Chinese eager to speak English to visitors.

Byline: Elaine Thompson

SHREWSBURY - Before her trip to China, Joyce Gallo Teggart, who speaks almost no Chinese, was concerned about being understood and being able to communicate. Once there, she was surprised to learn the vast number of people who speak fluent English.

Being an American brought her almost-celebrity status. Strangers stopped her in the street just to carry on a conversation with an English speaker. She was stopped in a park once by a woman and daughter who wanted to take a picture of the American woman.

"They start English in the primary grades. By the time they're in the ninth, 10th grades, they have good fluency levels," said Mrs. Teggart, who is director of the Foreign Language Department for the Shrewsbury public schools. "There's a difference between the upper scale schools and the rural areas in terms of degree of English, but no matter where it was, they all had usage of English. A lot of them were very fluent."

Mrs. Teggart was among 20 foreign language teachers from New England who went on a two-week tour of six major Chinese cities in June. The trip was organized by Primary Source, a Watertown-based professional development center for global understanding for K-12 educators. The 18-year-old organization promotes humanities and social studies education by connecting educators to people and cultures worldwide. Shrewsbury is the only Central Massachusetts school district in partnership with Primary Source. The school district received an award this year for its outstanding work in promoting international education in Massachusetts.

Mrs. Teggart describes herself as a semi-world traveler who has visited parts of Africa and Europe. She said her trip to China was the most phenomenal cultural adventure she has experienced. She visited the Forbidden City of the Ming Dynasty Emperors and the 3,000-mile-long Great Wall of China and experienced the customs, culture and values of the Chinese people firsthand. She also was able to realize the importance that China plays in global economic affairs.

The American teachers also taught at several local schools. Like the overall culture, the classroom experience was quite different. Although there were more than 50 students for each teacher, the environment was very rigid and businesslike. All of the students were very enthusiastic and attentive during the entire class, but there was a line drawn between teacher and students, Mrs. Teggart said.

"In China, it's much more formal. The teacher is at the front of the classroom and students are students. They don't overstep their bounds as students. They stand when addressed. They take notes and answer questions when asked. In an American classroom there's a lot more interaction, more give-and-take between teachers and students. It's not always about the lessons. It's also about personal experiences," Mrs. Teggart said.

After teaching classes, the 20 teachers had group discussions with Chinese instructors looking for different strategies and methodologies to motivate students to get to a higher level in English language learning. While students can take other foreign languages, English is required.

Mrs. Teggart said when she asked what happens when students don't do their homework, she was surprised at the response.

"They looked at me like, `Are you kidding? They don't do homework?'" recalled Mrs. Teggart. She said their answer was that never happens. But if it did, the student would be given twice as much homework. Even worse, their parents would be notified.

Mrs. Teggart said it would be a disgrace if the Chinese teacher contacted parents about a student. Generally, parents don't involve themselves in the business of education. The teachers run the show and the students know their job.

As in many American schools, there are some Shrewsbury students who don't always turn in their homework assignments, Mrs. Teggart said.

"For the most part students are good students in Shrewsbury and they do learn. But sometimes we do have to contact home to get students back on the straight and narrow," Mrs. Teggart said. "Parents and teachers work in partnership much more here than in China. It's just a different culture. We have a melting pot of different kinds of social backgrounds. China has a very homogeneous society."

Mrs. Teggart said using money helped her learn to count to 1,000 in Chinese. Other than that, she learned how to say greetings. And because there were a lot of aggressive vendors, she learned very quickly how to say: "No, I'm not interested. Thank you very much."

Mrs. Teggart said she will use her experience to give her colleagues and students a different perspective of life in a foreign culture. Both of Mrs. Teggart's parents emigrated from Italy. Growing up, Mrs. Teggart said, she learned Italian first and then English. She also speaks Spanish. She is in her 13th year as director of the Foreign Language Department in Shrewsbury. The department has grown significantly.

When she started, there were eight high school and two middle school teachers to teach Latin, French and Spanish. Now there are 10 middle school and 10 high school teachers. Three years ago, the department added a Chinese program for Grades 5 and 6. The Chinese program will expand to the seventh grade this fall and to the high school within a couple of years.

ART: PHOTO

CUTLINE: Joyce Gallo Teggart, director of the Foreign Language Department for the Shrewsbury schools, on the deck of her Northboro home. Mrs. Teggart was among 20 foreign language teachers from New England who went on a two-week tour of six major Chinese cities.

PHOTOG: ALEX WITKOWICZ