Delivered on June 16, 2012  in Family Learning House Beijing

Teachers and Staff,

Children, Parents and Friends,

Today, we come together to celebrate a big moment for our most loved ones. We must enjoy it, as you all know that after this moment, these might soon become the good old days and I am some times scared to see how fast my boy is growing into a young man. Our little kids may soon face the challenges, if not the torture, of numerous exams of elementary and middle schools.

Educating kids is probably the last adventure that is left to modern human beings. I am glad that we seem to have a good start. I still remember, about five years ago in September 2007, we were searching around for a kindergarten for JC, when he became a little restless at home, obviously wanting to take on new challenges. The building was not even finished at that time, people were still painting and decorating. We went to visit the old Family Learning House in Shunyi and saw the value that the school believes in, and we decided this is the school for our son.

In the beginning, we were worried that he was too young, and might be crying all day long at the kindergarten like small kids normally do. To our astonishment, he was eager to come to school every morning. At that time, he was only one year and nine month old. JC has spent about five happy years here since then.

I realize the impact of Family Learning House when I took JC with me last year to a business meeting held on a Cruise from San Ya to Vietnam. It was four days on the ocean and three days on the beach when Jiahuan was playing with other kids when the parents were in business meetings. Two days into the trip, JC became the most famous person on the cruise of two thousand guests. Many cruise attendants knew him by his name, because he was showing the example of giving courtesy to others and helping resolve the disputes among kids by reasoning. You can imagine what a proud father I was when I heard cruise staff told me: JC is really different, and he was responsible, and a small gentleman. For that, I am grateful to the Family Learning House, and want to say a few words to his teachers and the staff.

Thank you, Lucy, for taking good care of my kid, and other children in Primary Two, for instilling discipline, and for listening and talking. You are more authoritative than I am to JC.

Thank you, Du Laoshi, for finding ways to get kids love Chinese poems and get them to do math. I can imagine what a challenge that is.

Thank you, Sara, for the beautiful music and the lively role playing on virtue class.

Thank you, Michael, for your kindness, children are naughty to you sometimes because you are seen as a good friend, despite of your British accent.:)

Thank you, Ayi and staff, for your friendly smiles, and for keeping the place nice and safe.

Thank you Kyran, for creating a place where our children are not only loved, but also learn to love, a quality that is some times forgotten in our world when most people are too busy with material prosperity. That is special to me, and I believe that will carry a long way for our children in keeping themselves happy and making our world better.

Thank you, parents, for instilling responsibility in our kids, not spoiling them, despite they often are the only one child of our family.

Congratulations to all of you, for your achievement! I believe these wonderful children, when they grow up, they will make a difference to our world that is somehow being ruined by adults.

I wish you all a great day and a great journey ahead.

Thank you.