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A love for children's literature
Among the various literary genres, Tong
Yui has a preference for children's literature. It all started
when he was learning French several years ago. As a beginner,
he wanted to read easy French texts to build up his vocabulary.
He chose to start with children's story books, expecting them
to be simple enough. It was not until he read Le Petit Prince
by Sainte-Exup ry and L' Opera de
la Lune by Prevert that he realised that children's stories
could go beyond the simple realms of fairy tales. Complex
feelings and profound philosophies could also be expressed
in children's literature in a way more fresh, concise and
moving than in lengthy essays.
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Teaching
and literature
Tong Yui believes that every language teacher should be capable
of creating literary work for children. This, however, does
not mean that they have to publish books or win prizes. It
simply means writing to share something of substance with
the students such as views, values and attitudes. Looking
back, Tong remembers that he wrote his first children's story
with the aim of attempting to communicate key messages to
his students.
How can a teacher successfully arouse students' interest in
literature? Tong Yui has a two-pronged answer, the teacher
must decide what to teach and how to teach it. The teacher
must have the knowledge to find the essence, the best or the
most controversial part of the literary piece, and the skill
to facilitate understanding of it in the students.
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