Mr Daniel Christopher Von Ess is an energetic teacher who knows every student is different. He believes teaching is about understanding your strengths and weaknesses to develop into a person who you can be proud of. No one is perfect, but everyone is special.
Mr. Daniel Christopher Von Ess
SUIS QP Primary English Teacher
We had an interview with Mr. Daniel Christopher Von Ess. Let’s get to know him!
Q1：How long have you been teaching in China? What made you move to Shanghai?
I have been teaching in Shanghai for just over a year. Previously, I worked in Pinghu City in Zhejiang Province for two years. My stay in Pinghu was the first time I had worked abroad and it exceeded my expectations. The friends I made there are still my friends today and we have experienced so much together; they visited my home in South Africa, I have attended their weddings and we have supported one another during many changes. I wanted to move to Shanghai because it is a major city that is in many of my favourite superhero movies. When I was working in Zhejiang Province I would visit Shanghai once every month to experience the magic and wonder that this city has to offer. The people are so fashionable and the city is truly international. That is why at the end of my contract at my previous school, I decided to search for opportunities to live and work in Shanghai. It was difficult to leave my friends and my students, but the distance has only made my heart grow fonder of all the experiences and individuals in Pinghu City.
Q2：Compared with your previous working places, do you have any different feeling?
Absolutely! Compared to my previous place of work, Xiehe is an incredible change. To have the opportunity to work with a co-teacher has changed my experience in teaching and I enjoy sharing ideas with my co-teachers. I am so impressed by the effort and time that all my co-teachers put into their lessons and how eager each of them gives of their best in our lessons together. No one is afraid to work hard! The students that the school attracts are also a group of special children; full of excitement and eager for a challenge. I love to hear my students tell me that they understand what they have to do and think that it is easy to do; many of them have progressed very quickly! Reflecting on my feelings while working in South Africa: I worked in a government school with students and teachers from many different cultures; Afrikaans, isiXhosa and expats from neighbouring countries around South Africa. School was a place that would help us all to learn about things that we hadn’t experienced before and taught us that despite these differences we are all equal and cared for. Being an expat I feel that same sense of difference while living in Shanghai, but I also feel the care that many people I have met have for me and I hope to give that to each of my co-teachers, colleagues and students.
Q3：You are awarded 2020 Xieli Outstanding Teacher. Could you please share the experience about how you get along well with your students?
This award is not really about me; it is about the students and what they think. It was an amazing experience to share with them, because they are the reason I was selected in the first place. The students are also the reason why I am a happy teacher; they help fill my day with laughter and joy as we learn and teach together. I also acknowledge that this award was due to the enthusiasm of parents. In rehearsals and on the day, I was so moved by how energized and enthusiastic the parents were. It was an event that will be forever remembered in my life.
As a student myself, because we are all students of life, I know that it is important to not just teach information or plan fancy PowerPoint presentations. Information will always change and people will likely forget the PowerPoint presentations that take up so much time to create. What people don’t forget is how you make them feel. When I am teaching my students, we are continuing a journey together in the classroom, but we are all experiencing it differently. Some students may understand ideas very quickly and can share their own, while other students need some time to make sense of the idea to help share their own. What I try to do in my teaching is help every student feel like a welcomed participant in my lesson. I usually write an agenda to help the students see what activities they may be doing in the lesson. I encourage different students to develop their skills as a leader by allotting positions of responsibility to Little Teachers. I’m not trying to trick or hide information from students during the lesson; the more they know about what they will be doing and learning, the better for their learning journey.
Q4：During the time in SUIS Qingpu, do you have any unforgettable memory or stories?
There are so many! At the beginning of the year I remember how many students were too shy to speak and share their ideas; maybe some were lacking confidence while others did not understand what was going on. But, by the end of the year many students had increased their confidence in the classroom and did more than say the answer; they shouted the answer! Students were also more relaxed and tried to answer more questions, even when they were less sure of themselves. Some of the best memories were made while observing students try to answer questions and then have their answers be critiqued by their peers in the class and hear the laughing while figuring it out. That is not something you can plan, nor is it something you can force, it is a magical memory because it just happens.
I also really loved teaching my dance class as a CCA; to watch the students who were committed to learning a choreographed dance on stage was very special because it showed a different side to these students that I had not seen before. For a moment, they were all superstars receiving applause for the hard work that they had made.
Q5：What kind of new plans do you have?
As a campus, we have grown enormously so there is a lot of new and exciting things to be developed and shared amongst the group of talented people I work with. My main plan is to listen and learn from my colleagues to improve things that I have already made to benefit the students. As a person from South Africa who has been lucky enough to experience the difference of life in Shanghai, China I also hope to share the difference of other lifestyles with my students more intentionally. We are all so lucky to be in a thriving and successful city like Shanghai, and can only appreciate that more when we explore other parts of the world to see how unique and special every place is. I hope that will also help the students to feel confident about being the unique and special individuals they are, too.