China

TCLP mentor teacher alumni Todd Lynum led a group of Willmar High School students on a trip to China in the spring of 2012. He was awarded a CLP that helped to fund 18 student and 3 chaperons visas as well as on-the-ground transportation to and from the airport. Their trip to China was the culmination of 3 years of studying Chinese and it provided students with the opportunity to see China and its famous sites and to interact with local Chinese using this opportunity to practice and apply the Chinese they have learned so far.

TCLP Host School Alumna Veronique Lahey was awarded funding to create a collaborative learning environment between Mandarin students at Arlington High School in Massachusetts and Exchange Teacher Alumnus Yu Bo’s home school in China. To accomplish this goal, Lahey used an interactive whiteboard, blogs, and videoconferencing software to share student-created videos, facilitate virtual discussions, and assign chat buddies for all students.

At Sonoran Trails Middle School, TCLP Chinese Teacher Alumna Li Qiong received a grant to lay the foundation for a sister school connection between her host school in Arizona and her home school in Hubei, China. Sonoran Trails Principal Bill Dolezal traveled to China as a first time visitor with Li, who developed an itinerary with a travel company in China that allowed Principal Dolezal to meet with Chinese Principal Wang at her home school, No. 6 Middle School of Yichang.

With the help of CLP grant, TCLP alumna Fu Ailing worked with volunteers to conduct summer English lessons for students in grades 4-6 at Jinye Primary School in Guizhou Province, China. Jinye is situated far away from major cities in the mountains and consequently does not have a regular English teacher. The primary objective of Fu Ailing's project was to teach these students some basic English and to lay a sound foundation for their English learning in middle school.

2013 alumna exchange teacher, Tan Lihua, received a CLP grant to help implement a Joint-Classroom Project between her U.S. host school district and her home school in China. The goal of the project was to facilitate opportunities for students in the U.S. and China to develop oral and written communication skills in their target languages, learn about one another's cultures and traditions, and ultimately formalize a sister school partnership between JN Fries Magnet School and Concord High School in North Carolina and Da Zu High School in Chongqing, China.

TCLP Alumnus School, Lakes International Language Academy (LILA), received funding to help implement a CLP titled “Welcome, Friends!” in cooperation with Deyang Forest Language School in China. This project provided an exciting English-immersion learning experience for 22 visiting students from China and forged new international friendships. During a two-week summer camp on the school's campus, Chinese and American students strengthened skills in their respective target languages by speaking to one another in casual settings, traveling, and participating in fun activities.