This is a speech at the HS Assembly on Dec 27, 2021. This week is the last week of the year of 2021.
Photo taken in Anting new town on Christmas Day of 2021.
I would like to say a few comments as to several recent events in the high school. I think these events show how the growth of a good school relies on the efforts of all the people in it.
Last Monday, we asked homeroom teachers to present their perspectives on student education. Homeroom teachers in our high school take very important responsibilities as to student personalized guidance and home-school communication. The school administration highly recognizes tremendous contributions that homeroom teachers make for students and for the school. Our students should also respect and cherish the support and guidance that your homeroom teachers provide to you. I know the parents of our students highly value and appreciate the work of homeroom teachers too.
Besides homerooms, our teachers also work with students in four Houses by creating student leadership opportunities or organizing House competitions. For instance, last week Mr. Arnold Levkin successfully organized a range of engaging House activities. This week is Science Week. The Head of Einstein House, Miss Jessie Hart has prepared a few very interesting competitions for students. These activities made our campus life more interesting and raised students’ sense of belonging to Houses.
As of today, we have organized two high school admission days and received over 80 new applicants. We also had two parent information sessions. On behalf of the school, I would like to express gratitude to the student volunteers, teachers, and supporting staff who participated in these student recruitment events. You are the ambassadors of our high school. I hope more students and teachers will support in the future, as a member of this school, while we enjoy living here, each of us has the responsibility to share our positive experiences to others outside the school.
I also want to pass some exciting news about our DP 2 and A-Level 2 students university applications. As of today, 10 students have received offers from British and American universities. Among them, for example, Cathy Cheng has been admitted by Emory University, which is ranked 21st by the US News. This result is already better than the school record, ranking 26, which occurred last year. On the UK side, for example, our students got admitted in St. Andrews (ranking 1st by the Times), Durham (ranking 6th), and Warwick (ranking 8th). The students are Leopold Xu, Cathy Li, and Nathen Xiu. Congratulations to all G12 students who have already received university offers and looking forward to more exciting offers coming to our school soon.
While we are looking forward to the upcoming New Year of 2022, I also want to remind our students that the year of 2021 and this semester are also approaching to its end. Three weeks from now, you will leave again for a long winter vacation. But before that you know what is waiting for you. Please begin to prepare for the final examinations.
I would like to propose the education theme of January 2020 will be Thinking Skills and Be Respectful.
Thinking skills
You are able to think critically by analyzing and evaluating issues and ideas;
You are able to think creatively by generating novel ideas and considering new perspectives;
You are also able to transfer skills and knowledge across disciplines.
I chose Thinking Skills because undeniably the preparation for the final examinations and final projects will demand you a lot of thinking. You will have to organize and analyze what you learned and remembered in the semester and figure out how to apply the knowledge and skills in new situations, for example new mathematical questions that you never saw before or new essay titles that you never considered before. If you are asked to do a project as the culminating assignment of the subject, you will have to be engaged in even higher order thinking activities, as the thinking need to be more comprehensive and creative, for example, find and continuously refine a small research topic or constantly evaluate the process and progress of the project.
In my Critical Thinking and Writing (CTW) 12 class, I asked the six A-Level students to work on independent research studies. They can choose any subject areas they like and they can work on any topics they like. For example, one student would like to study the impact of cyberbullying on students, one student wants to look into the business model of one British football club, one student wants to study a peculiar disease of Scottish Fold Cat, still another student wants to study the concept and effect of involution. Regardless research topics, the main goal is to learn and practice thinking and writing in the context of academic research. We began our journey with discussing aspects of critical thinking, then I asked the students to learn how to find a research topic of his or her interest. Finally, we started to write a research proposal in which the students have to consider how to introduce the topic, how to explain the research questions, and how to plan the research steps. The research proposal will be the final project of the CTW 12 class. Although the progress is slow, they are thinking and working towards the products of it.
It is the first time that I formally talk about the attribute of being respectful at high school assemblies. Be respectful is one of the twelve learner attributes. I sense the attribute is more and more needed in this growing school as a shared understanding of it may create us a friendlier and more productive campus.
Respectful
You accept people for who they are even when they are different from you;
You accept established traditions and cultures for how they are and do not cause unnecessary offence;
You always show humility and politeness as you understand you could be wrong and others could also have admirable qualities.
In the traditional Chinese culture, being respectful is always regarded as a virtue. For example, every Chinese person knows “respect the seniors and care for the juniors”（尊老爱幼） and “respect teachers and value the truth” （尊师重道）. In the past, seniors and teachers in China represented the traditions and the values passed down generations after generations. Although the modern Chinese society has been influenced by many different cultures in good or bad ways and has consequently changed dramatically, I think the quality of being respectful should always be valued and upheld by inheritors of the Chinese culture.
In the west, unarguably respect is also highly valued. In education, for example, Esther Wojcicki （埃丝特. 沃西基）, the so-called “Godmother of Silicon Valley”, a legendary teacher and mother of three super successful daughters (the CEO of YouTube, the Founder and CEO of a biomedical company 23andMe, and a top medical university professor), summarizes her approach to raising children using five words, Trust, Respect, Independence, Collaboration, and Kindness. The second principle is respect.
Reference:
Esther Wojcicki . (2019). How to raise successful people : simple lessons for radical results, London : Hutchinson.
I also found the expectations for a respectful campus on several American university websites. For example, there is page titled Fostering Respect on the website of Harvard University. It states “How we interact with one another affects the integrity of the Harvard academic and workplace environments. We help support a climate of respect, accountability, honesty and integrity in the Harvard community…”
On the website of one department in the University of Oxford, I found a page titled Respectful Behaviours Framework. It states the Department “is committed to fostering an inclusive culture. Everyone should be supported to achieve their full potential and we all play a part in creating such an environment…we want to encourage, support and highlight good behaviour, such that being a member…is a rewarding and enjoyable experience.”
One American college provides a more specific list of expectations as to fostering a respectful campus. I think we can learn from them.
"Be aware that public spaces are shared spaces. Behave in a respectful manner to those around you. Limit the volume of your conversations, and if you wish to listen to music or watch videos in public spaces, please use headphones.
Help keep the community safe. Be aware of your surroundings, keep an eye on your belongings, and conduct yourself in a peaceful, mature manner.
Keep public spaces clean. Just as you prefer to sit down to a clean table to eat, work, or study in a junk-free environment, please make sure public spaces are as clean as when you arrived. Dispose of any trash, and wipe down the table/chair surfaces if you spilled any food or beverage.
Be aware of local laws and campus policies. If you regulate your own behavior through respect and maturity, you will have no trouble complying with laws and policies. Pay particular attention to laws and policies relating to possession of alcohol (age 21+ and at limited events only) and illegal substances (prohibited).
Be respectful in the classroom. Classrooms, labs and other educational spaces are some of the core places where our mission is carried out. To support the teaching and learning process of your peers and instructors, please arrive for classes on time, turn off your phones, refrain from side conversations or other distractions, and do your best to support the educational environment.
Honor the diversity of our community. Many of the people around you will look different from you, and will believe and behave differently. The variety of backgrounds and perspectives we all bring to our community make our interactions richer and better, and allow us to learn about our world. Honor the differences among us, even when these differences are uncomfortable or unfamiliar to you.
Be mindful of your language and gestures. Supportive and respectful language is a primary goal. At a minimum, refrain from any (profane亵渎, bigoted 偏执, racist（种族歧视）, homophobic (同性恋歧视), xenophobic （排外）, sexist （性别歧视）, or other offensive comments, gestures, or actions.
Refrain from smoking and tobacco use. The College is a non-smoking environment. All smoking and tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, are prohibited in all indoor and outdoor campus spaces.
Help your guests cooperate with these guidelines. Everyone on campus, whether a visitor or community member, is expected to behave in a respectful, honorable manner. If you bring guests to campus, please make sure they are aware of, and willing to comply with, our community values in showing respect."
(The above is abridged from the content on one university webpage,
I think many of these languages sound familiar to you because you have heard from your teachers or your schoolmates. Now you should realize that it is not just your teachers that require you to be respectful to the rights of others in the community, to the school rules, and to the environment of the campus. Be respectful is a universal value that you should learn and absorb right away if you unfortunately didn’t have it before. Changing to be respectful in the school is so simple, just begin with how you talk to your teacher, how you communicate with your schoolmates, how you use the library, and how you enter and leave a classroom. If you are mindful of others, of the environment, and of the rules that everyone should abide by, you will begin to be more respectful.
The next year of 2022 is at the door step of this campus. I wish every student will make a new year resolution of getting respectful or more respectful. I think the school community will become a better place to study, work, and live if everyone here understand and practice respect.
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