50 days until Singapore!

I'm very excited to be chaperoning the second Dominion cultural exchange to the Hwa Chong Institution in Singapore.  I'm embarassed to admit that three years ago when the first delegation of Singaporean students came to Dominion I didn't know much about Singapore.  Like many Americans, I knew Singapore was located in southeast Asia, chewing gum was forbidden there, and that some young American guy received a canning sentence in the 90s for vandalism.  Three years and two visits to Singapore later I realize there is so much more to this country than a lack of hubba bubba and strict punishments for graffiti. 

Singapore is a fascinating blend of eastern and western cultures.  With a well educated population that is largely fluent in English (the primary language taught in schools) and Mandarin (the "mother-tongue" language of the 75% of the population that is ethnically Chinese), Singapore serves as a bridge between the East and West not only culturally, but also in the business world.  This is apparent  as you fly into Singapore and see hundreds of shipping barges lined up in their port (the second busiest in the world) and as you read the names of the many multinational corporations atop the skyscrappers in downtown Singapore.

As a high school teacher, I find Singapore's approach to education fascinating.  What we would consider the 11th and 12th grade of high school in America, Singapore considers Junior College.  And the structure of education at this level is a blend of what you would see at an American high school (all students arrive at school at the same time, say a pledge to their country, engage in co-curricular activities) and at the college level (more specialized coursework, less emphasis on daily homework and more emphasis on exams when it comes to grading, classes of varying lengths depending on if it is a lecture, a lab, or a tutorial). 
I look forward to sharing the rich fusion of eastern and western culture that is Singapore with the five students and the other teacher that are taking part in this year's exchange.