At China (Hong Kong) English School (CHES), which embraces the educational philosophy of "integrating Eastern and Western education to cultivate outstanding talents," the consistently high pass rate in the UK Cambridge A-Level exams — surpassing the global average for many years — is closely tied to experienced foreign teachers who span all academic levels. In Zhongshan, they have celebrated multiple Teachers' Days together. Over the past two years, their greatest realization has been that foreign teachers must keep pace with the times. "Students frequently ask about trending topics like famous AI large models or the Fields Medal in mathematics — we need to study and understand them," says Tyler Huff, a middle school foreign teacher. At CHES, foreign educators continuously update their knowledge and explore new teaching methods based on the evolving characteristics and needs of each new cohort of students.

Tyler Huff, an American, has loved Chinese culture since childhood. Inspired by Bruce Lee's character in the film, Fist of Fury, he chose the Chinese name Tang Long. He began studying Mandarin and Cantonese seriously during college. In 2015, he embarked on his journey in China, visiting numerous cities including Hong Kong, Macao, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhuhai. During his first three years in China, he frequently changed jobs. "It wasn't until I arrived in Zhongshan and joined China (Hong Kong) English School that I finally settled down," he recalls. In Zhongshan, he met his beloved wife and started a family.

The A-Level program is conducted entirely in English, and to prepare students for future IELTS and A-Level exams, CHES implements full English oral instruction starting from junior high. Tyler serves as a dedicated teacher for English speaking skills among junior high students. In formal classes, he is meticulous and highly organized. Yet at the school's English Corner, he is one of the most energetic teachers, using every trick in the book to create vibrant extracurricular English activities. He enjoys engaging in conversations with students during class, sharing stories from his travels around the world. A few years ago, he developed a supplementary English speaking textbook tailored for grades 7 through 9, based on Longman English textbooks. "Last semester, I was dissatisfied with some students' mid-term exam results, so I asked for their feedback. They suggested reducing vocabulary load per lesson and increasing fun elements," he explains. In the following semester, he created a new "game": having students use newly learned words to form group stories. "For example, in our recent class, I asked students to create a short story using words like 'academic affairs office,' 'advantage,' 'dormitory,' and 'basketball.'" He believes storytelling is humanity's earliest form of education, and integrating narratives into any subject makes learning most effective. "If I only talk about what artemisinin is, the class gets really dull. But when we tell the story behind Tu Youyou's discovery, the children are much more engaged."