This article was featured in the South China Morning Post. See more of AIS In The Press.
For many people, the sharpest memories of their younger years include first days at a new school and the mix of new impressions and sensations that went with it.
But while the predominant emotions recalled in such cases are often anxiety or trepidation, it was something quite different for Charlotte Ng Cheuk Ling as she arrived to start Grade 7 at American International School (AIS) back in August.
“I was excited and prepared, as well as nervous,” says Ng, who previously attended a Hong Kong government primary school. “In the first two days, when a lot of information is thrown at you about schedules and where to go for lunch, I did feel a bit overwhelmed. But I had an assigned ‘buddy’ who took me to classes and showed me around the school, and all my classmates were very welcoming.”
After just a few weeks, Ng has clearly settled into the new environment. She has landed a role in an upcoming stage production, is thinking about writing scripts and directing, and has extra tuition from high school-level students to help out with some of the science subjects which were less familiar to her.
“Things are going well so far,” she says. “It has been easy to make friends, and people are always ready to help.”
For AIS, of course, that is very much by design. The school has a comprehensive and carefully thought out programme – and a team of counsellors – to welcome new students into the community and provide continuous support and guidance as they move up through the grades.
We want students to feel supported, safe, and empowered and aim to promote their development holistically.
The framework used draws extensively on the International School Counselor Association (ISCA) Student Standards. However, it also fully reflects the school’s core values of “justice, knowledge and love” with the broad objective of giving every pupil the self-confidence, mindset, and all-round skills to deal with the challenges life will present.
“We do care a lot about our students from orientation onwards,” says middle school counsellor Ms. Canaan Lee who, like her specialist colleagues, is a registered member of the ISCA and works closely with the school’s leadership team, as well as with homeroom and subject teachers, and parents. “On the first day, I reassure them that what they are feeling is normal, try to give peace of mind, and start to build a connection. I also ask them to observe themselves and the environment around them.”
This approach ties in with the school’s focus on social-emotional learning, or SEL, as a complementary and essential aspect of the curriculum.
Now a widely recognised educational method, it helps students of all ages to understand their own emotions more readily and value the importance of qualities like empathy, integrity, gratitude and kindness.
At AIS, once basic protocols and daily routines are understood, “weekly SEL lessons from the “Second Step Program” are taught to students from Early Childhood 1 up to Grade 4. There, homeroom teachers help students develop critical life skills such as setting goals, making better decisions, collaborating with others, and becoming more confident.
“Because it’s also important for the students to feel ‘seen’ and valued, we make ourselves visible every morning with a ‘meet and greet’ at the school gate,” says Ms. Monica Linden, early childhood and elementary counsellor. “We touch base, check in on them, and bring up little things we’ve noticed.”
Subsequently, the fundamental principles are reinforced and expanded with everything from leadership development programmes and projects for World Kindness Day to individual guidance on university courses and career choices.
As a result, students at every level know they always have someone to talk to about hopes, doubts, concerns and emotions.
But they also realise there are clearly defined expectations and responsibilities to meet at school, within one’s family, in the local community, and beyond.
“Especially if students are coming to a new school, a new city, and a new home environment, we make a special effort to connect with them on a one-to-one basis, exploring their different multicultural experiences, and take a tiered approach by collaborating with teachers and families. We want students to feel supported, safe, and empowered and aim to promote their development holistically” says high school counsellor Ms. Ingrid Luk Van. “To better understand what students are going through, we need to approach with compassion and develop our presence through both formal and informal contacts with SEL lessons, classroom visits, popping into the canteen and greeting students at the gate to check in on how the students are doing. As students move up to high school, we work with students not just with supporting their socio-emotional needs, but also exploring post-secondary pathways to prepare them for life beyond high school,” says Ms. Luk Van.
For those in the middle school years, when things can change so rapidly on a social-emotional level, care is taken not to force connections too quickly. Instead, it is more usual to find a common topic of conversation and then let things evolve gradually.
“Sometimes, it takes time,” says Ms. Lee. Noting that it is a school norm that students are expected to be supportive to each other beyond just as designated start-of-the-year buddies. “In middle school, it’s always about balance. As adults who care, we want to know what they are talking about, but we must also be transparent and give them space to grow on their own.”
