We recently had the privilege of coming across an inspiring TEDx talk that left a deep mark on our hearts. Joseph Stewart, a personable speaker and remarkable expat Beijing parent and teacher, shared his life-altering journey with a daughter with special needs. His words were not just a recounting of experiences but a powerful narrative that opened our eyes to the challenges, joys, and profound lessons within this unique family story.

We were eager to chat with him and delve deeper into the emotions, struggles, and triumphs that he has encountered along the way, and to bring to light the remarkable resilience and love that defines his family’s path.

Please take a moment to introduce yourself and what brought your family to Beijing.

I’m Joseph Stewart. I teach art, and when I have time, [I] make my own illustrations, too. I met my wife, Luo Tao, when we both studied art at The Glasgow School of Art in Scotland. We moved over to Beijing around ten years ago when our older son Danny was one. He has started middle school this year. Rosie was born in our second year in Beijing.

Please tell us a bit about Rosie.

Rosie is a beautiful and energetic 8-year-old girl. She loves all things active, like hiking, running, and swimming.  She loves picture books, especially ones with cute animal characters, and her favorite place to visit in Beijing is Universal Studios.  Rosie is also nonverbal and has profound autism, which makes her a vulnerable person with a neuro-disability. We love her so much for who she is while at the same time acknowledging her disability provides significant challenge and stress to her life and to those who support her.

Where do you work now? Tell us a bit about how your school has been supportive of Rosie’s special needs.

I currently work at the International School of Beijing (ISB) and lead the art and media department. I feel very lucky for me and my family to attend this school as it is highly supportive of Rosie’s needs. Many international schools may encourage students to do service work on the weekends to work with children with disabilities, but ISB is unusual in the fact it has a special Life Centered Education unit that supports ten international students with complex needs. Most of these students have other neurotypical students who attend the school, and I know all families are very grateful. The teachers, speech therapists, and support staff in this unit are simply outstanding humans whose vocation is to support and work with vulnerable children. The progress Rosie has made under their guidance is quite extraordinary. Although she is still speaking little, she is learning mathematics, writing, and self-management skills. It took a while to adjust to the high level of support Rosie receives and not having to constantly stress and worry throughout the day as we know she is being looked after so well. I could go on and on about this, but recent highlights are her planting and growing vegetables, attending a running club with other children, and learning kung fu. Perhaps most meaningful is how the school pairs Rosie up with a homeroom class where young children her age look after her and consider her to be a friend. One lovely little girl even bought her pink earmuffs last winter as she recognized Rosie didn’t like the feel of her hat.

During your TEDx talk, you mentioned you were resistant to accepting Rosie’s disability. Why do you think that was?

I guess subconsciously, yes. I would say that we held on to hope for as long as possible that Rosie was just a slow developer. Coming to terms with a severe neuro-disability is very challenging as it isn’t determined physically, and it is something that slowly comes into focus. All parents want the best for their children, and it is simply heartbreaking to look at a 4-year-old girl and give up hope that she will go to college, travel the world, find happiness, etc. I also feel societies make this hard for parents to accept. Most people show kindness and empathy to children with physical disabilities but may judge those with neuro-disabilities to be badly behaved or to have negligent parents. This causes in some ways a fight-or-flight defense in parents, which can slow down the acceptance process. We know how many kind people there are in the world who supported us on this journey, but hurtful words or actions from the less-informed majority can be very hurtful. Plus, the background of a global pandemic made this extra challenging. Through all this, I have thought about just how challenged disadvantaged communities must be in similar situations.

You coined a very interesting term during your talk. What do you mean by being “reptile-skinned”?

Being reptile-skinned is about living with hope, fear, sadness, and joy all at the same time. Often, we are taught to isolate and compartmentalize these strong feelings, but I feel they are all part of an ongoing cycle of growth.  Often people, especially males, may be expected to be thick-skinned and toughen up when having a hard time.  Being [reptile-skinned] is about learning to accept and feel the sadness you experience in a challenging situation.  Don’t ignore it, but feel and process it no matter how hard as this is part of the healing process and letting your new layer of reptile skin push through with greater wisdom and hope. I really feel this mental health metaphor could be very helpful to many people going through different challenges as the visual metaphor means it can be understood by people of different languages.

Why did you want to share your story? Was it difficult to bring yourself to share your personal life with strangers?

As soon as I saw that there was going to be a TEDx in Beijing, I knew I wanted to share my story. I was unsure how to go about this as I found it so hard to talk about something emotional and personal without getting overwhelmed. I was motivated by the pain many parents face that isn’t widely known about and felt I could use my educational background as well as previous speaking experience to give [a]voice to others. I was very careful to not assume other parents would experience things in the same way as I did but wanted to share how I felt. As it turns out, many people have felt similar feelings and got in touch. I also think as a teacher it is important to show students how to be honest and open about how you feel. I still feel there is stigma about speaking about mental health, but to be honest, it just felt like the right thing to do to speak up for Rosie.

What do you hope the audience will take away from your talk?

I hope the audience will remember the reptile skin metaphor in my talk, and it could help them if they are also experiencing an ongoing challenge or will in the future. I also hope it can help them understand that parents of children with disabilities live with significant stress and challenges – both everyday aspects and planning for the future.

Do you have a specific goal in terms of changing the audience’s perspective or inspiring them to take action?

I would say the dream would be to somehow find a way to write down these ideas and thoughts in illustration books. Sometimes jargon-heavy language can be hard to understand, and I hope to make digital or physical reproduced texts that can be shared with people for free. I feel the aim isn’t for the talk to get many views but to speak deeply to people who resonate with it. I have already been contacted by parents like me in different parts of the world.

Is there a supportive group in Beijing?

There are many supportive communities in Beijing. At ISB, some American embassy families introduced us to the Disability Action Group, and Rosie even got to meet the US Ambassador. There are also many companies and organizations supporting children with complex needs, and it is great to connect with the parents of Rosie’s classmates. At the same time, some of the biggest support I personally receive as a parent is being with friends who share my passion for art and long-distance running. Although I don’t like to be away from my family too often, it is necessary to have a breather and focus on other activities with kind and like-minded individuals. I find inspiration in the depth of thought and creative problem-solving with artistic friends and, not surprisingly, resilience, determination, and goal-setting with people I run with.

It was such an inspiring speech. How did you prepare for it?

Well, it was a lot of preparation as I wanted it to go well. The organizers of TEDx arranged for me to work online with a speaker coach in the US, which was the most amazing experience. The first time I met Jess (coach) I am pretty sure I waffled incoherently, and I have no idea how she helped me organize and process my thoughts. Doing a TEDx talk takes commitment, and we would have fortnightly morning meetings at 6am. I probably drafted and redrafted around ten times and received constructive criticism from organizers such as Keith and Sebastian. Sebastian would look at each word with scrutiny to help get the tone right. One of the best bits of advice Keith gave me was to understand the difference between a written and spoken story. What seems natural on a script may seem out of place when it comes out of your mouth. I am very grateful for all the help and feedback, and at the same time would say it is essential you can take on board and respond to constructive criticism when planning a talk.

What do you think makes the TEDx platform special for sharing your ideas?

I think it is so special as once the talk is published, it can be there forever and people can access it in their own time. TEDx will not automatically publish talks and check them carefully, so it is important to understand that feedback is all essentially geared towards having your talk eventually published. I feel very privileged to be able to have my speech recorded with such high-quality visual and audio recording. It is hard not to cringe when you first hear it back, but it’s been lovely to hear the feedback from people around the world who have watched it.

Click on the link below to watch Stewart’s full talk.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DSu2O5twi5A

Images: Joseph Stewart                           

It is our great pleasure to announce that we will be introducing an Early Years 2 (EY2) program beginning August 2024, extending International Schoool of Beijing (ISB)’s educational offering to children from the age of 2.

The decision to introduce the EY2 program, which will be open to children aged 2 by August 31, marks yet another proud milestone in our history of over 40 years. The EY2 program is designed to serve our existing families and new ISB families who may need support for their younger learners. EY2 will follow our early years philosophy and provide a platform to welcome our youngest Dragons.

ISB’s Early Years program is intentionally designed to allow the children to guide the learning process. Teachers use the pedagogy of listening and the environment as the third teacher, to ensure that learning is personalized, joyful, and challenging.

Get to know ISB’s new EY2 Program Teacher, Erica Livy, and how the EY2 program will continue to provide challenging and joyful learning to our youngest Dragons!

Meet Erica Livy, currently one of ISB’s EY3 Dual Language Teachers. From August, she will be the lead teacher for the school’s new EY2 program.

Originally from Australia, Erica moved to Beijing six years ago, with a master’s degree in early childhood leadership. She has 15 years of experience in early childhood education, both as a teacher and administrator. Although this year is her first at ISB, she says her arrival at the school “felt like coming home” and that this is the place where she was “meant to be” and one where she feels an “overwhelming sense of belonging.”

Sitting down with Erica in March, a few months ahead of the launch of the program, she expressed her excitement for EY2. As with our EY3 learning program, EY2 will continue to follow ISB’s early years learning philosophy, under which we foster a sense of curiosity, creativity, and wonder through play-based learning and inquiry. Starting at the youngest age, we value our students’ agency, social-emotional intelligence and well-being, as we believe children learn best in an environment where they feel respected, valued, and loved. This trust is built by our amazing EY teachers and will continue with the EY2 program.

Our Early Years learning philosophy is inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach. ISB is committed to this approach and the personal development of our faculty members, so much so that Erica and other EY members visited Italy in 2023 to learn more about the Reggio Emilia approach.

Furthermore, our world-class facilities and wealth of resources ensure we provide a sense of belonging for every student. Our EY learners are comfortable in the classroom and see themselves represented in the learning spaces, through visuals (e.g. books, posters) and activities (e.g. cultural cooking and celebrations) and more. Students have the freedom to explore and engage in play-based, child-directed learning in a variety of dedicated EY learning spaces, including flexible indoor classrooms, a secret garden, and an indoor sand pit.

Erica cannot wait for our youngest Dragons to experience the challenging and joyful learning that takes place at ISB. Specifically, in EY2, she will work with students on their fine and gross motor skills, with integrated movement, art, and music classes. She also looks forward to supporting and developing the students’ social relationships, and as always, work to find ways for the children to express themselves, to make sure every child is “seen, valued, and heard.”

We welcome you to learn more about our Early Years 2 program through this FAQ document.

You can also learn more by speaking with our Elementary School administrators or Admissions Office. We hope you share our enthusiasm for this new era of learning and encourage you to apply by clicking “here“.

Images: International School of Beijing

jingkids welcomes new expatriate families who have made the brave decision to travel from overseas to the capital city for a fresh adventure. Welcome to the friendly Beijing community. We can’t wait to see you around the neighborhood.

jingkids welcomes new expatriate families who have made the brave decision to travel from overseas to the capital city for a fresh adventure. Welcome to the friendly Beijing community, we can’t wait to see you around the neighborhood!

Our expat community thrives on connection, and here at jingkids, we’re all about our readers, and what they need and want in order to maximize their time here in Beijing. Every week, we feature a prominent member of our expat community and get to know them a little bit better.

This weekend the magical story of Mary Poppins will come to life in a ballet production in Beijing.

I am quite excited about taking my daughter to this show, as I vividly remember the movie from when I was young. However what I did not know is that the Disney movie was an adaptation from a book series. Disney’s daughter fell in love with the book, and made Disney promise to make a movie out of the book. But the author P.L. Travers did not believe that the movie would work, so it took a while for Disney to persuade her to be able to make this ultimate classic movie. (This story is told in the 2013 film Saving Mr. Banks – Ed.)

The children of a wealthy and uptight family in London need a new nanny, but they are surprised by the arrival of Mary Poppins. The magical nanny takes them on adventures, and a bit of the magic rubs off on the kids’ boring parents.

“Realizing the children have a lot to learn, Mary takes them on a magical journey meeting many interesting characters on the way,” according to the show’s organizers. “From the magic of the chalk pavement drawings to feeding the birds and dancing on the chimneys, Mary shows not only the children but the whole Banks Family what is most important in life.”

At the time of writing, there are still some tickets left for the show at all three performances this weekend. Check out this link for information.

Photos: organizers and fanpop.com

Next weekend, August 26 from 10am-3pm, athletes young and old will be heading over to International School of Beijing’s (ISB’s) dome for Sports Beijing’s annual Festival of Sports. We don’t need to list for you all of the benefits that a fun sport can provide for your little ones, so if you are looking to get involved in a team sport or other fitness activities this is the must attend event of the month. Best of all it’s free!

New and returning members age 4 years and above can come by and register for one (or more) of Sports Beijing’s fall 2017 activities. Parents will also have the chance to talk to the coaches, while kids can try out sports and activities such as basketball, soccer, kung fu, rugby, karate, lacrosse, and street dance to name just a few.

Sports Beijing is a not-for-profit community sports organization for junior athletes in Beijing. They offer a broad variety of recreational and competitive youth sports programs, professionally coached and aimed at developing physical, technical and social skills. Their activities are designed for participants of all backgrounds and abilities.

This event at ISB is a chance to get course information, connect with the community and partners (Roundabout, United Family Hospital, Vibrant Communities, THIRST, MaiAqua, Sunny Dental and many more), and find out even more about Sports Beijing. For further information, email info@sportsbj.com or call 6430 1370/6430 1176, and check out the listing here.

Photos: courtesy of Sports Beijing

The International School of Beijing (ISB) is delighted to welcome Head of School, Patrick Hurworth. Hurworth, a dual citizen of the UK and the US, brings to ISB a rich and diverse background in international education, with extensive experience and expertise in leadership, curriculum development, and administration.

Hurworth first visited ISB in 2014 to attend a workshop for school leaders in Asia. “Naturally, I was immediately impressed,” Hurworth says. “This is the oldest, largest school in Beijing, and one of most reputable, most successful schools in Asia; when the opportunity arose to be Head of School here, I jumped at it.”

ISB’s progressive attitude, in particular, attracted Hurworth. “Although the school has a fantastic 36-year tradition, it feels quite nimble,” he says. “It doesn’t rest on its laurels, slavishly repeat what it did in the past or copy other schools. It proactively embraces what’s right for its students.”

Although Hurworth is quick to acknowledge the importance of extrinsic factors such as ISB’s excellent grades and IB scores, it’s the school’s commitment to personalized learning and focus on whole-child development which he finds truly exciting. “This is not an academic factory,” he says. “We have a moral imperative to anticipate our students’ future needs, knowing they will study and work in environments quite different to those experienced by generations gone before. To that end, ISB is implementing incredible innovations to ignite the students’ innate love of learning.”

Hurworth sees his role as ISB’s leader as a chance to provide stewardship and foster engagement. “The building blocks for success are already in place here,” he says. “Ultimately my role is to give this community space; to think, reflect, take risks, and innovate – together.”

Before joining ISB, Hurworth served three years as High School Principal at the prestigious Hong Kong International School (HKIS), a coeducational private day school. He joined HKIS from Atlanta International School (AIS), a Pre-K through Grade 12 IB World School in Georgia, US. At AIS, Hurworth was Head of Secondary School, where in addition to guiding the educational lives of the secondary school student body, he directed the Middle and High School Principals, and managed budgets, operations, and recruitment. Prior to AIS, Hurworth was Co-Head of the Humanities Department at the International School of Geneva, leading a 17-strong team in integrating the French and English teaching programs, creating common assessments for the first time, and developing a cohesive bilingual humanities curriculum.

Hurworth’s educational credentials include a Bachelor of Arts (Special Honors) in Geography from the University of Hull, UK, and a Postgraduate Certificate of Education from the University of Nottingham, UK. He holds a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Management from the University of Bath, UK, and a Leadership Certificate from Webster University Geneva, Switzerland.

Hurworth and his wife, Karen, have two teenage children: daughter, Ella, and son, Daniel.

For more information about ISB, please visit their website at www.isb.bj.edu.cn or scan the QR code below.

This post is provided by the International School of Beijing.

Photos: International School of Beijing