The School:
• Size:
Area: 5,400 square meters. Faculty: Thirteen full-time, two volunteer teachers from Xi'an, and four Teaching Fellows. Students: 202 students in Grades 1‐6.
• Facilities:
Teaching Building: Eight classrooms (including computer & music rooms), and a small library. Multi-purpose Building: Auditorium with seating for 240 people and multimedia equipment. Teachers’ Dormitory: Seven
rooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a dining room. Hot water is available both from a solar-powered source and two electric water heaters.
• Curriculum: Follows national standards, focusing on Chinese, mathematics and English. Yongfeng fellows are expected to concentrate on teaching several subjects. Current fellows teach English, Science, Art, Music and Physical Education. With support from the local government, the Xi'an Education Bureau is piloting projects to enhance the Yongfeng curriculum with the twin goals of benefitting Yongfeng’s students and developing effective methods that may be used more broadly to improve Chinese rural education. The Fellowship:
Teaching Fellows spend weekdays immersed in the Yongfeng community, working with the Yongfeng Elementary School principal and teachers to improve every aspect of students’ school experiences.
• Project‐Based Teaching: Fellows are expected to use their own experiences and knowledge to create a vibrant learning environment in a variety of classes. There is a focus on English and science classes, but fellows also instruct students in art, music, physical education, and computers depending on their strengths and interests.
• Extra‐Curricular Activities: Past fellows organized a school library, put together sports teams, developed special interest clubs, and worked with students on gardening and farming in the school garden. Fellows are encouraged to develop projects in line with their own interests.
• Teacher Training: Yongfeng fellows are a resource to the entire area around Yongfeng, and they are expected to pass their experiences with creative education on to other educators at local elementary and middle schools.
• Performance Tracking: The Yongfeng Program plans to monitor the progress of its graduates. This data will be used to measure the impact of the program, aid students with future educational financial needs, and develop policy at the school.
• Community Engagement: Work with local partners on initiatives to improve local life. Once again, fellows are encouraged to develop projects that they find challenging and stimulating. Now in the fourth year of the program, we are excited to continue the momentum that the first three pairs of Yongfeng fellows have brought to the school and the community. We are looking for two creative, self-driven teaching fellows to continue making an impact on the students at Yongfeng School. The fellows are expected to make a minimum commitment of one year at the school. Qualifications:
• Proficient in Mandarin
• Flexible, able to work well in unpredictable situations
• Self‐driven, responsible, approachable, and well organized
• Creative, especially when working with limited resources
• Interested in teaching and community work
• Well‐rounded with a background in science, music, and/or art is a plus
