Among the five Beijing Olympic mascots Betts Rivet has collected, she favors the panda named Jingjing. Wang Ru

 

Betts Rivet loves adventure and travel. The 79-year-old used to enjoy flying her four-seat single engine plane and before coming to China over 15 years ago had visited 73 other countries.

 

The American has been working as a professor of psychology and English in Southeast China's Fujian Province since 1992.

 

"I found another me here, which I had never imagined before. People love me and respect my work," Rivet says.

 

In September, 2006, Rivet received China's National Friendship Award in Beijing, an annual accolade to honor 50 foreign specialists who have made a significant contribution to the development of Chinese society.

 

She still clearly remembers the day she decided to come to China.

 

She was teaching at a school in Puerto Rico, when Rivet noticed an advertisement - a Chinese college called Fujian Hwanan Women's College was recruiting English teachers.

 

Rivet had never been to China and knew little about the country, but nevertheless applied for the job. The lover of adventure had lost her husband and thought a journey into the unknown might ease the pain.

 

Hwanan Women's College is located on a hill overlooking the city of Fuzhou, about halfway between Hong Kong and Shanghai.

 

A missionary from Canada, Lydia Trimble (1863-1941), founded the college in 1908. She was a strong believer in women's educational rights and in the past 100 years Hwanan has developed into a respected vocational women's college.

 

Chen Mingguang, a teacher of pre-educational psychology, clearly remembers the day she picked up Rivet at the airport.

 

"She was full of energy and couldn't wait to start," Chen says.

 

Betts Rivet used to enjoy flying her airplane. Courtesy of Betts Rivet

 

She was given a small but tidy room with a good view of the campus and Rivet recollects thinking: "Great! This is my home in China."

 

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, in 1953, Rivet taught school psychology all over the world. Her experiences in this field and hard work have won her international standing.

 

In 1980, she received an Outstanding Member award from the International School Psychology Association (ISPA) and became a life member in 2001.

 

She taught pre-education and applied English at Hwanan. Among the 28 classes she gave a week was a two-hour psychology class.

 

Rivet has an active teaching style. She never sits in class and believes a teacher must be communicative and a role model to students.

 

If some students lag behind, Rivet talks to them and will possibly visit the parents. She never hesitates to call the parent of a student who is tired or not complying with classroom rules.

 

Xue Fang, a freshman studying applied English, says she feels lucky to be a student at Hwanan.

 

"Rivet is always patient when she corrects our mistakes in pronunciation and writing. Her class is lively and interactive. She leads us singing Cuckoo Bird (an Australian folk song), decorated our classroom for Halloween and tells us stories. It is always helpful and enjoyable in her class," Xue says.

 

Students turn in a dairy every week and Rivet reads each word and responds to every entry. This way, she gets to know her students and learn about their ideas, activities, family and even love problems.

 

Wang Xiaoyan, a sophomore, used to be nervous about giving speeches. Once she messed up at a speech contest and, crying, went to Rivet for help.

 

Rivet told her a story. Years ago, she flew to a village school in Mexico but found there was no airport to land. She overcame this difficulty and finally safely landed her plane in the grass.

 

Last month, Wang made a speech in front of 5,000 people and was runner-up in a provincial English speech contest.

 

"Rivet is a wise elder whose counsel made me confident," Wang says.

 

"My students tell me they know I care about their learning and they want to try harder for me. They are nice girls and I have fun with them," Rivet says.

 

One of the things that Rivet improved at Hwanan college was making sure there were adequate extracurricular activities for the students. She used her own money to ensure students went on trips to the cinema, travel and even experience staying in a five-star hotel.

 

Yang Yamei, who works at the college's foreign affairs office, says Rivet spends 2,000 yuan ($274) of her monthly wages helping children of poor families get an education.

 

The college has about 2,500 students but the campus is relatively small and old, so it has been in the process of rebuilding since 2005. It will take a long time because of limited funding but Rivet does her best by raising money in the United States.

 

"We appreciate Rivet's great contribution. Her unwavering dedication and wholehearted service is the soul of this century-old college," Lin Benchun, president of Hwanan college says.

 

"My dad was the most influential person in my life. He always said to us girls: 'Make the world a better place to live in with what you do and say. Be a good example to others'," Rivet says.

 

Rivet has settled in China and even at Christmas doesn't feel homesick. She says she would drive a car to buy her favorite spring rolls if there wasn't an age limit on driving.

 

She loves traditional Chinese arts and has collected a wall of Chinese knots. Among the five Beijing Olympic mascots she has collected, Rivet favors the panda named Jingjing.

 

She says this year should be a momentous one since China is hosting the Olympics and Hwanan will hold its centenary celebrations.

 

Rivet is the mother of three married daughters, with 11 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

 

(China Daily January 1, 2008)