“Chinese Education: 20 years of Evolution from Catch-up to Leadership” will be the timely topic at the Chats with Champions event on Thursday, Jan. 24, at 10 a.m. in Porter Hall at Skidompha Library. Kyle Tong, Lincoln Academy’s assistant to the head for special programs, will base this program on his 20 years of work in the educational system of the Chinese city of Hefei. Please allow time for parking.

Tong is one of the lead-up speakers to the Camden Conference, which this year takes place Feb. 22-24, and the Conference will focus on the topic “Is This China’s Century?”

“The ability of China to adopt, adapt, and innovate in the realm of education has served their country and people well and is often a buffer against the volatility in other areas of Chinese society,” said Tong. His personal view of Chinese culture through the lens of its school system provided a window on how the traditional Chinese school systems have been adapted to the pressures of today’s modern economy. He will address how simple demographics drive so much in education and societal thinking and attempt to transcend stereotypes and delve deeper into the mind of the Middle Kingdom. For centuries, the Chinese thought of themselves as the "Middle Kingdom" because, surrounded by natural barriers on all sides, they believed they were in the middle of the world.

Tong has been an educator for 35 years. Since graduating from Bowdoin College in 1983 with a degree concentration in East Asian History, he has been a teacher and administrator at independent schools in Massachusetts, New Jersey, California, North Carolina, Ohio, and Maine. While at Columbus Academy in Ohio, he started the East Asia Institute, which involved teacher and student exchanges in East Asia and teacher training in Hefei, China.

An author of two textbooks on American language and culture for Chinese students and teachers, Tong received the Columbus Council for World Affairs Award for Outstanding International Educator in 2007. In 2013, he was bestowed with the title of Honorary Citizen of Hefei, China for his work with the city’s schools.

At Lincoln Academy, Tong works with present and future international boarding students as a teacher and coordinator of Lincoln Academy’s international summer programs. He also teaches in the social studies department and serves as a student advisor.

Chats with Champions is a free community offering from your national award-winning Skidompha Library and is sponsored by Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shop. For more information call 563-5513 or online at www.skidompha.org