About the Host School

The school was established in 1946 and has over 3,000 students. The campus, built by Xishan district, covers 320,000 square metres and is extremely beautiful. The gardens are lovely, fish can be seen swimming in the river, flowers bloom throughout the year and there are many sections of bamboo woodland.

The botanical gardens, the meteorological station, the cultural corridor and the golden apple in the school all convey rich cultural messages and help create a supportive educational environment. It is no wonder that the campus is described as a vivid textbook rich in content.

Jiangsu Tianyi High School, one of the provincial key high schools, has been checked and accepted as a national exemplary high school by the Education Commission of Jiangsu Province and entitled the 'National Advanced School of Moral Education' by the Ministry of Education of China.

It is also is one of the members of the National Association of Gifted Education, an experimental school of the Ministry of Education, and a provincial Green School. A large number of teachers have received national or provincial titles and prizes. The teaching staff have been learning modern education theories and using them to guide teaching.

The AP Centre

The Centre was established in September 2009 has 162 students. We have 7 foreign teachers and 27 Chinese teachers.

The students of the AP programme are serious about their studies, responsible and positive individuals who understand the requirements of this rigorous course of study. They have various English skill levels, but all have at least a high intermediate level of competence. Students are in the 10th and 11th grade and have a very long academic day from 6:20 am through 8:30 pm. However long the day may be, students are friendly, happy and very respectful at all times.

Tianyi High School. has numerous resources on campus. There are facilities for students including physics and computer labs, library, lecture/seminar halls, very large canteen/cafeteria as well as a large football stadium and track for field events. Six buildings comprise the student dormitories and there are at least 20 full sized basketball courts on the site.

AP teachers have a large room for their offices, each having their own computer. There is a teacher lounge equipped with refrigerator, microwave, coffee machine, tables, chairs and large comfortable chairs as well.

Extra-curricular activities are an important component of studies. Different activities and clubs are held on a weekly basis in the afternoons: Newsletter/school yearbook, sports (soccer, basketball, softball, table tennis, tennis, badminton, and flag football), international clubs (Spanish language and culture, among others), games (chess, Chinese chess, cards and board games) and hiking on Saturdays.

As an AP teacher at Tianyi High School, there are many highlights to the position. Perhaps, the most obvious one is the delight of teaching Chinese students who are so desirous of learning and guidance. Their respect, admiration and appreciation for you as a person and as a teacher is inspiring and makes working with them a very unique experience. Additionally, the working relationship with the Chinese head teachers and administrative staff, who are extremely supportive and professional, also does much to highlight our time at the school.

Learning about the Chinese educational system, from within, is an added benefit that is impossible to truly understand unless one has the ability and good fortune to live the experience. This is an opportunity too significant to pass up.

Chinese students can be extremely shy and easily embarrassed, which hinders their oral development. Although they are very bright, they are not accustomed to the USA style of teaching and learning. They are not familiar with group dynamics and tend to memorize facts instead of understanding concepts and discussing them. This is a key aim for us to develop in them within the AP programme. Additionally, Chinese students come from a very traditional culture which has been very restricted until late and they are not familiar with academic topics or current events in other nations. Getting them to join in and volunteer as a participant in a discussion is very difficult and cannot be obtained easily. It will take many months to have them reach a level of comfort in expressing inner feelings and concerns.

Lifestyle

Teachers live in off-campus, furnished accommodation. Most of the teachers rent a house or an apartment covered by the accommodation allowance. Apartments are attractive, modern and well-furnished with various air conditioners/heaters and washing machines.

Teachers usually walk to and from school every day – the walk is usually 15 to 25 minutes long. After school, teachers usually retire to their apartments, do homework, go out to eat something in the neighbourhood or shop in some of the large supermarkets in the city which are easy to get to by way of taxi, bus or on foot.

Weekends are spent shopping, visiting local sites, going to lunch or dinner, and sometimes travelling to Shanghai for the day or weekend. Shanghai is 50 minutes from Wuxi and has a wealth of activities and events.

There are a range of tourist sites in WuXi, including: Turtle Head Park, Li Hu par, Hui mountain park and also a range of riverside walks. There are also special events every year, including a circus carnival and lantern show for the Mid Autumn Festival and Chinese New Year.

http://www.wuxilife.com
http://en.wuxi.gov.cn
http://www.muztagh.com/wuxi/index.html

Teacher Case Study

Mark Lilly, Wuxi Jiangsu Tianyi High School

I graduated from California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and University of Nevada – Reno with a master’s degree in mathematics. I immediately began teaching at Lake Tahoe Community College, Western Nevada Community College, California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo, University of Nevada – Reno, South Tahoe High School, Whittell High School, and all schools in the Lake Tahoe Unified School District. I mostly taught upper division mathematics and statistics to gifted high school and college students. 

In my role at the Wuxi Centre I feel that I am responsible for these kid’s mathematical (upper) and statistical education while in high school. As an AP teacher, I have a responsibility to these kids to fully prepare them for college caliber classes. I also feel that I am part of the ‘bridge,’ which includes other foreign teachers, for these kids to study in America. We are the closest thing to what they’ll experience in the classroom when these kids study overseas. 

The benefit(s) of working here is/are the kids, the students. These students have been the absolute best students that I have ever taught. Dipont Education and the staff at Jiangsu Tianyi are great institutions to work for! They treat us teachers with respect and they maintain to uphold a very high expectation of educational output from us. This creates a win-win situation for everyone involved from Dipont to the student. 

My lifestyle while I am teaching here in Jiangsu Tianyi is mainly all about what my students need. First and foremost, I’m here for my student’s needs. I’ve always been that type of a teacher and feel that my responsibilities don’t end with a ‘clock-out’ at the end of the day. My door is always open to help, or just talk to, my students. My view of a teacher goes way beyond the view of teaching as a ‘job.’ Being here in Asia, experiencing the culture, and living in the environment, makes life truly exciting indeed.

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Student Case Study

I started at the AP centre this September and I am becoming familiar with American culture and I'm improving my English level.

What are the benefits to you in studying under the AP programme?

I have become more outgoing when talking to a group of people. I also prefer that I'm studying the subjects that I like, rather than other subjects that aren't suitable for me.

What have been the challenges?

I need to be more outgoing. I also get too excited when doing other activities and sometimes I find it difficult to completely concentrate on studies.

What are your plans for university?

I would like to enter a top university in the US or Canada. I think I'm hard-working and easy going – my dream is to become an outstanding person.

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