On October 24, amid light rain and autumn breeze, more than 320 principals, teachers and external guests from SUIS and its entrusted schools gathered in Wuxi for the 2026 Xiehe Cross-Campus Autumn Teachers Professional Development Day. Organized by the School Management Department of Xiehe Education Centre and hosted by WUIS/SUIS Wuxi, the event adopted the theme “Health First: A Diverse Ecosystem, A Balanced Community”. It explored how schools understand and safeguard the physical and mental wellbeing of teachers and students as well as whole-person education, at a time when global education enters an era of “cross-boundary integration” and AI permeates schools and classrooms at an unprecedented pace. The morning main-venue programme was live-streamed to other SUIS branch venues, attracting nearly 2,000 SUIS principals and teachers online.
The morning session was hosted by Ms Jenny Chen, Deputy Director of the School Management Department, Xiehe Education Centre. As a warm-up, Tony and Andy, teachers from WUIS/SUIS Wuxi, energised the gathering with the song 500 Miles. All participants received a special gift: seed-embedded name badges holding dormant seeds, symbolising hope and growth for every member of Xiehe Education.
Opening Address
Keynote Speech
Mr. Hao Hou, Founder & CEO of SKT Education Group, delivered the keynote speech Mission and Future of Educational Innovation in the AI Era. He argued that intelligence has become a measurable, purchasable production resource just like water, electricity and gas. As AI handles long-chain complex tasks at decreasing costs, education must rethink talent development. Faced with AI, education needs to answer three core questions: about competence, knowledge and meaning. He proposed that education shall prioritise students’ metacognition, AI literacy and higher-order thinking, drive learning through authentic tasks, and safeguard physical and mental wellbeing. Teachers shall evolve from knowledge deliverers into educators who recognise and ignite student potential.
Panel Discussion
The panel discussion Finding the Right Balance: Healthy Growth and Future Readiness through Diverse Educational Perspectives was moderated by Mr Tianchen Luo, Vice-Principal and Head of Middle School at SUIS Hefei. Five-cross disciplinary educators from different SUIS campuses engaged in interdisciplinary dialogue. They explored the dividing line between constructive and excessive pressure, as well as tensions between wellbeing and mental resilience, raising the key question: when should schools protect children, and when should they allow them to go through “manageable hardship”?
The panel reached shared conclusions: student anxiety mostly stems from assessment approaches rather than subject difficulty. Evaluation should tolerate mistakes and value exploratory processes. Mental resilience is rooted in teacher-student relationships. Teacher-student wellbeing shall be embedded into daily school operations, supported by a dedicated teacher wellbeing centre.
SUIS Flash Talks
- Ms Susan Qin, music teacher at SUIS Gubei, spoke of “growing through education and co-existing through music”.
- Mr Shawn Yin, English teacher at SUIS Wanyuan, reflected on “free learning and relaxed growth” as first lessons of mental health.
- Mr Oney Shen, school counsellor at SUIS Shangyin, told how he evolved from a SUIS student to a caring wellbeing educator, staying true to his mission to guard inner light.
- Mr Michael Yang, mathematics teacher at WUIS/SUIS Wuxi, used the metaphor “one tree, two sets of growth rings” to illustrate rooting and thriving within the Xiehe ecosystem.
Four alumni teachers, through their own inspiring growth stories at Xiehe, jointly confirm that it is the inclusive, encouraging, well-balanced educational ecosystem in Xiehe that nurtures the teacher-student bond and humanistic connections that AI cannot replace.
Certificate Presentation for Parallel Seminars
Towards the close of the morning session, leaders from Xiehe Education Centre and SUIS campuses presented certificates to facilitators and presenters of afternoon parallel seminars, expressing sincere gratitude to every Xiehe educator willing to share professional insights and experiences.
Parallel Seminars
Thirteen parallel seminars ran simultaneously in the afternoon, covering Philosophy for Children(P4C), Mathematics, Primary Inquiry, Integrated Middle-School Humanities, STEM/STEAM, PE and sports, Fine Arts & Music, Drama, Counselling & Pastoral Care, Library & Resource Centre, AI-Empowered Teaching, International Teacher Training and Student-Led Summit, and Music Theropy. Nearly 40 presentations and workshops featured more than 50 facilitators and presenters sharing on-campus practical experience. Over 300 principals and teachers participated for in-depth discussion on relevant topics.
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Closing Remarks
This Xiehe Cross-Campus Autumn Teachers Professional Development Day offered in-depth deliberation on the “Health First” educational philosophy. It connected Xiehe educators from different campuses through genuine dialogue for mutual inspiration. The balanced wellbeing of teachers will ultimately pass on to students, and the healthy growth of educators will nourish the whole educational ecosystem.
