Name: Andre Smal
Nationality: South Africa
University: February 1991- January 1994 University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng
Motto:
For me, teaching at Xindu Number One Middle School has been a life changing experience. I would never have imagined the impact the school, students and teachers would have on my own personal growth. Every day brings its own challenges and rewards and no two days are ever the same. I have an excellent relationship with my students; they respect and trust me and treat me more like a friend than a teacher. With the help and support from my students and fellow teachers, I found adapting to life in China really easy. My time at this school has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done in my life. Memories are made every day that will stay with me forever.
Name: Charlotte Elliott
Nationality: England
University: 2009 – 2013 University of Salford BA (Hons) in Modern Languages (French) Salford, United Kingdom
Motto:I taught senior one from 2014 – 2015 during which time, I experienced an array of emotions with my students, which certainly kept things interesting!
Some of my favourite moments from the past year were Christmas time, exams, and the talent show: I thought Christmas was going to be difficult but my students showered me with presents and cards and made this time feel special and festive.
The exam period was engaging as the students divulged information about themselves and their lives which enabled me to get to know them as individuals, which was very important to me, and finally, taking part in the talent show was brilliant. Class 10 invited me to participate in their talent show and I loved it. It was great to see all of the students shine like the true stars that they are!
Name: Donald Struthers
Nationality: England
University: University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland, UK, Product Design
Motto:So far I have thoroughly enjoyed my time teaching in Xindu No.1 Middle school. The class sizes and sheer energy of the students were be a little daunting at first but I soon learned that this makes for an even more fun and exciting teaching experience. Teaching English here is one of the most rewarding and eye-opening experiences of my life and has enabled me to travel around China and parts of Southeast Asia, something which I could only have dreamed of previously.
Name: Stephanie Chiang
Nationality: England
University: September 2010-June 2013 London school of Economics and Political Science, London, UK
Motto:I am currently just over halfway through my contract at Xindu No.1 Middle School (As part of the British Council Language Assistant Program-CEAIE). I teach 16 classes a week (and do other additional jobs as required by the School) at the Experimental School attached to the Middle School. My students are aged 12-13. English ability varies greatly within the year group; no job is without challenges but I feel that my students have really smoothed the way for me. It is a pleasure to teach them and in turn, I can also learnfrom them.
name: Justyna Pasikowska
Nationality: Polish
Graduated from: Higher Vocational School in Walbrzych, Poland
BA in German language
Higher School of Arts and Crafts in Wroclaw, Poland
BA in Jewelry and Gemstones
Working experiences: Teaching children, teenagers and adults, 1:1 tuition, group teaching and corporate training; junior goldsmith at jewelry workshop.
Motto: Patience and understanding, but hard work is the key. ‘I know I can, be what I wanna be, If I work hard at it, I’ll be where I wanna be’ NAS
