Ms. Wang

24 Mar 2022

This article in the We Are Hiba series is by Ms. Wang, whose son, Andy, is in grade 8 at Hiba Academy Hangzhou. Andy was attending a local school until grade 4 before joining Hiba in 2018 as one of our founding families. Ms. Wang shared her thoughts on choosing Hiba for her son and the positive changes she has witnessed in Andy.

Andy and his parents

Choosing Hiba to

inspire intrinsic motivation

My husband and I graduated from universities at home, so we are aware of the pros and cons of local schools. After learning that one of our friends in Shanghai transferred their child into a bilingual school from a local school, we were intrigued by the idea. We had the same mindset to give Andy a learning environment that inspires his intrinsic motivation, a place where he can grow to be a kind and independent person. It was then that we read news about Wellington coming to Hangzhou, so we started right away to learn more. Hiba Academy Hangzhou upholds a value system that we recognise and educational methods and experiences inherited from Wellington College UK, not to mention that it is also an established brand thanks to its sister schools in Shanghai and Tianjin. These are the reasons we chose Hiba Academy Hangzhou.

Andy in his Science class

Learning to be courageous,

independent and confident

My son was an introverted boy. Teachers at Hiba set rigorous academic bars for pupils in a safe environment where they are allowed to make mistakes. It encourages them to have courage and try. After joining Hiba, Andy gradually lowered his defense and has become an articulate pupil in class.

Andy loves reading, so his English teacher and the librarians recommended a variety of books for him, and his reading enthusiasm was sparked by the reading challenge set by the librarians. Andy has read over four billion words in English to date. It was such a rewarding experience and his English improved dramatically.

Andy filming a video with Deputy Head of Junior High Mr. Zhao

Andy loves reading, so his English teacher and the librarians recommended a variety of books for him, and his reading enthusiasm was sparked by the reading challenge set by the librarians. Andy has read over four million words in English to date. It was such a rewarding experience and his English improved dramatically.

Under the guidance of his Maths teacher, Andy has become increasingly interested in learning. He won the first prize in China in the Maths League competition when he was in grade 5 and represented the school to compete in the final in the US. He learned Euclid's Elements by himself in grade 7 and won third place in China in the AMC8 competition. Now as a grade 8 pupil, he continued his Maths journey and participated in AMC8 again and the UKMT maths competition. The results are pending.

Andy in his Maths class

After more than three years at Hiba, Andy has become more optimistic, independent and confident. He became a boarder in grade 7, made many friends there and became quite organised when it comes to his learning. We were both surprised and pleased.

Fun with full engagement and

active participation

The Sports Day at Hiba, where all pupils are engaged, is incredibly impressive. Every child participates in various sports events instead of simply watching the game from the spectators’ seat. Andy had not experienced anything like this at his previous local school. He joined the football team at grade 5. The coach comes from the UK, and he is professional and caring, allowing the team to enjoy the fun of competing in fixtures.

Andy in his PE class

Hiba Values of being

kind and independent

For us, being kind and independent are the two most important Hiba values. We want Andy to be kind, learn to respect and accept himself and others, where he acknowledges his feelings and can think differently with compassion. We also want Andy to be independent, to be able to shoulder responsibility with courage.

Hiba Academy Hangzhou

Ms. Wang

Ms. Zhou

Interviewing the Principal of Hiba Academy Hangzhou