Preface
The book Coming to the Edge:Journeys Toward Teacher Scholar is co-authored by two educators——Shufang Shi Strause and Lijuan Zhong.The manuscript provides personal accounts of their educational experiences in the United States and traces individual paths of academic discovery application and reflection.The book is written in the first person.Lijuan narrates the first two chapters,and Shufang narrates the final three chapters.
Lijuan chose to complete a visiting scholar appointment to The State University of New York at Cortland(SUNY Cortland)during the 2015-2016 academic year;she was supported in this endeavor by the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission.Lijuan selected SUNY Cortland as her host institution because of its long history of providing top-rated teacher education programs for all levels of instruction.Located in Upstate New York,Cortland is a typical small American college town.Cortland's rural setting,surrounded by picturesque sceneries of farmland and forest,allows visitors like Lijuan to obtain a real taste and appreciation of the“most uniquely American”elements.Her writings combine the novelty of an outsider's observations of new surroundings and culture with an insider's understanding of the deeper contextual relationships among personalities and within the academic community.In this groundbreaking book,Lijuan recounts her experiences without prejudice offering keen observations of campus culture and local characteristics in an objective and inquisitive manner.
The first and second chapters of this book describe various aspects of the college and college life,including first-hand observation of faculty classroom instruction and faculty meetings embedded in the busy daily life of a Cortland professor.Lijuan offers intriguing examples of the service component of an American professor's responsibilities including Chinese New Year celebration activities at the College Childcare Center and participation in the School of Education's Raquette Lake Outdoor Education Experience in the New York Adirondack Park of New York State.Additional activities include an exploration of teaching methods in schools and development of a co-teaching model and course management experience through an online course between New York and Shanghai.Lijuan weaves thoughtful insights of American culture and society throughout her narrative with accounts of support and care from the Director of International Programs,conversations with the College President and anecdotes of conversation topics from simple dinner gatherings,recreating a rich tapestry of American hospitality and support.Every story is a vivid and colorful picture of life in SUNY Cortland.More importantly,Lijuan's experiences portray her continued growth as a teacher scholar through learning,observing,reflecting,researching,and applying.
Shortly after completing her doctorate,Shufang joined the SUNY Cortland faculty in 2005,and for the past 12 years she has been striving for excellence in teaching,research,and service,constantly challenging her limits by living out her mantra of“Come to the edge”on her way to a successful academic career.Sharing her joys and sorrows,struggles and elations,she provides the readers with an honest story of her experience as a foreigner,striving to stand steady on the podium and to gain her American students’respect.These efforts require that she continuously learn,relearn,research,practice,and grow throughout her career.
Shufang came to SUNY Cortland from Shanghai Jiao Tong University where she held an Associate Professor of English position from 1992 to 2000.She chose to pursue her Ph.D.in the United States,graduating from Michigan State University with a doctorate in the field of educational technology.In the process of transforming from a“digital immigrant”to an instructor of21st century“digital natives”,she has also grown from a struggling teacher into an accomplished and confident teacher scholar,earning recognition for her talent as a curious and tenacious researcher as well as for her various genuine sense of commitment to public service both inside and outside her SUNY Cortland.
It is true that American students have access to first-class service.Such service comes from a rigorous evaluation system of faculty performance that requires great effort and dedication from faculty.Particular to American universities,in addition to teaching and research,a third important component of a faculty position is service to the university and the local,regional,and larger communities.Service to her college and community is an area where Shufang has invested tremendous efforts.She has successfully coordinated the establishment of The SUNY Cortland-Qufu Normal University partnership.She collaboratively organized a“21st Century Leadership Forum”for administrators from 25 school districts throughout central New York.She organized Chinese New Year celebration activities for many years,sharing Chinese culture with young children and their families in the Cortland community.She assisted with professional development initiatives for SUNY Cortland faculty helping them upgrade their knowledge and skills in instructional technology.She serves on many college committees and is actively involved in faculty governance.
The authors are hopeful that readers will appreciate the stylistic use of the dual first person narrative in this journal of academic discovery,application,and reflection.Lijuan's careful observation and contextual analysis of the SUNY Cortland community,people and events,provide readers with a synopsis of the academic atmosphere from a visitor's point of view.Shufang compliments this with an in-depth view of American academia from a foreign professor's perspective,providing many personal experiences from the entire span of her career at SUNY Cortland.Two different points of views,born from a shared background,serve to compliment and confirm one another.Without Lijuan's rich descriptions of the everyday life of an American academic,it would be hard for readers to understand the challenges Shufang,a Chinese-American professor,has encountered in the past and continues to face and overcome today on a daily basis.The dual narrative approach provides a unique combination of the experiences and perspectives of the two authors.While portraying the SUNY Cortland culture and environmental structures as a whole,they also illustrate the hard work of American teachers through authentic and concrete examples,especially that of a Chinese-American.
The English title of this book is Coming to the Edge:Journeys Toward Teacher Scholar.Lijuan and Shufang share a strong affection for the poem by French poet Guillaume Apollinaire(1880—1918).The poem is simple,but its connotations are meaningful.Here is the poem:
He said,“Come to the edge.”
I said,“I can't,I'm afraid.”
He said,“Come to the edge.”
I said,“I can't,I'll fall off.”
“Come to The Edge!”
and I came to the edge,
and I FLEW.
What the poem intends to tell people is,as long as they can overcome inner fears,confront problems with a positive mindset,they can survive and thrive through difficulties,ups,and downs.Isn't this a true portrayal of Lijuan and shufang's educational life?
This book provides a fresh outlook for both Chinese and American audiences.For Chinese readers,although inductive methodology as such cannot generalize since individual cases are not universal,it provides concrete samples and in-depth analyses for Chinese readers to understand American education,and to understand the hard work of teachers in America.For SUNY Cortland,this book provides Chinese readers with an opportunity to learn about the College and perhaps decide to become part of it.As faculty member and alumnus,respectively,Shufang and Lijuan fulfill their duties and obligations.One goal is that this book will be added to the SUNY Cortland library collection.Through such an addition,they hope American readers who cannot read Chinese can still learn something from the book through the limited English text and pictures provided within.The authors would be even more pleased if some American readers can read this book in our native Chinese language.
Lijuan Zhong&Shufang Shi Strause
May 18,2017