However, because the gaokao is set in Grade Three, such "horizon-broadening teaching" had to be arranged in grades one and two.
"In Grade Three, of course we have to review, so maybe the style can't change very much," Porteous said.
Feng Yanxian, team leader of the English teachers at the school, said Porteous likes a challenge and was willing to try new things, such as becoming a form tutor.
Encouraged by colleagues and students, Porteous applied to the school to be a form tutor in 2006.
In China, a form tutor is a guide who instructs a class not only in academics but also in students' performance, psychology and other aspects of life.
Form tutors play an important role in students' school years and in life. Therefore, foreign form tutors are rare.
Considering the language barrier and cultural differences, school authorities had planned to assign a Chinese person to be Porteous' assistant. Porteous declined.
"An assistant would have meant I could not make it on my own. I told them I was confident in doing the job," he recalled.
He kicked out any of the school's doubts with excellent scores of his students. A lot of parents even asked for their children to be put into his class.
In 2008, he was assigned to be the form tutor of a Grade Three class.
To help students ahead of the gaokao Porteous arrived in class at 6:50 a.m. and offered one-on-one tutoring at the end of the day.
Porteous admitted that the gaokao is "demanding" and limits creativity, but that it is fair for most students.
"Maybe in some ways it doesn't give enough chances to show their individuality or to show their ability to think with creativity. But the fact is it's pretty fair," he said.
The teacher said the exam can help children grow. "When they face this fright of being challenged it can help them to become stronger and to get to know themselves better, and make themselves more mature."
Lu Zhi, an educational expert and writer in Beijing, said the success of Porteous lies in treating the students equally. "He has stimulated the inner engine of the students, which is also beneficial for students' other subjects," she said.
Last year, Porteous married his Chinese wife, also an English teacher at the school. He said he planned to continue to teach there.
"Their [the students'] futures are unlimited. To some extent, they depend on you as a teacher. In fact it's really a big job," he said.
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