What excites Chris the most is the immense benefits students and teachers can gain from this project. For Chris, the ideas behind Building Shanghai draw upon a range of teaching experiences that emphasize immersive and experience education - like the 5-week Advanded Studies Program at St. Paul’s School in New Hampshire, where students primarily focus on one course for six days a week, for five weeks during the summer. As Chris describes it, "You've got to be continually shifting and diversifying and engaging and inspiring the kids. Otherwise, you can't sustain it." He combines the value of such depth with another experience, having helped to start “Intensives” at Berkeley Carroll in New York City. In turn, Building Shanghai uses our vibrant city as a boundless resource for students’ inquiry-based exploration.

Teachers also reap rewards, serving as “project leaders” who flexibly guide students’ interests. This pushes faculty out of their comfort zone, honing skills for differentiation and engagement. As Chris emphasized, the condensed timeframe compels dynamic, responsive teaching; “we have the freedom to adapt continuously, learning as we go, just as the students are.”

What leaves the biggest impression? Seeing the curiosity that Building Shanghai unleashes in students. Chris describes overhearing kids eagerly sharing their experiences across groups, processing and articulating their learning journeys. “How often do you hear a kid talking to another student about what they learned in AP Calculus the other day?” Chris asked. “Building Shanghai provides excitement, it breaks down barriers, it gets students talking about what they’re learning.”