May
11-14, 2007
《Nanjing Study
Tour - Appreciation Education》
Sponsored by: Xing Zhi Primary School in Pukou
District, Jiangsu Province / World Education
Supported by: Life Education Action
After
Chinese Labor Day long weekend, 36 teaching
faculty from Dandelion School along with Mr.
David Kahler and Sandy Chou from World Education
made a trip to Xing Zhi Primary School in
Jiangsu Province between May 11 and 14. In
this three-day study tour, through the well-organized
event organized by Mr. Yang Rui-Qing, principal
of Xing Zhi Primary School, we had a closer
look at Chinese well-known education Mr. Tao
Xing-Zhi's philosophy toward education, were
given the opportunity to learn about appreciate
education at first hand and witnessed how
appreciation education are implemented and
adapted in Xing Zhi base, a child friendly
environment for students to play and learn.
We paid a formal visit to Mr. Tao Xing-Zhi's
cemetery and memorial hall while listened
to two speeches full of passion and excitement
delivered by Ms. Tang Cui-Ying and Mr. Zhou
De-Fan, vice chairman and chairman of Tai
Xing-Zhi Study Institute in Jiangsu. Dr. Wang
Xue-Fu, a friend of Dr. Zheng Hong who is
experienced in psychological counseling also
came from Nanjing and spent the evening with
Dandelion teachers to listen to the day to
day challenges that teachers are facing when
working with students at school.
Instead of inviting a keynote speaker to Dandelion
talking about appreciation education, the
actual visit to Nanjing truly is an eye-opening
experience for everyone to have a close-up
observation of how appreciation education
practiced in Xing Zhi in the past twenty years.
The love, caring, support and professionalism
that Mr. Yang presented when interacting with
us set up a wonderful role model for Dandelion
teachers to spend more efforts and become
more patient when grow together with every
single child at Dandelion.
In addition to visit the infrastructure of
Xing Zhi Primary School, the kindergarten,
we were also led to the Water Lily Garden
and Garden of Plum, where Xing Zhi base provides
rural village living experience to students
who spend most of their time living in cities.
The presentation of appreciation education
made by principal Yang Rui-Qing, and his colleagues
vice director Mr. Liu Ming-Xiang and Ms. Ruan-Min
helped us have a better understanding of the
history, tremendous efforts and spectacular
progress and contribution that Xing Zhi School
has made in the past twenty years.
In
Xing Zhi Primary School, there are Six Principals
that teachers are requested to follow:
Give 100% respect to children's characters;
Show 100% confidence in children's potentials;
Try to 100% understand children's personalities;
Spend 9% effort to encourage children's virtues,
90% to tolerant children's weakness, and 1%
to remind children their shortcomings.
Principal
Yang also shared with Dandelion teachers his
education philosophy when he communicates
with his own son: "I make the recommendation,
and you make the choice. You make the choice,
and you take the responsibility. You take
the responsibility, and I will accompany you
along the way." Isn't it inspiring?
Dr.
Wang Xue-Fu facilitated a psychological counseling
seminar that provided a channel to help Dandelion
teachers have a chance to review the communication
issues and challenges they are facing when
living and working together with students.
In
the two-day indoor events, Dandelion teachers
always sat or even stood together to exchange
their ideas and lessons learned.
The
days when we visited Xing Zhi Primary School,
teachers from Nanjing NingHai Middle School
also took their 600 students to Xing Zhi base
have a three-day rural village experimental
camp. Special thanks to the coordination made
by principal Yang, we were able to spend some
quality time with Chinese language, Math,
English, Physical Education, Moral Education
teachers and school management team from Ning
Hai to exchange experience in teaching and
at work.
Right
after the two-day Appreciation Education seminar,
Dandelion teachers also worked into groups
to discuss and present their interpretation
of appreciation, and summarized their findings
of appreciative language can be used to encourage
and inspire students, colleagues, family and
ourselves in our life.
In
the week when we were in Nanjing it happened
to be Mother's Day. On behalf of Dandelion
female teachers, Dr. Zheng Hong received the
flower and wishes from Mr. Yang Rui-Qing.
The background music <Mother> also touched
every single teacher and reminded them of
their own mothers.
In
our last day trip to Mr. Tao Xing-Zhi's cemetery,
the passionate introduction made by Ms. Tang
Cui-Ying showed her tremendous respect and
admiration toward the great educator that
moved everyone.
On
May 18, in a god-given opportunity, the intermission
exercise was canceled and replaced by the water-rocket
launching demonstration. All students and teachers
were called to the playground of Dandelion to
witness the exciting moment and Mr. Lu Pei-Qi
used the speaker to explain the process of how
the water-rocket is made. The air was filled
with excitement and surprise when the water-rocket
actually launched to the clear sky. Students
were all inspired and actively participated
in learning making and modifying their hand-made
water-rockets. The competition inspired students
to take initiatives studying whether or not
the shape and size of the coke plastic bottle
and the friction caused by the robber plug would
have an impact on the height the water-rocket
can launch and sound it makes. The water-rocket
launching competition took place on the 30 of
May. You got to see the happy smiles on students
and teachers' faces. It seems the future stars
of scientists and inventors in China would come
from Dandelion! How exciting!
