Special Me

　　MLIS – Inner Mongolia Ordos Gaz

　　Hi. I'm Gaz, an ESL teacher from Australia. I have a Bachelor of Business Degree, Graduate Diploma in Adult Teaching and several qualifications in information technology management. I worked in senior Queensland Government positions in the information technology area for more than 20 years and in 2011 decided that I wanted to do something more positive and adventurous. I came to China and taught English to grades 2 to 6 in Kangbashi, Ordos, Inner Mongolia which is in northwest China. I loved it. I loved the experience of China, the differences to Australia and most of all I loved the children. I have been at Maple Leaf Yiwu since November 2015.

　　May I wish you good fortune and happiness for 2020

　　My driving force as a teacher is “It' s all about the children”.

　　• I have spent over 7 years in China teaching mainly primary school children and loved every minute of it. Why? It's because children are so receptive, smart, and fun;they soak up knowledge like a sponge, are full of energy and they keep me young.

　　• I teach because I want to, not because I have to.

　　What Grade do I teach?

　　• I am teaching Grade 3 and 2 and each grade has its own challenges and opportunities. Each year the school assigns me to those classes that might best benefit from my teaching.

　　• I love discovering the strengths of each student and helping them to overcome their weaker points.

　　Compared to Australia, what do I think of Chinese education?

　　Even when I was in Australia, we knew that Chinese students were very hard working and did not relax as much as western students. I have now seen the long hours that students and teachers work, the high expectations placed on students and the pressure to compete with so many others for jobs in China. That makes the role of helping the students to be their best so important.

　　Do I have some special teaching methods?

　　• I have a belief that learning should be fun whether you are a child or adult. I try to make my classes something that students look forward to. I use fun to reinforce learning, make the students feel comfortable, and want to do more learning. I use learning games, so the students find it enjoyable to learn new things. I also use rewards like praise, stickers and special awards for performance and trying in class.

　　Why do I like Maple Leaf Students? Why do I like MLIS?

　　• I love the children at MLIS because while they are at school, they are my children. I admire and respect my teaching peers. I am proud to be a part of this warm community.

　　1. What can I say about our little Maple Leafers? They are all special and have a great future ahead of them in your huge country. We get them to do something different every day and keep them growing as a strong person.

　　2. What's the biggest advantage of MLIS? It is developing a culture and ethos as a renowned school, a school of first choice for those that want to go to foreign universities, and a place where a student's development is put first.

　　3. What are the differences between MLIS and other schools? The biggest differences are:

　　• the dedicated teachers,

　　• the first-rate facilities for teaching in each classroom,

　　• and the continual pursuit of English development for students with many and varied activities such as speech making, sports days and talent shows. 枫叶百人故事