About the Host School

Chengdu Foreign Languages School was established in 1989 as the first middle school in Sichuan Province with foreign language teaching as its primary characteristic. CFLS now has 5,800 students (from 13 to 18 years old) and about 650 teaching staff. It is located in Chengdu High Tech West Zone and covers 17.3 hectares.

It is highly regarded as one of the best schools in Chengdu as well as in Sichuan Province. Long term exchange and mutual visit programmes have been initiated and carried out between CFLS and some very well respected schools and colleges in the USA and UK.

The main task of CFLS is to train students to have a good command of foreign languages and to lay a solid foundation of general knowledge for higher education. All the subjects of a key middle school curriculum are taught at CFLS, including: English, Maths, Chinese, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Politics, History, Geography, Computing, Arts and PE.

The AP Centre 

The AP Centre was launched in September 2009 and has 150 students. We have 10 foreign teaching staff and9 Chinese staff. Students from the Host School have a good study foundation and learning capability. For AP Center entrance purposes students are assessed in English and Mathematics. We have Chinese and foreign teachers' offices, classrooms, a new physics digital laboratory, stadium, tennis courts, playground and lecture theatres. We have courses in English, Advanced Placement courses in Macro Economics, Micro Economics, Calculus A, B & C, World History, Psychology, and Physics B and C. In 2011 we established a Student Council which meets regularly with the Center Principal.

Lifestyle

Foreign teachers tend to live off campus and many of them travel to school by bicycle. The standard of accommodation is excellent, with staff living in large and spacious apartments. In West Garden (where most teachers live), there is a fitness club, bank, convenience stores and a range of restaurants. Supermarket shopping is at Auchan or Metro. Some teachers enjoy watching football in the downtown stadium. There is a good social scene available in the city and a wide variety of restaurants. The Sichuan cuisine is legendary for its spiciness.

Chengdu is a large city attractive to tourists and there are many historical, cultural and leisure places to visit. Chinese staff at the host school will often accompany foreign teachers to act as a tour guide when possible. Sichuan province itself is a beautiful area and there are many towns and bamboo forests to explore - the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base is certainly worth a visit. Chengdu also provides easy access to Tibet.

Further information can be found at:
http://www.chengdoo.com
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/chengdu.htm
http://www.chinahighlights.com/chengdu/map.htm
http://www.virtourist.com/asia/china/chengdu/index.html
http://www.muztagh.com/chengdu/index.html

Teacher Case Study

Patrick Martha, English

Between 2001 and 2005, I studied as an undergraduate at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, where I majored in English and Religion. Following college I travelled to several countries around the world, including China and became fascinated with the culture, hoping to return at some point. In the fall of 2008, I started a year-long teaching program and became certified to teach English in both middle and high school. At the same time I completed a Masters Thesis on Education and Brain Science for New England College's Education Masters Program. When I finished these programs, I was hired by Dipont to return to Chengdu as a full time English teacher where I could become a part of the culture and the changing education system in China.

As a member of the AP Program in Chengdu, I feel that my role is multifaceted. Since the program is in its first year, there are many different tasks that need to be completed inside and outside of the classroom. As a first year teacher, I am using new materials and need to be on top with my lesson planning and preparing curriculums for the students. However, I also spend a lot of time working on issues including organizing classes, supervising extra curriculars, helping to build a library, and providing extra help to students whenever they are struggling. My role is defined by a commitment to students. Everything the AP teachers at the Chengdu Foreign Languages School do is for the benefit of the students. We strive to make learning better, more effective, and longer lasting. My role is to make sure I do my part to help every student make great strides in their preparation for higher education.

The students are the best part of my job. It is sometimes difficult to teach when students misbehave, or have bad study habits. However, our students have demonstrated a level of maturity that corresponds to their academic desires. They want to attend the best schools, and consequently work hard to achieve that end. They are committed, honest, and caring young people, who demand as much from their teachers as we demand of them.

Working in China for Dipont has thus far been a great experience. The people we work with are focused on making the program the best it can be, putting in extra time and putting in whatever is needed to make the school better for the students. In my own experience, it has allowed people to really open up to the culture and life here. I enjoy being a part of a program that is challenging and offers me something new everyday. I want to be involved in the process of making decisions that deeply affect the lives of my students. I hope that I can make their experience of the English Language an interesting and engaging adventure that helps them to understand western culture and the values we place on education, knowledge, and creativity.

My general life involves working hard on classes and getting out to see some of the more famous parts of China when I have free time. I recently had the chance to visit the western part of Sichuan and experience life at high altitudes in Danba and Ganzi. I'm also an avid reader and always have a stack of books on my desk and nightstand at home. I am very happy in Chengdu and hope to be here for the next few years.

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Student Case Study

What do you see as the benefits to you personally in studying on the AP programme?

It has provided a different angle of view for us. We have more opportunities to participate in extra-curricular activities and it helps us to adapt to overseas study.

What have been the challenges to you personally in undertaking the AP programme?

I need to accumulate more specialized vocabulary that will raise my study efficiency.

What are your plans after you've completed the AP course?

I hope that I can get an offer from one of the American Top 20 national universities.

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