Today is a class day for me at BHSFIC. I follow my usual Thursday schedule, which includes me arriving in time to sign in and then eat lunch. It’s a great time to sit and visit with the faculty. After lunch, I have a couple of hours to kill. Thought I might have some of the guitar club guys around, but they’re off campus, taking AP tests. For my 10^th grade music elective class, we do some discussion on the Baroque period. For the 2^nd half of the class, I try out some teaching steps for “Happy”. I need to find out what works and what doesn’t before I attempt it with the 11^th grade classes next week. The 11^th grade classes next week are combined into one period, so with 35+ students in the class, I have to know my stuff. On top of the combined classes, after not meeting for a month, I’m going to be observed. This is going to be exciting.

After school today, the staff is hanging around to interview prospective students for BHSFIC. The Chinese government is limiting schools like ours to only 60 students per grade level. Last year, they accepted 83 students. The government is concerned that too many students are looking to leave China for educational opportunities in the US.

The faculty is split into two large groups, the Chinese teachers, and the “native English speakers.” Then we’re split into teams of two for the interviews. Our job, as native English speakers is to determine each student’s level of English fluency. We spend the evening (15 to 20 minutes with each candidate) just talking informally with them about their goals, hobbies, etc. Since the classes are taught in English, a student who struggles with the language has no chance of meeting the difficult curricular demands of all the AP classes.

The Chinese teachers are simultaneously interviewing students in other classrooms around campus, trying to figure out if they’re Beijing #4 material. The school places a huge emphasis on AP math & science classes. Scott (my partner) and I interview 11 students, and with four teams working, there must have been 45+ students here tonight, along with their parents. Part of my informal discussion was to ask about a student’s outside interests. Many of them had violin or piano training, but had stopped in the last couple of years, to focus on preparation for the Jun Cao (not sure about that spelling). It’s the Jr. High version of the Gao Cao (HS test whose scores are used to determine university placement). Their test score is one of the first criteria everyone checks to determine if they belong here or not. If they don’t score well on the Jun Cao and get into a “good” HS, they won’t have a chance to get into a top university. That’s a lot of pressure for 8^th and 9^th graders, and even younger as they (and their parents) set themselves up for a successful life.