Meet Our Teachers
Teaching to Inquire, Innovate and Be Informed
Mr. Baxter is as passionate about teaching as he is about China. He
is able to combine both these passions at Keystone Academy, which
is what drew him from Tianjin. The vision and ambition of the school
is attractive to him – the fundamental idea that Keystone’s bilingual
and bicultural initiative takes Chinese culture as an equal partner. “My
earlier experience in international schools has been that the culture is
international and because they are in China, they will do some Chinese
things. For me that is not good enough. Chinese culture has to be taken
on as an equal partner,” he emphasizes.
If a student makes a mistake and fixes it,
he or she will always remember.
The Baxter style of teaching is also drawn from a deep and ancient view
of Chinese culture. As a Middle School Design teacher, he feels that
students must have a good understanding of materials. Learning only
on computers is not the right approach, according to him. This Design
teacher wants his students to be handling things and making things,
physically engaging with material; they should be able to make things,
they should be able to use tools, and they should be able to construct
things. This is, perhaps, inspired by the ancient Chinese approach which
states, tell me and I will forget, show me and I may remember, involve
me and I will understand. Though his novice teaching days leaned
towards an instructive style, Mr. Baxter now feels he allows his students
to explore, and learn through experience. “I allow my students to make
mistakes, mistakes is how they learn. If a student