10月17日和10月18日，我有幸负责陪同来自帕特学校的校长Mr Kemp夫妇游览广州，参观校园，及欣赏当晚的晚会。Mr Kemp是一个非常幽默的人，而且很有风度，跟他谈话确实是一种享受。 我给他们介绍每一顿饭上的食物。他们努力 学习使用筷子，尝试每一样以前没有吃过的食物。游览陈家祠的时候，Mrs Kemp对刺绣特别有兴趣，Mr Kemp则比较仔细观察雕刻。他们对陈家祠的兴趣比对中信广场要大得多。 他们参观校园的时候格外留意实验室，计算机房，语言实验室及网络中心的 设施，仔细地看每一个班的板报和学生园地。他们详细地向我了解学校的学生管理(discipline)情况和英语教学的情况。Mr Kemp对晚上的讲话非常紧张，他把要说的几句中文用英文音译，反复朗读。他对每一句话都要求细致，谨慎地商量每一个细节，如怎 么跟主持配合，怎么赠送证书等等。18号我们吃午饭的时候，他特地问我下午有没有时间让他回酒店换衣服。 下面是我们说话的几个实录，与大家分享。At Ms Liu’s OfficeMr Kemp: How does the foreign teachers’ class coordinate with your(teachers of English core courses) class?Chen Yudan: The foreign teachers’ class is mainly task-based, aiming at pushing students’ to talk. The bilingual teachers’ class is more traditional, comparatively speaking. But we can’t help it, as the examination system is still there. However, we are making progress. The Education Ministry has issued new guidelines for language teaching. Our textbooks have greatly changed, more focused on function rather than so-called language drills.Mr Kemp: That’s good. Maybe you should go to Britain some day, to see what our language teaching is like. By the way, what materials do the foreign teachers use? Do they have textbooks?Chen Yudan: They use materials of their own, rather in a “free” way. We have not had a systematic serious of textbooks in this aspect. And some students may feel they don’ t learn much in foreign teachers’ class, except for games.Mr Kemp: That’s true. Children always like games.At The Restaurant And On the RoadChen Yudan: How old is Pate’s?Mrs Kemp: Oh, how old! Actually, Pate’s is 450 years old. Chen Yudan( to Mr Kemp): Are you the 100th headmaster of the school?Mr Kemp: Well, I am the 36th. Every headmaster of Pate’s studied at Oxford.Chen Yudan: Really! What about you?Mr Kemp: Me, too.Chen Yudan: How many pupils are there at Pate’s?Mr Kemp: About 1000. For a public school in England, that’s normal. If there are 1500, we regard it a large school. We have not very many such big schools. Public schools have limitations. Chen Yudan: Do students of Pate’s go to Oxford or Cambridge?Mr Kemp: Yes. Each year, about 20 will go there. That’s the maximum for public schools.Chen Yudan: Do they learn Chinese at your school?Mr Kemp: Yes, about one third of the students choose Chinese. Of course, we have other foreign languages for them to choose, like French, Italian, Spanish. And the main foreign language in Britain is French. So only students of higher grades can go to Chinese lessons. On The BusChen Yudan: What do you teach?Mrs Kemp: Well, I haven’t teach for quite a few years. When I taught, my subject was art. Now I mainly do some admin work at a primary school.Chen Yudan: Oh, I thought you worked with Pate’s, too.Mrs Kemp: No, I don’t. My school is better than his! (laugh)Chen Yudan: What subjects do primary pupils have?Mrs Kemp: English, mathematics, art, music, history, computer…and a bit of sciences. But in Britain, one teacher takes charge of one class and teaches all the subjects!Chen Yudan: That’s rather difficult.Mrs Kemp: That’s true.Chen Yudan: Do many people want to be teachers?Mrs Kemp: Not really, as teachers are not well paid. Chen Yudan: Have you read the Joy Luck Club?Mrs Kemp: Yes, I love it. I have read all the works by Amy Tan.What are kids reading now? How is Harry Potter?Chen Yudan: Many of my students are crazy about it. What about in the UK.Mrs Kemp: Everywhere is the same. Chen Yudan: What do you think of JK Rolling’s works?Mrs Kemp: Well, it is not so well written. But it can grasp children’s interest and help them to go into reading and discuss together what they have read, that’s enough.At The Hotel RoomChen Yudan: Oh, you look so great! Ten years younger!Mrs Kemp (smiles): Oh, just the wallpaper.Chen Yudan: Look, this is by my students. ( I show them the book of 十年树木)(Mr Kemp takes over the book and begins to read it out loud.)Mr Kemp: … “I read White Fang at 9 and He was the same…” Ah, Me, Too! “Now I am reading Mark Twain…” Ah, Me, Too!Mrs Kemp: Kids are the same everywhere.Mr Kemp(finishes reading): Brilliant writing! On The CampusMrs Kemp: Do you have some disciplines for such “blank” time, when the kids are neither in the classroom nor at the dormitories?Chen Yudan: No. They can do whatever they want, of course, we have general rules for behavior.Mrs Kemp: In my school, some older students will supervise younger students everywhere, on the road or on the playground. If they do silly things, they will be stopped.(When passing a classroom, after we saw a mini photo of a boy and a girl together on the wall)Mrs Kemp: Do boys make friends with girls here?Chen Yudan: Sure. That ’s a normal thing after all. What about in British schools?Mr Kemp: Sure, boyfriends and girlfriends.Mrs Kemp: What is the most serious offense at this school.Chen Yudan: Students will be punished for many offenses, like cheating in exams, absent from classes without permission, “dating” to an improper degree……… but the most serious is making gangs.Mrs Kemp: I see. In Britain, teachers are having a difficult time combating this culture. Students nowadays are less focused on studies, they play and fight and they are getting rebellious. Is there such a culture at this school?Chen Yudan: Not really. We manage to kill it before it starts.