Here are a couple of things I've learnt about myself these past five months as a local primary school teacher in Hong Kong.
One thing that I love about school is my trip to school. I love the idea of going to work like everybody else. It makes me feel part of the community. There’s something about it that really brings me comfort. I wake up at 6:10 (but really 6:25) and catch the first ferry to Wanchai at 6:56. Living life. I see the two international primary school kids, the put-together business woman with her hair in a bun, the mushroom-haired older lady who works somewhere in Central Plaza (where our paths usually part), the antsy man who is first off the boat and whose hair could use a licking or two, the old man who collects everybody's newspapers from the passengers who are done reading it (they hand them to him), the quiet and timid secondary school kid in his green uniform, and so many other characters who bring routine and familiarity day-in, day-out.
Walking the 752 steps to the bus stop, I pass a friendly woman who greets me and passes the free newspaper to me, which I read on the bus to be 'good at life'. Then, I get off the bus in a totally different world. One distinct from any I’ve lived in and yet possibly the most comfortable. Getting off the bus, I walk past a butcher with two freshly slaughtered pigs lying on the floor covered with a dainty piece of cloth. I avoid looking or I (hypocritically) will not want to eat my morning sausage or pork floss bun at the corner bakery (鍾意麵包). I walk past a line that extends six or seven shops long of senior early-bird citizens, queuing for the free newspaper. Then, slipping in and out of the bakery, I stand at the traffic light and wait for the man to turn green.
It might sound boring, but it's just one thing that makes me happy. Working in a neighbourhood school where there is a small, bustling community of people doing 'life' around me. I love waiting for the green man and looking in all directions, seeing parents bringing children to school; second-graders with bags twice the size of their bodies walking themselves to school; buses pouring with students from neighbouring districts; the elderly confidently doing stretches in the middle of sidewalks; morning newspapers being hauled and distributed to stores; baskets full of fresh fruits and vegetables… Just life existing in a local community. I've learned to really appreciate it... and feel right in my role as a teacher coming to teach these children in this community.
One thing I also notice about being in this community is that the people who surround me do actual "life" jobs as well. Not only did a number of my co-workers equally aspire to become teachers and educators, but the people they are related to, dating, come across on a day-to-day basis also do real "life" jobs as well... which is just so different from what I've been brought up in. One of the resource teachers wants to become a policeman. There are firemen, cleaners, taxi drivers, civil servants... those people that you dream of becoming when you are a little kid. While there's nothing wrong with the GRE, LSAT, MCAT, IFAT that I've been immersed in, it's just so refreshing, I guess, to be working with people who want to do life and become a member of this system with me. I don't feel the same need to prove myself. I can be a teacher now.
And what has inspired me to write this reflection is the lunch I had today. After taking part of a standardized language benchmark exam – one of the million hoops I need to jump through to become an English teacher – I sat down with a friend to eat lunch. Sitting at the table, I glanced over to see one of my fourth graders happily eating with his mom. Smiling at me and greeting me with “Good afternoon, Mr. Wong,” we had a short conversation and went back to eating. Ten minutes passed and his family left. On their way out they stopped by my table, thanked me for teaching their son and promptly took my bill and insisted on paying for it. It’s so strange to receive such gratitude from an almost complete stranger. It’s strange because while she is so grateful for what I do, I am equally honored and excited at the opportunity to teach her son in this local primary school in this neighborhood community.
With these kids I am constantly getting insight into how life is a continuous process, as I want to be a part of their development and affect the way they think and act for the rest of their lives. I want to see their lives unfurl. Similarly, I am learning not to look at my own life or their lives in small time frames of primary, middle, high school, college, post-college, and so on… it’s all woven together. Life is continuous and you never stop learning. And now, this event has shown me how I become a moment in time in these children's lives. I guess the impact I have on the students I teach and the families I become a part of is much greater than I realize… and it all just really confirms my desire to teach. It's where I'm meant to be and what I want to become better at.
After lunch and another round of exams, I went to one of my third graders’ 9th birthday party. In a purple leotard she danced with her modern dancing group, before changing into her beautiful, white party dress with her hair gelled back and sprinkled with glitter. Again, moments in life that I am apart of. I see grateful parents. I play with the spontaneously quirky kids. I become a part of their lives. I become a part of their community. The community appreciates me and I appreciate my community.