Hi Maura There is this organization in Rochester: The Northeast Organic Farming Assocition of New York They have a section for beginning or aspiring farmers http://www.nofany.org/bfam It includes an apprenticeship directory http://www.nofany.org/bfam/apprenticeshipmain SUNY Cobeskill has a BA program in plant science & an Associate degree in sustainable crop production http://www.cobleskill.edu/academics/schools/agriculture-and-natural-resources/plant-science/sustainable-crop-production-aas.asp Cornell also has Ag Sciences major w/ a concentration in sustainable agriculture http://agsci.cals.cornell.edu/curriculum/concentrations UMass has a Bachelor's program in sustainable farming: https://stockbridge.cns.umass.edu/SFF-BS Hampshire (private school) - also has a program https://www.hampshire.edu/academics/summary-of-key-topics.htm A good directory & listing is here: http://www.aashe.org/resources/academic-programs/discipline/agriculture/

DD will leave for the USA on Wed. August 20th; her orientation starts on Aug. 22. When she leaves she will be taking her clothes, some of her books & decorations & her other belongings. The wardrobe, desk, & bed will stay. There's not that much else there. She knows that either DS will move in, or it will become a study & guest room. If DS moves to that room, his room will become the study/guest room. We will probably do the cleaning and any shifting on the weekend of the 23rd, so - 3 days in our case. We have no idea when she will come back. Definietly not this X-mas (plane tickets are very expensive!) & DH, DD, and I will visit the USA in summer 2015 for DD's college tour. When my sibs & I moved out of our mom's in our late teens, they re-purposed the rooms (before they moved). I never felt emotional about it; it seemed reasonable that if I no longer lived their full-time that the rooms should have other functions.

re: your concerns about the piece's literary quality I think that the fact that it was written in Chinese and translated "on the fly" may have something to do with your concerns. Also, I think it's supposed to be an "atmospheric", human interest story, not a straight forward chronological essay about the Cultural Revolution and its aftermath. The piece starts off "now" (apologies are being made) and then goes back to October, when one letter was published, and then goes back to the summer before; it also describes the background of some of the letter writers (where they are today) and then to the events of 1965-1975. Then it talks about the effects of the "criticism sessions" on those teachers who are now very elderly; efforts at reconciliation afterward. Then it rounds back to the present. Some might find it elegant. But, tastes and literary conventions vary across cultures and languages.

I once taught in a "cram school", after-school English place in a suburb of Taipei. While I taught, they had another teacher (local) patrolling the rows with a big stick. I didn't see him ever *use* it. I stopped working there after a couple of months. But, it was also a very old-fashioned place and over 20 years ago. I think it is very cultural, that at home and in the classroom are expected to listen and do as they are told. I remember visiting my kids' nursery school in Hong Kong before sending my eldest there and watching snack time. The teacher put the snack on a little plate in front of each child and they could not eat it until she said they could. They all waited. That said, there are famous examples when this did not hold true. During the Cultural Revolution, students were encouraged to humiliate those teachers who were less than doctrinely pure, slapping them, spitting on them, even torturing them. Here is a rare example where some of the former red guards have apologized for it. http://www.zonaeuropa.com/20101107_1.htm But attitudes towards conformity/independence discipline/freedom are very cultural. Back in 2003 a documentary maker in HK named Tammy Cheung made a film about 2 secondary schools, in the USA, high schools. I heard that many "westerners" saw this film as a powerful and searing endictment of secondary education in Hong Kong. I heard that many local people thought that it was almost an advertisement for how well disciplined the schools were and that the film-maker favored those two schools too much. A lot of poorer young people in China don't continue school after primary school, or junior middle-school - basically go out to work at 15. If you search the internet on "inequality and education china" you will find a lot. Also, rich kids, or kids w/ connections may be able to get away with working less diligently than those withouut $ or connections.

I'm from the USA but have lived in Hong Kong for the past 18 years and work in a university here. Chinese culture has for centuries placed a huge emphasis on education as a means of success in life. There have been examination systems to enter the civil service (and thus government power, wealth, and status) for the past 2,000 years. Examinations still form the "backbone" of the Chinese and Hong Kong education, although there are changes in Hong Kong - recently we did away with the HKCEE which was given at the end of Form 5 (~ 16 years old) which then would give kids with good marks admission to Form 6 and Form 7 where they would study for the Hong Kong A-levels to get into university. When I first came to Hong Kong, only about 15% of the university aged students went to university. Now it's approaching 30% (I think). Competitive exams are covered in the newspaper like sports scores in the USA. The kids who get 10 A's or more have their pictures in the newspapers and stories written on them: Examples: A-list just a stepping stone for Fab 16 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=101380&sid=29148040&con_type=1&d_str=20100805&sear_year=2010 Exam hopefuls out to beat adversity http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=4&art_id=101257&sid=29118428&con_type=1&d_str=20100803&fc=2 Then, after the results, the kids with lower marks scramble for places in F6. Heat on in search for fast dwindling school places http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=4&art_id=101428&sid=29167131&con_type=1&d_str=20100806&fc=7 Then, A-levels, where also kids w/ the good grades are held up for community esteem. There are also fewer places in the university than students who take the A-levels. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=15&art_id=99537&sid=28649944&con_type=1&d_str=20100621&sear_year=2010 In the meantime, kids who do poorly suffer from depression and a feeling that life is not worthwhile. There are suicides sometimes among youth who have poor grades and fear their parents anger, or fear disappointing them. Cram schools advertise on the backs of buses and in huge posters on the MTR (the subway system, like the El in Chicago, or the T in Boston) There's a wonderful book (about 10 years old) by Kangmin Zeng, it is called "Dragon Gate: Competitive Examinations and their Consequences". He researched and wrote about the examination systems and cultures in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Another interesting book is "The Chinese Learner: cultural, psychological and contextual influences" - edited by David A. Watson & John B. Biggs. I read it many years ago, but one of the things I came away with was that Chinese parents and students both attributed academic success to hard work rather than "talent" or "brains". Parents, even if uneducated or under-educated themselves really really value their children's education and make sacrifices for it. This goes back to a famous story about Mengzi's (Mencius's) mother who moved three times for her son's education (or to avoid bad influences). It is still a famous idiom in Chinese culture. "孟母三迁" (mèng mǔ sān qiān) Thanks for reading if you made it this far. :)

When I was in middle-school, we used Warriner's Grammar and I think it's still useful - for you rather than your child (at this point in time). It's for sale on amazon & you can also get it from alibris http://www.amazon.com/English-Composition-Grammar-Complete-Course/dp/0153117362 http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?binding=&mtype=&keyword=warriner%27s+english+grammar&hs.x=0&hs.y=0&hs=Submit

Hmmm, "American Food" This is a bit hard for me, because I think of all food as American food - but stuff that as I live abroad that I might have to explain? Succotash? Hasty Pudding? (if you're serving a vegetarian or milk-based meal) Baked beans & brown bread? (cook without pork fat) To drink... Birch beer?

Hi, I second the recommendation of the Geronimo Stilton books. You might also want to look at some of the Andy Griffiths books, like "Just Whacky", "Just Joking", "Just disgusting" etc. Given his age, I would suggest you look at them first, because they are very silly and a bit gross (about the level of Captain Underpants, but aimed a little bit older - maybe 8-12). http://andygriffiths.com.au/books/thejustseries If he liked the Percy Jackson series, he may like two of Laurence Yep's series: 1) Dragon series 1. Dragon of the Lost Sea 2. Dragon Steel 3. Dragon Cauldron 4. Dragon War Description (Contains spoilers) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_(fantasy_series) 2) Tiger series The Tiger's Apprentice: Book One Tiger's Blood: Book Two Tiger Magic: Book Three My kids love them. As the Percy Jackson series builds on Greek mythology, so these two series build on a lot of Chinese folk-lore and myth. However, you don't need to know these myths and folklore already to be able to enjoy them. In a year or two, he might also like to read some of John Bellairs books. I really loved the Lewis Barnavelt series when I was about 11. These do involve magic and ghosts and things. http://www.bellairsia.com/the_work/barnavelt.html I haven't read the Johnny Dixon series http://www.bellairsia.com/the_work/dixon.html As for non-fiction - has he read The Magic School Bus series? Both my kids loved them, especially my son. http://www.scholastic.com/magicschoolbus/

Hi, You wrote: Have you considered any Mennonite schools? When I was in graduate school, some of my classmates were graduates. I was impressed by them and what they said about their Undergraduate experiences. The ones listed below are Mennonite colleges and universities. They emphasize the Liberal Arts but all have majors in biology & chemistry. 1) Goshen College http://www.goshen.edu/admission/quickfacts/ They have Biology & Chemistry majors http://www.goshen.edu/bio/Home http://www.goshen.edu/chemistry/Home They identify as a Christian community and do not allow smoking or drinking in campus. http://www.goshen.edu/studentlife/master_files/Student%20planner%20text%20for%2008-09.pdf 2) Eastern Mennonite University http://www.emu.edu/admissions/facts Biology is one of the most popular majors there http://www.emu.edu/biology/ ~ 1/2 the students are Mennonites & half not http://www.emu.edu/admissions/christian 3) Bethel College in Kansas http://www.bethelks.edu/bc/aboutbc/fastfacts.php?urlid=265 http://www.bethelks.edu/academics/index.php 4) Bluffton University http://www.bluffton.edu/about/more/ Biology http://www.bluffton.edu/catalog/0708/courses/bio/index.html#major Chemistry http://www.bluffton.edu/catalog/0708/courses/cem/index.html#major Campus standards of behavior: http://www.bluffton.edu/studentlife/livingoncampus/standards/ I hope your son finds some schools that he likes