It is the end of the school year which means that we will soon have to say goodbye to a few of our favourite teachers. This year, 13 middle school teachers are leaving or moving out of the middle school. Over the final weeks of school, The Direct Message will post an ‘Exit Interview’ that we conducted with each of these educators.
Check out all the Exit Interviews by clicking here: Exit Interviews
Huiney Xu
Years at AES: 5 years, 2017 - 2022
Next Stop: Shanghai
Courses Taught: Mandarin
What will you miss most about AES?
I will miss many people and feel fortunate that I was able to establish positive relationships with several teachers, students, and support staff. This is my first overseas experience and I did not have much living abroad experience. With friends, I explored and created unique and memorable experiences together. With students, I learned how to support them in learning one of the most difficult languages. The amazing supporting staff at AES made my life and teaching enjoyable and successful.
What is the best part about being a teacher at AES?
The best part of being a teacher at AES is the opportunity to engage, teach, and monitor the progress of my students. It brings me great joy to see my students thrive and overcome obstacles and barriers, using the language to communicate in the real life.
What are your plans for next year and what are your thoughts about this next step? (Please include where you will be and your work plan, if applicable.)
I will be going back home to Shanghai for a gap year. I haven’t seen family and friends for 3 years and miss them dearly. After the pandemic, I plan to work abroad again and will apply to another international school.
How do you hope your students and colleagues will remember you?
AES is such a great school with rich history and diversity. I hope they will remember me as a friendly and professional Mandarin teacher who is willing to share her language and culture and always willing to go the extra mile to ensure student success and achievement.
What message would you like to leave for the community at AES?
I learned so much while living in India and working at AES, about education, supporting students, and am grateful for the opportunity and experience. I will miss all of you very much and looking forward to visiting again in the near future.
What students had to say
Bomi, 8th grade
What will you remember about this teacher?
I think she was the only teacher who actually encouraged and made us work together among the teachers who only said to work collaboratively. Rather than making us memorize the words and ideas, she helped us to store and absorb information in a fun-active way. She also gave us the positive motivation that everyone can learn in their own pace which also gave me more courage and confidence.
What is a funny or memorable story that you have about this teacher? (class, WOW, coaching, after-school activities, etc.)
She has been my teacher for three whole MS years. 6th grade, as an Advisor, 7th and 8th, as a Mandarin teacher. And last year, during the severe pandemic period, she ran an ASA called Chinese Cooking. I was so interested and participated in the activity. One day, I accidentally cracked my pot during class but she encouraged me to start again. Even though I failed in cooking that day, the program was great fun for me because at least it made me focus on something when I'm not able to go outside. And learning how to cook other nations' food with other classmates was always exciting since I could talk with them and understand the new culture together!
What makes this teacher unique?
She was a teacher who kept the things she had said. When I told her that I was participating in ASIAC Tennis, she said she also wanted to play tennis with the students. And, she actually came to the tennis court every time we had practice and played with us. And whenever I recommended something to her, she always tried them and sent me pictures. She was a friendly teacher for me who tried to connect with students with empathy!
Aidan, 7th Grade
What will you remember about this teacher?
I will remember that she made class fun by making gimkits for class and helping us remember the materials in a very fun way and always helped us when needed.
What is a funny or memorable story that you have about this teacher? (class, WOW, coaching, after-school activities, etc.)
I remember that she joked that she was yi bai sui which is 100 years old when we were just learning how to count in mandarin
What makes this teacher unique?
What makes her unique is how we really got the hang of mandarin with her teaching, as my past teachers it was harder to study and they were not as good as ms Xu
Oakes, 6th Grade
What will you remember about this teacher?
I will definitely remember the way she teaches all of us Chinese in a way that makes everyone understand her.\
What is a funny or memorable story that you have about this teacher? (class, WOW, coaching, after-school activities, etc.)
A memorable moment is definitely WOW when we went rock climbing and she showed us all how to do it.
What makes this teacher unique?
She is unique because without her we will have to adapt to a new learning/teaching style and she has a heartfelt and gentle way of teaching.