Pageturner
Philosophy, and Religion, in both Chinese and English. As our
primary school librarian, Xiaoxu Yin noted, “almost 70% of the
primary school collection consists of Chinese books, catering
to the greater time given to Chinese in the bilingual immersion
program in the lower grades.”
Keystone Libraries offer students books on
China in both Chinese and English.
“W
hat brought you to Keystone?” Ask anyone – students,
parents or teachers – at Keystone, and most often the
response to this question will be the idea of “promoting Chinese
culture and identity in a world context.” This important keystone
is the main thread of our school’s educational fabric.
The Keystone Primary and Middle School Curriculum Guides
describe it like this: “What we do inside and outside the classroom
is like a brilliant cloth of three colors [Chinese, American and
international]: however, it is the Chinese that is the main thread
in this weave.” While the international thread stitches together
the curricular aspects and the American thread weaves together
the boarding program, the Chinese Thread runs through every
aspect of the school – academic, residential, philosophical –
individually and collectively. “The Chinese thread reminds me
of the verse from the Song of a Roamer, a Tang Dynasty poem,
in which a mother weaves her son’s gown before he travels to faroff lands. So is the Chinese Thread – a roamer’s gown for each
of our students,” said Associate Director of Residential Life and
middle school teacher librarian Jingming Song.
Reading China
In preparing our students for the world, the Keystone Libraries’
collections are an important resource of the past, present
and future of China for students, both inside and outside the
classroom. Our growing collections boast books and materials
on a variety of subjects, fiction and non-fiction, including
Literature, Arts, History, Geography, Science, Mathematics,
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The Keystone Magazine
Some of the English books also cover a wide range of issues and
genres, including China. “To promote the concepts of Chinese
culture, history and tradition through the English collection we
have a variety of books to support these subject areas. Recently,
I shared the story Ruby’s Wish by Shirin Yim Bridges with grade
2 students. It not only promoted Chinese culture and tradition,
but also encouraged students to read a variety of genres, as
this is a fine example of historical fiction. The story provides a
multitude of discussion points, such as education for Chinese
girls in the past and opportunities today, family structures and
expectations, talents, gifts and wishes, and how we make them
come true. Literature and all the library resources are integral
to encouraging broader understandings of our world and all
people,” explained primary school teacher librarian, Babs Albury.
Our books on China, both Chinese and English, give our students
different views of China. This helps them learn and understand
Chinese stories, phenomena and philosophies through different
lenses.
Understanding China in the World
To read is just the first step in realizing the Chinese Thread.
The next step is to study and understand. Scholars, journalists,
and China observers from around the world have studied and
written about this vast and diverse country. But do they really
understand China? Are there prejudices or misunderstandings?
And why?
One of our library activities seeks to explore some of these issues.
Under the Keystone Activities Program (KAP), Ms. Song runs a
reading and debating club called Daxiang Academy. It is a space
for middle and high school students to deliberate on China and
everything Chinese. She guides them in their discussions about
understanding China from within and without, by themselves
and by others. It is a process of comparing and contrasting, and
in the end, considering many viewpoints. Similarly, there is an
English reading club managed by Director of Libraries, Kenneth
Kozel.
There are similar activities for younger students too. The
Reading Aloud club is one such example. Students appreciate
the auditory beauty of classical Chinese poems and articles or
essays through reading aloud. They are also able to enhance
their understanding of the connotations in the poems through
discussion. The texts are mostly selected from Outlook on
Classical Chinese Literature, The Book of Odes and Hymns,
and some famous modern poems. Here too students understand
China from within a global context. So, at times, students