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Eugene
Field & Kang Chaio |
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Under construction
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Eugene
Field & Kang Chaio |
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See Newspaper Photos
from a Taiwanese Newspaper
At the Eugene Field parking lot - after all of
the fundraising and planning, we're ready to go.
Background
Hello! I'm Mr. Smith and this page is about an incredible journey. My 4th grade class worked on various Internet projects throughout the year.
One of our project partners was Kang Chaio Bilingual School in Taipei, Taiwan.
Kids exchanged e-mail, sent podcasts, played Internet chess, cooperated on a
Monarch science project, worked together in the Monsters Project, and exchanged
Christmas packages and DVDs. As a result of our close educational relationship,
Kang Chaio invited us to the International Summer Camp again. Ten kids had
traveled to Taiwan in 2004, and now we were going back. My
classroom was electrified!
Selecting
Kids
Naturally, everyone wanted to go on this trip, but we had a limit of ten. Before any kids were selected, everyone in class wrote their thoughts on
possibly going to Taiwan. You can read the work of the ten travelers at the following link:
Thoughts
on Traveling to Taiwan.
In January, I announced the names
of kids who best fit the following criteria:
1. Kids who show respect to teachers and work hard in school.
2. Kids who are responsible and caring.
3. Kids who have good manners and are not a behavior problem.
4. Kids who are conversational and enjoy
making new friends.
5. Kids who willing to try new foods.
6. Kids who are brave enough to stay with a Taiwanese family.
7. Kids who will work hard to learn basic Chinese phrases before going.
8.
Kids who will represent Eugene Field and the
Beginning the Work
Having
the honor of being in this group meant that many steps had to be taken to make
the trip possible. We had to acquire United States passports, and begin the
process of raising funds to help pay for the trip. It was only because Kang Chaio
so generously provided two-thirds of the funds, that this journey was even possible for
our kids. Using email and Internet conferencing, I worked with Kang Chaio
teachers and administrators to plan classroom lessons and outings. Ms. Eby and I
had the task of managing student teams and teaching classes during the 2 weeks
in Taipei. Our kids nervously anticipated their arrival in the homes of Kang Chaio parents,
while Mary and I made plans to stay in a dorm in Taipei.
Hannibal -> Saint Louis -> Detroit -> Japan -> Taiwan
