’s a struggle,? Wichman said. ?(The Chinese) don’t assimilate. They don’t really, truly feel like they belong. The more they do the hermit-crab thing, the harder it is on them and it makes it harder on everybody (else).?
Wichman always encouraged his students at NYO to make new friends in their host country and get involved in school activities like sports and choir. He said ‘the ones that are truly successful are the ones? that take this advice.
Limiting the number of international students at a school can ultimately help ‘force kids out of their shells,? according to Wichman.
Are you ready for some football?
When Wichman started at NYO, his goal was to establish a football program like those at American high schools and eventually, have the team come to Oxford to play a game.
He’s well-versed in the game having played offensive and defensive tackle for OHS from 2000-03. He also played offensive guard for Saginaw Valley State University from 2005-09.
Things didn’t exactly work out as he had planned at NYO, but Wichman did introduce Chinese students to America’s 100-yard war. In his physical education classes, he exposed them to the fundamentals of the game and they ‘love it.?
‘It’s not coaching football, it’s literally teaching football,? Wichman said. ‘They’re all about it. They’re not very good, most of them, but they got better.?
During the last six months he was there, Wichman helped form a flag football program involving NYO and two other schools, one of which is considered their ‘rival.?
‘This is China?
One of the biggest things that struck Wichman about China is the ‘duality? of the nation.
It can be a very modern place with American fast-food restaurants like Subway and McDonald’s, and people driving expensive Mercedes vehicles. But there are also plenty of blasts from the past such as traditional shops and old ladies pedaling rickshaws on the street.
‘It’s like the 19th century and the 21st century are crammed into each other at the same exact time,? Wichman said.
This duality is an example of why there is ‘never a dull moment? in China.
‘I’m going to kind of miss that a little bit,? Wichman said. ‘Here, life’s pretty predictable. You know what you’re going to get. Every day in China, you’d see something crazy or something different. It always made for good stories.?
Wichman noted he’d often see things that were ‘so different? from America or experience things that were ‘so extreme and bizarre,? that the only way to describe or explain it was to simply say, ‘This is China? and that sort of became a mantra.
‘It can be a confusing place to live,? he said.
But all it takes to understand it better is some time and effort. That’s why for the first two years, Wichman tried to see, experience, read and absorb as much as he could.
‘There was a point where I just kind of got it and like everything made sense to me,? he said. ‘I understood why everything was happening.?
As far as the Chinese language goes, Wichman described his skills as ‘okay,? meaning he can order food in a restaurant or tell a taxi driver where he wants to go.
‘My listening is much better than my speaking,? he said.
The difficulty lies in all the various local dialects. Wichman said in the U.S., people can still understand each other whether they’re visiting the Deep South or Boston.
‘In China, it’s totally different,? he explained. ‘You go 100 miles and there’s a different local language and people have trouble understanding each other. It’s very challenging. You get very good at charades.?
Living in China did teach Wichman how to adapt and roll with the punches.
For example, if he saw a sign in his apartment building’s elevator stating there would be no water for a certain period of time, be it hours or days, he’d say to himself, ‘Okay, got to shower at work.?
‘In China, you’ve got to be on your toes and ready to go,? he said.
Living there also taught him to ‘appreciate things a lot more? in the U.S.
‘Man, we are really, really lucky here. Life is good,? he said. ‘We’re spoiled. I’m quite a bit more appreciative of it because of the experience.?
What’s next?
Now that he’s back in the U.S., Wichman will be getting married this summer to a young woman he met in China.
Her name is Lin Fei Fei and ironically, the two met at an American-style bar in Shenyang called Uncle Sam’s Bar, which is owned and operated by a gentleman from Pennsylvania.
With its Budweiser signs and football games playing on television, the bar is basically an American oasis surrounded by a sea of Chinese culture.
‘It kind of feels like you’re in northern Michigan (at a) hole-in-the-wall bar,? Wichman said. ‘It’s a big (expatriate) bar. It’s like an escape. It’s a breath of fresh air sometimes.?
Wichman started hanging out there and doing some bartending on the side. Lin was a waitress working there to learn English, while she was studying for her master’s degree in art.
They hit it off and have been together for three-and-a-half years.
Following their marriage, the couple is moving to Plumas Lake, California, which is 30 miles north of Sacramento. Wichman will be teaching eighth-grade U.S. history there.