At SUIS Qingpu, we always treat the professional development of our teachers as a top priority in our work, building regular opportunities for teachers to have direct dialogue with experts in different fields to help them better grasp the essence of education, improve their own pedagogies and continuously promoting the common development of both teachers and students. Recently, we invited two management and academic experts from our campus, Principal Sunny Huang and Mr. Doruk Gurkan (now a consultant to our high school). During their lectures, they enthusiastically shared rich, diverse and useful understandings of education and development with colleagues.
Inspiring inner peace and exploring teaching innovation
We were honoured to invite Principal Sunny Huang to give our Chinese teachers a special training session entitled, “Based on the present, running towards the future”, which served as inspiration for thinking about giving our children a better education for the future. She shared ideas on maintaining inner peace in a fast-paced educational environment, encouraged everyone to strive to be a calm and relaxed teacher, and provided practical strategies and solutions to help Chinese teachers cope with future educational challenges.
Exploring the nature of the classroom and leading the way for teaching changes
At the same time, we were glad to invite Mr. Doruk Gurkan, the consultant to SUIS Qingpu’s High School, provide a lecture to our foreign colleagues. Starting with the classroom, obviously a key context for all teachers, Mr. Gurkan re-introduced an ongoing theme at SUIS Qingpu entitled, “What Really Matters in School is What Happens in the Classroom.” Through the sharing of the goals of International Baccalaureate learners, the latest information from the SUIS Qingpu Learner Profile, and case studies and interactions, he helped to advance foreign teachers’ thinking and practices in teaching innovation.
Igniting Joint Growth and Embracing Future Challenges
“The purpose of training is to open our minds, not interfere with our ideas”, Sunny added. No doubt, the impact of this event will be far-reaching in our collective development – today’s activity brought us much thinking and inspiration. How to be a calm and relaxed teacher in an impatient moment? How to achieve a happy life in an unknown future? In our busy work, it is important to learn to make appropriate choices so that we can keep ourselves progressing constantly upward under moderate pressure!
Teacher’s Feedback
“We often watch Principal Huang’s sharing on major TV stations and educational programmes. Principal Huang’s short one-hour speech was very rewarding. The example of the ‘Mouse Utopia’ was very profound, making me realize that if we always stay in a comfortable and non-competitive environment, our inherent abilities will gradually decline. She encouraged us to maintain the habit of reading, exercise, and sufficient sleep in our spare time. Her words conveyed energy and genuine caring, in every word and action. The beautiful and generous Principal Huang always attracts my attention, and her words and actions reveal intellect, elegance, wisdom, and intelligence. With such a principal, we teachers can strive to be calm and relaxed teachers.” – Teacher Xie Haihui
“A speech washes the soul and presses the pause button for a busy week. On the stage was a sunny and wise principal, gently and firmly conveying her inner strength to us: remain calm, and the heart will be settled; when the heart is settled, things will fall into place. Yes, when thoughts are scattered, breaking down problems into smaller parts is the key to solving them; when facing choices, stepping out of the comfort zone is the way to keep progressing. Sometimes, it’s not that we are not working hard enough, but that our way of thinking needs to change. Life is like a mirror, if you smile at it, it will smile back; if you frown, it will also be at a loss. We cannot predict the future, but we can seize the present and shape the future. Cherish every minute of every day, read, think, work, exercise, become a better self, and nourish the initial aspirations of the youth! A word from you is worth ten years of reading. Thank you for being there.” – Teacher Zhu Fenglian
As someone who has recently joined SUIS Qingpu and taken on the role of a homeroom teacher, I am working hard to familiarize myself with and grasp the essence of teaching and homeroom management. Facing a variety of new challenges, I feel both the enthusiasm and the pressure of the job. However, through Principal Sunny’s sharing, I received rare enlightenment from one statement in particular: “Constantly think about reasonable time arrangements.” This made me understand that in a fast-paced work environment, the key is how to arrange time reasonably and deal with it appropriately. This viewpoint has shown me a new direction, ignited hope, and decreased my stress during my adaptation period. It made me firmly believe that through continuous thinking and effort, I will be able to familiarize myself with and master this job more quickly. I look forward to becoming the kind of teacher that Principal Sunny mentioned, someone who can make time for things they want to do amidst a busy workload, and become a teacher who is peaceful inside, able to cope with challenges calmly. – Teacher Li Jiacheng
Primary and middle school foreign teachers had the chance to understand more about the IB Learner Profile and curriculum through the guidance of our former SUIS Qingpu colleague and now consultant, Mr. Doruk Gurkan. While enjoying the advantages of online/virtual interaction, teachers had the opportunity to not only listen to Mr. Gurkan but to also participate in the lecture by first analyzing the three manifestations of the Learner Profile in the classroom and then reflecting in subject groups about current activities. Colleagues were then led to making the Learner Profile attributes ‘come alive’. ——Ms.Erika
This professional development opportunity was a useful one in terms of clarifying understandings and standards: it should be expected that much of what was discussed during this session should be part of our daily practices, and more importantly, evident in our classrooms. However, bringing this topic to the forefront and requiring educators to reflect on the expectations for learners and the Learner Profile in the school was a meaningful exercise in reviewing what lenses we must use while reflecting on how to best develop our learners. ——Mr.Hockley
