加载中…东西方文化的桥梁！
(2008-12-18 11:00:30)
标签：
杂谈 |
Former Shrewsbury man discovers his entrepreneurial
spirit in China
When
Gar Kerbel graduated from college, he did the expected thing:
Having majored in computer science, he took a job at a high-tech
company.
The work soon got old, however, and Mr. Kerbel’s thoughts turned far to the East. He had studied Chinese philosophy at Boston College and had been captivated by the culture. So Mr. Kerbel headed to the China Institute in New York City for assistance in landing a teaching position in that vast country.
antiquated and spooky. Pollution had turned the sky dark gray.
“The rivers were putrid,” Mr. Kerbel recalled. “The smell was awful, terrible.”
Mr. Kerbel, who grew up in Shrewsbury, headed to the city of Baoding in Hebei province, about an hour south of Beijing. He taught English at an agricultural university populated by students from area villages. Western clothing, technology and music were just starting to be introduced. No one spoke English, and there were no cars on the road.
“It was over the top in terms of fascinating and interesting,” Mr. Kerbel said.
But Mr. Kerbel spoke no Chinese, and there were few other foreigners. He felt very alone. “I did one semester and then I traveled to Tibet, Nepal and Hong Kong and came home,” he said.
Today, Mr. Kerbel is part of the new China. After three years back in the United States, he felt a strong pull to return and has lived there for six years.
Mr. Kerbel makes his home in a peasant village in Shandong province untouched by modernization. He now speaks Chinese, and he operates his own school in the nearby community of Xi Hua. He teaches spoken English to children up to 14 years of age.
And Mr. Kerbel has joined in the entrepreneurial spirit that has gripped China. He is writing and publishing a series of English language lesson books called “English Alive!”
During a visit to Massachusetts earlier this month, Mr. Kerbel, 34, sipped green tea from a plastic container he carried with him as he reflected on his experiences and business ventures. His blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail. He wore jeans and a striped shirt with a bold stars-and-stripes tie emblazoned with an American eagle.
Mr. Kerbel had just visited his alma mater, St. John’s High School, from which he graduated in 1994. He had been invited to speak to students in Ann Shi’s Chinese language class. Afterward, he stopped in at Carl Wilson’s Advanced Placement government and history classes. When he was a student at the school, Mr. Kerbel studied with Mr. Wilson.
“He was a brilliant kid,” Mr. Wilson said. “Back then, he was much more conventional. He spoke about how he went from being a conventional student to someone who realized he wanted to get into another culture.”
Mr. Kerbel spoke about how the “old” and “new” Chinas exist side by side. He responded to questions about the country’s history and politics. Making use of his knowledge of Confucian philosophy, he described the way the Chinese interact over opposing ideas.
“It was a wonderful experience for my kids, in the sense that you’ve got a practitioner who chose another path from his college major,” Mr. Wilson said.
When Mr. Kerbel returned to China to live, he wanted to settle in Confucius’ hometown. He hoped to earn a doctorate and become a professor. There were no teaching jobs, however, so he ended up assigned to a college in the city of Qingdao. After a year, he and a friend started the school, which is open on weekends and now has 140 students.
During the weekdays, Mr. Kerbel works on his curriculum. He said he felt he had no choice after trying to use well-known texts that made no sense to him. One lesson for 7-year-olds went like this: “Which book is Dan’s? The red one.” Mr. Kerbel tried for three weeks to help the children grasp the concepts and then gave up.
“There were three new ideas in one sentence,” Mr. Kerbel said. “It was too much for tiny minds. I decided to write a lesson that was easy, fun and instructive.”
He made up simple declarative sentences, such as “I like … the dog, cat, horse.” The children caught on right away, prompting Mr. Kerbel to forge ahead with texts illustrated by cheery cartoon figures.
He approached the biggest publishers, but they laughed. The books in use were just fine, they told him.
Then Mr. Kerbel met with a publisher in Qingdao who liked what she saw and decided to make Mr. Kerbel’s image the brand for the series. He is featured in the logo and throughout the books as a smiling cartoon figure, often strumming his guitar. The package includes a lesson book, a workbook, stickers and a CD of Mr. Kerbel’s songs. He is now seeking teachers to test the lessons.
“I have to please parents, teachers and kids,” he said. “The books are written to keep everyone happy. They are a complete curriculum, so we can franchise it.”
Mr. Kerbel acknowledged that he is a little uneasy with the degree to which he is featured in the series.
“It seems horribly vain,” he said with a laugh. “But there are many people who expect this to become a national brand.”
The work soon got old, however, and Mr. Kerbel’s thoughts turned far to the East. He had studied Chinese philosophy at Boston College and had been captivated by the culture. So Mr. Kerbel headed to the China Institute in New York City for assistance in landing a teaching position in that vast country.
antiquated and spooky. Pollution had turned the sky dark gray.
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“The rivers were putrid,” Mr. Kerbel recalled. “The smell was awful, terrible.”
Mr. Kerbel, who grew up in Shrewsbury, headed to the city of Baoding in Hebei province, about an hour south of Beijing. He taught English at an agricultural university populated by students from area villages. Western clothing, technology and music were just starting to be introduced. No one spoke English, and there were no cars on the road.
“It was over the top in terms of fascinating and interesting,” Mr. Kerbel said.
But Mr. Kerbel spoke no Chinese, and there were few other foreigners. He felt very alone. “I did one semester and then I traveled to Tibet, Nepal and Hong Kong and came home,” he said.
Today, Mr. Kerbel is part of the new China. After three years back in the United States, he felt a strong pull to return and has lived there for six years.
Mr. Kerbel makes his home in a peasant village in Shandong province untouched by modernization. He now speaks Chinese, and he operates his own school in the nearby community of Xi Hua. He teaches spoken English to children up to 14 years of age.
And Mr. Kerbel has joined in the entrepreneurial spirit that has gripped China. He is writing and publishing a series of English language lesson books called “English Alive!”
During a visit to Massachusetts earlier this month, Mr. Kerbel, 34, sipped green tea from a plastic container he carried with him as he reflected on his experiences and business ventures. His blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail. He wore jeans and a striped shirt with a bold stars-and-stripes tie emblazoned with an American eagle.
Mr. Kerbel had just visited his alma mater, St. John’s High School, from which he graduated in 1994. He had been invited to speak to students in Ann Shi’s Chinese language class. Afterward, he stopped in at Carl Wilson’s Advanced Placement government and history classes. When he was a student at the school, Mr. Kerbel studied with Mr. Wilson.
“He was a brilliant kid,” Mr. Wilson said. “Back then, he was much more conventional. He spoke about how he went from being a conventional student to someone who realized he wanted to get into another culture.”
Mr. Kerbel spoke about how the “old” and “new” Chinas exist side by side. He responded to questions about the country’s history and politics. Making use of his knowledge of Confucian philosophy, he described the way the Chinese interact over opposing ideas.
“It was a wonderful experience for my kids, in the sense that you’ve got a practitioner who chose another path from his college major,” Mr. Wilson said.
When Mr. Kerbel returned to China to live, he wanted to settle in Confucius’ hometown. He hoped to earn a doctorate and become a professor. There were no teaching jobs, however, so he ended up assigned to a college in the city of Qingdao. After a year, he and a friend started the school, which is open on weekends and now has 140 students.
During the weekdays, Mr. Kerbel works on his curriculum. He said he felt he had no choice after trying to use well-known texts that made no sense to him. One lesson for 7-year-olds went like this: “Which book is Dan’s? The red one.” Mr. Kerbel tried for three weeks to help the children grasp the concepts and then gave up.
“There were three new ideas in one sentence,” Mr. Kerbel said. “It was too much for tiny minds. I decided to write a lesson that was easy, fun and instructive.”
He made up simple declarative sentences, such as “I like … the dog, cat, horse.” The children caught on right away, prompting Mr. Kerbel to forge ahead with texts illustrated by cheery cartoon figures.
He approached the biggest publishers, but they laughed. The books in use were just fine, they told him.
Then Mr. Kerbel met with a publisher in Qingdao who liked what she saw and decided to make Mr. Kerbel’s image the brand for the series. He is featured in the logo and throughout the books as a smiling cartoon figure, often strumming his guitar. The package includes a lesson book, a workbook, stickers and a CD of Mr. Kerbel’s songs. He is now seeking teachers to test the lessons.
“I have to please parents, teachers and kids,” he said. “The books are written to keep everyone happy. They are a complete curriculum, so we can franchise it.”
Mr. Kerbel acknowledged that he is a little uneasy with the degree to which he is featured in the series.
“It seems horribly vain,” he said with a laugh. “But there are many people who expect this to become a national brand.”
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