#imagineconcordia

Last fall, when we were deciding whether or not to begin this endeavor, many family, friends and colleagues tried convincing me that we'd be providing our children with this [insert oober-dramatic-emphasized voice here] amazing opportunity by bringing them to China. I understood that ... to an extent. I knew that there would be a new culture, a new language, new people, a new perspective. But after just being in Shanghai for one month, and after digging through all the muck and crap that we have dealt with, I can see the benefits far outweigh the setbacks. One of the pieces of our life that will be forever changed after having this experience is education.

I can't begin to tell you how thrilled I am about the kids' school. I whole-heartedly believe that we hand-picked the #1 international school in the world. At first glance, we saw test scores, standards and curriculum and thought, "hey, this will be a good fit." And now, I'm diving into some of the best parts of the school. There is a community here that I never could have created in my wildest dreams. Each day after school kids and parents gather on the playground to socialize, share experiences and stories, swap recommendations and tackle the "slushie place" together for a cold treat. I've also attended new parent meetings, elementary school parent meetings, back to school meetings and more.

Yesterday I participated in the best meeting yet. It was a general parent support organization (PSO) meeting to kick off the year. I was so moved that by the end I signed up to be room parents for both Cade and Layna's classrooms! I figured, hell, if I screw up too bad, I can always just blame it on being the newbie, right? :)

Anyway, the head of school said a few words at this meeting, and then he shared a story about how things work at Concordia. He said, "it's not about numbers, it's about stories." To prove that, he explained that at the beginning of the year they randomly divide all the 1300 student names amongst the school staff (giving each staff person roughly 9 names). Then at each meeting throughout the year, they go around the room and each staff person reads one name aloud from their list. As a group they then ask for God's prayers for that one child.

Can you imagine hearing that power? Those children's names read one after another around the room, as they jointly ask for a blessing? How fascinating!

It doesn't stop there.

The community of parents, staff, teachers, and volunteers help you find the best place to buy meat and produce (an enormous feat here in Shanghai!), how to get a cell phone (more to come on my experience soon!), and even where to get your hair did. They understand that if those necessities don't come easy, your whole day week can be thrown for a loop. And the teachers and administrators want you there all day, every day. They beg for parent involvement and then thank you endlessly for supporting their children.

Isn't that what I should be saying to them?


This school puts on pep rally's and cheers on their volleyball teams every Friday night with popcorn and hotdogs. They send communication from the head of school every other week to let you know what they are doing in classes. The teachers update their websites and send electronic newsletters weekly with pictures of our own children laughing and learning around their desks, and with their new friends. They truly believe and instill that "we are a small community of 24 million."

During the first week, I received personal notes from each teacher letting me know how the kids were doing since they were new. All the things I worried about as a parent were put to rest without asking. Alayna's teacher from South Africa wrote: "This week has been filled with laughter and sparkling eyes as we have spent time getting to know each other. Our classroom has been a hive of activity and I have had the amazing privilege of spending time with your child."

To some, this may be fluff, but for me, it means a lot to see the time and energy spent on saying just the right thing to feel comforted. Let me tell you, Concordia rocks!! And on top of how awesome this community of school friends is, the babes are even kicking butt in math, reading, Mandarin, and religion during the day, as well as co-curricular activities at night.

 We are busy here in Shanghai, and that's a good thing, because we miss y'all!