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Sometimes, it can be hard to think about the life of teachers and staff beyond the subject they teach and the work they do for the school. However, in creating a whole-person environment for students, it’s also essential to have staff who are well-rounded and curious about the world. At Pao School, the teachers themselves represent the character of lifelong learning, not only through their hard work in developing their professional skills but also through the diverse interests and hobbies they pursue in their own time.
Across the diverse Pao School community, there are many faculty members and staff with a wide range of hobbies and talents. This article will share some of their stories with you.
Emily Benoit
Director of University and Careers Counselling
Emily joined YK Pao in 2019 after working at the University of Chicago. Originally from Michigan in the US, she was drawn to Pao School because it is a bilingual school that combines both Chinese and international curricula, setting students up to develop a truly unique perspective which they carry with them as they go off all over the world for university.
“Whole person education is one of the most important aspects of education at Pao School,” Emily says. And, since coming to the school, she has seen this in how Pao School students have a wide range of academic and extracurricular interests and talents. In addition, she says, they are not only academically talented but also “some of the kindest individuals”.
For Emily, maintaining a balanced life is very important and something she feels is essential to learn from a young age. One of her favourite hobbies is soccer, which she started at five years old, and continued playing competitively all the way through university. Now, Emily still plays soccer recreationally after school with co-workers or whenever an opportunity arises.
I have always been into playing sports and growing up in the US there is no shortage of organised sports for kids. I’ve continued playing soccer because I love being part of a team and the bonds that it fosters, I also love the physical challenge of the sport.
Wendy Wen
Middle School Chinese Teacher
Wendy joined Pao School in 2020 after teaching Chinese at a school for children of expatriates. After several years in that job, she decided she wanted to devote herself to cultivating China's future talents, which happened to coincide with Pao School's philosophy of "a school for tomorrow’s China, an education for tomorrow’s world.”
Wendy likes the rich extracurricular activities that Pao School arranges for the students. As someone who started her hobby in childhood, she knows how valuable they can be for a child’s development. Wendy first started to get into her hobby, guzheng, when she was seven years old. She was attracted to the guzheng by the multitude of sounds its many strings could produce, which sounded to her like flowing water. Since then, she has continued playing into adulthood and has now reached an amateur level 10 in guzheng proficiency.
When Wendy was a child, she found it challenging to practice two hours daily, but as she got older, she finally found joy in music. Wendy said she likes lively and melodious songs such as "Fisherman's Song of the East China Sea" and "Spring Dawn of Snow Mountain.” She also enjoys playing traditional guzheng songs.
Wendy established the Guzheng Workshop CCA at the Middle School, so that students who appreciate traditional Chinese music can enjoy it too. These guzheng enthusiasts, after extensive practice, recently performed at a poetry competition in the middle school.
The guzheng workshop not only adds some sparkle to Chinese teaching, but also helps the children realise that learning musical instruments requires patience and perseverance. I do hope that, with my modest effort, I can promote traditional Chinese art.
Ingo
Marketing Department
Ingo, part of the school's Marketing Department, is originally from Berlin, Germany. In his earlier years, convinced one cannot live off photography, he decided to study architecture but was eventually pulled back to pursuing his artistic passions. He studied photography in Hamburg, Germany, after which he worked as a freelance photographer. During this time, work trips took him to China for the first time.
As someone always curious to learn more, he also decided to study journalism and communications, which was accompanied by a second major in Chinese – chosen out of personal interest in learning the language. After graduating, he then worked as a photojournalist in Hamburg, spending his time riding around the city on his bike, searching for stories to report on. This work was fun, he says, as he had the freedom to investigate topics he was curious about.
“The Peaceful Past,” photo book | Fascinated by Shanghai’s old lane houses (“shikumen”), Ingo spent many weekends capturing the moments of those living in these disappearing remnants of old Shanghai. He has collated the black and white photos into a digital photo book, edited and written by himself.
Atlantic Saury - #200FISH, oil | In 2018, Ingo participated in the #200FISH exhibition, organised by the Lincolnshire Time and Tide Bell Community (UK).
In 2007, combining his experiences, he came to Shanghai. “I was very interested in street life back then, and on weekends took up my camera and just strolled through the streets for hours to capture interesting scenes,” Ingo says. After some years of taking photos every day for work, this interest in “capturing the moment” also birthed a new artistic passion: oil painting. For his pieces, Ingo first takes a photo of the scene he would like the capture, which he then paints.
Impressions of Berlin/Germany, oil painting
The one thing that has never changed, regardless of what kind of media I am using, is the one short moment I need to catch. If you constantly and carefully observe your surroundings you will see an interesting moment happening. A moment where the one being photographed is at peace with themselves in that situation. This could be a certain pose for photography, a split second of a certain look for video, or a brief light situation for painting. Then you have to be fast. You cannot wait. Otherwise, the moment is gone.
Pao School has always sought to provide comprehensive training and support to its staff. For instance, the Professional Learning Centre promotes the career development of employees through a series of courses, training and qualification assessments, and strives to elevate overall teaching quality. In addition, the school also provides specialised English, computer and other skills training for administrative staff, alongside relevant professional training for each department. Further, the school also supports and encourages employees to cultivate hobbies, while emphasising the importance of fostering healthy team spirit among faculty members.
Of particular note is that the Pao School Foundation has a staff club programme that was established in 2013. Over the years, it has supported the Pao School faculty and staff’s interest in cultural and sports activities, enriching their leisure time, including groups such as Go Hiking, Yoga Club, Performing Art Club, Kitchen Crafts Club, Learn the Story of Civilisation Group, and so on.
Hongqiao Evening Running Club
Summary of Wuding Music Culture and Art Club
Jessica Cohen
High School English Teacher
Jessica came to the school in 2019, after having taught in the US, Kuwait, and Mexico, as she was seeking a new adventure teaching students in a different part of the world. Jessica, who mostly grew up in Maryland, comes from a culturally diverse background as her mother is a first-generation Korean immigrant to the US.
During her time at college, Jessica started doing the New York Times Crossword Puzzle and has been doing the daily crossword puzzles ever since. As a famously challenging puzzle, crosswords were initially intimidating to Jessica but, after seeing her classmates try, she was curious about trying to solve one. Slowly but surely, she learned the tricks for solving the puzzles and it solidified itself as part of her daily life. It is also a lesson for life she says, as sometimes when the puzzles are too hard the best thing to do is give yourself a break and return to it when you feel refreshed. Then, suddenly, different answers and solutions will suddenly become clear.
For Jessica, one of the best bits about Pao School is the students, whom she “adores”. In fact, though she is a teacher, she often feels like she is learning from them. “Our students have Tutor Time and CCAs that help them focus on themselves and their passions. Life is all about balance, and our school helps our students learn how to strike the right one from an early age,” says Jessica.
As part of creating an environment of balance, Pao School teachers also lead CCAs at the school, with Jessica heading the Book Club CCA due to her love of reading. She decided to share this with the students by offering them the chance to read and discuss literature at school that is not tied to the curriculum. It is a wonderful opportunity for students to branch out in their reading and consider why it is meaningful.
A good book—like a challenging crossword puzzle—takes time and effort, but by the time you’ve finished it, you will glow from the inside out.
Jane
Marketing Department
Jane works within Pao School’s marketing team. In her spare time, she is always busy as an avid photographer, traveller and baker. Recently, her photographic work "Retro Barber Shop" won honourable mention at the IPA International Photography Awards.
Jane recalls that when she was a child, she was always curious about a special camera in one of the old-fashioned glass cabinets in her home. She never touched the camera out of fear she might break it. The shutter was fragile and her parents always said that if it broke then it would be impossible to take pictures.
With the advancement of technology, photography has become more accessible. In particular, Jane is fascinated by microphotography as she loves exploring the world of the “infinitely small”. She notes that most landscape and urban photography focuses on images we view from a long distance, rather than the extreme close-ups that characterise microphotography. She purchased a second-hand SLR camera and began her photography journey. She went looking for photos where many people do not, like the flowers in the park, where she discovered and recorded photographic images most of us never imagine.
Jane’s hard work paid off - a few galleries now feature her works. Jane has now upgraded to a professional SLR camera and began to search for a deeper meaning behind the shooting process.
In this era of 24/7 digital information consumption, people can sometimes connect more immediately with images than words, and it is easier to get their attention with images. I believe that photography is not just about capturing images of beautiful scenery or creating a record of images of a place I visited. It is more like a marker that records the changes of the times, preserves the traditions of the nation, expresses the state of life, and conveys emotional resonance.
Simon Glenday
Primary School Teacher
Simon, originally from the UK, has lived in Asia since 2004. One of the attractive things about working at Pao School for Simon is that he has the space to “be the teacher he wants to be” and that it is a rewarding environment. Alongside enjoying a rewarding work life, life in Shanghai also places him in the perfect location to enjoy one of his passions in life – travel.
As an avid traveller since an early age, Simon has travelled to amazing places around the world and has had a multitude of life-changing experiences. Aside from just the destination, the journey itself is part of the charm of travelling, he says, “I never get tired of the view and the journey on the way to a destination.”
Since coming to China, he has travelled extensively and, impressively, has visited most of the country’s provinces. Though travel has become more challenging in recent years, he recommends that people should not plan too far ahead and should always be prepared to be flexible. In addition, he says, it is useful to find off-the-beaten-track locations through different websites and local apps. Through his ability to adapt, Simon has recently been able to still see various locations in China, such as Sichuan, Xinjiang, and Gansu.
Lake Kanas, Northern Xinjiang
Rainbow Mountains, Gansu
Tangjiahe National Park, Sichuan
My survival-level Mandarin is useful but my enthusiasm to see the country is always my motivation. I enjoy history and geography, so living in China I have developed a good understanding of the past and the present. I enjoy trying the regional foods, especially the various noodle dishes! I like to bring my travel experiences into the classroom, and help the students make connections between local and international cultures.
Zoe
The President's Office
Zoe enjoys writing in her spare time and is a published novelist, including her books "Doctor, Cafe, Letters" and "Two Girls".
In Zoe's view, Pao School is full of vitality and hope. She likes the tranquil and tastefully decorated library and watching the children playing on the playground. But what she likes most is the school’s inclusiveness, especially the presence of people of different backgrounds and cultures, and the campus that is small in size but filled with everything one needs.
Zoe's first novel, "Doctor, Cafe, Letters", was published in 2020. Talking about what inspired her to write the book, she said, "Small cafes have a magnetic charm. They are places where people cannot help but gather and converse. They can even be places where those who are hurt gather to heal each other.”
At the same time, being with students every day also made her want to write a book about her youth, and so she wrote a second novel – "Two Girls". She explains, “I did not fit in with everyone else in high school, and then became best friends with this very outgoing, charismatic girl. Then, 12 years later, everything completely changed. She sent me a ‘letter’ from another world, which turned my world upside down. I hope it will be the first book you read this fall.”
Maybe we think we are someone else’s background, but we are our own unique protagonists. May you and I both follow our dreams and always stay true to ourselves. From today, I will plant a dream in my heart, and one day, it will bloom beautiful and fragrant.
