news&views Autumn 2019 | Page 56
The Canadian International
School of Guangzhou
Lorianne Tenove | All photos © Phil Bellchamber
Three years ago, I went to the Calgary City Teachers’ Convention to look at
resources for the organization I was working for at the time. I was about to
leave when I saw a booth advertising teaching and administrative positions at a
Canadian International School in Guangzhou, China.
Head Lorianne and one of her students
I spoke to the recruiters and the owner of the school
who invited my husband and me for an interview the
next day. When I went home that night and asked my
husband what he thought of moving to China, without
hesitation his words were “Yes, please!”
Thus began the journey of a lifetime. We arrived in
Guangzhou with four suitcases and some trepidation
about living in a country where we did not speak
the language, knew the food would be different, the
weather would be hot, and the city had a population
of fifteen million people.
I was originally hired as a principal but quickly
became the head of a pre-K to Grade 12 Canadian
International School, while my husband was hired
as its business manager.
The Canadian International School has a massive
campus that houses students from two years to
eighteen years old. It is an Alberta-accredited school
and all teachers must follow the Alberta curriculum.
56 | arta.net
There are four floors in each of the buildings, with
no elevators. Everything has to be carried up the
stairs, including heavy furniture — desks, tables, and
bookshelves — water, and paper. The classrooms are
air-conditioned, but the minute you step outside into
the open-aired halls, you feel like you are in a sauna.
The staff dress conservatively as well as
professionally; the men from Canada were so
uncomfortable because they had to wear long pants
and socks in 35°C, humid weather. My husband could
go through twelve shirts a day and some of the male
teachers who had not been outside of Canada wore wet
towels on their heads!
Every day, there were people everywhere in the
school cleaning, fixing things, constructing, and
delivering. We would always greet everyone with a
Ni Hao (hello in Mandarin) and were greeted back
with smiles.