Lo  Po-yan is a fourth-year student in the Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Primary) Programme. Inspired by her teacher, Po-yan discovered her own singing talents when she was just in primary one. She then joined the Hong Kong Tuen Mun Children's Choir, as part of her extra-curricular activities. Chasing Her Dreams
Becoming a music teacher is Po-yan's dream career and she is delighted to have the opportunity to study at HKIEd. Ever since she was a freshman, Po-yan has never said no to extra-curricular activities on campus. She was a member of HKIEd's Debate Team as well as the Choir. Her daily schedule was so hectic that she became too tired to concentrate in class. |
Fortunately, Dr Wong Wai-ying Paulina, who manages and instructs HKIEd's Choir, realised what was happening to Po-yan and gave her some timely advice. "Po-yan is a diligent student. Only after talking to her did I find out that she had become too involved in extra-curricular activities and simply did not have the extra energy for schoolwork. So, I told her concentration was the prerequisite for success."
Concentration and Dedication
Upon Dr Wong's request, Po-yan chose vocal music as her ultimate goal from a long list of interests. Her target is to become a qualified soloist, so she seizes every opportunity to perform on stage.
|
Po-yan's hard work finally paid off. She won this year's Artistic Excellence Award (Performance) and the Tai Po District Arts Advancement Association Scholarship in one fell swoop. In the last school year, she was assigned to Leung Sing Tak Primary School (AM) to assist the teachers there to set up a students' choir for school performances.
A Teacher's Advice is Golden
Po-yan is particularly grateful to her teachers for the achievements she has made so far. "Dr Wong is always very generous with me when it comes to advice. She has also given me many precious opportunities to hone my musical skills. I really have learned a lot. In May this year, I conducted the students' choir at Leung Sing Tak Primary School (AM) in a public performance organised by the Tai Po District Arts Advancement Association. Dr Wong was in the audience as well."
|
All her experiences at the HKIEd, both large and small, will form an unforgettable part of Po-yan's memories. |
Outstanding leadership is what made Tung Chi-ho the winner of this year's Chan Yuk-ling Memorial Scholarship. Chi-ho is a core member of the HKIEd Debate Team, contributing to its many victories, including the hard won championship at the recent Liberty Cup Hong Kong Inter-varsity Debating Competition. Once a "Problem Student"
Chi-ho's story dates back to his rebellious adolescent days. Despite being a top student in primary school, he somehow turned into a "problem student" when he entered secondary school.
|
"My teachers at that time only favoured those with good school results. As a rebellious youngster, I felt particularly bitter about this." Chi-ho admitted that he was very fond of doing just the opposite of what he was told by his teachers. He was openly defiant to teachers in class and not averse to using graffiti to express this defiance. He was often involved in brawls and even fights with his classmates. Chi-ho describes himself as a typical "bad element" in school. |
Things began to change when Chi-ho became a senior secondary student. He started to work very hard in school and was rewarded with satisfactory matriculation exam results, which enabled him to enter the HKIEd.
Fond Memories from a Mentor
After graduating from Bachelor of Education (Primary) programme, Chi-ho is choosing to stay in the HKIEd for a master's degree programme. "I have chosen to stay because I like the very close teacher-student relationship at the Institute," said Chi-ho. He was especially thankful to Dr Chan Shuk-ching Esther, Assistant Professor of the Department of Chinese, for her caring mentorship.
|
"When I was in year one with very few friends around me, I was easily depressed. I remember I was so unhappy once that I walked straight into Dr Chan's office to talk to her. In retrospect, this was a rather thoughtless thing to do, but instead of feeling offended, Dr Chan comforted me and shared her own problem solving methods with me. She even treated me to an ice-cream afterwards at the campus convenience store," Chi-ho recounted vividly. Ever since then, Dr Chan has been both a mentor and a friend. |
In response to Chi-ho's personal growth, Dr Chan remarked, "I believe in mutual growth when students and teachers interact. As a teacher, apart from imparting knowledge in class, I think it is also important for us to encourage our students to share and care. That's why I am particularly keen to talk to my students, so that I can understand what they think. This has helped me a lot in my everyday teaching."
Upholding the Principle of "Everyone is teachable"
For Chi-ho, one positive result from Dr Chan's mentoring is that he now upholds the golden principle for all teachers, which is "everyone is teachable". In the year to come, he will spend his spare time teaching in a secondary school known for its intake of so-called "problem students". Chi-ho's aim is to use his personal experiences to show his students that as long as you have a target in life, you will succeed ultimately despite the many difficulties and setbacks along the way. |
Postscript
The HKIEd is grateful for any donations made to its scholarship or award funds, designed to encourage the Institute's students to excel in their various areas of expertise. For enquiries, please contact the Communications and Institutional Advancement Office by calling 2948 8468 or emailing myylee@ied.edu.hk.
|
 |
Chinese Art Auctioned to Boost Development Fund for Creative Arts
Thanks to the generous donation of dozens of highly valuable Chinese paintings and calligraphy by Mrs Wong Wong Kam-ping, wife of the late Mr Wong Kwok-fong, the
Institute has received a tremendous boost in its recent fund raising exercise.
The late Mr Wong Kwok-fong was an influential figure in the history of elementary education in Hong Kong. He was Principal of the Rural Training College before joining the Education Department. He received a Member of the British Empire (MBE) service medal for his outstanding record of public service.
|
The late Mr Wong Kwok-fong was an influential figure in the history of elementary education in Hong Kong. He was Principal of the Rural Training College before joining the Education Department. He received a Member of the British Empire (MBE) service medal for his outstanding record of public service. |
Attracted to the exhibition-cum-auction held at the HKIEd campus on 20 July were many art-lovers, prospective donors and art collectors. At the opening ceremony of the "National Treasures for Our Children" event, Dr Samuel Leong, Head, Department of Creative Arts and Physical Education (CAPE), extended his immense gratitude on the HKIEd's behalf both to the donor Mrs Wong and the facilitator of the event, Mr Kwong Kai-to, Chairman of the Rural Training College Alumni Association Ltd. |
"This event not only helps to boost the CAPE development fund, but also serves as a rare opportunity for mutual exchange. Both HKIEd staff and students benefit from a deeper understanding of China's cultural heritage whilst also gaining a greater appreciation of the arts," Dr Leong remarked. He also extended his thanks to all the donors, contributors, staff, teachers and students who helped make the event such a success. |
The auction was hosted by Dr Fung Siu-han Anissa, Assistant Professor (Visual Arts) of the Department. An item of calligraphy by Chen Bai-sha (a well-known philosopher, educator and calligrapher from the Ming Dynasty) and a further gem, a Chinese calligraphy piece by Kang You-wei (a famous thinker and writer in modern Chinese history), attracted strong bidding from the audience. In view of the tremendous enthusiasm generated by the event, all the valuable items were sold, bringing in close to $200,000 for the CAPE Visual Arts Division. |
Making a Call - Support the "Class Scholarship / Bursary" Scheme
Starting this year, we are launching a new scheme, asking fresh graduates to make a donation in their class's name, to benefit first-year students in the same discipline. The Class Scholarship/Bursary, as its name suggests, aims to help new students in need of financial assistance, so that they can focus on working for excellence in their studies.
Six Chinese major graduates from the Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Languages) (Four-year Full-time) Programme are among the first to pledge their support to the new donation scheme. They have set up a "2006/07 Chinese Immersion Programme Class Scholarship/Bursary", with their own donations to be banked in late 2007.
 |
"Be grateful all the time' may sound like a cliché to some people, but not to me.
I can still remember as a freshman, my Putonghua was barely understandable. However, after four years of patient nurturing by my tutors, I successfully passed the Chinese National Putonghua Assessment Test. Therefore, I would like to call upon my fellow classmates to contribute generously to the Class Scholarship/Bursary Scheme, to create an environment conducive to study among our new students. This is a noble tradition at the HKIEd." Lee Shuk-yee
|
Whether a 2007 graduate or an alumnus, please consider making a donation. Your generosity will sow seeds of hope for many of the teachers of tomorrow. For more details and to make a donation, please call 2948 8468 or email myylee@ied.edu.hk for any further information or action.
The Language Immersion Programme enables all language major students to study on the Mainland or at other overseas locations for a semester, enhancing their language proficiencies and communication skills through immersion and real life experiences. However all participants of the Programme need to pay a cost of over HK$10,000, creating an immense burden to financially disadvantaged students. |
However with a pledge of $1,000, just seven donations will be enough to cover half a student's Immersion Programme costs on the Mainland. Similarly, twelve donor contributions will cover half the expenses for a student's Immersion Programme overseas. |
|
| Thank you for your support |
The Hong Kong Institute of Education would like to express our gratitude to the following donors who have provided their enthusiastic support to the Institute. Recent donations received from 1 March 2006 to 15 August 2007 are listed as follows: |
| Only donations of HK$1,000 or above will be listed below due to limited space. |
| Chinese Art auctioned to boost Development Fund for Creative Arts |
| Samuel Leong |
10,000 |
|
何大偉 |
13,000 |
| 萬偉良 |
46,100 |
|
吳香生 |
2,000 |
| 魏仕成 |
38,000 |
|
張雲 |
1,000 |
| The Centre for Development and Research in Small Class Teaching |
| Longman Hong Kong Education |
2,000 |
| 林湘雲 |
1,000 |
| Donations to support "General Education Foreign Speakers Initiative" |
| Po Chung |
500,000 |
| "Walk with IEd" Gala Banquet |
| Anne Marden |
1,000 |
|
張雲 |
1,000 |
| 李宗德 |
50,000 |
|
陸趙鈞鴻 |
1,000 |
| 胡楚南 |
10,000 |
|
李越挺 |
1,000 |
| 龐維新 |
10,000 |
|
殷巧兒 |
1,000 |
| 黃銳林 |
5,000 |
|
黃惠芬 |
1,000 |
| 黃志剛 |
3,000 |
|
彭敬慈 |
1,000 |
| 黃星華 |
2,000 |
|
馮展財 |
1,000 |
| Mindfulness Retreat - Peace and Joy: The Fruits of Mindful Living |
| Leo Lok |
2,400 |
|
Alain Yip |
1,000 |
| Tang Sek Ying |
2,000 |
|
Mrs Teresa Tong |
1,000 |
| Mrs Wong Wai Pik |
2,000 |
|
Fong Kwok Wah |
1,000 |
| Chong Wai Sun |
1,000 |
|
Ophelia Chan |
1,000 |
| Cheung Wing Fong Doris |
1,000 |
|
Fong Lai Wah Lily |
1,000 |
| Choi Po King |
1,000 |
|
Chan Nam Man Annie |
1,000 |
| Bernard Luk |
1,000 |
|
柳明心 |
3,000 |
| Dune Yuk Chee |
1,000 |
|
|
|
| Other major projects, scholarships, conferences, etc. |
The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust |
578,410 |
Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund Council |
60,000 |
| Chen Hsong Holdings Limited |
50,000 |
Shun Hing Education and Charity Fund Ltd. |
20,000 |
Hsin Chong - K.N. Godfrey Yeh Education Fund |
15,000 |
| Ng Au Kit Kwan Anna |
12,000 |
Synnex Technology International (HK) Ltd |
10,000 |
Hsin Chong - K.N. Godfrey Yeh Education Fund |
5,000 |
| Oxford University Press |
5,000 |
Edward Tsui |
4,209 |
Pearson Education Asia Limited |
3,500 |
| Longman Hong Kong Education |
3,000 |
| The HKIEd Alumni Association |
1,500 |
Bernard Luk |
1,000 |
Mr. Post David N. and Ms Pong Suet Ling |
1,000 |
| 中遠（香港）集團有限公司 |
100,000 |
中華旅行社 |
40,000 |
香港新界區原區事顧問協會 |
20,000 |
| 黎時煖 |
11,000 |
 |
|
