Following the 2020 Jingkids International School Expo (JISE) in October this year, which brought together more than 70 schools, daycares, and educational centers, we’d like to acknowledge the people who make those schools and institutions truly great. Many of Beijing’s esteemed international schools submitted their nominations for the Jing Educators Award 2020, celebrating those who dedicate themselves to education, create innovative learning experiences, and maintain outstanding environments for our kids to study in. In this #JingEdAwards series, we’ll share these committed individuals and why they were nominated.

Name: Zhang Diling 张棣玲
Position: Assistant Principal
School: 3e International School

Ms. Zhang Diling has gained masses of teaching, educational management, and curriculum development experience over the last 15 years. She has a bachelor’s degree in pre-school education from South China Normal University, a master’s of education from Beijing Normal University, and is also a Grade 2 certified National Consultant Psychologist.

Since joining 3e International School in 2011, she has taught from younger pre-kindergarten up to elementary school, providing her with an abundance of enriching teaching experiences. As a senior teacher and leader of 3e International School, she is deeply loved by the children and well respected and recognized by parents. As assistant principal, she helps lead the school to continuously improve the curriculum system, an effort widely recognized in Chaoyang District and in the Beijing international education field. She is also in charge of the synchronization and online teaching of Children’s Psychology, an important pre-school master’s course from Ericsson College.

Name: Ethan Yao 姚宇堃
Position: Elementary and Middle School Deputy Principal of Beijing Xin Fuxue International Academy
School: Beijing Xin Fuxue International Academy

Ethan graduated from Peking University after majoring in Psychology. He was also the leader of the Beijing Science Training team and a coach for the Beijing International Mathematics Competition. Ethan has been engaged in educational and teaching work for more than 10 years. He attaches great importance to the psychological development of students and is good at integrating the psychological characteristics of children into education and teaching. He practices student-oriented education and teaches students according to their strengths. He believes that every child is unique and special. Ethan also highlights innovation in teaching and is always committed to providing children with multi-sensory teaching methods to help children easily learn complex knowledge.

Name: Cynthia Xin 辛玲
Position: Elementary and Middle School Principal of Beijing Xin Fuxue International Academy
School: Beijing Xin Fuxue International Academy

Cynthia Xin holds an MBA degree and has more than 10 years of management experience in fortune global 500 companies and in school operation.

Since the establishment of Beijing Xin Fuxue International Academy (XFA) in 2016, Cynthia has built a diverse team of high-quality teachers using her rich experience in operation and management and has always led the team to seek new breakthroughs. XFA’s educational and teaching achievements have been recognized by the Education Commission on multiple occasions. During the first year it was established, XFA was awarded first prize for “Annual Achievements Exchange and Exhibition of Private Schools 2017” in Shunyi District. Under Cynthia’s leadership, XFA has received increased attention and recognition from parents and the media, including media organizations such as Sina, Tencent, Netease, Beijing Evening News, and China.org.cn. Cynthia attaches great importance to the holistic development of students and is committed to allowing each student the opportunity to show off their talents, so as to cultivate self-motivation and encourage sustainable development.

Name: Kim Fisher
Position: Primary School Deputy Principal
School: HD Beijing School

Ms. Kim Fisher grew up in South Africa, where she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Education. She has 12 years preparatory school teaching experience in London and has been deputy head at HD Beijing School for the last three years. She is inspired by the resilience and creative ability to “think outside of the box” of the children she teaches every day and is passionate about ensuring that children feel safe, confident, and happy.

A rigorous and dedicated principal, Kim insists on being in the classroom every day to understand students’ learning needs, and guides teachers to create personalized learning experiences. She is passionate about creating innovative ways to make learning engaging and accessible for all students and is committed to leading dynamic and collaborative communities of learning.

Name: Chang Lihua
Position: Primary School Principal
School: HD Beijing School

Ms. Chang has been called the “Rafe Esquith of China” by the media. In her 27 years of teaching, she has won the trust of students and parents with her motto, “education is nothing but dedication, wholeheartedly.” Her book was recommended by the Ministry of Education for middle and primary school libraries. She is the chief editor for the school’s integrated courses curriculum and won the 2017 Whole Person Education Award. Ms. Chang was named one of the top ten influential people driving national reading and was the director of the curriculum research institute at Yizhuang Elementary School.

Ms. Chang believes in nurturing globalized Chinese citizens that have deep roots in their own heritage and advocates an “integrated Chinese curriculum” that promotes interdisciplinary and experiential learning. While stimulating children’s interest and enthusiasm through real-life learning, the integrated Chinese curriculum also aims to develop solid academic capabilities. She believes that good education helps children develop all-round capabilities that enable them to succeed in the future. As a principal, she is closely involved in teaching and teachers’ training on a daily basis in order to ensure academic quality. She attaches great importance to establishing a common culture in the classroom, because she believes that “on campus, education exists in the air.”

KEEP READING: Jing Educators Award 2020: Math Educators

Images: courtesy of the schools

Last month we caught up with CCTV news anchor and recent author Neela Eyunni at The British School of Beijing (Sanlitun capus). The American journalist answered questions from a Grade 5 class about her job and shared a bit about the first book of her new series, Cee Cee’s World Adventures: Beijing Bound. Eyunni sat down recently with beijingkids to tell us about the story behind her new series. See Eyunni’s conversation with BSB students here.

What inspired you to start the series?

There are a lot of things about Beijing that I love and wanted to share with other people, particularly children. A lot of expats write books about their China experiences, but I didn’t really see any for kids. Hopefully this will inspire them to come to Beijing or at least spark their interest in this place. It was also fun, but surprisingly tough, to get the chance to be really creative and do something much lighter than hard news. Finally, the book helped me remember why I live here in the first place and all the cool things about this city.

Do you have kids?
I don’t have any kids but my niece Desi who is almost four years old was actually one of my sources of inspiration for writing the book. I always talk to her on Skype and she is full of questions about China. She’s really curious, just like the main character Cee Cee. 

Where will the next book in the series take place?
Cee Cee’s next adventure will take her to New Delhi, India. I’m half Indian and have travelled there a number of times. It’s important to me to write about a place that I have spent a decent amount of time in and really care about. I’m not interested in writing about a place through the eyes of a tourist or after reading a travel guide.

Cee Cee’s World Adventures: Beijing Bound is available on Amazon and is sold in select bookstores worldwide. Eyunni is also available for interviews, workshops, book signings, charity events, and other public appearances to promote her book. Click here to see a more information about the book or contact Eyunni directly. See below for contact information.
Email: contact@neelaeyunni.com

Photos: Neela Eyunni

So the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit is going to be hosted in the capital from November 7-15, which brought about some very interesting developments- schools and non-essentials government officials are to take a break. While 26 heads of state descend upon us for high level economic talks at Huairou and the China National Convention Center near the Bird’s nest to ease traffic around town in an effort to keep pollution at lower levels. Internationals are as of now not mandated to shut down for the week as this directive only affects local public schools.

The three days from October 8-10, the air quality index was well within the city’s yellow alert level just one level shy of red- this would have had all schools shut down and stay home till the levels reduce. The high AQI index prompted the central government to issue directives as a way to tackle pollution and help the heads of states not wish for a change in venue. One such directive as stated above is the shutting down of schools and the other is the restriction of vehicles. Whether the latter might become a long term strategy is yet to be seen but for now its all about making guests feel at ease.

According our sister publication, the Beijinger, schools will be closed on Friday November 7 and Monday through Wednesday November 10-12 will be off as well, but wait for it…Sunday November 2 and Saturday November 15 to be make up days so to get work done. There’s not such thing as a free ride.

Going back to an old policy used during the 2008 Olympics, the government has restricted vehicles according to a China Daily report. The city will be switching to the odds-evens rule of having odd license plates ending with (1,3,5,7,9) only being allowed on the road on odd-numbered days while the even license plates on even numbered days. This however does not apply to public transportation and the government will add more buses to tackle the rise in numbers of commuters as its expected to be by three million according to a report by Caixin.

Construction, construction vehicles, and factories are to share the same fate as the government officials and public schools.