Advanced Search

The story appears on

Page B2

January 26, 2017

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

Home » Feature » Education

Welcoming school environment helps family settle in

By Christine Carey | January 26, 2017, Thursday | Print Edition

YOU often hear people talk about culture shock, which is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “a sense of confusion and uncertainty, sometimes with feelings of anxiety that may affect people exposed to an alien culture or environment without adequate preparation.” When I started working at YCIS Shanghai last year, having come from a teaching assignment in a vastly different place, I was curious about how the school might help newcomers like my family adjust to Chinese culture and to such a multicultural school environment.

We came from a school in Papua New Guinea where security was a constant issue. The most notable change here is with the benefit of safety and freedom to explore, so my children are able to enjoy their surroundings more. They are more apt to try new things and visit new places. As an educator, I feel this is enhanced by the character education component of the YCIS curriculum. Because the school teaches virtue and wisdom to students, they are more apt to be inclusive of one another, and less competitive with each other. I continually see our students lift each other up.

The broadening of my children’s mindset began there, and has continued here at YCIS. My children are learning a new language: Mandarin. At YCIS, I feel the Chinese language program offers more meaningful learning, as they are immersed in the language at school, not just through book learning. Of course, living in Shanghai also gives them the opportunity to hear and use their new language skills outside of school. In addition to language learning, they are exposed to new cultural experiences at the school, which has proved to expand their own horizons. When looking at the future, they tend to think globally now, not nationally.

When we first arrived, I found the administrators and teachers to be very helpful in making sure my children settled into the school. At YCIS, we have co-teachers, and they are a constant example of multicultural harmony in action for the students, helping all of the children learn to appreciate differences and similarities in culture, and to build their skills in terms of flexibility and adaptability.

For parents, your children can be both an asset and an example in terms of helping you settle. During both international moves my family has experienced, my children were more adaptive. Our preparation as a family before this move involved learning about Shanghai on the Internet and investigating the school we were about to be part of.

I find the multicultural environment at YCIS to be easy for children. Sometimes students can arrive with an understandable apprehension of a new place, new friends, and a new school. In fact, there is much more acceptance at YCIS than I witnessed in our schools back in Canada. I believe parents can feel secure in making the move and enrolling students in an international school that has a bilingual approach and instills character education like we have at YCIS. We certainly have never looked back. It is the most powerful gift we have given to our children. They are growing up to be knowledgeable, accepting people who not only welcome people from other cultures, but also appreciate their differences.

Education


 

Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

沪公网安备 31010602000204号

Email this to your friend