The opportunity to work at Morgan Rothschild
academy came to me in the fall of 2011.
I knew this was a chance to do something special, and an opportunity I just couldn’t pass up. The months that followed were filled with questions and answers about work, living, and moving. Each step of the way was guided by Morgan, who made the process of moving to China as smooth as possible. I arrived in Shanghai in August 2012 not knowing what to expect and excited for an adventure. I knew enough to feel like I was ready to get started, being the planner that I am at heart, but there were many things I’d found I just had to file under “I’ll find out when I get there.”
Well, I have been here for just over two and a
half months, and I have been delighted by the experience of teaching at Morgan
Rothschild Academy and living in Shanghai.
The school has more than exceeded my expectations as far as teaching and
working is concerned. I am an Early
Childhood Teacher, trained in the Reggio Way and I was interested to see how I
could balance my beliefs and techniques with the schedule demands and strict
curriculum that come with international education and teaching in a
multi-lingual school. I was glad to
find, over the first few weeks, that though our curriculum does need to be
followed, there is an honest flexibility that I think is
very difficult to come by in most educational systems with such structure. I find that meeting with Morgan, letting him
know the plans I have for my students and my classroom, is all it really takes
to put my educational philosophy to work.
I have definitely been able to bring the techniques that I adapted
during my time at Central Michigan University’s Child Development and Learning
Lab and my visit to Reggio Emilia, Italy into my classroom. So far, I’ve been able to create an open and
welcoming area for art exploration to ensue.
I have seen my toddlers beginning to explore their own creativity, which
is very inspiring.
Living in Shanghai is wonderful, yet still new,
for me. The initial culture shock is a
little daunting, but Shanghai is a very expat friendly city. There is always something to do, see, and
experience. I have loved learning the
Chinese culture and language. Several
positives that I’ve noticed here are that there is great public transportation,
living here is not expensive, it is easy to travel within China, and most
importantly, Shanghai is a very fun city!
I think that my favorite thing about living here is that although
Shanghai is a very international city, where you can meet and learn about
people from all over the world, we get to live and work in a part of town that
affords us the opportunity to learn and experience the Chinese way of life on a
daily basis.
I wouldn’t think twice about recommending
pursuit of this opportunity at Morgan Rothschild Academy to anyone with a sense
of adventure and a passion for teaching in an early childhood setting. It has been an experience that I am extremely
grateful for, and wouldn’t change for the world.
Sincerely,
Alexandra
B.
Toddler
Teacher at Morgan Rothschild Academy 2012-2013
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