"Teachers need to study every student and help them cultivate their abilities and build good character. Teachers are obliged to set good examples through teaching and practice, and help our students to be better behaved." These were the words of Headmaster Wu for the new academic year as he addressed our Secondary Division teaching staff (Full speech below).
To All Secondary School Staff
Headmaster Wu Zijian
Good morning everyone!
It gives me a great pleasure to speak to you today. Firstly, I would like to extend a warm welcome to 44 new members of our community, who have come from Canada, Britain, America, New Zealand, Germany, Australia, and China’s Zhejiang, Guizhou, Henan, Taiwan and, of course, Shanghai. Welcome onboard!
According to the lunar calendar, autumn has already arrived, but in previous years, it has still been very hot. Your arrival appears to have brought Shanghai some much-needed coolness. Thanks very much for that!
Over the last year, under the leadership of Principal Tony and the Mentors, we have witnessed great achievements by our Secondary Division. Our students, despite competition from students from several top-tier senior high schools, came 1st in a nation-wide debate contest. Pao School’s cycling enthusiasts, with their stamina and will, successfully completed a bicycle tour around Taiwan Island and Hainan Island. Our swimming teams also achieved great success in international competitions. The curriculum mapping has also been further developed. We have also proudly celebrated the graduation of our first Y9 students.
This year, we welcome our first cohort of Y10 students. Many of them are from our Junior Secondary Division. With the growing reputation of Pao School, more students are applying to our school. Among our new Y10 transfer students, one scored as high as 596. Such an excellent student body poses high requirements on us teachers.
Today, I would like to share some of my expectations of you for the coming year.
First, I would like to emphasize again the importance of educating students to be a better people. Tao Xingzhi, a famous Chinese educator said: “The essence of teaching is to teach students to seek truth; the core of learning is to learn to be a true person.” Ancient Greek philosopher and educator Aristotle also remarked: “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” Both highlight the two important responsibilities of teachers, that is, to impart knowledge, and to study every individual student and help them cultivate their abilities.
Last year, I visited Eton College, which is also the Alma mater of Mr. Philip Sohmen, one of our founders. The boys at Eton wear tail coats and top hats. They were polite and gracious, and were very gentleman. We asked a student in Eton uniform, with a stack of books in his hand, to take a few photos with us. He gladly accepted our request. We had taken much of his time, since every one of us wanted to take photos with him, but he remained patient and was all-smiles. After we were finished, he waved goodbye to us as we went on our way.
As Mr. Sohmen later informed me, the traditional Eton dress can be dated back to the 1820’s. It would look bizarre on someone less-refined. However, it suits the Eton boys perfectly since they are all very elegant and have good manners.
In 2011, I visited St George’s School where Mr. Tony once worked. I noticed that the students and the teachers would hold the door for others, even for those who might be still quite far away from them.
A parent once shared a story with me, saying that during an Open House day, he saw a girl walking towards him. Upon seeing him, she greeted him with: “Hello, sir. May I help you?” She was dressed neatly in the school uniform. Her confidence as well as her spontaneous and easy-going attitude very much impressed the parent. He believed that students exemplify the quality of a school. Needless to say, the quality of education at Pao School is first-class. The parent then decided that for his child, who previously went to a key school in Jiangsu Province, Pao School would be a good choice.
The secondary school years are a time when students absorb more knowledge. It is also a key stage where they foster a world outlook as well as views on life and values. They might be rebellious, but they still need guidance on the proper code of conduct. Last year, during the graduation ceremony, our student wore formal uniforms in the afternoon. During the graduation party in the evening, the students changed their uniforms to tailored suits and dresses. However, in terms of the education of our adolescent students, there’s still much room for improvement.
This summer, during one of my patrols, I noticed that a cleaning lady sorting out some books. On top of the stationery, there were 32 books, among which I found ‘Notes on the Translation of the Analects of Confucius’, some books on history, and some IGCSE maths textbooks. Some of them were in good condition. We need to continue educating students and teach them that disrespecting books is absolutely forbidden. I think we should improve education in this respect.
Teachers are obliged to set good examples through teaching and practice, and help our students to be better behaved.
Two days ago, Mrs. Sohmen spoke with you, asking what you thought our assets were. I believe one of our assets lies in our mission. At Pao School, we bring together the best of China and abroad. Many international schools have opened in Shanghai, SAS, Singapore international school, Japan international school, Wellington College International Shanghai, to name just a few. There are also 21 local high schools which have been authorized to provide international curriculum. If our students can only speak English, they will have no advantage over other international school students. This is why we cannot emphasize enough the importance of the education of Chinese culture. Only by giving our students a solid foundation in Chinese language and culture can we truly cultivate future leaders who truly understand Chinese as well as other cultures. I would like to congratulate our international principals here for they have done a wonderful job in becoming immersed in the Chinese culture. Mr. Warren, the former primary principal, Mr. Mike, the present primary principal and Mr. Tony all have their offices beautifully-decorated with Chinese elements. In a Putonghua language test organized by Shanghai Education Commission last year, 11 expat teachers, including Mr. Tony and Ms. Lucia, participated in the test and achieved satisfactory scores. I often said to Mr. Tony: “You are my English teacher.” He has regarded me as his Chinese teacher, but in fact, Tony speaks far better Chinese than I do English. I also need to learn from Mr. Matthew Wu, and Ms. Serena, who are proficient at both English and Chinese. I also know that among our new expat teachers, Mr. Greyson and Ms. Julia can speak very fluent Chinese, and Julia is a prior student of Mr. Tony back at St. George’s School.
I often wonder, what makes the United States stand out in science and technology. I think that’s because Americans value the opinions of different people. Shanghai is a city where all rivers run into the sea. Pao School can be considered an epitome of Shanghai, as teachers from 13 countries and areas bring with them 13 education philosophies. These philosophies collide with and combine with each other and give birth to other new ideas. Mr. Deng Xiaoping believes that it is only through reform and opening up can China truly develop, and I think the three missions of Pao School are an accurate reflection of his philosophies.
Bernard Shaw once said: “If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have more than two ideas.” In terms of genetics, the greater the differences between the genes are, the brighter their offspring will be. In terms of education, Pao School is very competitive in this respect.
Ms. Anna Sohmen mentioned on Tuesday the importance of education research and I fully agree with her. That is why our founders have invested so much to build a research center, the “Brain.” We need to consolidate our research work and place more emphasis on conducting research on students. Heraclitus, an ancient Greek philosopher once remarked: “No man ever steps in the same river twice.” Over the course of your career, you will never have two exactly identical students. That is why I ask that you, our teachers, make friends with students, and show concern for their all-round development.
I wish you a very successful year. Enjoy your work, your studies, and your life here! I warmly welcome any suggestions you may have.
Thank you!
