Fall 2009 - 01

Dear Friends:

How time has flown! It has been twenty years since I was first involved with the Chinese School of CAACF.  I was a teacher for the first 16 years and an administrator for the last 4 years.  Through countless Chinese Teaching conferences and seminars in these 20 years, I have learned not only the most updated overseas Chinese teaching resources and techniques but have improved my teaching skills and capabilities.  I have had two opportunities in the most recent three years to go to Taiwan for teaching training.  I attended an internet teachers training camp 3 years ago and I deeply realized how urgent overseas Chinese teaching would be.  The other trip was for a 3-week Chinese Teachers Forum held in this summer.  I am even more determined to push Chinese web teaching by attending a 3-day global Chinese Internet Education Conference from June 18th to 21st.

I was recruited by Angie Chow, then principal to join the teaching team when I registered my daughter for Chinese School. Mrs. Conchita Hsu, the past principal, hired me as an Academic Administrator 4 years ago to let me have an overall understanding of the system of school and classes. I feel deeply related to the school through devotion, learning experience, and growth in these 20 years.  Going to Chinese School on Saturday afternoons is a natural and important part of my life.  Therefore, when the School Board offered me the principal position of the Chinese School, with careful consideration and the support of my husband, I accepted the offer to be the next principal to lead the school to continue the overseas Chinese teaching and to glorify the Chinese Culture.

All the courses of Fall Semester 2009 are arranged through the existing school system, which consists of 5 tracks: Traditional Phonetic Track, Simplified Pin-Yin Track, Bilingual Track, Cantonese Track and Adult Chinese Conversation Track. 
There are 23 language classes in total. As to the Culture Session, there are Chinese Calligraphy, Kong Fu, Chinese Chess/Go, Chinese Folk Dance, Chinese Conversation, Chinese Yo Yo, Music, Chess and Hip Hop Dance; 10 classes in total.  After 2-hour intensive language courses, students can select one session to enjoy getting acquainted to the Chinese Culture or getting some exercise. The highly respected SAT teacher from Winter Springs High School, Mr. Daniel Robie, has agreed to offer SAT Preparation Session for high school students. This session will only be available in Fall semesters. SAT sessions will be conducted every other week on even number weeks, two hours per week.

As long as the curriculum of our school can fulfill the needs of the students and can be arranged in multi-facets; the management is willing to be humble; all teachers can devote their heart to teaching; if we see ourselves like full-time volunteers doing our best, no complaints, no regrets, then our school will eventually be highly recognized.  But the responsibilities of our school is more than just teaching students speaking, writing, and reading Chinese, the most important responsibility of an overseas Chinese School is to spread the history and culture of China, to promote the understanding of different cultures through teaching Chinese.

As a principal of Chinese School, my wish and expectation is to establish dialog between Chinese Community and the mainstream community, and to give back to the local community through Chinese School.  I wish the number of students can steadily grow, all students will improve their language skill daily, and their virtue can also be improved.  I wish each graduate of our school can love their parents, respect their teachers, speak no evil, and always have good thoughts.  I wish each one of them to be a good citizen.  I wish people can tell that they are the graduates from our Chinese School by just looking at them.  Although we can only offer three hours a week for them to learn Chinese, I believe all the students can grow through our guidance of love.

A successful school always needs the devoted efforts from parents, teachers, and the students.  If the Chinese School is a water bucket made of pieces of wood, then the principal will be that steel cord bounding all the pieces together.  As a principal of Chinese School, my responsibility is to create a harmonious environment to let everyone involved to respect each other, to work together to spread the Chinese Culture.  I am willing to serve with humble, with patience, with love, and with my heart to lead the school to a new level, and to set an example for our Chinese School.

Last but not least, I would like to thank the Chinese School Board to give me this opportunity to serve.  I will devote my best to this important task.  I also ask for your continuous support to our Chinese School.

Sincerely,

Shiow Chih Hwang    
Principal, The Chinese School of CAACF

敬愛的家長、老師、同學和朋友們： 大家好！

光陰似箭，轉眼間，我在學校服務已超過了二十年。前十六年從事小、中、大班的國語文教學，後四年則轉換跑道，擔任教務主任從事行政工作。在這二十年裏參加無數次華文教師研習營，不斷的自我鞭策自我充實，因而不但獲得最新海外教學的資訊與教法，又提升了自己教學的技巧和能力，可說是教學相長，如魚得水其樂無窮。在最近三年裏因緣極為殊勝，得以前後兩次回國接受師資培訓；一次是三年前回國參加網路種子教師培訓營，深切體悟海外華語文數位化教學的推動勢在必行；令一次即是這個暑假剛開始不久，便風塵僕僕回國參加為期三星期的美國地區華文教師回國研習班；在六月十八日到二十一日，更是躬逢其勝的參與了三天全球華文網路教育研討會，更加深了我對推動華文數位化教學的決心。

回想當年因為送小女到中文學校讀書，而接受魏安琪校長的邀請重拾教鞭，延續了我對教學的熱愛；四年前則接受俞孟貞校長的聘請，出任教務主任，對於學校的新體系，與及各班教學情況，有了全面的了解；二十年的付出、學習與成長，讓我對中文學校有了很深刻的認識和深厚的感情，每個星期六到中文學校上課，已是生活中很自然又重要的一部分，因此當校董會通過投票表決，聘請我擔任校長一職時，經過深思熟慮和外子的鼓勵支持之後，便義無反顧的答應出任校長，以帶領大家繼續為海外華文的教學，和弘揚中華文化做努力。

本學年所開設的語文課程，仍然按照既有的系統來安排，有傳統注音正體班、簡體拼音班 、雙語班、廣東班及成人會話班等共二十三班，而文化課程則有中國書法、 中國功夫、象棋/圍棋、中國民族舞蹈、中文會話、扯鈴、兒童音樂帶動唱、 西洋棋、嘻哈街舞、共十班，多彩多姿的文化課，讓剛上完兩堂語文課的學生，可輕鬆愉快的薰陶在中國文化和現代動感裏；而每年秋季班誠懇聘請冬春高中擅長教New SAT的Mr. Daniel Robie來教導高年級學生，以協助孩子及早準備，以便考SAT時可獲得高分，順利申請到理想中的大學，此堂課採取雙數週上課，每次上課兩小時，上課精彩且收費便宜，可說是大受歡迎。

學校課程安排極為充實又多元化，可說是滿足了各方的需求，只要校長用心謙卑經營，老師們用專業愛心教學，以全職志工的心態，無怨無悔的來從事教學或行政的工作，久而久之，學校必能遠近馳名，叫好又叫座；但中文學校的功能，豈只僅於教導學生說說中國話，寫寫中國字，讀讀中國書而已，它最重要的責任與使命，應是要透過語文教學，而達到宏揚中國五千年的悠久歷史文化，以便能打入主流社會，藉此宣導中國固有倫理道德，為維護當地社會的祥和，盡一份公民應盡的義務與責任。

以中文學校做為打入主流社會，回饋當地社會的橋樑，是末學勇於承擔校長一職，對自己最大的期許和願望，將透過各種教學活動，不遺餘力的來宣導推動，期望學校學生除了人數能繼續穩定成長，學生的語文程度能日見進步外；品德教育更是重要的一環，寄望每個從本校畢業的學生，都能孝順父母，尊重師長，且能口說好話，心存善念，身行好事；做一個既懂事又懂理的孩子，讓每個人一看到他們，就知道他們是中佛州中華學校畢業的。雖然中文學校僅提供一星期三個小時的學習，但只要用心妥善安排，且用心用愛來指引教導， 深信孩子必能從一棵幼苗，成為頂天立地的大樹，為家庭爭光，為社會國家服務奉獻。

一個學校的好壞成敗，一定要有親、師、生三方的配合和努力；如果說學校是一片片木板組合成的水桶，那校長就是將所有木片緊緊圈在一起的鉛線，如何讓學校成為一個合諧的大家庭，讓彼此能互相感恩、尊重、愛，心手相連為宏揚中華文化，創造永恆流傳的典範教育而努力，更是身為校長的重大責任與使命，我願意用愛心、用心、耐心、恆心、虛心五心級的心情和態度來為大家服務，期望能將學校帶入另一個新的旅程碑，也能為海外中文學校豎立一個新典範。

最後，感恩校董會的肯定、重視與信任，讓末學有機會來承擔和學習，末學將戰戰兢兢，全力以赴，將學校辦好以不辜負他們之所託 ，也懇請大家繼續支持中華學校，且不吝指教，無限感恩！
末學
黃秀治敬上