16 April 2015 It was the eighth week in Spring term. Trees in the garden shone in the glittering sun. Leaves were in a fresh new green. The class should be 4-1. Kids sat in groups, some on chairs, some on grass. This class has become Mr. Pan's favorite class, because they have all bought the instrument, and showed the best discipline as well as motivation to learn music. The students have drawn the two adults together - the music teacher and the class teacher. Both love their subject teaching so much that they had a fight for the students at the beginning. Now they have become great professional partners, just because they love to see student learn and enjoy school.
"Peng Xiao Jian, you should build an international school. Don't stay in Yu Tim any more. Found one like this." "This is not my destiny. I may participate in such a project if God wishes, but I know this is not my |ming ding|. I am guided by the Holy Spirit to help the weak and the poor."
Reading is their core curriculum of Garden International School. 2 April is the birthday of the great children's literature writer- Anderson, and so on this Children's Reading Day-the school kicked off a parent-children reading program on this afternoon. I was invited by Cecilia to join this event, to be her helper during the story telling. Cecilia had been children's learning resources designer for Houghton Mifflin in the States for more than 15 years. Together we had a shared vision that we have to promote Life Reading to children, parents and teachers in China. Life Education through reading. Therefore, I accepted the invitation and brought along two kindergarten heads - Deng xiao chang, Li xiao chang, to join Cecilia's story telling session.
Garden is a new school, less than 2 years of age. It has more than 100 students already and tuition fees per month is 8500 yuan.
Hua Zai drove us for more than 200 km from Yu Tim at Huang Jiang to Garden International School at Pan Yu Cambridgeshire. This was the first time I came to Pan Yu, a county to the south-west of Guangzhou. It was about one hour after crossing Hu Meng Bridge when we arrived at Pan Yu. WE found the place very rural, with a few narrow streets forming the two centre near the private housing blocks of Cambridgeshire. A few high-rise blocks were under construction and a cluster of houses formed a complex. We went round the main road near the main entrance and then we came to Garden at the other end of the main road, opposite the unfinished high rise blocks.
The campus was typical of an international school, with adequate space for outdoor activities, and high standard safe facilities, and equipment. The building comprises three blocks with a small 'hill' at the other end, a piece of farm land with rows of corns grown. To the left is a 'swimming' pool for puddling and swimming in the summer, a short running track with five lanes, and a platform for shows and activities.
Cecilia came alone, carrying all her English books from Hong Kong to this place. Hua Zai passed my short-distance projector - a new Panasonic which worths 8000 yuan to Cecilia. The school assigned a technician to help with the set up of the projector. For more than 40 minutes, we could not see the proper computer image on the screen. There was less than 10 minutes before the set time for the story telling. I prayed to Lord. And then it worked! "God was amazing!" We said.
The story telling lasted 45 minutes - an extremely long session for 2-4 year-old kids. Four stories were told: Gruffly, Tacky, Perita, and Easter Story. It was obvious that children were much more attentive when Cecilia told the stories in Putonghua. Teachers, expatriates, demonstrated professionalism, guiding kids to sing, and respond to the stories. Cecilia pitched her voice to create the mood of the stories. She put on a hat to attract the children, and used a number of teaching aides to make the story comprehensible to the children- stuffed toys, muppets, picture drawing. Towards the last two stories, she invited children to act the penguins in Tacky, and interacted with children with the big book she used. "Cecilia is a very good story teller. What makes her exceptional in China is that she is bilingual. She can speak excellent English and Putonghua."
4 April 2015 Children's Day In four weeks, 8 lessons, a choir has been formed, and a few classes have organised mini orchestras and choirs during music lessons. The old instruments which have lain dormant for a few years - an expensive but poorly maintained drum set, tambourines, electric organs, have all been dug out and now being put back into their proper functions. Children have never experienced playing these instruments before. Aren't these meant to be those played by the carefully selected? Teachers have never imagined that all these ordinary kids can play, sing and act, in a regular music lesson, achieving only children of the rich in training centres can, here, in this very much despised school. Neither do the children or their parents. It is a miracle.
Pan Qiang modelling prose reading.
The writing is about a blind girl who cannot see.
Students performed a 'still picture' - symbolising the colourful world of nature- red, purple, green, yellow, blue.......
Students were invited to express their free imagination from the 'still picture'.
I can see a green heart.
Why is the heart green?
It is a heart that loves nature.
Then students were directed to the music textbook - sing the song.
Who is Chang Hai Ling?
The observer, Principal Li, was invited to tell the story of this famous heroine- a disabled lady who has been suffering from a weird disease. She never gave up and learned very good English, and composed music.
Oh I cannot feel the warmth from your sining - lines in the middle of the song.
Pan Qiang held the little hand of a boy and said, "Is my hand warm?" "Yes, very". Sing with a flow of warmth.
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