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Few Americans get to visit Christian schools in China or learn about the work of training teachers for those schools. In this article, the author outlines what she learned in her experience with private Christian preschool and elementary schools and a teacher-training institute in China. She reflects on visits at schools that were self-funded by the Chinese teachers who founded them, on interviews with teachers who were young Chinese citizens, and on professional development she delivered in a series of half-day workshops. Topics include help and support for early-career teachers and teacher retention in this unique setting.
My love of travel and my passion for quality teacher education led me to spend time in May 2015 in private Christian schools in China. Although tourist travel to China has become extremely popular, few Americans get to visit Christian schools in China or learn about the work of training teachers for those schools. In this article, I outline what I learned in my experience with these schools and at a teacher-training institute in China. Due to the sensitive nature of being a Christian in China and of teaching in a Christian school there, no specific cities, schools, or teachers are identified.
Background
Prior to 1949, missionary schools, both at the K-12 and higher-education levels, had a marked presence in China. With the 1949 political change in China, these schools were forced to close, and their reestablishment began slowly after 1979. Levin (1987) wrote of what one oral historian of the time called "a renewed emphasis on educational standards, a new interest in the experience of Christian education" (para. 6).
In just the last 10 years, small, private Christian schools, predominantly for preschool through Grade 9 students, have experienced marked growth. Often started in apartments or homes, these schools offer a curriculum that includes English language and Bible studies. Private Christian schools for Chinese children are generally recognized by the Chinese government, just as Christian churches are now recognized there. After elementary school, students may seek enrollment in the public school system or a secular private school; many plan to go to high school and college abroad. Of course, as Christian schools are established, teachers for these schools are needed, making Chinese Christian-teacher training a developing field.