One Photo, Two Points of View

During office hours in the new Resource Room, the students looked at poster sized photos that RELO sent as a resource for teaching.  (This packet of photos can be found in the PC China IRC.)

My students and I observed the following:

In a photo of an American middle school classroom, what drew my attention was how different the classroom was to a Chinese classroom where instead of being overcrowded with students, each American student had their own desk.  Instead of white walls, the American classroom was full of color and projects hanging around and crowding tables set up along the walls.

One student pointed out, "Look at that student.  He is writing with his left hand.  In America are you allowed to write with your left hand?  In China, my grandparents would hit me if I used my left hand."

In a photo of four middle aged diner cooks sitting down taking a break, what drew my attention was that there was an Asian man in the picture.

One student found it strange that the cooks while on break were ALL reading a newspaper.  She commented that in China, cooks on break wouldn't read but maybe listen to music.

In a photo of a kindergarten class sitting on the floor listening to the teacher read a story, what drew my attention was how cute the kids from diverse backgrounds looked.

The students commented, "What poor conditions in the classroom.  There are no desks.  They have carpet instead of tile.  I can't believe the young students are sitting on the floor!  How dirty."