Do you still remember your favorite poem during high school or some other important periods in your life? Why is it that decades later it still stands out in your mind? Probably the main reason is that some aspect of that poem resonates (产生共鸣) with you. In the same way, you too as a school leader can touch the hearts of your teachers and students.

Poetry allows us to experience strong spiritual connections to things around us and to the past. The power that poetry has displayed over time and across cultures actually satisfies this common need of the human heart and soul.

As one of the oldest art forms, poetry has successfully connected carious parts of humanity (人性) from one generation to another. Referring to poetry, Hillyer makes a simple yet meaningful statement,” With this key mankind unlocked his heart.”

School leaders can find and make use of the value of poetry for themselves, their students and their teachers. Beyond the simple use of poetry, techniques of poetry such as repetition (重复) can be sued to take advantage of the power of language to transform communication, create meaning and culture of care and attention.

Since schools are mainly about people and relationships, school leaders, like poets, are required to inspire and encourage the human heart. The use of poetry — or even of some techniques of poetry — in school leadership not only helps to improve communication, but also serves to meet the human need for inspiration.

My new friend Tom is good at English writing. One day, I asked him how he did so well in written English. He told me that he has a habit of keep a diary every day. "You can try them, too. I'm sure you will improve your written English quickly in this way, "he said. I thought Tom was right, but I decided to follow his advices. I started to write down something interested every day. Sometimes when I didn't know why to spell a word, I would look it up in a dictionary. When I didn't know how to write a sentence correct, I would ask my teacher for the help. My written English has really improved a lot because that.

Yours,

Li Hua

   How To Learn English Effectively

Have you ever tried to study English, but it turned out it’s too difficult for you? Well, let me tell you that the language is easy once you keep in mind these golden rules:

▲ Always study and review phrases, not individual words.

Did somebody give you a dictionary when you started learning your native language as a child? No? Then why do you keep using it when studying a foreign language? Memorizing individual words has absolutely no sense without the context. 【小题1】

▲ Don’t study grammar.

When you start thinking about what construction to use, you begin to stammer, stop sounding natural. Your responses should become automatic to master the language, so instead of studying theory – take more practice! When you speak, you don't have time for considering what tense is appropriate, one hundred percent correct. 【小题2】 Grammar is important in writing, not in speaking.

▲【小题3】

One of the most common mistakes when studying a foreign language is relying solely on textbooks. Thanks to them you may know a lot of grammar and vocabulary, but you're still not capable of conducting a conversation. It is because you should learn English by listening and not by reading. If you listen more, you'll grasp useful vocabulary and grammar without even realizing it and without memorizing!

▲ Learn English deeply.

Remember it's always about quality, not about quantity. 【小题4】 When memorizing the phrases (remember the first rule!) slowly, you put them into the deeper parts of your brain so they don't fade away quickly.

▲ Listen and answer, not listen and repeat.

【小题5】If you practice listening with a podcast or a video, pause it every 20 – 30 second and summarize what has been said. You have to think quickly, so you stop bothering yourself with useless grammar and start to speak the real, living language!

I’m glad to receive your e-mail and know that you are interesting in learning Chinese. It is well-known that Chinese is difficult to learn it. One can’t avoid making mistakes, to tell a truth, when learning a foreign language.

Here are some tip on how to learn Chinese. First, don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Making mistakes are a good way to learn what to say things right. Second, if you knew a Chinese friend, ask him or her to practise with you. Third, you should spend more time practising listening to Chinese and speaking it frequent.

I hope you will succeed learning Chinese. I am looking forward to hear from you. At last, you are welcome to China.

Yours,

Li Hua