Chinese Scholars Find a New Home at East Stroudsburg University

A good beginning is half of the success, according to an old Chinese proverb. This is something Jun Hao and Barry Bai remembered as they came to America discouraged and irritated that the beginning of their trip caused them nothing but troubles.

Bai and Hao are Chinese scholars who came to East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania from Shenyang Normal University in China as a part of the exchange program ESU has with the university. Their departure from China was halted after issues with paperwork piled up. The delay in their trip changed their departure from August to October. However, their luck started to change once they arrived at ESU.

“Being here is just like something you would see in the movies,” Hao said. “We were able to experience everything we know about America for the first time.”

Both English professors in China, the two scholars spent most of their time at ESU with faculty in the English department.

“Barry and Jun’s visit with us this semester surely provided the opportunity for a wonderful cultural exchange,” Kim McKay, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of English, said. “By observing classes at ESU, the scholars were able to compare our faculty’s educational philosophy and practice of teaching to that of Chinese professors at the same time that they were conducting research in the library.”

Spending some time in the classroom, the two scholars quickly picked up differences in the two cultures.
“The teaching style in America is very informal and casual,” Hao said. “Faculty are devoted to their careers, and their students are like their family or friends.”

To Bai’s surprise, students at ESU enjoy participating in the classroom. He recalls that students in China, himself included, are much more reserved.

“If I know the answer to a question I don’t feel that I have to say it,” he said. “If I don’t know the answer, what would I say?”

His colleague agreed, noting that walking into a Chinese classroom it would almost seem like Chinese students already know everything, but in reality they don’t.

“One of key purposes of this trip is to refresh myself and bring new ideas to my classroom back in China,” Hao said. “I want to attempt the casual way of teaching and encourage my students to participate more.”
For Bai, this trip really focused on the importance of hands-on learning.

“I learned to survive here –I feel like I can do anything,” he said.

Bai started feeling invincible after successfully disputing a billing issue with Blue Ridge Cable.
“If you’re not forced to be in a situation, then you can’t really learn from it,” he said.

From tackling problems with their cable provider to enjoying the time spent with their new friends at ESU, the two scholars left the country last week feeling they got the most out of their experience.

“In our social gatherings during the months they were at ESU, the learning was in many ways even more valuable for all concerned,” McKay said. “We talked about our families, the way we run our daily lives, how we cook, how we met our spouses, and how we got our jobs.”

Having been invited into the professors’ homes, both Hao and Bai experienced American cuisine. Hao’s taste buds were pleased with the Texas fare prepared by Leigh Smith, Ph.D., associate professor of English.
ESU’s English professors certainly kept the Chinese scholars busy. In addition to Dr. McKay and Dr. Smith introducing the two scholars to different cuisines, English Department faculty invited them to holiday celebrations, book clubs, musical university events and performances, and ESU’s graduation ceremony. Cynthia Leenerts, Ph.D., associate professor of English, invited the two to attend church for the first time.

“We were strangers –these professors did not have to take us in but they did,” Bai said. “They opened their arms to us and welcomed us to ESU – we found our family here.”

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