The BRFLS International Curriculum Center decided that the theme for the semester would be to study the roles of people who work in our community. Our foreign homeroom teachers, Jordan and Tasha, designed a variety of classroom activities, such as studying the characteristics of occupations.
On March 9th the children visited a fire station so they could better understand this special career. Before the trip teachers Zhen Zhen and Guo Longyang helped the foreign teachers to make questions in English that the students had such as, “How do firefighters save people? What kind of engine is inside of the fire truck? How do you use the fire equipment? Etc.” The students went to the fire station with these questions. They were looking forward to getting their questions answered.
Although the firefighters had to put out a fire the night before, they still gave the students an enthusiastic presentation. The firefighters first led the children to observe the fire truck closely and explained the functions and operations of all of the items. They also showed them the different types of vehicles that are used in a fire rescue mission.
The children were very excited when they were being told about the high-rise ladder. Students asked questions such as, “How do you rescue people that are below the tenth floor? Are you afraid when you are doing a rescue mission? Etc.”
The firefighters demonstrated how to use the gas masks, cutting machines, and other tools. The children were fascinated by the tools and could not take their eyes of them.
When the students were going back to the school, they were discussing all of the answers to the questions they had. One student said, “Today I learned which hose is used to spray water, and which hose is used to spray foam.” Another student said, “ I learned that the firefighters work very hard every day, and they are very strong.”
Through this experience, the students learned about fire safety and fire equipment. However, the most important thing is that they learned what the firefighters do at work and more about their lives. They are now the students’ idols.
