Children who grow up without educational resources face an extremely limited number of choices throughout their lives, such that escaping poverty is a hugely daunting task. We are here to put the children we serve on different life paths, ones in which they will have the opportunity to achieve more promising futures. Teaching children in our placement schools is extremely difficult. These students face tremendous challenges in and out of the classroom, and myriad pressures that discourage them in their studies. To change your students’ life paths, you must work relentlessly at every turn to defy the odds working against your children’s success. Fellows craft lesson plans and curricula, carefully track and monitor student achievement, and provide differentiated support to target children with varying educational needs. They design special programming to supplement the educations their children receive in the classroom, and they work with families to build a supportive environment that empowers their students to succeed.
The Three Keys to Success
At Teach For China, we believe that there are three keys to putting students on different life paths: measurable academic success, a culture of achievement, and critical thinking skills.
Academic Success
In order to advance in China's economic ladder, students must pass entrance examinations to move onto high school and college. Our Fellows work relentlessly to equip their students with the knowledge and academic skills needed to succeed in school increase their opportunities later in life. Our Fellows work together to cover the core curriculum subjects most heavily weighted on standardized exams. Chinese Fellows teach core-curricular subjects such as Math, Chinese Literature, and the sciences, while American Fellows focus on English — one of the most important subjects in the Chinese exam system and a critical skill in our increasingly global economy.
Critical Thinking Skills
Our Fellows also impart students with strong critical thinking skills that enable students to succeed beyond the classroom. They push students to apply knowledge they’ve learned, use English in different contexts, and think strategically. We measure critical thinking achievement through rubrics that examine indicators (which may vary depending on subject) such as English speaking ability, reading comprehension, and problem solving ability.
Culture of Achievement
To truly empower our students to succeed in life, we must instill them with a love of learning and a desire to work hard to meet their goals. Fellows work to build student self-confidence and encourage their belief in the importance of education. They encourage students to learn with purpose and urgency and to work relentlessly to pass exams and learn critical skills.
Learn how Jennifer Tan, Fellow '11, inspired a student to believe in himself.