Choosing What to Care About

Choosing What to Care About

Wealthy parents provide their children with a rich cultivating environment. Their kids learn good habits and discipline. They learn to expect the best from themselves and others. When someone is unkind to them, they don’t sweep it under the rug and forget about it instead they talk to the person who was unkind to them. They learn to work with others to achieve positive outcomes. As adults they are able to invest themselves in worth while causes. They have self confidence and don't second guess themselves. They are better equipped to lean into difficult relationships and to choose work things…
Something Gained And Something Lost

Something Gained And Something Lost

Teaching wasn't what I expected. Years ago, I went into teaching thinking that I would make a difference in the lives of young people. Now years later, as I reflect, I realize that there was something gained and something lost. I gained skills and experience to become a better teacher, but I went through a lot of loneliness to get to this point. I teach in a band 3 school. For those of you who don’t know, there are 3 bands and band 1 is the best. Students are “banded” according to their academic performance. Lots of people have asked…
A Summer Camp Full of Happy Faces

A Summer Camp Full of Happy Faces

Alright I know we can't force kids to have fun, and 2 weeks is a scary long time for some of them. But I visited the camp twice this year and I saw a summer camp full of happy faces. Here's a link for last week's Friday and Saturday activities. Sure it takes some time for students to warm up to each other, but once they do some of them don't want to leave. The environment was good. I arrived at about 2:15 on Wednesday afternoon and I got to see students from my school. Here's a 2 minute photo…
The OxBridge Teachers Are Back

The OxBridge Teachers Are Back

Wow, I am surprised, Oxford and Cambridge, OxBridge teachers are back to TWGH’s English Summer Camp. It’s been a while, last year they hired teachers who lived in Hong Kong to teacher and before that the camp was canceled due to Covid19. Anyway, it felt good to have them back. The picture below has both the Hong Kong counseling staff and the teachers toasting each other. The HK counseling staff are a critical part of the program. They handle disciplinary issues and keep things running smoothly. This is my 5th year participating in the summer camp. My school, currently has…
Stepping Out at the Dragon Boat Festival

Stepping Out at the Dragon Boat Festival

Yesterday the weather observatory said that it was supposed to be sunshiny for today’s Dragon boat festival. They were partly right. The sun did come out, but it also rained. There were several venues in Hong Kong where the Dragon boat race could be viewed from. I went to the SaiKung venue. When I arrived, it was raining so I found some shelter. Stepping out at the Dragon Boat Festival meant talking with a variety of individuals. First I sat down next to an older gentleman and struck up a conversation. We talked about what a great opportunity the Dragon…
Making the Best of Luminous Eggs

Making the Best of Luminous Eggs

The Hong Kong government paid more than a million dollars to decorate the city with luminous eggs to attract people from other countries and those already living in Hong Kong to come out and enjoy a festive happy environment. Tracy and I went to visit the egg decorations near Admiralty Station in Tamar Park. One article describes it as egg-citing. Here's another article on it in Chinese. We were making the best of these luminous eggs. We saw lots of people enjoying themselves. Singles, married couples, Muslim ladies wearing their hair coverings and more. The skyline in Tamar Park is…
Where to Live in Hong Kong?

Where to Live in Hong Kong?

They say home is where the heart is. Unfortunately, it seems that there are a number of people that don't feel at home in Hong Kong. Lots of people have expressed their views on why that is. Here I want to focus on choices we can make to feel more at home in our houses / apartments in Hong Kong. I think the first step is to stop complaining and to take initiative. A home should be a place where you can recharge your batteries and feel refreshed. Tracy and I have lived in a variety of apartments all over…
Sports Day Adds Value

Sports Day Adds Value

Before going to China and Hong Kong, I had never heard of Sports Day. The idea of asking the entire school to take part in a track meet that lasted a couple of days seemed very ambitious to me, but I have to admit there are a few things that I really liked about it. A lot of times people think that you have to be really athletic to try out for a school sport. We tend to think that sports need to be "professional". Only the best players or runners can make the cut and get on the team.…
What If You Waste My Time?

What If You Waste My Time?

A few years ago, a teacher I knew had the words, “To Hell With You If You Waste My Time,” posted on her bookshelf. I was shocked the first time I saw it, but I didn’t have the courage to ask her about it. She seemed like a nice person. Why, would she wish hell on another person who wasted her time? It didn’t make sense to me. That teacher has moved on from the school, so I can’t ask her but I’m guessing that she carries some deep seeded insecurity. In today’s performance based culture, those who perform well…
“Like They Would Talk To You”

“Like They Would Talk To You”

The simplicity of Alex and Cory’s chat really gets to the heart of the matter. The 2 boys lived in a boy’s home. Yes, they saw girls from the girl’s home at regularly schedule times that were supervised, but staff was always watching. Home visit represented freedom for the residents. It was a part of their program and transition back into normal life. Girls are a part of normal life. It’s good that Alex was excited about seeing and talking with girls again. God put that longing for interaction with the opposite sex deep in our hearts. Alex says, “I’m…