A good teacher not only helps students to pursue academic progress, but also helps them to improve their thinking and cultivate moral sentiments, so that they can understand the principles of being a good person. The teacher stories introduced today are exactly like this. They arranged outdoor experience activities to stimulate students’ potential; teachers and students worked together to help the school recover from adversity and revitalize the teaching team that was on the verge of collapse…

Ta Kung Pao and the education sector jointly organized the first “Hong Kong Outstanding Teachers’ Morality Award Selection” activity. 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 of teaching by example and teaching by example. \ Ta Kung Pao reporters Tang Jiaping and Sheng Dewen (text) Sheng Dewen (photo) Zhang Kaiwen and Deng Haolang (video)

Ms. Liao Songshi, Vice Principal of Tung Chi Ying Memorial Secondary School

Taking on the task in times of crisis, helping the school recover from adversity

“Combining discipline and guidance, strictness with love, and encouraging students not to give up” is the motto of teacher Liao Songshi. With nearly 26 years of experience in education, teacher Liao is the vice principal, discipline director and English teacher of Yan Chai Hospital Dong Zhiying Memorial Secondary School.

Reorganizing management to bring a new atmosphere to campus

In 2019, Tung Chi Ying School was misunderstood by the public due to student bullying and poor middle-level management. A large number of teachers “jumped ship” and left, and the middle-level team was on the verge of collapse, facing the crisis of closing the school. At that time, Ms. Liao, who was the discipline director of another middle school, was ordered to join Tung Chi Ying Middle School to reorganize campus management and gave the school a new look with her efforts. During the black violence, she fully assisted the school in promoting students’ education on knowing the law, abiding by the law, loving the country and Hong Kong, paying attention to students’ negative emotions and listening to what they think. In just a few years, the school not only turned from negative to positive, but also became a popular school knocking on the door.

“I have always had ambitions for education. Where there is crisis, there is opportunity. I came to Tung Chi Ying hoping to use my strengths to restore student discipline and school spirit, help the school recruit new students, and assist the school in overcoming difficulties,” Teacher Liao told the Ta Kung Pao reporter.

After joining Dong Zhiying, Liao Songshi combined his many years of experience as a discipline director with good strategies and measures from other schools to implement the grade director system and strengthen campus management. “The school did not have a grade director system before, so I brought the good experience and systems from when I was in the old school here and appointed a grade director in each grade to specifically manage students’ character, behavior, ethics, and words and deeds, and to assist the head teacher in managing students.” With the support of the principal and the efforts of the six grade directors, a new middle-level team was quickly rebuilt, and campus management and school spirit were completely renewed.

In order to enhance students’ sense of belonging, the school holds a Q&A session for teachers and students every year, arranging all deans, principals, and vice-principals to answer students’ questions on stage. It also organizes many different activities, including teacher-student parties, lunchtime activities, and care programs, to bring teachers and students closer together. “We are not a one-man show. Teachers and principals hear students’ voices. We don’t say no to students on everything, which makes students feel respected and builds a sense of belonging.”

Instruct each student with both legal, rational and emotional skills

During the 2019 black violence, in order to help school students safeguard the rule of law and establish a correct outlook on life and national concepts, Liao Songshi spent a lot of time coordinating, planning, and promoting various activities and lectures. “At that time, some senior students were indeed affected by anti-social behavior and had negative emotions and wanted to participate in the march.”

“At that time, the vice-principal, I, the counseling director, the director of the ethics group, and several middle-level colleagues found these students, had individual talks with them, listened carefully to what they said, and then gave them objective opinions, appealed to their emotions and reasoned with them, and let them know the consequences.” She also used the example of the school being slandered by the outside world to teach students, “When they understand that if they go out to march and destroy, it will not only affect them, but also the school and all the students. When they put themselves in the school’s shoes, they will give up the idea.”

“We also invited government officials, the Correctional Services Department, police, social elites, etc. to hold various lectures at the school to cultivate students’ correct values ​​and patriotism, learn Chairman Xi’s speech on July 1, and how to be connected with the country, and organize teachers and students to return to the mainland for exchanges and studies.”

Help students find their own highlights

The school has gone from facing closure to now having a huge number of students in every grade, becoming a popular middle school with many students knocking on its door. Looking back on his 26 years of teaching, Mr. Liao sighed: “It is very important to give with all your heart. Although sometimes the effort and reward may not be proportional, only sincere and patient efforts can lead to success. I hope that colleagues, teachers and students in the education sector will care about society, the country and themselves.”

As the dean of discipline, Liao Songshi’s motto is “I treat every student as my own child”, and “combining law, reason and emotion” is the philosophy she often uses.

There was a female student with an introverted personality who was persuaded to drop out of Form 4 in 2019 because she could not keep up with her grades when she was studying in an English secondary school. She had a serious inferiority complex. “When she first entered the school, I found that she was a capable student and her English was not bad. So my colleagues and I encouraged her with a combination of training and counseling, allowing her to rebuild her confidence in learning and find her own highlights.” On the day when the 2021 DSE Diploma Examination results were announced, the girl took the transcript to thank the school and teachers for giving her the opportunity to study and teaching, shaping her “confident but not conceited” character and achieving outstanding results.

There was a period of time when many cross-border students were late, and some class teachers, students and parents hoped that the school discipline office could exempt all related penalties and records. Teacher Liao then held a meeting with all cross-border students to understand how long it took each person to get back to school from their residence. “And everyone found out that my journey and time to get back to school were farther and longer than theirs.”

“If you really encounter difficulties, you can talk to me and let us know what your difficulties are. For example, if the train is really delayed, we will understand and sympathize. But if you get up late and delay crossing the border, you cannot be exempted. This is the law.”

After the meeting, students’ tardiness rates dropped by 90%. “This is my philosophy of legal, rational and emotional training.”

Ta Kung Pao reporter Sheng Dewen