The search for the perfect international school in Beijing begins with an open house. These events are your best chance to evaluate a school’s campus, curriculum and community. Below is a curated list of upcoming opportunities to visit and compare your top choices.

To chat with other expat families in Beijing, join the Jingkids Parenting in Beijing group on WeChat. Add Wilhelmina87 to join.

Little Learners at BSB Shunyi on Tuesdays & Thursdays

Join the Little Learners program at The British School of Beijing, Shunyi, starting Oct 14, 2025. Designed for children from birth to 3 years old, this program encourages socialization, eases the transition into school and inspires a lifelong love of learning through purposeful play. Sessions run every Tuesday and Thursday from 9am to 10.30am. Foreign passport holders only. Scan the QR code to register.

Beijing World Youth Academy (BWYA) Open House

Join the Secondary Info Session on Nov 13 (Thursday, 9am-11.30am) or the Primary Info Session on Nov 14 (Friday, 9am-11.30am).

Each session includes a School Tour, Info Session and Q&A.

Register via the official website or by scanning the QR code on the event poster. After completing registration, enter the Checklist to make an event reservation. You’ll see a “Successful Appointment” page and receive an automatic email confirmation once all steps are completed.

Contact Information
Email: Admissions@ibwya.net
Tel: 010-64706336

Jazzy Preschool Open Day

Parents of 0-6 year olds, check out Jazzy Preschool’s Open Day! Visit the campus and discover their trilingual education program in English, French and Chinese. Meet the dedicated teachers, enjoy a class demo and learn about their unique approach to early childhood education. Scan the QR code now to secure your spot for this informative Saturday morning.

YCIS Beijing Open Day

Unlock the future of education! YCIS Beijing’s Open Day (开放日) is your chance to explore their ECE (幼教), Primary (小学) and Secondary (中学) programs, including IGCSE, IBDP and HKDSE curricula. Meet the educators and see how YCIS fosters global citizens. Scan the QR code to register now (即刻报名)!

HD Beijing School Open Day 2025-2026 Academic Year

The HD Beijing School (Chaoyang District) is hosting an Open Day for its Middle School program for the 2025-2026 academic year. This is a chance to explore the campus and learn about their educational approach. Please scan the QR code on the poster to register for the event.

Ivy Academy Sanyuanqiao Campus Open House

Parents looking for early childhood education for their kids (1-5 years old) should check out the IVY Academy Open House! This “Parents and Students Deeply Experience” (家长和学生深度体验) event includes parent-child activities (亲子活动), a curriculum introduction (课程介绍) and a campus tour (校园参观). The school offers 100 percent native English-speaking teachers and enrollment pathways to Daystar Academy (直升集团旗下启明星学校). Free registration is required.

WeChat: Scan the “Add WeChat to Enquire” QR code
More Info: Scan the “Register for a Visit” QR code

LMMP Open House

We warmly invite you to visit La Maison Montessori de Pékin (LMMP) and discover our school. During your visit, you will have the opportunity to meet and speak with our class teachers and admissions team, learn more about our philosophy and community and explore our fantastic facilities.

Images: Freepik, courtesy of schools

At just 15, Zander Reagin has experienced something only a few international students have. From his time in Korea and China during the spread of COVID, Zander has lived through quarantine in both countries, and his rare experience shows us how each country handled the crisis.

Zander’s first experience with quarantine began in Seoul, Korea, where he lived as a fifth grader. His entire family tested positive for COVID, except him. A physical screen was installed in his home to keep him separated from the rest of his family.

He attended school alone, transported by a private bus arranged only for him. “I wasn’t allowed to talk to anyone else for two weeks, not even my parents.”

Although isolated, people in white hazmat suits would deliver essentials once or twice a week, such as fresh meat, vegetables, and toilet paper. “They’d even pick up and throw your garbage for you, that’s how helpful they were.”

Zander and his family were eventually moving to Beijing, but due to China’s strict COVID protocols at the time, they were required to quarantine at Shenzhen before continuing.

Upon landing at the airport in China, Zander’s family and other passengers were held on the bus for six hours before being transported to a quarantine site through a bus ride that lasted three hours.

When they arrived at the quarantine site, they were instructed to stand in line, and were sprayed by disinfectant head to toe before checking into a hotel. “The whole place was falling apart,” he recalls. Keeping the windows open was a necessity because it was the middle of summer and the A/Cs were moldy.

He was required to take blood tests twice a day, a huge difference compared to the weekly nose swabs required in Korea.

“Somebody got COVID at school once, and we all had to quarantine for a month straight. Swabbed our mouths daily, but we had to walk all the way to the clinic.”

Zander looks back at his past and prefers his quarantine experience in South Korea compared to his experience in China. But despite his times of isolation and struggle, he learned a lot from his experience, making him more resilient and adaptable, traits that he carries with him as he continues his education in Beijing.

Meet this year’s World of Work interns from Western Academy of Beijing (WAB). Every year, instead of going to school, WAB students spend five days experiencing what it’s like to work in the real world. This week, we’ll meet the seven kids spending the week at True Run Media.  #WorldofWork

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Matteo Grazzini doesn’t remember life before China. Born in Italy but raised entirely in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing, the 16-year-old WAB student is the quintessential ‘third culture kid’, and his journey mirrors what many expat families experience. Now, as he prepares to ‘return’ to a homeland he’s never truly known, he reflects on Beijing’s role in shaping him: through football, fleeting friendships, and the unique stability of a life in motion.

Tell me about your background and where you’ve lived.

Matteo: I’ve lived in China for about 13 years, since I was 3 years old. My earliest memories start in Hong Kong, then we moved to Shanghai when I was 5 — though I don’t remember much from that time. After two years there, we went back to Hong Kong where I spent four years and completed most of elementary school.

What was your experience like in Hong Kong?

Matteo: I didn’t have many close friends in Hong Kong, but I did stand out academically as the smartest in my class. When we moved to Beijing when I was 8, that’s really when I started developing my own identity beyond just being the smart kid.

What has school been like for you in Beijing?

Matteo: Between the ages of 8 and 12, I really started exploring my interests. I watched tons of YouTube and discovered my passion for English class, mainly because of my teacher. We had this tiny YouTube channel with about 20 followers – which seemed huge to us back then! He’d shout out our class after good lessons, which made learning feel special and fun.

Can you tell me about your football journey?

Matteo: Football is my passion – it’s how I relieve stress and express myself. I’ve been playing since I was 5 years old, spending countless hours training and improving my skills. The pitch is where I feel most at home, no matter what country I’m in.

How has your social life evolved since attending WAB?

Matteo: At WAB, I made new friends quickly, especially with students who arrived the same year I did. But just like my previous school, I’ve had to say goodbye to people as they move away. Still, this past year has been amazing for my growth – I’ve pushed myself out of my comfort zone and made memories I’ll never forget.

What are your concerns about going back to your country?

Matteo: It’s a weird mix of feelings, honestly. Having lived abroad my whole life, going ‘home’ to Italy feels both exciting and nerve-wracking. I’m especially pumped about the football opportunities there – that’s what keeps me most excited about the move.

What will you miss most about Beijing?

Matteo: Definitely my friends. We’ve built this incredible bond – they’ve influenced me in so many ways. We’ve spent countless hours together, always supporting each other. It breaks my heart knowing I won’t get to see them every day anymore. Beijing isn’t just a city to me – it’s where I grew up and became who I am.

Images: Matteo Grazzini

Are you as curious about who’s shaping the young minds of our kids as we are? We’re sitting down with teachers and staff from Beijing’s vibrant international schools to learn more about their unique stories, experiences, and perspectives. From the challenges of adapting to a new culture to the joys of building connections across borders, these conversations will shine a light on those who make up our education community. Whether you’re part of an international school yourself or simply curious about life in Beijing’s globalized education hubs, join us as we get to know the people behind the classrooms, hallways, and campuses that shape this extraordinary world.

This week’s #BeijingEducators features Dr. Benita Sumita, associate curriculum director at Tsinghua International School (THIS).

I first met Dr. Sumita back in 2017 and was immediately taken by her charisma and the politeness of her young son. Years later, I had the privilege of training her students at the jingkids summer internship. These students were outstanding, and they raved about what an inspiration Dr. Sumita was on campus.

So, who’s this extraordinary woman, and why do we all adore her?

“We moved from the UK to Beijing for work and have been here for 12 years now. My son was born here. I was still completing my PhD in the UK when we moved, and so between that and my son, there wasn’t much time for anything else,” says Dr. Sumita.

Let’s get to know you a bit.

You took a career gap for your Ph.D. and family. Did this period contribute to your professional growth? 

If raising another human doesn’t develop you personally and professionally, then nothing else will. However, I believe that pedagogical acumen is significantly influenced and honed by tacit knowledge and experience, as scholars such as Eraut and Hughes have shown in their research. Theory and training are essential and fundamental, but teachers contextualize these to suit the school culture and ethos, student needs, and other factors. This is what I love about THIS and our teachers because though each teacher has rich proficiency in their pedagogical content knowledge, there isn’t one person who isn’t constantly seeking deeper expertise from colleagues, daily class experience, and through reflection.

How would you integrate your passion for sustainability into a school’s curriculum or culture? 

Sustainability is a necessity, if not a disposition, that each of us must have and/or adopt. The drive to make it part of the school culture started with a project in the International Relations course I was teaching in high school. Groups of students worked on a sustainable development goal (SDG) of their choice for a year. Their research and solution were required to have an impact on the school community. Students also decided how impact and successful impact would be measured. It was encouraging when students in one year were able to convince the school to stop printing report cards and instead send them electronically to parents. Through monitoring the printers on each floor for a year, the students identified a small solution.

Their focused efforts also gained accolades in the 2022 international SDG competition (https://www.globalsocialleaders.com/sustainable-spartans/#next). We also have capstone projects in grades 5 and 8. In consultation with the grade-level teachers, the THIS capstone initiative focuses on sustainability through themes of social responsibility. We also have many student-driven clubs – Roots & Shoots, Sustainability Team, Animal Conservation Team, and more – that work towards creating a sustainable community in small ways. Hopefully, in the long-term, it becomes the norm.

What do you like to do with your family on weekends?

Weekends can get busy with football practice, taekwondo and other interests that my son is into. But we like to try out different cuisines, new restaurants, brunches, and we never miss The Beijinger’s Juicy Burger Fest. So, I guess our weekends get foodie quite often. We also go-kart quite a bit a well.

Let’s talk about your teaching style.

What does being the associate curriculum director at Tsinghua International School mean? What’s an average day like for you?

My role as ACD is defined by the vision of and reports to THIS’ academic principal. It involves meeting with teachers about their curriculum scope and sequence, with department heads about vertical alignment, assessment, rubrics, and all that good stuff. My job is not possible without collaboration with teachers, department heads, and division heads. So, my typical day involves communicating with different people, listening to ideas, reflections, and feedback and then visualizing programmatic options.

As ACD I also lay out plans for weekly professional learning. At THIS, our professional learning includes teacher meeting time, in-house workshop rotations, grade-level pedagogy sessions, and this year, we also introduced continued professional learning that enables teachers to work on their individual goals as decided with their goal coaches.

Your philosophy mentions empowering students to “find their own voice.” How do you implement this in your classes? 

The profession of teaching has been transforming since I was in school, and today, the education discourse is buzzing with the mushrooming of AI threatening the need for a teacher. Doesn’t matter whether it was back in my school days or today, the core essence of the profession is about teaching students to think – not what to think, but how to think. Doesn’t matter which class you walk into at THIS, teachers are guiding students to find their writing voice, reading voice, analytical voice, transformative voice, etc., all of which is rooted in teaching students how to think.

Let me give you an example from my AP Psychology class. When teaching students about how memory impacts behavior and mental processes, I designed an experiment to examine encoding of information and short-term memory that we carried out in class with images for one group vs. descriptions of the images for the other group. Without going into too much detail, students demonstrated recall through a survey to complete the experiment. They were then required to use the data to hypothesize about short-term memory and human behavior. The learning, examining, doing, experiencing, and applying create opportunities for thinking and rethinking, especially when it involves real-time experience and an environment that encourages group discussions. Towards the end of this topic on memory, student groups also designed their own experiment that demonstrated their collaborative thinking voices. I guess John Hattie (2008) says it beautifully when he states, “The more the student becomes the teacher and the more the teacher becomes the learner, then the more successful are the outcomes.”

You’re very involved in your students’ extracurricular curricular. Have there been any extraordinary projects that your students have done that stand out?

I am really proud of THIS’ Model United Nations (MUN) club, especially because it is the students who’ve made it what it is today. We hosted our fifth annual conference in March. The students put in a lot of effort every year, conceptualizing, planning, organizing, and running the conference. The conference planning is ongoing even while the student leaders also run weekly club sessions focused on skills and content training. Sustaining a school club is no easy feat for students, and it is impressive how they collaborate, feed off each other’s energy, and bring out the best in each other.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on these:

If a parent struggles to engage their kids in a required course, what would you recommend? 

A parent’s struggle, most often, comes from the fact that they want the child to perform or engage to a pre-determined level of expectation. I guess what I am trying to say is parents should not have pre-determined expectations. Free of the shackles of expectations, a parent can be a strong enabler for learning at home. I have tried out a few of the strategies below with some success:

1. Establish a study routine at home. Depending on the child’s age, this includes planning with your child the amount of time devoted to studying, reviewing, reading, etc., and the amount of time for breaks. It may be worth considering if your child would like to start with the hardest subject, or a subject they aren’t interested in, and move on to subjects of increasing interest. It goes without saying that the routine must be followed, whether there is homework or not. Homework is not studying.
2. Establish a structure at home. As much as we want our children to have freedom and privacy, as a parent we also want to set them up for success. So, when I first sat with my son and helped him come up with a study routine, he was told that he couldn’t study in his room. He resisted at first, arguing about trust and privacy. I held my ground, saying it was temporary and depended on his work, and thus it was really up to him. Study time began at the dining table; in all honesty, no one was watching him, but he didn’t really know that. Now he studies wherever he wants, but he often chooses to start at the dining table.
3. Establish reinforcements. One of the oldest strategies for learning is conditioning. A reasonable and proportionate reward (time on a device, a favorite snack, etc.) normalizes wanted behavior. Punitive measures may work to a certain extent (revoking device privileges, reduction in monthly allowance, etc.), but older kids manage to identify workarounds. Reinforcements work better because of the rush of dopamine that follows a reward.
4. Model wanted behavior. If the child is working but the parent is on their phone or watching TV, it might not set a good example. Younger children can and like to emulate behavior, and it is important they are offered observational opportunities. While your child works, you can work too. And there is nothing like enjoying a reward together!

Of course, much of this would be more effective the earlier they are established as part of the child’s life.

What’s a good way for parents to encourage young kids to try new extracurriculars that they’ve yet to discover?

If you want your child to try something new, you must be willing to try it with them. As a parent, I also feel it helps children to visualize the activity with videos, perhaps. It is important to give your child time to visually and cognitively get comfortable with the idea before diving into a new activity. My son really avoided participating in overnight activities and camps. Initially, I thought it was about being separated from home, but in talking to him many times over, it was mainly his dislike of using public bathrooms. Changing his view of using public bathrooms over a course of a few years and finding the ideal overnight activity – a sleepover with friends at the Beijing Aquarium – was a small breakthrough. Be patient and take your cues from your child. A word of caution would be not to go after new, up-and-coming extracurriculars just because they are trendy; just follow your child’s interest and passion.

Tsinghua International School Presents The Wizard of Oz

Over the years, we’ve been so impressed by the student-led initiatives of the THIS students. On May 25, there’s a chance for the Beijing community at large to get a glimpse of one of the many spectacular events taking place at THIS.

Join THIS students and school community for a spectacular production of The Wizard of Oz, brought to life by the talented grades 6-12 students. Since January, these dedicated performers have been working hard to create a show filled with singing, dancing, and magic perfect for the whole family. Follow Dorothy and her friends the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion as they journey through the enchanting Land of Oz. With beloved songs like “Over the Rainbow” and “We’re Off To See the Wizard,” this timeless classic is a joyful musical experience you won’t want to miss. Packed with colorful costumes, dazzling sets, and a touch of wizardry, The Wizard of Oz is a heartwarming adventure about friendship, courage and finding your way home. Don’t miss this unforgettable performance!

Performance dates are Fri, May 23, at 6.30pm and Sat, May 24, at 2pm. Scan the QR code below to purchase your tickets.

Find it:
Zhongguancun North Street, Haidian District

Images: Dr. Benita Sumita, THIS

From Apr 9 to 20, “A Kite That Follows Dreams: The Art and Culture Exhibition of Traditional Kites,” initiated and organized by Jiang Cheng Linkuan, was successfully held at the Art Gallery of the Canadian International School of Beijing (CISB). This student-led cultural event featuring independent curation, exhibition setup, and engaging presentations not only showcased the profound heritage of China’s millennia-old kite culture but also displayed large-scale kites from countries including Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the US, Switzerland, and Germany.

Festival-goers could purchase cultural merchandise, including traditional-style kites, fridge magnets, DIY kite-making kits, kite ornaments, souvenir gift boxes, and handcrafted gifts.

All proceeds from the event – totaling RMB 10,800 – were donated to the Beijing Tongxinyuan Charity Foundation’s “Zhi’ai” Special Fund to aid victims of the Myanmar earthquake. Through innovative approaches, the festival bridged cultural exchanges between China and the world, becoming a hot topic both on and off campus.

The event revolved around cultural exploration, blending knowledge with hands-on experience. Jiang Cheng Linkuan and his peers studied records of wooden kites in “Mozi·Lu Questions” and analyzed Cao Xueqin’s Feiyi Zhai Manuscripts and A Study of Southern Kites and Northern Kites, exploring kites’ evolution from folk art to military tools. CISB’s physics class was transformed into an aerodynamics lab, where students and teachers dissected the scientific principles behind kite flight. And in art class, Dunhuang flying apsaras patterns, traditional ink painting, and pop art styles merged in kite designs, showcasing a fusion of cross-cultural aesthetics.

At the opening ceremony, CISB headmaster James McCory delivered a keynote speech, praising the festival as an outstanding achievement. Secondary school principal David Bremner also emphasized the event’s significance and far-reaching impact. The festival allowed over 1,200 students and faculty from 50+ nationalities, as well as numerous parents, to experience China’s intangible cultural heritage and the global history of kites.

Jiang Cheng Linkuan, the festival’s organizer, shared his three-month journey of meticulous preparation, from researching historical texts on kite origins, styles, and applications in science, military, and the arts to three visits with Mr. Miao Bogang, the fourth-generation inheritor of Cao-style kites, to learn about Beijing’s “Swallow Kite” craftsmanship. He also traveled to Tianjin Yangliuqing Kite Co. to study soft-wing kite-making techniques and collaborated with Shandong Weifang Kite Co. to design kites representing participating nations.

Guo Hongli, a national intangible cultural heritage inheritor of Weifang kites, demonstrated traditional crafting techniques, emphasizing precision and unveiled a breathtaking 30-meter “Dragon Soaring” kite, the festival’s centerpiece.

On Apr 10, the students launched their DIY creations on the CISB lawn. As CISB teacher Charles Wu noted, “These kites carry Gen-Z’s reinterpretation of heritage.”

Aligned with the IB’s hands-on learning philosophy, the project integrated economics (charity sales), media (documentary filming), and literature (kite-themed poetry, e.g. “Reeling strings, we are all dream chasers”).

Mentor Liu Bing remarked, “Education transcends textbooks – this festival taught cultural stewardship and project leadership.” Plans are underway to adapt the event into a curriculum module, with future exhibitions at Beijing’s 798 Art Zone and CISB’s sister schools in Shenyang, Shenzhen, and Hefei.

As the sun began to set, the kites descended onto CISB’s lawn. Yet for these students, the journey of cultural innovation had just begun – their dreams, like the kites, now soaring to new heights.

Images: CISB Visual Arts Club

Are you as curious about who’s shaping the young minds of our kids as we are? We’re sitting down with teachers and staff from Beijing’s vibrant international schools to learn more about their unique stories, experiences, and perspectives. From the challenges of adapting to a new culture to the joys of building connections across borders, these conversations will shine a light on those who make up our education community. Whether you’re part of an international school yourself or simply curious about life in Beijing’s globalized education hubs, join us as we get to know the people behind the classrooms, hallways, and campuses that shape this extraordinary world.

This week’s #BeijingEducators features Joanne Merritt, the head of the psychology department at Dulwich College Beijing (DCB).

Originally from West Yorkshire in the UK, Merritt has been in Beijing for 11 years.  She has a diverse career spanning psychology, education, and leadership in various countries. She moved from teaching psychology and sociology in mainstream comprehensive schools to a government-funded program that provided education, support and advocacy to what were called “hard to reach” children back then. Merritt wanted to use her understanding of psychology in a more practical setting, but after two years found that she missed the challenge of teaching too much. That’s when she began looking for local teaching roles again and came across the opportunity to work in Beijing and thought, “Why not?” – not really expecting much to come of it. The rest is history.

Let’s get to know you a bit.

How does your background in psychology influence your approach to leadership and education?

I can’t escape it, not that I would want to! I think it helps to have a little bit of an understanding of behavior in any situation. It’s actually something I tell my students when they ask me what career paths follow from studying psychology: Tell me a job where, at some point, you won’t need to interact with yourself, people or animals? From taking an empathy-based approach with colleagues to using teaching methods informed by cognitive psychology to make knowledge “stick,” psychology is a fundamental part of my approach in everything that I do.

With your post-graduate qualifications in innovation in education, what are some key innovations or leadership philosophies you’ve incorporated into your daily work at DCB?

I try to incorporate something creative into each topic that I’m teaching to sustain focus and act as consolidation/stretch or a memory-enhancing experience, often without students realizing that this is taking place. So, a cheeky learning bonus, of sorts.

For example, one of my GCSE groups has just finished creating medicine packaging for a treatment they have designed after learning about drug therapy for depression and addiction, and my IB students recently used neuropsychology to fight off a (hypothetical!) zombie apocalypse. Day-to-day, I’m a fan of dual-coding to reduce cognitive load, and I like to support colleagues through resource sharing, being approachable and being consistent. Leading by example is important to me, and one way I do this is through modeling healthy work-life boundaries.

I’ve also become a recent fan of the thoughtful use of AI in the classroom, particularly for supporting differentiation and revision. Tools like Magic School have helped students gain feedback on their writing and check their understanding of theories and concepts with custom-designed bots. Used carefully, AI offers a valuable opportunity to personalize learning and engage curiosity.

Looking ahead, I’m currently researching ways to incorporate animal-assisted education into my practice, something I believe could have a powerful impact on both staff and student well-being, engagement, and emotional regulation.

Beyond your professional work, you volunteer with an animal rescue charity. Can you tell us a bit about it?

I’ve always loved animals and have had pets since childhood. Being someone with sharp empathy, I’ve always found it difficult to see or hear about animals in distress and believe we have a moral duty as humans to help where help can be offered and is impactful. I started rescuing stray and hurt cats and dogs (and one snake!) in China pretty much as soon as I arrived, after finding a week-old kitten at the subway station. I bottle-fed her to health, and she is still with me now! I try to help out with Furry Tales animal rescue charity by going on rescue missions, vet visits, fostering, and taking part in charity events for fundraising when I can. It’s so rewarding being part of the process when an animal who has never known love finds their perfect adoptive home. The co-founders and those who volunteer at Furry Tales truly do fantastic and often thankless hard work. It’s almost another full-time job!

Let’s talk about education.

Having lived in China for more than a decade, what are some differences in education styles you’ve noticed here vs in the UK?

The biggest difference for me is the emphasis on being global citizens. At DCB, our mission is to Live Worldwise, and we teach our students to value diversity and develop the skills, knowledge, and motivation to make positive differences in the world. Working with international students certainly creates opportunities for rich cross-cultural dialogue in the classroom. Compared to the UK, there’s possibly more focus on developing intercultural competence. It’s nice to see students carving their role in shaping a more connected, passionate world alongside their academic pursuits.

The IB program emphasizes critical thinking and interdisciplinary learning. How do you tailor your teaching to foster these skills in psychology?

Haha, it’s unavoidable in psychology! Critical thinking is at the very core of the subject. Sure, we learn theories and studies, but the real skill comes in being able to think critically about these, ask questions and transfer these skills across topics and, indeed, subjects. For example, when we learn about research methods, we don’t just learn the terms and definitions; we experience them through our own experiments and research, which we then scrutinize. There are many connections to other subjects, such as biology and global politics, so students start to see how psychological concepts are interwoven with broader human experience. This sort of critical thinking toolkit has advantages in an ever-changing world where disinformation is increasingly common – an important skill, I would say.

What are some common challenges students face in GCSE/IB psychology, and how do you help them overcome these hurdles?

As psychology is often a completely new subject to GCSE students (and sometimes IB or A-level), the terminology can often be a little daunting. Words like “basal ganglia” or “Contagion heuristic” rarely appear in everyday vocabulary, and equally challenging are the wildly nondescript terms “Type 1 and Type 2 error,” which offer little in terms of language roots for students to try and decipher their meaning. To support, I integrate active vocabulary strategies right from the start. From dual-coding to low-stakes retrieval quizzes and student-led glossaries, the emphasis is on the use of the language, not just memorization, and this goes a long way in terms of psychological literacy.

Another challenge students often face in psychology is becoming friends with uncertainty. Unlike subjects that offer clear-cut and definitive answers, psychology lurks in the grey areas, where multiple explanations co-exist. For students who like neat conclusions, this can be daunting at first, but learning to tolerate ambiguity is the very essence of critical thinking. I always remind them that uncertainty is not a weakness; it is where real intellectual growth happens, and we joke that the answer to all psychology questions is “It’s complicated!”

How do you support students who struggle with the heavy content load or exam pressure of IB psychology?

The first step is to stay organized. Things move fast in the IB, and staying on top of things by reviewing lesson content each evening goes a long way in consolidating memory. I encourage students to build consistent habits in study routines early on, making use of psychological learning concepts such as retrieval practice and spaced repetition.

I also talk very openly about stress and pressure as these are very natural responses to challenging situations. Normalizing these feelings and giving students space to talk about them is powerful. I tend to focus on progress over perfection. Psychology can be pretty intense, but it is also very human, and I try to model that balance in my teaching.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on these…

What’s one thing you’d like parents in the international school community to know about how they can best support their high schoolers?

I’d say the most important thing is to believe in them. Progress can always be made, no matter the starting point. We should be encouraging students to show the best effort they can in their studies, but with that comes a responsibility to protect their well-being by ensuring there is always time for connection, fun and relaxation. When students feel supported at home, they are much more likely to take academic risks (a good thing!), bounce back from setbacks and stay motivated. It’s easy to get caught up in grades, but real long-term success comes from building habits of curiosity, resilience, and balance. So, if I could give one piece of advice, it would be to praise their effort and remind them that their worth goes far beyond only their academic grades.

How does your background in psychology influence how you mentor students dealing with stress or motivation issues? What are some tips you can give parents to better assist their child at home?

For parents, I think it’s important to validate your child’s feelings when they inevitable feel stressed or overwhelmed. It often can’t be “fixed” per se, but being listened to goes a long way. Also, structuring downtime is something that can help. Teenagers often think they know how and when to revise, but in reality, they are sometimes cramming until 3am the night before an assessment, which rarely helps them to achieve! Building a manageable study schedule together, with deliberate breaks and time for meals, regular sleep and social interaction, and, crucially, staying consistent with this, creates predictability, which in turn lowers anxiety.

If a parent wanted to encourage their child’s interest in psychology outside of school, what would you suggest?

Read! There are so many psychology-related books out there spanning a variety of topics, interests and reading levels. For teenagers, I often recommend authors such as Oliver Sacks, who wrote The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat, or Steven Pinker for more generalized reading about the brain. There are many “Introduction to Psychology” texts available, including graphic novels. You can also explore online resources, including the British Psychological Association’s website, or podcasts such as Hidden Brain or All in the Mind. One thing to be mindful of is pop psychology – it can be entertaining, but it is not always scientifically grounded or accurate.

Psychology is everywhere! Even films like Inside Out, A Beautiful Mind, or Finding Dory can open up conversations about things such as mental health, identity, and cognition. Encourage your child to ask questions about why we behave in the ways that we do, perhaps in their friendships, in stories, in social media, or even in history. These conversations help us to connect what might become classroom learning to everyday life. Being curious is where a love of psychology truly begins.

Learn more about Dulwich College Beijing Senior School in their exclusive Taster Class:

Images: Dulwich College Beijing

The Robinson family represents a typical expat family at YCIS Beijing (Yew Chung International School), a long-established international school for expatriate children.

In 2023, the Robinsons relocated to Beijing due to Mr. Robinson’s job transfer. They were originally supposed to move from the US earlier, but Covid disrupted their plans. However, Tara’s enthusiasm for cross-cultural life never waned. As a former college tennis player who earned a scholarship, her university years training alongside teammates from Sweden, Brazil, and Australia gave her a love for global exploration. “We were so excited we couldn’t sleep!” she recalled with a laugh. Her athlete’s adaptability fueled her anticipation for this transcontinental move.

Mr. Robinson arrived in Beijing four months ahead of the family to settle into his new job and secure housing. He then began an intensive school search for their son. The couple agreed on three core criteria: bilingual education, proximity to their Financial Street residence, and a moderate campus size to ease Brenden’s adjustment. After visiting schools like the International School of Beijing (ISB), Canadian International School, and Western Academy of Beijing (WAB), YCIS stood out. The school’s bilingual curriculum deeply resonated with the family, as they viewed language as a cultural bridge. “Learning Chinese was the top priority,” Tara explained. Upon arrival, she committed to twice-weekly online Chinese lessons. YCIS’s campus size also reassured them – Brenden’s previous private school in Louisiana was small, and they worried a sprawling campus might overwhelm him.

Brenden’s journey in learning Chinese became the heartwarming centerpiece of the family’s adaptation to Beijing. Before moving, the family had zero Chinese language foundation. Tara vividly remembers their initial anxiety, but her son’s progress now astonishes her.

At home, Brenden took charge of a critical task: ordering food delivery. “He’d mischievously snatch the phone from my hand!” Tara chuckled, describing how he insisted on communicating with delivery staff in Chinese. From stumbling beginnings to relatively fluent conversations, Brenden now independently confirms orders, provides addresses, and expresses thanks. “It’s a leap from zero to one,” Tara marveled, noting how his confidence has shattered earlier fears of making mistakes or causing offense.

This growth extends beyond home. During a winter ski trip in Chongli, Brenden fearlessly interacted with a Mandarin-speaking coach. When encountering unfamiliar terms, he’d pause to use translation apps but never shied away from communication. “He didn’t panic at all,” Tara emphasized, her voice brimming with pride. She believes these real-world challenges have honed his adaptability and deepened his understanding that “language bridges hearts.”

Tara credits this transformation to Brenden’s experience at YCIS. The tight-knit community ensures every child is noticed and encouraged, even for small achievements. “This environment,” she said, “fosters confidence and motivation.”

Academically, Brenden shines. He now studies Chinese Level 2 (equivalent to HSK Level 3), surpassing Tara’s own progress. “He’s already outpaced me!” she admitted. Brenden often shares classroom assignments with his mother – dictations, readings, even correcting her stroke order. Teachers praise his writing as “only occasionally missing a stroke,” and his recitation of Chinese poems at school events moved Tara to tears. Standing before audiences, he barely glances at notes – a testament to his linguistic mastery.

Living in the Financial Street area, the Robinsons navigate Beijing’s notorious traffic – a 35-minute morning commute stretches to over an hour by evening. Yet they’ve woven a vibrant life. On weekends, they find themselves exploring the Baita Temple Cultural Area and hutongs around Houhai, which Tara calls “the soul of old Beijing.” Food plays a starring role, with dumplings reigning as the family favorite. Brenden’s improving Chinese even enhances their culinary adventures – he confidently converses with shop staff, deepening the family’s immersion in the city’s rhythms.

Tara’s commitment extends beyond her son. She immerses herself in parent volunteering – from handing out ice cream at sports days to organizing multicultural events, blending British pancakes with Louisiana Mardi Gras traditions. Yet this journey wasn’t smooth. Early on, she attended a volunteer meeting conducted entirely in Mandarin. “I just listened quietly,” she said, recalling her nervous but determined demeanor. Persistence paid off – she’s now an active member of the parent committee. Inspired by her, more new families, especially post-pandemic expatriates from diverse nations, have joined school activities.

A former professional tennis player, Tara recently helped launch YCIS’s U16 tennis training program, coaching students in structured drills. Though Brenden prefers books to sports, this hasn’t dampened Tara’s passion for contributing. Her enthusiasm embodies the spirit of YCIS’s historic international community – parent involvement here transcends personal gain.

With two years remaining on her husband’s contract (extendable by one more year), Tara sees Chinese as a lifelong skill. “It will forever be part of us,” she said, vowing to continue learning even if they return to the US. Brenden, however, has no plans to leave. “I don’t want to go back to America at all!” he told his mother. Excelling academically, he’s been invited to YCIS’s STEM Plus program. Combined with his close-knit circle of friends from Vietnam, Pakistan, Korea, Australia, and China, he’s deeply attached to his life here.

For the Robinsons, Beijing is no longer just a corporate assignment – it’s a home filled with belonging, growth, and friendship. From bridging early language gaps to uniting a multicultural community, Tara’s advice to newcomers is succinct yet profound: “Step out of your comfort zone – it’s worth it.” Brenden’s journey vividly proves that seeds of confidence sprout in daily takeout calls, classroom dictations, and the courage to say, “Mom, I’ll handle it.”

YCIS Beijing, as Tara puts it, is the “cultural incubator” nurturing their courage, fostering cross-cultural curiosity, and helping these roots grow deep.

Images: YCIS

In the social impact world, a common question is “What’s bugging you?” Entrepreneurs often start with a problem that bothers them, whether it’s a social issue or a market gap. For Daystar Academy tenth-grader Bayan Changizi, the answer was quite literal: bees. A longtime fascination with these vital pollinators led this student innovator to learn beekeeping for a school project – but he didn’t stop there. Bayan went on to build his own apiary, integrating beekeeping into his Beijing-based FROOT initiative, which grows organic produce and promotes sustainable farming. So what drives this young changemaker, and what’s it really like to keep a hive buzzing? We sat down with him to find out.

Bayan, your family has deep roots in Beijing. What’s your backstory?

My parents moved here more than 25 years ago from Canada. I was born in 2009 in Beijing. My mother is a math teacher at Daystar, and my father is a doctor at Beijing United Family Hospital. My older siblings are both studying in the medical field, one in Australia and one in the US.

So you’re a born-and-bred Beijinger! Are you fully fluent in Chinese? Is China “home” now?

Yes, I speak Chinese at the same level as English. In writing, my English is a bit better! I’ve attended the bilingual Daystar Academy since preschool. In primary, we studied a mix of the Chinese national curriculum and IB. My family spent every summer in Vancouver, and we have Persian ethnicity, so yeah, Canada and China are equally home, although mostly I identify as a global citizen.    

You’re in the IB MYP (International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program), which is known for its interdisciplinary approach. What is the goal of student projects during MYP?

In the last year of MYP, as we prepare to enter the DP (International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, grades 11-12), we complete a Personal Project on social innovation. We identify a social or environmental issue and come up with a solution to take action. We start defining our project in Grade 9 and continue throughout Grade 10. We do independent research, have an assigned supervisor who mentors us, and submit our final project to IB by February.

You chose a rather unique topic for your project – beekeeping! Why?

During the pandemic, there was severe isolation. My family wanted to reconnect with nature, and together with a Chinese family, we bought a farm in a village east of Beijing. I began helping out there on weekends, and eventually, I set up a venture called FROOT together with three friends. FROOT sells organic produce that’s pesticide-free and humanely farmed and free-range eggs from our own incubated chickens. We also host monthly events on sustainable farming practices, like composting, for families.

I’d love to buy humane produce from FROOT! So, where did bees enter the picture?

While working on the farm, I became more aware of the role of pollinators in sustainable farming. I’ve always been fascinated by bees – how they work together, how important bees are to human life as they pollinate up to 80 percent of all foods, and how their numbers are declining. Every summer in Vancouver, we’d see beekeepers on the road and stop to visit their apiaries. So, the MYP Personal Project was the perfect opportunity to take this interest to the next level. I reached out to a neighboring farmer, Mr Chen – we always bought his honey – and asked to do an apprenticeship. He taught me everything he knows! His experience helped me understand how to care for a hive and ensure its survival through the seasons. After a couple of months of learning, I moved the hive to our own farm and started beekeeping independently.

 What kinds of bees do you keep?

These are Italian honeybees. Native honeybees in Northern China are endangered; they are kept in protected areas where invasive European honeybees cannot threaten them.

What does beekeeping entail exactly? When do you harvest?

I go every weekend to tend the hive. It’s a yearlong process. Winter is the toughest period for bees, with low temperatures and no source of nectar or pollen. During winter, I fed my bees sugar as supplementary food and insulated the hive to help them conserve energy. Now that it’s spring, I’m planting flowers near the hive to increase food diversity for their foraging. Throughout the year, beekeepers will inspect their hives for things such as mites, disease, population size, and queen health. The honey harvest comes in autumn.

How does it feel to handle the hive?

Intense! You need to keep all movements smooth so as not to agitate the hive.

Did you get a chance to exhibit your project results?

We had an exhibition at school, and I presented it at the Future of Education Now (FOEN) conference at Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) in March, at a workshop session called Planting the Seeds for a Sustainable Future.

What aspects of your upbringing do you feel particularly shaped your drive?

My family environment is a big part of who I am. My parents always encouraged hands-on work, whether it was fixing broken appliances or getting your hands dirty in the garden. I remember my brother reminding me to “be the best Bayan I can be.”

What three pieces of advice would you offer for other young people?

1: In a world increasingly immersed in technology, remember to maintain a connection with nature and the earth.
2: Once you find a passion, explore it and hang on to it.
3: Always find a way to give back what you have been given.

Looking ahead, do you see sustainable farming playing a role in your future studies or career?

Climate change is a problem that our generation will have to tackle. Sustainability isn’t just a choice – it’s a necessity. What I’ve learned from farming will shape how I see the world and the role I want to play in it.

Inspired? We know we are! If you’re a teen with an incredible achievement, let us know! Get in touch with Mina Yan via email at minayan@beijing-kids.com or WeChat (ID: Wilhelmina87).

Images: Bayan Changizi

It’s college acceptance season and senior students at Beijing’s high schools are collecting their admissions decisions and deciding their next steps.

Schools themselves collect and often publicize these admissions decisions, but parallel tradition is for the seniors themselves to make more personalized announcements via public Instagram pages.

Here’s a few of these pages where you can see where Beijing’s brightest are headed next:

Beijing City International School
British School of Beijing Shunyi 
Dulwich College Beijing
International School of Beijing
Western Academy of Beijing 

Please note that in most cases these accounts are student-run, and data is
voluntarily submitted by students themselves. Thus, they are not official representations of all of the school’s college acceptances.

Do your school’s seniors operate a public Instagram account to celebrate acceptances? Let us know in the comments!

Images: Pexels