JESIE held its Summer Orientation Workshop during the last week of August. New and returning teachers gathered in Nanjing to get to know each other, discover and improve teaching methods and more.

The workshop started with the introduction of the members of the administration and head teachers from Wuxi and Nanjing, after which new teachers were asked to introduce themselves. These brief introductions were followed by an overview of the orientation schedule and a short presentation of JESIE.

Before diving into the main topic of the training session, teaching, a few talks were given to the new teachers to help them get familiar with the Chinese culture, including the workplace, everyday life, legal matters such as laws and regulation pertaining to work visas, residence permits, as well as some safety tips.

While most of these talks were given by JESIE head teachers and staff members, two policemen were invited to explain the Chinese regulations and a Chinese teacher came to share her experience in the field. She illustrated how different ways of thinking and cross-cultural communications can sometimes create misunderstandings. Chinese teachers' daily work, however, was the main focus of her presentation.

When it comes to the workload in Chinese public schools, foreign teachers are on holiday compared to their Chinese colleagues. For example, during their first five years, they must submit hand-written lesson plans. This ensures that the teachers will remember how to write the characters. They must also read several books about education and write articles about them, all that in addition to the mountains of corrections that pile up on their desks every day.

Throughout the week, experienced teachers gave presentations on various aspects of teaching. What makes a good teacher? What are the ESL/EFL methods, techniques and strategies used in JESIE classrooms? What are good games? What are the most common mistakes to avoid? One teacher who has been with JESIE for a year shared his good calls and talked about what mistakes he made during his first year.

The wide array of knowledge and experience from different teachers presented during this orientation session gave both new and experienced teachers useful tools to start the new school year.