Education to nurture kindness in Chinese children

In this update report, we are delighted to share the compelling story of Ms Joy (name changed for confidentiality), a teacher at Jian Yuan Primary School in Guangdong, China, whose remarkable journey vividly illustrates the profound impact of ACTAsia's Caring for Life (CFL) programme.  

Two years ago, Ms. Joy participated in ACTAsia's Earth Day activities with her students, using our Caring for Life Earth Day toolkit. She adopted the themes and materials from our Caring for Life (CFL) children's educational framework and seamlessly integrated them into her teaching practices. Drawing from ACTAsia's CFL program, Ms Joy is dedicated to instilling respect and compassion in her students, aiming to mould a future generation of change-makers. 

Ms. Joy is a passionate teacher who finds inspiration in the fresh perspectives children bring. She takes pleasure in employing innovative approaches to teach traditional Chinese culture. Her goal is to empower her students to become critical thinkers capable of building sustainable futures. Unsurprisingly, she is drawn to CFL and ACTAsia's Earth Day activities. 

Teaching a class of fifty eleven-year-olds, a standard class size in Chinese schools, Ms.Joy is often asked how she manages such a large group of young students. She chuckles and says, "I've become accustomed to it." She acknowledges that students' behaviour can be influenced by their school environment. Many of the children at her school come from families where their parents live far away, leaving them without the support and care associated with a strong family environment. This lack of stability can make some of her students more prone to behavioural issues. 

To Ms. Joy, teaching eleven-year-olds is a unique and crucial opportunity. 'I enjoy the growing maturity of that age,' she says. As these children grow up and approach adolescence, 'we need to give more guidance on how to be compassionate and good.' Ms. Joy emphasises that equipping students with tools for developing lifelong responsibility and care is especially important. This is one of the reasons she so firmly believes in teaching compassion through CFL. 'It is hard to train students to be better people,' she says. 'There are not many resources like CFL to provide students with a comprehensive, holistic education.'  

Addressing Climate Change with Caring for Life 

Ms. Joy discusses the ever-growing expectations and requirements of teachers. 'It is not just about teaching skills, but morals,' she says, 'not just about teaching children how to be good, but parents as well.' However, teachers are given minimal support in realising this goliath feat.  

ACTAsia's CFL education for children programme aims to support Asian children between 6 and 12 years old in developing a sense of compassion and responsibility for animals, people and the environment. Using education to promote the One Health concept, central to the CFL programme, is the interdependence of all living things.  

Ms Joy enlightens young minds with a powerful lesson on Earth Day 2023 

For Earth Day, ACTAsia invites schools in Asia to share critical climate change and biodiversity concepts using materials and activities from our CFL framework. Ms. Joy has participated in these activities with these students for the past two years.  

Ms. Joy was first introduced to CFL as an undergraduate student, where she underwent professional training. 'The training influenced the content I teach in class,' she says. Her initiative to incorporate CFL into her teaching is nothing short of inspirational. As Jian Yuan Primary School is not an ACTAsia pioneer school, using CFL themes in her lessons is her own independent project. This is a testament to Ms. Joy's belief in and understanding of the importance of building compassion through environmental and humane education. She is the only teacher in her school to conduct biodiversity and climate change lessons.  

If birds lose their home, we, too, will soon lose our home. 

The Earth Day activities have a significant impact, according to Ms. Joy The children are shocked to learn about the environmental deterioration and are motivated to take action. Without CFL, it is difficult for students to comprehend and address climate change as they lack guidance in protecting the environment. 

What stands out most to Ms. Joy about ACTAsia's CFL is its promotion of critical thinking and imagination among young learners. She shares stories of her students' profound responses to climate change during her Earth Day classes. She recalls a powerful and ominous painting created by one quiet, introverted girl, capturing both the despair of environmental degradation and the hope and determination for a better future. 

'A boy stood up and said, "Destroying forests is equal to destroying birds' homes. If birds lose their home, we, too, will soon lose our home.' 

ACTAsia's CFL materials ignite environmental awareness and action in students. "It marks a wonderful starting point for environmental protection," notes Ms. Joy. Ms. Joy's commitment extends to teaching Earth Day annually. She aims to integrate the full CFL curriculum into her school, making empathy, compassion, and the significance of safeguarding animals and the environment an integral part of everyday learning. 

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Ms Joy for her dedication to advancing our vision to educate and empower children, enabling them to be the change-makers of the future.