First Day in Hong Kong
It has been quite an eventful week. I finished an amazing 10-week practicum experience on Friday and got on the plane (immediately) to Hong Kong on Saturday morning at 2 AM. I arrived in Hong Kong at 6 AM on Sunday and was able to get some rest before my first day at the school.
I woke up early on Monday morning getting ready for the first day of school, but the most difficult part was finding a taxi to get to my school. Since it was the first day of school and I did not know the route to school well, I decided that would be the best thing for me to do. In Hong Kong, many people take taxis because it is relatively cheap and convenient. However, it certainly was not convenient for me to catch a taxi that morning. I spent 30 minutes trying to find a taxi! But luckily, I made it and managed to get on a taxi to school.
When I got to the school, I signed into the office and got all the logistics taken care of and met the vice principal of our school. Then, I went up to our class 3.3, where my sponsor teacher, Ms. Chu, taught. She welcomed me to her class and explained the basics of what they were doing for the day. Just like schools in Canada, there is also an Educational Assistant. However, the roles of the Educational Assistants certainly differed. The EA here supports the classroom teacher, by helping her with preparing for lessons (photocopying, setting up the technologies, organizing the school books, etc.), and teaching a small group of children. There is also an additional teacher who works with specific students with special needs.
One of the biggest cultural difference, I have noticed is the way the children tend to act on initial contact with stranger. I remembered the first day when I walked into my practicum class in Richmond, and students were asking me questions continuously. Even though this is an International School, I have noticed how students are much more shy around newcomers. When I said to each child “Good morning.” with a smile, students just ignored me and continued to move on. Children in this class were very well-behaved and listened to the teacher really well. I was surprised and impressed at how calm they were throughout the day. I would not expect to see children in a grade three class to behave in such a calm manner in Canada. With such great class management strategies, it makes teaching specific concepts/lessons much more effective.
I believe that students are highly influenced by the classroom teacher as well. Each morning, Ms. Chu starts with a Brain Gym activity, which helps to calm down students’ mind. They do simple routine exercises led by the teacher. Sometimes, music is accompanied with the exercise. I really love Brain Gym and I hope to adopt this program into my teaching as well. It is perfect for the morning and transitions from lunch to class.