This speech was given at the last SABS all-staff meeting on July 3, 2023.
Photo taken in SABS high school in June 2023. June is the rain season in Shanghai.
Dear colleagues and friends,
I feel grateful having this opportunity to summarize the achievements of SABS education of this semester. After a busy semester, it is the time for the teachers to celebrate the outcomes of our effort and appreciate the growth of our students.
At the beginning of this semester, I explained a revised framework of education quality of SABS in front of heads of divisions, coordinators of programs, and leaders of subject groups. The framework contains 10 renewed standards. They were modified from the original version that Principal Gong created when the school was established.
It is not hard to tell that this 10-standard framework promote a true holistic education. This education promotes students’ moral, aesthetical, physical, intellectual, and practical development.
This high-quality holistic education will cultivate students in the areas of being, knowing, doing, and living together. I hope the framework has been substantially discussed by all administrators and teachers in this semester and I hope it begins to guide the practices in the school.
In my short summary today, I will only touch on a few areas of student achievements, which I believe are the results of our teachers aligned efforts in line with the holistic education framework.
· Student achievement in Arts
Our students made impressive achievements in Arts. For instance, in the KG, 24 kids won awards in competitions of dancing, painting, piano, etc. MS students explored Chinese and Western art and design, for instance three-dimensional sculptures, and participated in exhibitions outside the school. In music, middle school and primary school students won prizes in the piano and violin competitions in the district and city.
In the HS, not only did our students graduate from the IBDP Visual Arts, IBDP Music, and A-Level Art and Design programs, but also presented their music and visual art pieces in the school. Their creativity and talents enriched our school culture and inspired younger students.
· Student achievement in Sports
In sports, students actively participated in various sports activities and competitions in and outside the school, including, for instance, baseball, basketball, football, golf, Karting, and so on. Medals and other types of good results, for examples champions, are achieved in these events.
· Student growth in self-regulation and leadership
Students also grow as leaders and learned many social skills in the school. In the MS, the 7th Student Self-Management Committee was established. They were responsible for the weekly morning assembly in the MS. The MS newspaper is also mainly planned by the Student Union and it has been published up to the 20th issue.
In the high school, the High School Student Association plays more and more important role in self-regulation of students as well as the organization of Houses. In collaboration with teachers, the HSSA help improve the learning environment in the high school. For instance, the student leaders took responsibility of managing the student lounge and report their work to the Principal’s Office. They also work closely with Heads of House in the high school, for example, in organizing the House Knowledge Bowl competition.
· Student performance in government and/or global examinations
Students of PS, MS, and HS all sat for government or global examinations. The middle school graduates of the school are expected to perform better than previous years. At the end of this semester, we also saw PS students preparing for an important government test. We look forward to their excellent performance too.
As the result of global exams including IB and A-Level exams, all the high school graduates are admitted by world universities and their performances are very commendable. This year we saw the largest graduated class and they achieved admirable results.
· Student achievement in contests/competitions outside the school
HS students not only attested their academic achievements in global exams, they also participated in academic contests and competitions outside the school to showcase their talents and courageous pursuits. In this semester, as many as 65 students won awards and medals in various international and national contests in the disciplines such as Language, Music, Chemistry, Biology, Business Management, Economics, and Mathematics.
In MS, 4 students received international awards, 5 national awards, and over 100 students won municipal and regional awards.
In PS, many students also showcased their talents outside the school. Take two exceptional Grade 5 students as examples, Dora and Ethan have showcased their remarkable talents and achieved outstanding success in contests beyond the school. Ethan's exceptional oratory skills were recognized when he secured a gold medal in a speech contest. Dora's excellent writing abilities positioned her among the top 20% of participants in a highly competitive contest in Shanghai. I also saw the data of one class, there are about 10 awards earned by the students of the class and half them are related to science, math, and technology.
Besides the student achievements in the above areas, I would also like to mention an interesting development in teachers’ implementation of the school curriculum. The development is related to interdisciplinary teaching and learning.
I observed that teachers in both national and international curriculum are creating and teaching lessons or units to provide students with interdisciplinary learning opportunities. We all know that interdisciplinary learning or transdisciplinary learning is not new in the international curriculum, yet it is probably a new addition to the national curriculum, which was just revised in 2022. I feel excited to see the two integral parts of our school curriculum finally begin to find one meeting point.
In IBPYP, for example, K3 kids had a unit of inquiry on the central idea Invention Change Our Lives. Kids are guided to inquire three questions: What an invention is? How inventions work?
How inventions solve our problems? Kids worked in groups, they designed their vacuum cleaners, created them, and finally tried them out in the classroom.
Behind this type of transdisciplinary learning, there is teachers’ careful planning and collaboration. For instance, this K3 lesson plan shows how the teachers consider objectives and processes of learning for effective student inquiry, as well as different subjects covered by this unit.
In the primary school, I saw a few examples, one in Mathematics, one in Sciences, and the other in English. The math teacher guided her students to design a personalized trip for clients, applying knowledge and skills from math, social study, and Arts; the Science unit asks students to design a solar energy generating system for the school farm. This unit covers Science, mathematics, technology, and practical skills. I observed the two teachers’ teaching in action, I am so impressed by the engagement and joy of students in the classroom.
Two foreign English teachers of Grade 5, Mr. Daniel and Isaac, helped the students create a comic book. The final production is a 50-page comics collection that the students made in class. Armed with iPads, the characters that students created came to life, engaging readers in thrilling adventures. The fusion of technology and literature sparked kids’ imagination, fostering a love for storytelling and digital art creation.
In the middle school, for example, this group of teachers designed a unit in which students studied how to use tooth sticks to create artistic works. Based on the unit plans that I received, I know middle school science teachers also worked on projects like toy cars and automatic vendor machines.
In the international high school, the Grade 10 transitioning program was also interdisciplinary. This project-based learning not only asked students to develop a variety of learning skills such as research and thinking skills but also required them to apply knowledge from a range of subjects.
A number of team in the two Grade 10 classes embarked on a month-long collaborative learning, guided by teachers from five different subjects. Finally, they achieved remarkable results such as a comprehensive project report as long as 70 pages.
The STEAM team of this school, that is led by Dr. Bob Shen, made great progresses in this semester as well. You must remember the STEAM exhibition in the main campus and the Science Fair in the high school campus.
All the above evidence shows the teachers' are making effort in developing students as whole persons. It is not possible for me to talk about all the achievements and progresses of our teachers’ teaching and students’ learning in this short time. I believe in an open and safe environment in the school you will produce better students’ learning outcomes and more creative solutions to changes in response to the upgraded curriculum and students’ needs.
Since this is the last speech that I make in front of the whole staff, please allow me to say a few final words to express my gratitude to you.
I hoped I would be able to be with you longer, but my life now has to take another unexpected big turn. “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.” Whenever a situation needs me to change, I let go and I will make myself to accept it.
In the past four years, I have been working with many teachers and leaders in the school to refine the school education and to improve our teaching and learning. I really appreciate your trust, support, and collaboration, and I really feel grateful for your dedication to student learning and achievements. The past four years wasn’t easy for me, but your company made my time in this school warm, rewarding, and memorable.
Let me share one of my life mottos that always helps me reflect. This motto guides me in both management and education practice, as well as some decisions in my life. 老子说，生而不有，为而不恃，长而不宰。是谓玄德。
Laozi says, it creates but does not impose its ownership. It works in things without claiming its power. It rules but does not govern capriciously. What profound grace and virtue!
I think these words are enlightening.
One day, at home, I made a funny experiment by putting grapes to my mouth at a time, but I found I had to stop at the fourth grape. The juice of the grapes is luring, but it seems that four is already very full for me at this time.
Life and education are all about happiness. But very often we forget this simple purpose just because we want too much out of education and life. While my and your life will surely be full of struggles tomorrow, please always remind yourself to look for happiness around you and inside you at any moment.
Thank you very much for your listening! All the best wishes!
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