WIS students may begin to study Chinese (Mandarin) in sixth grade, with the goal of enabling 11th and 12th grade students to select Chinese
as part of their International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. In
addition to their classes at WIS and field trips and cultural
experiences in the greater Washington, DC area, most of our students
choose to participate in a summer immersion experience. The
trips—approximately two weeks long—include Chinese language and culture
classes, and travel to cultural sites within Beijing as well as to other
cities such as Tianjin and Xi'An.
In this week’s teacher profile, we talk to Farah Sun. Farah is our Head of Science and has been at Yew Chung International School of
Beijing for five years. During our conversation, Farah shares stories
from her life lived between Manchester, Tianjin and Beijing, and why she
loves being part of YCIS Beijing so much.
I’m Farah Sun, Head of Science here at YCIS Beijing. I am originally from Manchester in the UK, but I don’t really have the accent anymore
as I’ve spent so much time abroad! I first moved to China 13 years ago,
when I took up a Physics teaching post in an international school in
Tianjin. Tianjin was very different back then - foreigners were a rarity
and I used to be stopped in the street!
My teaching career took off in Tianjin, where I took up posts as Head of Sixth Form, Head of Secondary and finally, Assistant Principal. I
also met my husband there – he and his family are from the city. We got
married in China shortly before moving to Manchester where my husband
completed an MBA whilst I taught.
But it wasn’t long before we returned to China, this time to Beijing. I took up a Physics teaching post at YCIS Beijing and
absolutely loved the atmosphere and culture. Five years on, and my
little boy Kaysan is about to start in kindergarten!
I think there is a real sense of community here. It’s a small but very busy school with so many events throughout year – barbecues,
workshops, fetes, fundraisers, performances. It means we are able to get
to know parents and families really well, and forge friendships too.
It’s a close-knit community, brought together by all these events and
celebrations.
