启明星人| 三里屯校区小学英文老师James Thomason：除了教书，他还会园艺、弹吉他、写歌……

启明星人 9/20

加入一个社区的理由可以有很多，但最能让我们对它产生归属感和认同感的，往往是它包容、暖心的小环境。

启明星就是这样的社区，20年来，大家受到启明星的感召加入它，又共同塑造它。

正值启明星创校20周年之际，我们决定走近20个“启明星人”，展示他们的故事，进而呈现20年的启明星社区丰富且真实的一个个侧面：

本期《启明星人》，让我们走近三里屯校区小学英文老师James Thomason：

James Thomason和学生在一起

启明星三里屯校园深藏闹市中心，但你知道吗，这里有个“秘密花园”，沿着围墙蜿蜿蜿蜒蜒，小小一块。

孩子们在这里亲近自然，参加园艺课，在果蔬成熟的季节，还能亲手摘下自己种成的黄瓜、番茄 、豌豆……交给餐厅的师傅烹饪好，端上大家的餐桌！在车水马龙的城市中心，这样的体验真是“世外桃源”！

花园里有位“专职”园丁——除了带孩子们做这些园艺活动，他还会时不时根据时令倒腾一下花园里的植物。他就是James Thomason，三里屯校区的小学英文老师。

James老师来自澳大利亚，在启明星十几年了。他原本在北皋校区工作，三里屯校区开始筹办，他就“转战”到这里。他说，喜欢并感恩社区给自己成长带来的亲切和归属感，所以他也特别有热情加入一个新社区的建设，享受那种从无到有的过程！

James一手创办了三里屯校区的园艺项目，他教给孩子们的，除了英文语言知识，还有宝贵的自然教育体验。他说，想要让学生对大自然产生情感。

说到为什么这么做，James说，这和他自己的经历大有关系。小时候他住在悉尼，但会时常到大自然里去，对他来说，这是一件非常幸运的事情：“我常去森林里散步，在家里的后花园玩耍，或者去海里游泳。大自然是让我们内心平和、放松心情的源泉，也让我能静下心来更好地认识自己。我想让学生们也获得和我一样的体验和收获！”

James和孩子们一起在花园里玩耍、播种和照料植物，不同班级、年级的孩子都为小花园的“成长”做出了贡献。现在，花园已经成为三里屯社区非常重要的一部分，园艺项目也成了三里屯校区的一张名片，一个特别受追捧的课后课！

孩子们收获很大！

跟着James老师在花园里工作，也是孩子们践行学校核心价值观的好机会——照顾花园里的幼苗，让他们的关爱的意识不断成长；堆肥计划让学生认识到，要以更负责的方式处理垃圾；孩子们还学会了珍惜和尊重花园里的各种小虫，是它们帮忙完成了所有重要的“施肥工作”。

James老师是英文教师，他带领孩子们参加的花园活动、参观展览，让孩子们在除去课堂学习之外的真实丰富场景中学习语言，让语言的学习真的“活”了起来！

三里屯校区还特别举办过“春季园艺节”。接连几个春天，三里屯全体社区成员都会在小花园里共同迎接和庆祝春天的到来。大朋友小朋友在花园里忙碌着，手上沾满泥土的芳香，享受一起劳作的乐趣！

小花园里收获的果实甚至被端到学校的餐桌上：有一年冬天，James和孩子们种出的南瓜做成南瓜汤；一些老师把花园里的辣椒做成酱料，带给同事们品尝；还有薄荷也被调制成特色茶、做成每周五下午的特色点心！

在孩子们面前，James老师也展示了除了老师、园丁的其他丰富“面孔”：他和孩子们一起运动、踢球，为孩子们弹吉他，组织孩子们参加可持续发展夏令营，修习联合国可持续发展目标课程，有时候也写写歌……在孩子们眼里，他是个温文尔雅但时不时为你带来特别体验和知识的老师！

孩子的成长是全人的成长，知识、技能、素养、眼界……都是他们向着“全人”方向成长的营养。很幸运，我们的三里屯校区拥有将教学延伸到课堂之外、带孩子们体验丰富世界的James老师！

他真的是位好“园丁”！

DAYSTARer 9/20

There are many reasons to join a community, but we experience the greatest sense of belonging from those with a warm, inclusive atmosphere.

Daystar is such a community. For over two decades, people have been inspired to join Daystar, and together we have shaped it. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of Daystar. In recognition of this moment, we decided to interview 20 Daystar community members so that they could tell their stories and present a detailed image of the Daystar community:

Today’s post is about James Thomason, English teacher at Daystar Sanlitun. 

James Thomason, English teacher at Daystar Sanlitun

The Daystar Sanlitun campus is nestled in a quiet corner of the downtown area. But did you know that we have a secret garden here? It is a small garden winding along a wall.

Here, students get close to nature, attend gardening classes, and, when the produce is ripe, they pick cucumbers, tomatoes, and peas that they planted themselves. They give the produce to the school cafeteria chefs, who will turn the vegetables into delicious dishes for students. It could be called a small paradise among the hustle and bustle of a busy city center.

The secret garden has an experienced gardener. In addition to leading gardening activities for the students, he takes care of the plants and changes them according to the seasons. This gardener is James Thomason, an elementary school English teacher at the Daystar Sanlitun campus.

James is from Australia and has worked at Daystar for over ten years. He initially worked at the Daystar Beigao campus, then moved to Sanlitun when the Sanlitun campus was first established. He said he was grateful for the sense of kindness and belonging he felt in the Beigao community, so he felt passionate as he helped build the new Sanlitun community and enjoyed the process of creating something from scratch.

James single-handedly initiated the garden project at the Sanlitun campus. In addition to teaching English, he introduces students to valuable experiences in nature education. “I want my students to be attached to nature,” said James.

Speaking of his motivation, he said it mainly comes from his own experience. When he was a kid, he lived in Sydney, but he often spent time in nature. He thinks this was an extremely lucky experience. James said, “I often took walks in the forest, played in my backyard garden, or swam in the ocean. Nature is a source of peace and relaxation for us. It allowed me to calm down and understand myself better. I want my students to have the same experience.”

James and the students play in the garden, plant seeds, and tend the plants. Students from all classes and grade levels have contributed to the growth of the small garden. Now, it has become a significant part of the Sanlitun community, and the garden project is a symbol of the Daystar Sanlitun campus and a popular after-school activity.

Students who attend the gardening class benefit the most.

Working with James in the garden is also a great opportunity for children to put Daystar’s core values into practice: taking care of the seedlings in the garden develops their awareness of caring about others; the composting project helps children realize the importance of dealing with waste in a more responsible way; students have even learned to cherish and respect the insects in the garden because they help with fertilization.

James is an English teacher. He takes the students to attend gardening activities and exhibitions to learn English in real-life scenarios outside of the campus to help bring language learning to life.

The Daystar Sanlitun campus has also held the Spring Gardening Festival. For several springs in a row, all members of the Sanlitun community have gathered in the garden to welcome and celebrate the arrival of spring. Students and adults are busy in the garden, their hands covered in rich soil, as they enjoy the fun of working together.

The produce harvested from the garden has even been served in the school cafeteria. One winter, the pumpkins harvested by James and the students were made into pumpkin soup. Some teachers used peppers from the garden to make chili sauce and shared it with their colleagues. Mint is also used to make special tea and desserts that are served on Fridays for afternoon tea.

For the students, James is more than just a teacher and a gardener: he plays sports like football with the students, plays guitar for them, organizes their participation in the Sustainable Development Summer Camp, teaches them about the United Nations SDGs, and writes songs now and then. He is a gentle and cultivated teacher who shares special knowledge and educational experiences.

Students grow in a comprehensive way. Knowledge, skill, accomplishment, and vision are all aspects that drive their growth toward becoming a complete person. We are fortunate to have James at the Daystar Sanlitun Campus. He is a teacher who extends teaching beyond the classroom and leads students in experiencing the richness of the world around them. 

He is truly a great “gardener!”

END

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