我与弘科的故事 | 从北京到中山：一位母亲的“择校冒险”与她的意外惊喜

2024年的夏天，我们做了—个最勇敢的决定——离开北京，搬到中山 。

对在北京生活了20年的我们来说，这不仅是换—个城市，更是给孩子选择—条新的成长之路。那时，我们唯—的念头就是：找到—所真正适合Angela的学校。

还记得第一次开车路过弘科校园，远远的校舍外观就让我心动。那份“不凡的气质”，让我瞬间联想到海外大学的氛围。当我看到校门口“IB教学体系”的介绍，再听到黄翔理事长——哈佛教育学硕士的办学理念，我几乎毫不犹豫就决定：就是这里了。

Angela从小在国际学校就读，原版英文书读得比中文多。入读弘科三年级后，英文课对她来说“太简单”，她甚至有些失落。就在我还在犯愁时，没想到老师主动联系我，提出让她去五年级上英文课。那一刻，我第一次真正体会到什么叫尊重孩子的个性化发展。

在王丽丽老师的鼓励下，Angela踏上了人生第一个大型舞台——IVY CUP常春藤杯英语演讲比赛。初赛我们几乎零准备，仓促提交视频后本以为会被淘汰，却意外晋级。

从第二轮开始，Amy老师和英语组长Mark老师手把手地指导，从选题到表达，从思维到自信。孩子从最初的紧张不安，到在广州线下比赛中自信演讲，最终荣获金奖。

Angela和Amy老师合影

Angela和Mark老师合影

最让我感动的是总决赛期间，我和先生因工作在北极无法陪伴。Mark老师亲自开车，既当老师又当家长，把Angela送到比赛现场。

当我在邮轮上通过直播，看见女儿穿着Moana裙子自信歌唱演讲时，泪水止不住滑落。短短四个月，她蜕变成了一个敢于表达、敢于闪耀的孩子。

除了英语的突破，这—年Angela在中文写作、艺术和体育上也有明显的进步。

她学会在语文课堂上大胆表达自己的想法，写作里开始出现更多细腻的情感和画面。她在艺术课上尝试绘画和手工，作品里常常有旅行的影子；在运动场上，她热爱网球和游泳，笑容比以前更有力量。

我常常觉得，这是一种全人教育的氛围，孩子不是被迫拔高， 而是自然地向阳而生。

除了课堂内的学习，我也见证了Angela在课外活动中的成长。Angela是一个善于探究、对生活和学习始终保持好奇心的孩子，她加入了由英语老师Joss创办的Secret English Club——这是专为小学部英语水平较高的孩子开设的兴趣社团。老师利用中午午休的时间为孩子们提供这一课程，让他们每周的午餐时间都有机会在轻松有趣、充满创造力的氛围中学习。

Joss老师告诉我，这一课程的核心目标是通过阅读经典名著来促进合作学习，通过对文学的共同热爱培养IB学习者素养，并给予孩子们更深入思考的机会，帮助他们在课堂之外获得成长，为面向未来做好准备。

在上一学年里，他们一起共读了《查理和巧克力工厂》，但不只是读书！孩子们真的亲手制作了巧克力，在课堂里烘焙了纸杯蛋糕，甚至自己创造了口香糖，从创意发想到完成制作，全程由孩子们独立完成。这种独特的过程让他们的眼界被打开，真正接触到了设计、发明以及商业世界的理念。

这种跨学科的学习环境让Angela深深着迷。她每次回家都会兴奋地对我说：“妈妈，这根本不像是在上课，更像是一场冒险！” 在这样的氛围中，孩子们的英语流利度和应用能力在不知不觉间自然提升，几乎毫不费力。

Angela还参加了英文戏剧老师Mtera的Drama Class。一个学期内，孩子们不仅学习表演技巧，更在合作中培养了创造力和沟通力。他们共同完成了《三只小猪》的英文戏剧表演，从角色分配、台词排练到舞台呈现，每一步都由孩子们亲自参与。

Angela在排练中常常笑声不断，但当真正走上舞台时，却能自信而投入地完成表演。那一刻，我看见她不仅在讲故事，更在用勇气和想象力表达自己。戏剧带给她的，不只是舞台上的掌声，更是内心的成长和团队的力量。

“三只小猪”的英文戏剧表演。Angela扮演的是猪妈妈，她排练时常常笑声不断，上台时更是自信大方。那—刻，我觉得学习不仅是知识的积累，更是情感与创造力的释放。

来到弘科后，我们一家也融入了一个温暖的社群。这里的家长们彼此交流育儿心得，老师们主动和家长保持紧密的沟通，每一次家长会、开放日都让我感受到：这不是一所“单向输出”的学校，而是真正把家长当作教育合伙人。

在这里，我不再是一个焦虑的“鸡娃妈妈”，而是一个陪伴孩子一起学习和成长的妈妈。

这一年，我最大的感悟是：教育，不是把孩子送上跑道就不断加速，而是找到她的节奏，帮助她走得更远。

Angela在弘科收获的不只是知识，更是自信、勇气、表达和创造力。

我常常想，如果孩子未来回望，会不会说：是这所学校，让她看见了更大的世界。

有人说，一所好学校的样子，是在孩子身上看见变化。

而在弘科，我看见的不只是孩子的变化，还有老师们身上那份专业、执着与大爱。

教育，不止是分数与排名，而是点亮孩子的心，赋予他们勇气与力量。

这一年，我与弘科的那些事，足以让我笃定：我们当初的选择没有错。

愿更多的孩子，也能在这里，找到属于自己的光芒。

In the summer of 2024, we made one of the bravest decisions of our lives — leaving Beijing and moving to Zhongshan.
For us, it wasn’t just about a new city. It was about giving our daughter, Angela, a new path to grow. Our only thought at that time: find a school that truly fits her.

I still remember the first time I drove past Hongke Ardingly Future School. From afar, the campus already captivated me with its unique aura — it reminded me of world-class universities overseas. Learning that the school embraced the IB curriculum, and hearing Principal Simon, a Harvard-educated scholar, share his vision, I knew immediately: this was the right place.

Angela had attended international schools since kindergarten and read more English books than Chinese ones. When she joined Grade 3 at Ardingly, she found English classes “too easy” and felt a bit bored. Before I even raised my concern, the school reached out proactively — recommending her to join Grade 5 English.

That was the moment I truly understood what it means to respect a child’s individual growth.

With the gentle encouragement of Amy Wang, Angela joined her very first big stage — the IVY CUP English Speech Competition.

For the preliminary round, we submitted a video at the very last minute, with zero preparation. I thought we would be eliminated for sure. But to our surprise, she advanced!

From the second round onward, Amy and Mark guided her step by step — from choosing the right topic, to shaping her ideas, to building confidence. Angela transformed from a nervous little girl to a confident speaker who shone on stage in Guangzhou — winning the Gold Award.

Angela with teacher Amy

Angela with teacher Mark

For the finals, the teachers continued to guide and coach Angela tirelessly, even during summer break. While my husband and I were away for work in the Arctic, it was Mark who personally drove her to the competition — being both a teacher and a guardian.

On the cruise, as I watched the livestream of my daughter in her Moana dress, speaking and singing with confidence, I couldn’t hold back my tears. In just four months, she had blossomed into a child who dares to speak and dares to shine.

Beyond English, Angela also grew in Chinese writing, arts, and sports this year.

She learned to speak up with confidence in Chinese class, and her writing began to show richer emotions and imagery. In art, she experimented with painting and crafts — often inspired by her travels. On the sports field, she discovered a love for tennis and swimming, her smile radiating more strength than ever before.

I often feel this is the essence of holistic education — children are not forced to grow, but instead flourish naturally, like flowers reaching for the sun.

Beyond her classroom education, I also witnessed Angela’s development as a result of her extracurricular activities. Angela, who is an inquirer and always curious about life and learning, joined the Secret English Club for advanced English learners in the primary school, created by English teacher Joss. The teacher provided her CCA in the nap time so that students would have an opportunity to learn during the lunch breaks each week, assisting students to learn through fun and creativity.

Teacher Joss told me that the main focus of the CCA is to promote collaborative learning based on famous texts, cultivate the IB Learner Profile attributes through a shared love of literature, and offer opportunities to think deeper, cultivating growth beyond school, and preparing students to be world-ready.

In the last academic year, they read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory together — but not just reading! They actually made chocolates, baked cupcakes in class, and created their own bubblegum, a process handled by the children from inception to completion. Creating a marketable product in a unique way that opened their eyes to the process of design, invention, and the business world. 

The interdisciplinary environment appealed to Angela, and she always came home excited, saying, “Mom, it didn’t feel like studying at all. It felt like an adventure!” In such an atmosphere, the children’s English fluency and application skills improved naturally, almost effortlessly.

Angela also joined the Drama Class led by English drama teacher Mtera. Over a semester, the children not only learned acting skills but also developed creativity and communication through collaboration. They worked together to perform The Three Little Pigs in English — from assigning roles and rehearsing lines to presenting on stage.

Angela often laughed during rehearsals, but on stage she was confident, expressive, and fully engaged. At that moment, I saw her not just telling a story, but expressing herself with courage and imagination. What drama gave her went far beyond applause — it nurtured inner growth and the power of teamwork.

Since joining Ardingly, our family has also become part of a warm community. Parents share parenting insights, and teachers maintain open, proactive communication with us. Every parent meeting and open day makes me realize: this is not a school that “teaches from the top down,” but one that treats parents as true partners in education.

Here, I am no longer an anxious “pushy mom.” Instead, I am a mother walking hand-in-hand with my child on her learning journey.

My biggest realization this year is this: education is not about putting a child on a racetrack and making her run faster. It’s about finding her rhythm, and helping her go further.
What Angela has gained at Ardingly is not just knowledge, but confidence, courage, voice, and creativity.

I often wonder — when she looks back years later, will she say: it was this school that helped her see a bigger world?

They say a great school is reflected in the transformation of its students.

At ACZS, I witnessed not only my child’s transformation, but also the professionalism, dedication, and love of her teachers.

Education is not merely about grades or rankings — it is about lighting up a child’s heart, giving them courage and strength.

This one year with Ardingly has convinced me that our decision was right.

I hope more children, too, can find their own light here.