If someone had told me a year ago that I would spend part of my summer teaching in China, I probably would have laughed.
Yet this summer I found myself standing in front of a classroom in Shandong Province, introducing myself to 39 students, many who do not speak English, while several Chinese educators watched from the back of the room. At one point I was even told that top education officials from China had stopped in to observe my lesson. It was one of those moments where you just have to smile and think, "How in the world did a guy from Lamberton end up here?"
It all started months earlier when I was selected as one of only five educators from across the United States to participate in the AESA Global STEAM Project-Based Learning Program, an experience made possible through the SWWC Service Cooperative. It was an incredible honor, but I don't think it really hit me until the plane landed.
The first thing that struck me wasn't the size of the cities or the incredible food. It was the people. The hosts, other American teachers, and students were amazing.
The other four American teachers were some of the most talented educators I've ever had the chance to work with. We were introduced to Chinese teachers and students as education experts, which was humbling enough, but then one student, at the opening ceremony, welcomed us by calling us "very wise and cute." That became a running joke for the rest of the trip.
The first week of the experience was spent together with the other American educators, learning from one another and sharing ideas before we each traveled to different locations for the second week. I was fortunate to teach in three different cities across Shandong Province. In two of those cities, I continued the experience on my own with the help of amazing hosts who welcomed me, helped translate, and made the whole experience possible.
My lesson was an automata project where students built small moving sculptures out of cardboard, dowels, and wire. The project was about making a sculpture that moved, but it was really about much more than that. It was about learning to solve problems when things didn't work the first time. That's something I tell my own students all the time: the learning begins when things get challenging.
The amazing part was realizing that students in China weren't much different than students at Red Rock Central. There may have been a language barrier, but they got
excited when something finally worked. They helped each other. They laughed when something fell apart. They wanted to figure things out. Just like my students back home.
One of my favorite memories started with a joke from home. My students at Red Rock Central always say, "Mr. Hubert, what are you doing here?" whenever they run into me outside of school. I taught my Chinese students to say it too.
Pretty soon I'd hear it across the classroom. "Mr. Hubert... what are you doing here?" Standing in China hearing that familiar phrase was one of the most surreal moments of my life.
What surprised me even more was how interested everyone was in what life is like in Lamberton.
Many of the students and teachers came from cities with 8 million people or more. They couldn't imagine living in a town of about 800. They wanted to know what our school was like, what our community was like, and whether everyone really knew everyone else. I realized I wasn't just teaching about art. I was representing Red Rock Central, Lamberton, and a small-town Minnesota way of life.
There were plenty of unforgettable moments along the way. Students from Russia joined one of my classes for the day. A typhoon canceled school for two days; China's version of a Minnesota snow day. Students gave me thoughtful gifts before I left, and one even asked if he could come home in my suitcase. Everywhere we went, our hosts treated us with unbelievable kindness and care.
When people ask me what my favorite part of the trip was, I honestly can't pick just one. It was the students. It was the friendships with the other teachers and the way the hosts made us feel at home. It was realizing that a classroom feels a lot like a classroom no matter where you are in the world.
Most of all, the experience reminded me that while Lamberton, MN may seem like a small dot on the map, it has a story worth sharing. I went to China hoping to share a lesson about art, creativity, and the positives of perseverance. I came home realizing I had also shared a little piece of home. I got to share the way we believe students learn best: through curiosity, hands-on discovery, and the opportunity to solve problems for themselves. I also shared what makes a small-town community special and formed friendships that crossed cultures and continents. It was an experience of a lifetime.
