Having a Canadian Child Overseas (not in Canada)?

For parents who are having their children overseas there are a number of things to consider.

NOTE: Check for "updates" to policies and processes of the embassy/consulate here are platforms that the Canadian Embassy in Beijing uses,

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/CanadaChina

Weibo:

https://www.weibo.com/canadaweibo

To get the weibo using Chinese (pinyin) "Jia Na Da Da Shi Guan" and it will be the first one of the Canadian/China Sino Pin.

@JiaZhong

If you would like to contact me for further assistance, please feel free to comment below with either your email or a form of contact, I'll reach out to you.

1. Wellness of Mother and Child

Contrary to popular belief China does have some nice hospitals and certainly some of the most dedicated doctors. There are things to consider Chinese maternity doctors very much prefer C-Section births because of the hastiness of them. This is not always necessary or recommended based on the individual giving birth. Please speak to your physician back home to get a trustworthy opinion if a doctor in China tells you otherwise.

Generally speaking flying pregnant is never "recommended" but, you can comfortably get on a plane from Toronto to Guangzhou at 32-34 weeks (latest), again though-speak to your doctor back home for a more precise opinion based on your situation.

Give birth in a place that you know you have mental supports, the month after birth is never easy, regardless of what lifestyle you have.

In China, they like to recommend you sit in the hospital a week after the birth for observation; its different from person to person, do what is best for your mental well-being and comfort. Bigger hospitals will have liaisons who can also help you get connected with emergency numbers to staff at that location as well as nurses or nannies who are trained and  hold a level of expertise in life after birth.

2. Time to take care of the child

Currently in China, Mothers are offered 5 months (an increase from the original, 3) to stay at home with payment. For Chinese citizens it is dependent (the payment accumulation) on the employer's social insurance plan with the government.

Fathers in China, have no time off. Our company offers a measly 3 days.

Realistically though for my wife and I, her supports were here in China and my work was as well. We didn't quite have as much available for us back in Canada and without my wife being a PR, we were going to need to cover the cost differences which...not easy.

Therefore a Nanny would be necessary as a teacher.

3. Citizenship

The citizenship process is the first step to getting back to Canada with your new-born baby Canadian. If one of the parents is not Canadian you will need a NOTARIZED (regardless of where it comes from) AND TRANSLATED (if the marriage license is from another country or in all French) document/paper trail that connects the parent to the child. Well, sorry let me clarify, which ever of the parents don't have the same family name as the child need to prove their connection.

For example, my wife didn't take my family name (for logistical reasons). Therefore, our son only holds my family name. This means, my wife needs to prove her connection to the child. A birth certificate with the parents listed on it, a "mother and baby" hospital record and/or marriage certificate (to me) will serve as "parentage proof".

Generally speaking you will receive or accumulate all documents need along the way (THROW NOTHING AWAY).

https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/ircc/migration/ircc/english/pdf/kits/citizen/cit0014e-2.pdf

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/application-forms-guides/application-citizenship-certificate-adults-minors.html

https://eservices.cic.gc.ca/epay/welcome.do?lang=en

4. Passports

A child can travel within the country of birth using only their birth certificate (in most cases), but when travelling internationally, the child must have a travel document such as, a passport. In China, with China Southern, we need our son's passport and in order to get that in due time, we need to have the ticket, this is a common problem. Fret not, show up, get on the phone with the airline if you are having difficulties or call the airline ahead and get the extension of a supervisor that can be reached during your appointment at the embassy.

Usually a passport cannot be issued until after a child has citizenship. In many cases such as my own, the child needs the passport right away as they are going to Canada at the end of the employment term for the Canadian citizen.

In these special cases, the citizenship and passport are completed concurrently, this is a long interview and appointment process. Essentially, the embassy does not like doing this because of the pressure it puts on time constraints and the bureaucratic background checks, current line ups of other citizens in the process, etc.

generally speaking, the sooner you get the citizenship for your child, the better/easier it is for you to get your passport. Arguably, you could say it is easier and cheaper to do both at the same time, but its similar to doing two things at one time. For the amount of paperwork involved its easy to forget a document there or here and forget to make duplicates of some documents that may be needed twice. 

https://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/china-chine/consular_services_consulaires/passport-passeport.aspx?lang=eng&view=d

https://eservices.cic.gc.ca/epay/welcome.do?lang=en

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/notices/notice-passport-canada-new-requirements-supporting-identity-documents-when-applying-passport.html

5. Accessibility

Aside from making a payment in your own currency directly to your government, nothing abroad is easily accessible and anyone who tells you it was an easy process is not being entirely honest with you or themselves. The amount of paperwork and stress that goes along with redoing or editing completed pages time and time again is ridiculous.

When abroad as a Canadian, it feels like you barely work with the Canadian government as the same systems available back home are actually much more of a hassle and headache to endure without losing your patience and saying "I will wait till I get home."

I highly recommend calling ahead of time and ensuring you are correctly informed on all the information provided not only here but on the actual Embassy's or Consulate's websites as well.

Most of the time during the process I was completing for my son's application, The Canadian government official websites were referenced and often times there are pieces of information missing or documents that are unable to be opened for a variety of reasons.

For all purposes of accessibility, having your child abroad is counter productive. But again there are a number of factors to consider. This particular case was based on my personal experience with the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, China.

Working as a Teacher in China under Contracts-KNOW...

You need to number one, take initiative to know your contractual and worker's rights anywhere you work. Not every employer is looking to make trouble for you and not every school is going to be entirely "careful" to not make mistakes that actually violate laws and labor practices in China either though. I have seen some individuals be taken advantage of while living and working here in China, but I have also seen some real "pieces of work" get more than they deserved out of a company as well. I'm here offering you some guidance on how to stay sane in the workplace and how to make sure you are not being taken advantage of.

After that bit of common sense though, its easy to know that as a human, you have rights. Being a foreigner in China can be a bit discouraging at times under a Chinese Employer because they claim to know everything and have you where they want you. That is not entirely true, ever really. As a foreigner, you actually have the backing of your embassy behind you, even after more serious situations generally speaking, the embassy is going to do what they can to ensure that you are treated fairly.

Recently, I have come across information that the PRC has issued an extended holiday in May of 2 days. That may not seem like a lot but if you are not paid overtime or get the time off, wait until you do the math.

(Taken from: ecovis.com)

• On working days: 150%
• On weekends: 200%
• On public holidays: 300%

Under the comprehensive work hour system, overtime is calculated as follows:

• Beyond ordinary shift: 150%
• On public holidays: 300%

The public holidays are required to be offered (or a reconciliation of payment) by law as described in this third-party advice webpage, https://www.xperthr.co.uk/international-manual/china-employee-rights/150527/?cmpid=ILC|PROF|HRPIO-2013-110-XHR_free_content_links|ptod_article&sfid=701w0000000uNMa#holiday-and-holiday

I'm sure, if you have time, you can find everything you need in the government websites. 

Anyways, all the best!

https://www.ecovis.com/focus-china/china-hr-21-asked-hr-questions-chinese-labor-law-part-12/

Class Inquiry Lesson-Social Advocacy

English Class Inquiry Lesson Exemplar

Class inquires are characterized by the discovery of factual knowledge available in the world and basic deductions that can create an enriched knowledge base in a topic before further lessons by the teacher in a unit. 

As an English teacher, here examples of taking PBL protocols and turning them into Inquiries before the PBL protocol takes place. Teachers may notes that each topic was done for a different class, to run all topics in one class is very difficult. 

This was a high school classroom that it took place in and students were briefed before each topic. Before the selection of the topic, students were given a number of topics by the teacher and voted for the one that they felt was most relevant to their school climate/classroom culture.

Each question or idea beneath the heading was researched and created by groups of 3-4 students who developed a resource that supported students/informed students about the topic, but specifically the question/idea they created.

In the end, the class had hosted another class that was completing a different topic for an exhibition/convention in which products were shared, studied and evaluated by the other class. In turn, the other class invited my class to their classroom in the next day for a visit doing the same thing.

Normally this would have been done at lunch, after school or had time set aside to appreciate "World Mental Health Day", etc. But due to extenuating circumstances, it was completed on a smaller scale.

The pictures below are the inquires made by students on "Day 2" (after the class selected the topic).

Teacher Talk: PLC on Differentiation/Tiered Learning by Stations (UPDATED)

This post is regarding that crucial topic of professional learning communities (PLC) that many teachers are always struggling with because of the amount of work needed every year to prepare. With "learning exceptionalisms" being a topic on the table of discussions, now Ontario teachers in Canada (specifically) are discussing what "De-Streaming" is going to look like for schools/boards and Universities in Canada, teachers are wondering constantly, "how can we make this work?" while students are constantly wondering, "how will this make my life eassier?"

I don't have the answers for every teacher, but here is a model I began implementing in class recently (years ago now), as I have many different ranges of personalities, cultures and students in class. Most times, students will cluster together at a given station that their friends are at, however it offers opportunities for students to see what it is their friends are doing/how their friends are learning as well as a chance for some students to discover personal strengths. Teachers can also intervene and redirect students to areas that they feel will be most beneficial for them/more appropriate to their tier. While students are in a station/tier the teacher can guide students into subtle changes that can allow them to transition to the next tier more efficiently.

One example might be in a grade 10/11 literature class, tier one, a student can find information on the internet, copy and paste information with a reference into a document that answers some basic questions about the text; at the next tier the student can either paraphrase or directly quote from the text in an organized/structured body of writing their response to a prompt or the questions of the previous tier. As the tiers vary through levels the final tier might be something along the lines of not only discussing the text through insights of the story itself, but doing so with minimal assistive technologies, and using varied types of evidence to accomplish validation of sources (as an example), the tricky part is incorporating or ensuring that the necessary conversations and observations are documented and reinforced in the tiering process, students need to approach the tier, introduce themselves and their goal, discuss with others what they have already discussed or accessed and find someone in the next tier to provide an editing opportunity for them. Students would be publishing drafts as they progress through tiers and would eventually be told, after these two-four days (depending on the density of the task) of writing, revising and drafting, your next day is publishing. This would be what the teacher summatatively assesses.

Generally I use this model when introducing a lengthy reading text in class that may be used for a discussion/inquiry introduction.

You can find an example of a lesson plan incorporating this "four-corner" adaptation on my TPT (along with many other freebies here):

A quick summary of how the class works (for me),

1. set up four stations and have students standing at the back of the class with their things until the instructions are over.

2. Instruct students to collect a page of the reading/text from the teacher and look at the board.

3. The teacher will introduce the four groups functions/learning environments

Self-Direction

a) One area is self directed, no technology included/cellphones/laptops/translators are left at the front and a lined page is taken with a pen to the group along with the reading, the student will read by themselves (if they would like to have music, that is up to the teacher) where they should read once without assistance, and then after calling over the teacher for a check, can collect their device and do a once over to ensure they really comprehend the text/reading. Generally this is a quiet section of the room where students can work independently.

Read-A-Loud (Teacher/Student Led)

b)The teacher or "lead" student or ALL students can read out loud and inquire through question and answer throughout the text. This is a bit more chaotic as there are sometimes many questions and some students who are there for the enjoyment of listening to the text but could actually be working independently. Cellphones are not allowed here, the teacher can assign one "fact checker" with a cellphone to guide the group questions.

Group Inquiry

c)Students normally migrate into a giant roundtable form of discussion in which they are reading at different paces, sometimes off topic talking to their partners/group members and are able to discuss with each other while also jumping between their own reading. No cellphone are allowed here, questions that cannot be answered by other group members, should be passed on to the teacher. Usually students start elsewhere and when finished reading, will go here for debriefing/consolidation of ideas from classmates.

Flipped Classroom (teacher discretion)

d) Students who have read the article beforehand can actually move into a reflection/discovery of ideas about the text at this station, they may call the teacher over for questions, they may have their cellphone, or other technology. Generally students who have read and understand the text already are moving onto an extension/further reading piece that will allow them to enrich whatever lesson they are supposed to be taking away from that class. These students will also sometimes want to start in the group inquiry and then move off to the Flipped Classroom section after as well.

4. Teacher will allow students to migrate and plant themselves after handing in their cellphones. 

5. Teacher will move to the "Read-A-Loud" section (unless no students have gone there, but teachers should encourage some students to move here as needed. Teacher should check the relation of which students are arranged in the class and assist others as needed, normally this is about 20 minutes.

6. Teacher will lead the class discussion/active learning portion of the class at this time, but now every student will (or should) have a substantial knowledge base of the reading in the class.

Again, this is not perfect, but it has worked for me in a number of ways, "Running Records", "STEP identification/On-going Assessments", "Anecdotal Notations", etc.

Alternative to the method was running this in stations where students would ALL start as a round table read-a-loud and then progress through different areas as needed, this would relieve the need for the "Flipped Classroom station" as well.

Below are some articles and webpages to check out in regards to the need for Differentiation in the classroom.

Testimonial/Guest Blog on Change in the Classroom in the US:

https://www.the74million.org/article/patrick-personalized-learning-on-the-rise-what-ive-learned-after-visiting-80-schools-were-teachers-and-principals-are-rethinking-their-classroom-culture/

Research based on Canadian School figures:

http://www.ldao.ca/introduction-to-ldsadhd/articles/about-lds/learning-disabilities-statistics/

This is a quick picture of a scratch layout (original organization/try of the class reading model)

Potential High School Food and Nutrition Climate Building Porgrams

I am taking a page of Lakehead University's Climate building techniques here. I read an update on their bulletin's by LUSU that really sparked my interest.

There is a bowling night taking place for one of the school faculties. What a good idea it would be if a high school offered a "Lawn Bowling" Parents vs. Students" or "Teacher vs. Students" activity one afternoon to build community. Teams could be registered and then the cooking students/culinary arts students could prepare a dish of chicken wings or something along those lines for each team, extra platters could be purchased as well.

Just a thought.

Lakehead is also now offering a small "Free" breakfast on exam days for students on their way to/before their exam for the whole of the exam week. I know high schools have "healthy food programs" sometimes, and yes it costs money. Would be great though, if high school programs offered a small snack/breakfast to students before exams on exam days as they sometimes over work themselves cramming and come to school for the exam unprepared.

I am thinking, for the next exam session, I'll purchase a bottle of water and small bun to offer each student to munch and drink while writing their exam.

Sure, there are concerns-but I mean, they are human too.

CLUE in the Classroom?

With a 95% success rate in class retention and participation, I'd highly recommend this activity to teachers and learning groups. I developed my own Murder mystery/ClueClassroom that I unveiled this afternoon with five blocks of Grade 12 College level English. It was probably some of the most fun I have ever seen students have in class.

This classroom that it proved extremely challenging in for students was an ELL classroom. I had never run this before, but my students seemed to have fun. A lot of them couldn't contain themselves and really wanted to continue the game. Unfortunately, being a Friday, that doesn't quite work well. But, now I have something that they are working towards, another (more twist orientated) Murder mystery, and oh they will get one. However, this comes after the writing is done. This is an excellent oral assessment activity in which students are reading from different perspectives, speaking to different perspectives, speaking for different purposes, and using spoken language conventions such as intonation, pronunciation, and recognition of unfamiliar/infrequent vocabulary words.

Let us take a moment to not only recognize the wealth of English classroom experience it provides students with but also the potentiality for historical, scientific and mathematical connections. The current draw-up of this activity is the it is cross-curricular with the Arts, specifically, Drama and Theater.

My next two steps are big ones that will take Beta Tester's experiences and improve the instructional phase for students and teachers (as I see that being the biggest setback at the moment).

These will be for sale along with the teacher manual in a bundle set of 3-4 ranging in difficulty/time required. Keep an eye out on the Teacher's Pay Teachers for updates! To get a hard copy and laminated set, you will need to contact me personally and we can make shipping arrangements accordingly. Generally what I am thinking of doing is offering up the hard-deck along with the electronic as a "Box-Set" that I will coordinate through the store/personal contact.

Here is a link to a very barebones DEMO, I offered customized work (up for hire), price list/range coming out in the next couple weeks

https://www.slideshare.net/CarmeloBono/clueclassroom-ppt-murder-mystery-demo?qid=e08eed28-2677-418a-a3a1-090522a40773&v=&b=&from_search=1

Inspirational Website:

https://community.eflclassroom.com/forum2/topics/playing-clue-in-class

All the best,