Student reporter: Anita Zheng (Y12)
Director of Curriculum Development： Caroline Xu
We are a month into the new semester and the implementation of Pao School’s new curriculum. In a recent interview, Director of Curriculum Development Caroline Xu explained the details of Pao education and how it will help Pao students in their mission to achieve academic excellence, virtuous character traits and become global citizens.
Anita: Please discuss your previous work experience.
Caroline: After earning my Master’s degree, I worked in Shanghai Jincai High School. It only took me two years to help the school establish the international department and also set up the IB World School programme. After that, I started looking for bigger challenges and went to teach in the Independent Schools Foundation (ISF) Academy, where I held several different leadership positions. With ten years of relevant experience, I am looking forward to helping Pao School develop an outstanding curriculum.
Anita: Why did you decide to become a teacher?
Caroline: I was a rebellious child. The cheerless environment of secondary school left a lasting negative impression on me. I can empathise with students and I am very willing to think about how to improve the educational experience from a student perspective.
Anita: What is the importance of a curriculum to a school?
Caroline: A strong curriculum is beneficial to both students and teachers. It helps students approach their studies vigorously and get the most of out of their classes. When children misbehave, we need to understand the reasons for that. Few students misbehave just for the sake of being naughty. As a teacher, you have an obligation to understand students’ personalities and teach them accordingly. Many parents may think that their child misbehaves because they were not given enough knowledge in class. That is related to the curriculum. For teachers, a proper curriculum can allow them to plan lessons more efficiently and teach students more effectively.
Anita: What are your main responsibilities? Please introduce the main features of the Pao School curriculum.
Caroline: My responsibilities are to coordinate and manage the school curriculum. An important part of the job is integrating the different elements of the curriculum. As a bilingual school, the Pao School curriculum integrates both Chinese and international academic programmes: Shanghai +, IGCSE and IBDP. This type of curriculum is designed to help Pao School achieve its objective of becoming a school for tomorrow’s China.
Anita: Why did you choose to work at Pao School?
Caroline: To begin, my daughter is a student in the Primary Division. I believe Pao School’s core values are correct (compassion, integrity and balance) and I am familiar with them from my time studying classical Chinese literature. I know that the school can provide my daughter with the best possible education. Secondly, it is a worthwhile challenge for me to be in charge of the curriculum design, management and integration. Thirdly, I like Pao School’s campus culture. After visiting Pao School twice, I was sure I made the right choice because I saw many smiling faces.
Anita: How will Pao School and its curriculum evolve in the future?
Caroline: Pao School is a relatively new school, but it and its curriculum are improving with time. In today’s world, a new school has more energy than in the past. There is a greater willingness to experiment and more innovation occurring, so it is possible to improve faster. I hope we are able to help students and parents understand what the school curriculum is, what is taught and why we teach the content.
As for the future curriculum, we will increasingly emphasise Pao School’s core values and character education. This will include training students to be independent. Additionally, I hope to combine the IB’s goals and Pao School’s curriculum. Lastly, I hope the curriculum is effective beyond the classroom – that it helps students to better plan their future lives. I hope that with my help students can excel academically and lead healthy, rich and balanced lives.
