University of ArkansasUALR Program Takes Teachers on a Field Trip to China
Eight teachers from around the state have embarked on on a three-week summer trek to China, the culmination of months of studying the country’s culture and people. Their journey is possible thanks to a program right here at UALR.
Martha Morton and Arkansas Global Programs took Arkansas teachers to visit a Heifer Project village outside Beijing on June 14, 2012. Villagers welcomed us warmly with a traditional dance.
The whirlwind experience of the Bringing China to Arkansas Program includes a tour of Beijing, Shanghai and the capital of Guiyang as well as the minority province of Guizhou.
Martha Morton, director of the Arkansas Global Program, said among the sites teachers visit include the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, Yonghegong Temple, and the terra cotta soldiers of Qin Shi Huang Di.
Even half a world away, these teachers will find a little of their home state as they visit a a Heifer Project village outside Beijing.
The Bringing China to Arkansas Program has been going strong since 2001. A $2 million grant from the Freeman Foundation has allowed 200 Arkansas teachers to immerse themselves in the Chinese culture through the Arkansas Global Program. Those teachers then go on to share their experiences with students, colleagues, and communities.
“The BCAP provides peaceful, positive, and productive cooperation with China, and its inquiry into cultural values and world views provides important insight to support better relations among our diverse ethnic groups at home,” Morton said.