“老师们很认真负责，孩子们很喜欢上他们的课程。现在的铺路石课程越来越丰富，也越来越成熟了。”

“There are so many great memories! The volunteer teachers loved interacting with us. When we got something wrong, the teacher encouraged us to try again. Everyone got a chance to answer questions. We got rewards whether we answer correctly or not. The teacher was very kind, she always said goodbye to us after class and chats with us before class.”

“I’m a student at Wenhe Primary School and also part of the Tianhua’an NCLC, has been participating in digital literacy program for two years. I am extremely grateful for the help Stepping Stones has given me. Besides teaching me the concepts and skills of digital literacy, the program aims to spark my creativity, encourage communication, develop critical thinking, and boost my confidence and courage to learn independently.”

• “Teacher, thank you for letting me know my strengths.”
• “Social-emotional learning has helped me a lot because it reduces my stress, makes me happier, and allows me to express myself freely. My favorite part is answering questions because I can say what I want without worrying about right or wrong.”
• “I liked the part where we used weather to express emotions because the rainbow was very beautiful.”
• “I loved the little lion emotion exercise because it taught me how to make peace with the little lion and not get angry.”
• “Social-emotional learning has been extremely helpful! It has taught us many things beyond just language, math, and English, improving our mood. Doing kind acts benefits both mind and body! Love yourself, love others, and make the world colorful.”

 “After the first week of classes，the children here said they were very willing to participate in Stepping Stones’ classes thus the number of students kept going up. The volunteers have a high attendance rate and are very serious and responsible in their service. Thanks to Stepping Stones and its volunteers.”

“Everyone (volunteer teachers) started as strangers, but now they can adjust the classroom pace according to the students’ adaptability. This all stems from the teachers’ diligent practice. Everyone treats each child sincerely, and a good emotional bond has also been established between teachers and students. Thanks to the Stepping Stones teachers and all volunteers for their support to Sunflower, and for the love and companionship they give to the children!”

“The teachers are very serious and responsible, and the children really enjoy their classes. Stepping Stones’ courses are becoming richer and more mature.”

“Stepping Stones English classes are more open and interesting, using the method of ‘learning through fun’ to motivate students. This can spark students’ interest in learning, and this is what education should look like.”

“This is Stepping Stones’ fourth year partnering with Houzhai Public Welfare Library to provide volunteer teachers. The volunteer teacher interacted tremendously well with the students and taught them through experience that English was a vocal cord muscle exercise which could help students learn to speak confidently. We could clearly see progress in the students’ speaking ability in the second week, from the students’ original awkward stutters and evasive postures to almost fluency and confidence with simple and common phrases. New confident smiles on the kids’ faces were proof of the gain in their knowledge.” 

“I”m a sixth-grader. I left Sunflower, one of Stepping stones’ teaching sites after two years of digital literacy program and several competitions. Coding has made me more confident, sharpened my thinking skills, and even improved my math.”

“I really appreciate the volunteer teachers’ encouragement and patience. There’s nothing I don’t like.”

“I’m deeply grateful to Stepping Stones, which gave me the opportunity to teach in Xiamen. I will always remember the kids and one of the most beautiful three weeks of my life. I received so much love from students and other volunteers. Again, thanks for giving me support when I struggled to teach at the beginning. I’m looking forward to volunteer with Stepping Stones in the future”.

“我对铺路石深感感激，他们给了我在厦门教学的机会。我将永远记得那些孩子和我生命中最美丽的三周。我从学生和其他志愿者那里收到了很多爱。再次感谢在我刚开始教学时给予我的支持，我期待着未来与铺路石一起继续做志愿工作。”

“志愿者老师喜欢和小朋友们互动，每次回答错误了还鼓励我们再试一遍，回答问题的时候给每一个小朋友机会来回答，每次回答正确或者回答错误都可以获得奖励！志愿者老师非常温柔，她会在每次下课的时候和我们说再见 ，每次还没上课的时候和我们聊天。”

• “老师谢谢你，让我知道了我的闪光点。”
• “社会情感学习对我的帮助很大，因为能让我压力变小，更快乐，想怎么说都可以。最喜欢回答问题的部份，因为可以把想说的话都说出来，不用管对错。”
• “我最喜欢用天气表达情感的部份，因为那个彩虹很好看。”
• “我最喜欢情绪小狮子，因为让我知道怎样和小狮子和好，不生气啦。”
• “社会情感学习对我非常有帮助！它让我们了解许多语数英意外的事，心情变好了。做出善良的举动，有益身心！爱自己，爱别人，让世界丰富多彩。”

“我参加了两年铺路石数字素养课程。我非常感谢铺路石给我的帮助。除了教我数字素养的概念和技能，项目还旨在激发我的创造力，鼓励沟通，发展批判性思维，并提高我的自信和独立学习的勇气。”

“铺路石的趣味语言活动更加开放、更有趣味性，以寓教于乐的形式调动学生的积极性，能激发学生的学习兴趣，这才是教育应该有的样子。”

“这是上海铺路石机构第四年对后宅公益图书馆的公益支教。志愿者老师加强与学生的互动并分享自己的学习经验，通过反复操练句子、单词、词串、短文等，帮助孩子们逐惭达到“脱口而出”。在支教第二周就可以看到孩子们的明显改变——从起初的尴尬结巴眼神闪躲到流畅交流简单的常用口语，看到孩子们扬在脸上的笑容，就知道他们颇有收获。”

“编程让我更自信，提升了我的思维能力，甚至提高了我的数学水平。”

“我最喜欢志愿者老师对我们的鼓励和耐心，没有最不喜欢的。”

“在开学一周后，小朋友们就说很喜欢上铺路石的课，所以学生人数越来越多！志愿者的出勤率高，在课程服务上也是非常认真负责。感谢铺路石和它的志愿者老师们！”

“大家（志愿者老师）从刚开始的陌生，到现在已经可以根据学生的适应性去调整课堂的节奏，都源于志愿者老师们的认真实践，大家能够诚恳地对待每一位小朋友，同时师生间也建立了良好的情感，感谢铺路石的志愿者老师们对太阳花的支持，给予小朋友的爱和陪伴！”

When he first came to Shanghai from Anhui Province to live with his mother, Zou Hao got enrolled in a migrant school located in a remote area of Shanghai.  Like many other migrant children, this 6-year-old boy was not even confident in his Mandarin, let alone having any interest in learning English. Scoring less than 40 points in his English exams, Hao did not see any point in learning the foreign language until his fourth summer in Shanghai, when Hao’s mother, Li Zhengfang, picked up a flyer from the village committee about Stepping Stones’ summer program and decided to sign him up. On the first day, Hao refused to go to the class, but eventually gave in under the condition that his Mom would stay with him in the classroom for the whole time. By the end of the very first class, he was absolutely amazed and dashed to his mom cheering:

“Mom, this class is so different! They did not speak a SINGLE Chinese word and it is super fun!”

Inspired by the distinctive study experience, his initial curiosity turned into an unprecedented learning passion. After completing the 2012 summer program, from September onwards, he commuted by himself to the community center every Saturday to attend Stepping Stone’s newly launched After-school Tuition Program. Encouraged by Stepping Stones’ volunteers, he was able to step outside of his comfort zone to communicate in English. His Mom even sectioned out a small space at home for him to practice his spoken English. By the time he graduated from primary school, he was able to score 85+ in his English tests. Although he had to return to his hometown to continue his middle school education, he is currently ranking top 3 in his class and just scored 96 points in his English mid-term exam this semester! Witnessing the dramatic effect on her own son, Li Zhengfang volunteered to help support Stepping Stones’ classes, and became a full-time staff in the village committee to coordinate the English program, which helps migrant children like her son to gain valuable experiences that they would not likely get elsewhere.

“Stepping Stones’ volunteers are very good to us. They are very kind, friendly, and “tender” when they teach us. If we make a mistake, they immediately correct us. The teachers also have very special ways to teach. I like to answer questions. If we get the answer right, they will give us sweets, or they smile and say : you’re great. […] The foreign teachers do not teach us like adults normally teach children. Instead, they communicate with us like other children do. They are very nice to us.  They play with us, and while we are playing, we are also learning a lot. […] My grade used to be just average. After taking the English program, I have a new understanding of English. Now my English grade is top-3 in class. I also help others if they do not understand a question.”

“These English courses correct my pronunciation, create a relaxed studying atmosphere, and make English easier. I have improved my English grade from 80 to 90. My greatest improvements are in listening and writing.”

“It took quite a bit of encouragement from friends to get me to the volunteer orientation session at Stepping Stones two years ago. I do not have children, it has been a long time since I was in a classroom and I was terrified of the mischief that 50 children might get up to. […] The orientation session convinced me that there is an urgent need for English speakers in migrant schools and that I could positively impact the children’s results at school. Stepping Stones provide a lot of very practical resources to develop a lesson plan and prepare for the classes. I have been very impressed with the quality of support and professionalism of all the staff at Stepping Stones. The children were in fact very well behaved, they were very excited to see us each week and I saw improvements in all their abilities over the course of each term. I usually left class smiling and made lots of new friends with co-teachers from many different countries. […] Most importantly I felt like I was actually making a contribution to local peoples lives. It is easy to get caught up in an expat bubble in Shanghai. Stepping Stones provided a link for me to understand a little more about what life is really like for many local people.”

 “我是在朋友的积极鼓励下才在两年前第一次参加铺路石的志愿者说明会的。我没有孩子，而且我自己不做学生已经有好长时间了，想到要面对50个孩子制造出的闹腾让我感到胆怯。…铺路石的说明会使我相信了对随迁子女学校英语教育的迫切需求，以及我能为改变这些孩子们的生活出一分力。铺路石提供了许多实用的资源供志愿者制作教案和备课，所有员工的专业性和他们提供的服务质量都让我印象深刻。孩子们其实非常乖巧，他们为每周能见到而我们兴奋，而我也见证了他们能力的逐渐提升。每次离开教室我都会忍不住微笑，我也和来自许多不同国家的其他老师成了朋友。…最重要的是，我感觉我切实地为当地人们的生活做出了贡献。 在中国生活很容易自我局限于外籍人士的小圈子，铺路石为我更多地了解当地人的生活提供了一个桥梁。”

“When I was approached to be part of this new, innovative scheme to provide children in more remote parts of China with English lessons taught by native speakers, I didn’t hesitate. I had loved teaching with Stepping Stones when I lived in China and now my week would provide me with forty minutes where I felt like I was back there. […] I knew teaching via videolink would be challenging at times but any problems that arose were not insurmountable. The biggest challenges were the variable Internet speed and not being physically present in the classroom to move amongst the students. The Internet speed varied from week to week. Some weeks there were no problems, whilst at other times there was a sound delay, which meant I needed to adapt my teaching to allow for this. Like all classrooms where I have taught in China, the students were eager to learn and well behaved. They sat in the same seat each week, so by having a seating plan on the wall above my computer, I was able to get the attention of any students I felt were becoming distracted. […] Each week, Ross at Stepping Stones provided me with a PowerPoint lesson. This formed the basis of my lesson. I found the student’s attention was highest when I was on full screen, so I added real objects to illustrate teaching points and used a small white board for incidental teaching or to play games. My lessons were revision of work already taught by the school’s English teacher. I found the students knew the content well but needed practice with pronunciation. This improved greatly over time along with the student’s confidence in participating and interacting with me. […] I have enjoyed this experience very much. It can be challenging, and you need to be adaptable, as you don’t have the same control over all the variables as you do in the classroom. It has been wonderful seeing the beaming smiles of the students as they arrive and leave our virtual classroom.”

“我叫Nola，曾经在中国住了很长一段时间，而其中在铺路石当志愿者的那段经历让我特别印象深刻与怀念。今年年初，当我得知又有了一个可以在美国就能帮到更偏远孩子们的机会的时候，我毫不犹豫地加入了。这样一来，我每周都能够有一段珍贵的时光可以和孩子们在一起，感觉自己好像回到了中国，回到了上海。网络把我们连接起来，给孩子们上英语课。在我开始正式上课之前，我能预料得到这将是非常不同的教学体验同时也伴随着很多挑战。而实战中发现，最大的挑战是特别捉摸不定的网速以及没法和孩子们直接近距离接触的限制。每周上课前，我都在祈祷，希望今天的网络顺一些，再顺一些，让我和孩子们感觉就是面对面的交流。但有时我们还是不得不面对声音与画面延时的问题，而我则将计就计，就按延时的进度来调整我的上课节奏。孩子们的表现和我预想中出奇的一致，他们是我见过最遵守课堂秩序的一群孩子们，我可以感受到每个孩子都很期待并且渴望这40分钟说英语的时间。为了能够和每个孩子都有互动，我把孩子们的座位表贴在了电脑上面的墙壁上，孩子们每周都坐在相同的位置，这样一来，我不仅可以叫得出每个孩子的名字，还能给那些快要开小差的孩子们来个“惊喜”。每周，铺路石的培训师Ross会发给我一个PPT的教案，也是我备课的基础。在教学中发现一个很有趣的地方，那就是当我把自己全屏的时候，孩子们的注意力是最集中的。于是，我就在我的课堂里加入了更多的实物教具，还准备了一块小白板，做些练习和英语小游戏。孩子们对上课的内容掌握的都很不错，只是他们的发音还需要好好练习。而过去的一学期的教学中，我看着他们不断地进步，从敢于开口说，到自信满满地与我交流互动。我真的特别享受这个过程与体验，这样的课堂比普通的课堂更难以管理，我们都做好了面对挑战和随时调整的准备，每次看到孩子们进出课堂时的笑脸，这一切真的太棒了！”

“大家好，我叫张博。上学期，我参加了学校开设的远程英语课堂，受益匪浅！在没参加课程之前，只是听老师讲，但是没有体验过，心里又是激动，又是害怕，因为我不敢大声地说英语，我怕同学嘲笑我，所以我一直很胆怯！第一次上课，看到外教老师很和蔼的笑容，我的心情舒坦多了！在心里暗暗地发誓，我要好好学英语，学口语，我要和老师大胆地开口说话！慢慢地，我已经习惯了这堂课，习惯了老师的上课方式，习惯了和同学们在一起学习的氛围……

美好的时光总是短暂的，一学期的课程结束了。从课程中，我学到了很多知识，学会了口语交流方式；锻炼了自己的胆量，我敢于大声说英语了，这一切的成果都要谢谢外教老师们！虽然我们相隔千里之远，但我感觉你们一直在我眼前，甚至动动鼠标都能看到你们，非常期待某一天你们能来到我们的学校，让我好好向你们学习！你们是我的榜样！

最后，谢谢学校给予我这次上课的机会，同时也感谢我的外教老师们，认识你们我很开心，很快乐，期待你们到来，祝你们暑假愉快！”

”原来我的英语实在不好，我就勤奋学英语。妈妈总是鼓励我，让我从简单学起，就这样我的英语成绩从差到普通，有时还是很不理想，但我从不灰心。后来我上了远程英语课堂，我的英语逐渐上升，现在都考八九十分了。妈妈很高兴，我也很高兴，我也下定决心学好英语，在这里我祝远程英语课堂的老师暑假快乐！“

“These kids really make my day! Since I’m not a native speaker , I wasn’t sure if I could teach the Chinese students, but I must say I’m so glad that I started doing this. I feel my English level is good enough and these kids give me so much back every week. I’m always happy after spending the time with them all.”

“I didn’t have a chance to say thank you for the opportunity to enjoy this marvellous experience at the school.  I enjoyed and learned a lot this year with my colleagues and my students.  I miss them already.”

“I’m one of the volunteers from New York University Shanghai and I wanted to write and tell you what a rewarding experience working with your organization has been for me.  The first day teaching, I was terrified that I wouldn’t be able to keep control of the children, let alone teach them anything worthwhile.  But I found that they were just as eager to learn as I was to teach, and that overcame any language barrier we had.  Coming back week after week and seeing more students repeat and understand the phrases we taught them was truly inspiring.”

“As a secondary education major, I wasn’t sure how teaching small children was going to work, but I decided to give it a shot anyway. I’m glad I did. On the whole, the kids seem enthusiastic and eager to prove themselves. Retention is pretty good. They absorb new ideas quickly. And sure, there are some bumpy days, but I know the place isn’t Bel-Air Academy. My partner and I always tell each other if we can impart a little English on a couple dozen Chinese kids – even if it’s just “I’m from Anhui!” or “Can I sit down?” – then it’s a good day. It’s also so entertaining to be around these kids who are full of energy, from different backgrounds, with different stories and different personalities… one kid tells me his dog’s name, another kid has both pinkies up his nose all the time and another one attacks “347 + 492” when I write it on the board, as his classmates shout corrections at him. We take in so much in the space of ninety minutes. It’s pretty awesome.”

“The current English curriculum in China emphasizes writing and reading but pays little attention to listening and speaking. Stepping Stones provides the service that we most need help with. I think Stepping Stones’ volunteers enjoy the interaction with our teachers. We started a program called Discussion Time last semester, in which our teachers practice oral English with Stepping Stones’ volunteers for about 20-30 minutes per week. The program has greatly helped the teachers.”

“Stepping Stones is a great project. It offers our students the opportunity to experience western culture and to improve their oral skills. Stepping Stones’ impact on the students is that they have become braver and more confident to speak, and more open. When I have doubts about pronunciation or grammar, I also ask for help from the volunteers.”

“Stepping Stones’ program’s impact on me is that I have the opportunity to communicate face to face with foreigners. In this way, my oral English has improved; it has made me braver to communicate in English. The impact on the students is that students have become more active, because the classes are very lively.”

“Volunteering broadens students’ vision. Volunteers bring fresh knowledge from the outside world and bring it to the students. This is what is lacking in our regular school classes. The volunteers raise students’ interest in English and make them like the subject more.”

“I think this trip exceeded my expectations, and definitely expanded my views on what is considered “rural,” in China, and also opened my eyes to the education system in rural areas. Honestly, before leaving on the trip, I was apprehensive about the environment and what awaited me in Taohuajiang. What did I get myself into, signing up for rural volunteering? What would the kids be like? What were their English levels? What were the teachers like? By the end of my first week in Taohuajiang, I felt more comfortable both in the town and at the school, which was aided by the wonderful teachers and students at the school. Furthermore, my experience really opened my eyes to the differences between the education systems between more urban and rural areas, allowing me to see how much more support those in rural areas need.”

“We really like the Stepping Stones voluntary English teaching programme at our school.  Students who join the programme become more interested in learning English.  They like your programme and the volunteers that come to our school.  We hope to see you again next school term.”

“Stepping Stones allows volunteers to enjoy an enriching experience with children from rural China and to explore the difference between Chinese cities. I learned to prepare a course, explain and teach it to the students.”

 “If you are considering taking part in a Volunteer Placement with Stepping Stones, definitely do it! The experience will offer a completely new view on China, give you the chance to make a very real difference to the lives of ambitious students, and be one of the most rewarding and inspirational things you do.”

“如果你在考虑参加铺路石的支教之行，那你一定要去！这次经历将会带给你一个关于中国的全新的视角，也会让你有机会切实地改变努力奋发的学生们的生活，这将是你做过的最有意义和最鼓舞人心的事。”

“I experienced how much power a teacher could have over his/her students so that being a teacher implies great responsibility. I want to dedicate myself to the education sector in the future.”

“Volunteering with EGRC and Stepping Stones allowed me to see firsthand the transformational and life-changing value of education. I had a fantastic time and experience and would highly recommend it to anyone considering it!”

“I learned how to deal with kids. Before I always thought they are annoying, but now I find them cute and smart. For the kids, I think it’s good for them to have a relaxing learning environment and a friendly teacher, because they are too stressed out at school… The highlight was on the last day when a student asked us if we could come next year. That was when I felt I succeeded as a teacher. ” 

“The training I received beforehand really helped me. I was feeling kind of nervous because it was the first time for me to ever teach children, let alone teach children English in a foreign country. But during the training I was given tips to help me make the children behave, ideas about games I could play during class. It brought me a lot of joy and also a sense of pride when students could answer my questions, especially when I tested them by asking somewhat difficult questions.”

“行前的培训真的帮助了我很多。我之前感到很紧张，因为这是我第一次教孩子，而且还是在外国教英语。但培训期间我学到了很多如何让学生们遵守纪律的小诀窍，还有课堂游戏的点子。当我看到学生们能回答出我提的问题，尤其是那些比较难的问题的时候，我感到非常快乐，还有一丝骄傲。

“I didn’t really know what to expect or didn’t really think much of what I should expect. I was surprised with Henan. You can still feel traditions you can’t easily grasp in the big cities. People are friendly, open and very curious. Our students were always playing with huge bugs, which made me smile a lot.”

“支教之行之前我完全不知道这次旅行会是什么样子。河南给了我一个惊喜。在那里你能感受到传统文化的遗迹，这在大城市里非常鲜有。人们都很友善，开放，和充满好奇心。我们的学生总是玩大虫子，这总是让我会心一笑。”