Photo: “This is the mission of my work: to influence life with life.” / Teacher Dai Jiawen

“May you travel for half your life and still be a young man when you return.” “Don’t forget your original intention, and you will succeed. It is easy to get the original intention, but it is difficult to keep it.” “Discover the heart with the heart, ignite the fire of others with fire, and bring hope”… These are the mottos of the award-winning teachers. They use their true heart and sincerity to understand, teach, accompany, encourage and support their students. The support and care of yesterday sow the seeds of future success…

Ta Kung Pao and the education sector jointly organized the first “Hong Kong Outstanding Teachers’ Morality Award Selection” event, and 20 teachers in Hong Kong won the Outstanding Award in the selection. Ta Kung Pao launched a series of reports called “Good Teachers’ Stories”, detailing their touching deeds behind their words and deeds. / Ta Kung Pao reporters Tang Jiaping, Yu Feng, Lu Jiuru, Zhong Peixin (text) Xu Zhaojie, Lin Liangjian, Lu Jiuru (photo) Xu Zhaojie, Zhang Kaiwen, Ye Haoyuan (video)

Ms. Tai Ka-man of Po Leung Kuk Fung Leung Kit Memorial Kindergarten

I wish you could travel for half your life and still be a young man when you return

“Seeing those childish faces every day, they are so cute!” Dai Jiawen said that she became a kindergarten teacher because she loved children very much. She still remembers that when she was in secondary school, her uncle and aunt often had to travel back and forth to the mainland for work, and it was difficult for them to take care of her two three-year-old cousins, so they were left to their mother to take care of and live at home. As a cousin, she was responsible for teaching her two cousins ​​homework. She recalled that once she explained vocabulary to her cousins, she tried every method but failed. “I think my cousins ​​have difficulty in concentration or reading and writing.” Since then, Dai Jiawen has been determined to help these students with learning difficulties. In secondary school, she already hoped to become a kindergarten teacher to help students and families with special learning needs.

When faced with setbacks, keep your original intention and move forward positively

“May you travel for half your life and still be a young man when you return”, this popular saying on the Internet is Dai Jiawen’s motto. She hopes that no matter what difficulties and setbacks she experiences, she will still remind herself to keep her original intention, be positive and optimistic, and keep moving forward. Adhering to her original intention, Dai Jiawen became a kindergarten teacher as she wished, and has taught at Po Leung Kuk Fung Leung Kit Memorial Kindergarten for nearly 11 years.

Alumni are inspired to become teachers

“It turns out that a teacher’s job is not easy at all. It is not just about teaching a lesson well. Instead, you have to care about students’ physical and mental development, care about the influence of their family environment, and understand their needs. Children’s growth is the joint effort of all parties.” Teacher Dai cares for her students wholeheartedly. She admits that many unforgettable things have happened in her teaching career, including happiness, touching moments, sadness and heartache. What saddened her most was that a child she had taught in his early years passed away due to a family tragedy after graduation. She had little experience in education at the time and found it difficult to face this blow. “Attending the child’s funeral was a big challenge for me at the time.” She was grateful for the support of the institutions at the time and the continuous visits of experts and social workers to the school to assist her, so that she could slowly overcome the problem.

To be a good teacher, Dai Jiawen believes that one must have “four qualities”, including ideals and beliefs, moral sentiments, solid knowledge, and a benevolent heart. It is also necessary to uphold the teaching philosophy of “love, respect, diligence, and honesty” and teach one good student after another who “loves the country, cares for others, respects teachers, and has a grateful heart.” Next month, Teacher Dai will transfer to another school to be promoted to principal. She hopes to continue her “original intention” of education in her new job. “Teacher Dai, you have to work hard. When I grow up, I will come back to the kindergarten to be a teacher.” Teacher Dai recalled that a student she taught in the first year has now been promoted to middle school. Earlier, he came back to the kindergarten to visit the teacher and said these sincere words to Teacher Dai, which deeply moved her. “I think this is the mission of my work, to influence life with life. In the future, I will continue to go all out and continuously improve my professional knowledge and skills to better serve children and parents and contribute to kindergarten education.” \Ta Kung Pao reporter Yu Feng