By Anna Guido
Enquirer contributor

DOWNTOWN - In China, they are teachers of English. In the United States, the eight exchange teachers are students of English who are also helping young American schoolchildren learn about their homeland.

Luo Ai Zhen from Lizhou City, China shows Krista Borchers, 4, of Ft. Mitchell, Ky. how to do origami. (Ernest Coleman photo)

Zhao Xiaoxia, a teacher from Liuzhou, China, recently asked first- and second-graders from St. Clare School if they knew the location of China.

Most did not. But the young students of the Cincinnati Archdiocesan school in College Hill learned quickly of China's location, its language, culture and customs.

Their lesson was part of a special program at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, co-hosted by the library and the Sister Cities Association of Greater Cincinnati.

About a dozen elementary schools took field trips last month to the library for the program. Other children learned about it at branch locations.

"We're just trying to get them to understand that China is on the opposite side of the earth," said St. Clare teacher Nancy Tunnat. "We've talked about digging to China and how it cannot be done because there is lava in the center of the earth and it's hot."

For second-grader Abby Dovel, 8, of College Hill, something more interesting was the pronunciation of Zhao Xiaoxia's name (Jow Shy-ow-shy-ow).

The Liuzhou teacher exchange program began seven years ago. Initially, it didn't involve visits to the library. But three years ago, the exchange teachers were introduced to the library and the concept of free access to information. (In China, there is no free and public library system.)

The program expanded this year with additional library programming and cultural exchanges. Zhao and seven other teachers are spending 12 weeks with children ages 6-12 at the main library and its branches, talking about Chinese culture and reading stories to youngsters.

Before the program ends late this month, the Chinese teachers will have reached about 4,000 students.

The teachers are also shadowing librarians, taking English language courses at Conversa Language Center, downtown, and learning about American culture by staying with host families.

"We are here to improve our English," Zhao told St. Clare students. "We are English teachers, but we want to be better English teachers."

Among her demonstrations this day was the origin and continued use of the centuries-old abacus, a counting board that uses beads or balls to teach math.

"We have electronic calculators that can do calculations very quickly, but we still use the abacus in China today," Zhao said.

Charles Weilbaker, a retired University of Cincinnati professor and director of education programming for the Cincinnati/Liuzhou Sister Cities Committee, helped negotiate the exchange program and cultural activity.

Weilbaker accompanies the Chinese teachers on their library presentations. He said he believes strongly in the program.

With tears in his eyes, he talked of one of the first teachers who returned to China and "elevated himself in the educational establishment," eventually becoming a distinguished author.

About the library

The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, established in 1853, is the oldest public library west of the Alleghenies. It is also the busiest library in Ohio, one of the busiest in the world and a pioneer in children's services.

The library's service to children began with the opening of a Children's Room on May 14, 1900. By 1901, the library was conducting programs for children.

The library also had children's librarians at the turn of the century, a major breakthrough at the time. Today, the library offers more than 14,000 children's programs annually, including story hours, book talks, films, in-school programs, and workshops on reading, literature and new books.

The latest library renovation was a $44.8 million, 165,000 square-foot addition in 1997. The project greatly expanded the children's area, now known as The Children's Learning Center.

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