Maggie Wang, Mother of Jerry camper

My son Jerry is currently an 8th grade student at Concordia International School Shanghai. Last summer vacation, my son attended a summer camp called beyond education. Prior to this, Jerry had never lived alone abroad except for some school trips and a weeklong living experience away from home. Choosing beyond education to be his first living abroad experience took some courage, but this decision proved to be a smart one. 

Jerry is a cautious and introverted boy. As his parents, we hoped our child could learn to think out of the box and be open to trying new things. With constantly increasing pressures, children have lost this opportunity to explore. That was why we felt we should entrust our son to John, and let Jerry enjoy the beauty of nature!

The three week camp life made Jerry step out of his comfort zone. During the first three days of the camp, Jerry had a hard time coping with jet lag, homesickness and the snoring sound of other students. These challenges almost made him want to run back home. (Thankfully, this did not happen because the U.S. is too far from home.) After that, Jerry participated in many activities, including mountain climbing, water rafting, boating, diving and the life of the western boy. These natural experiences completely changed Jerry’s attitude. In addition to this, Jerry also learned a lot from “The 6 Most Important Decisions You’ll Ever Make” program, helping him to make sound and effective choices. 

At the end of the camp, most of the children did not want to leave. John is their favorite; they even secretly said that they want John to be their father. beyond education is a big family full of love and care. John can be a teacher, a father and also a friend of the children. John can read the children’s minds, quoting Jerry, “Beyond Education is the best camp ever!”.