The WeareWellington project was started to gather together the thoughts and experiences of all kinds of people who make up the Wellington community. Teachers, pupils, parents and now interns have been kind enough to share their perspective of what Wellington is all about. Oscar Chambers arrived in August as part of our expanding internship programme, and now reflects on the experience as it nears completion.
When I first heard about the internship opportunity here, I knew it was something that I should go for. As an 18-year-old Wellingtonian with lots of different ideas about my own future, it seemed like an ideal place to get some perspective. I had previously lived in Hong Kong and studied in China before, so I was keen to come back to China not only to practise my linguistic skills, but also to see another side of the institution that educated me and get a concrete idea of what teaching is actually like.
After eight months working in the bilingual setting during the day, combined with morning and evening duties at The Hill boarding house at the international school, I can safely say that the internship has given me the opportunity to do all of this and more. Practically every day has required me to learn something new while completing plenty of varied and hands-on tasks. I’ve been assisting in classrooms, helping children with their phonics, numeracy and other key skills, getting involved in playtime activities, dance and singing sessions supervising pupils across a wide range of age ranges and developing learning spaces. It’s been a remarkably busy time, which is part of what has made it so rewarding.
Getting hands-on
From my first taste of working alongside the teachers at Wellington, I’d say that the most interesting and satisfying part of the job is seeing a child explore and then fully understand something new. Having completed Sixth Form so recently, it made me think about my own education and the steps I had to take when I was their age and just starting to use all kinds of different linguistic tools and types of reasoning. It’s a particularly engaging process in a bilingual setting; I come from a bilingual background (my mother is Taiwanese and my father is British), so while my bilingualism was fostered right from the beginning, it’s been a real eye-opener to see how challenging it is for children to learn in English as well as their native language. Furthermore, it’s been equally impressive to witness how confidently these children adapt to the concept and mechanics of bilingualism.
Some of my favourite memories of my internship here involve seeing the children progress – in ways both big and small – even in such a relatively short space of time. A particular highlight for me has been watching one boy, who initially was consistently struggling with his English (his automatic response to most questions was: “Shénme?”), finally begin to move away from monosyllabic answers and construct full sentences in English. It’s been a wonderful experience to see so many children grow and progress educationally.
Doing something meaningful
You often hear about companies where the interns are expected to do a lot of repetitive, non-creative menial tasks and not much else. That was definitely not my experience here. Of course, there’s been a fair bit of laminating and photocopying, but these things need to be done and they have been blended in with plenty of hands-on and creative tasks.
What I’m most proud of is that I have developed The Holistic Sensory Learning (HSL) Programme for the bilingual setting, which is something that I didn’t imagine I’d have the chance to do before I arrived. I feel privileged to know that Wellington was willing to give me the time, trust and resources to create something tangible and lasting. When I go, I’m leaving a programme outlined in two 50-page binders with separate English and Chinese editions; that’s not something you have the opportunity to do in an everyday office internship.
It’s also been great to put into practice what I was taught at Wellington College in England. I don’t just mean this in the sense of applying the knowledge I gained there either. Every day, I’ve been working in a professional environment where I’ve had to actively show the identity Wellington admires and demonstrate the importance of its system of values.
Discovering the international Wellington link
To be honest, I was not sure when I arrived if there would be much of a link between Wellington College in Shanghai and Wellington College in England. Back in England we were aware of the College’s presence in China, we heard occasional updates about its construction and development, but beyond that I wasn’t sure what to expect of it, because there wasn’t a human face to put to the name.
Coming here has shown me beyond any doubt that the pupils and staff in Shanghai are as much a part of Wellington as those who attend Wellington College in England. We have the same values up on our walls, we are instilling those same values in the pupils who come from all over the world, encouraging them to work together to become international citizens and be the best version of themselves. Given that Wellington College in Shanghai is taking children at a younger age than Wellington College in the UK, in a way it feels like the pupils I’ve worked with will grow up to become even more Wellingtonian than I am!
Final thoughts on being an intern at Wellington
I think that the most important lesson I’ve learned during my internship at Wellington is to not take myself too seriously. During your studies and future career, it’s important to work hard and be conscientious, but that doesn’t mean you have to overanalyse and worry about every little detail. As we are always saying to the pupils, it’s okay to make mistakes, to have problems and to be unsure about things. In short, the last eight months have taught me that it’s important to do your best, but also to have fun and not stress yourself out while doing it!
