Week Five - Personal

The university grounds

At the end of this week it will officially be the longest period of time I have been away from Northern Ireland. I have travelled far afield in the past; however this trip goes well beyond anything I have experienced before. To visit a country on a holiday is one thing; but to live in one for 5 months and become part of the culture and way of life, is another. I often forget that in just over a years time I will hopefully be graduating from Stranmillis and looking for a job. While I have no doubt that this experience in Hong Kong will serve to prepare me for my future profession, I cannot overlook how significant it has been and will continue to be in developing me as a person. Even in these first few weeks I feel I have developed more independence and I have noticed a change in how I approach tasks in my classes. I feel I am developing skills as a better listener as I am taking part in so much group work and this also requires patience as tasks require more discussion to overcome the language barrier. 

Edmund who is in my group for one of my modules

 I met a principal from a primary school in the Sha Tin area which is situated quite close to the campus of HKIEd, and he told me how interested his school were in recruiting teachers from overseas, especially male teachers. He encouraged me to consider the possibility of taking a post in Hong Kong for perhaps a couple of years once I graduate. Prospective teachers are under no illusions of how competitive places are for jobs in Northern Ireland, and my encounter with the principal made me think that there are other great teaching opportunities outside of Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. I think coming to Hong Kong has opened my eyes to how important it is to create global networks, not only in a social sense but also professionally. Education is always evolving and adapting to become more child-centred and having different perspectives on how to achieve this is vital. I feel that having experience of the education system in Hong Kong allows me to bring new and fresh knowledge of teaching back with me to Northern Ireland, allowing me to develop useful teaching strategies which will be of benefit to the children I teach. 

Michael, Marcus and Lok playing football

Michael's buddy Emily and her friends

Hong Kong is one of the most diverse places in the world. Yet, it has a particularly inclusive society, valuing the individual traditions and customs of many people from all over the world, while also welcoming people to experience local Chinese traditions. Northern Ireland is also becoming an extremely diverse and multi-cultural place and last semester much of my academic studies were focused on inclusion in Northern Irish education and society. My time here has shown me how important it is to make a real effort to help make Northern Ireland and in particular our primary classrooms, more inclusive and welcoming of cultural diversity. I am sometimes left astonished at how friendly and welcoming the Chinese people are. They have made me feel part of the university, both academically and also socially, and much of my positive attitude towards Hong Kong is down to the people here. If children in our primary schools feel valued and welcomed, regardless of their background, they will inevitably develop positive attitudes towards their schooling and also towards life in Northern Ireland.

My friends from my flat!