Spotlights type: Alumni stories

For Teachers of Tomorrow from Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education, dealing with crying toddlers and sorting arguments over favourite toys, is a snap. Here’s why.

Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education (YCCECE) launched its Teachers of Tomorrow (ToT) scheme in 2016. Under this arrangement, Yew Chung International Kindergartens open their doors to outstanding graduates from YCCECE, offering an educational pathway known as “From Baby to Bachelor”. These Teachers of Tomorrow are encouraged to practice what they have learned. This year, Yew Chung International Kindergartens in Shanghai hired three YCCECE graduates as international teachers.

“International schools in Hong Kong, including YCIS, tend to recruit teachers with ample experience and holding a relevant degree,” Lin, Head of YCCECE Student Affairs Office, says. “However, we have a lot of faith in our graduates. The ToT scheme allows them to earn valuable early childhood education experience, so they will be able to innovate throughout their teaching career.”

The Yew Chung kindergarten international and bilingual teaching teams have adopted “Learning through Play” as an important pedagogic tool. For these graduates, it is an excellent starting point of their professional life. Past teachers recruited into the ToT scheme have stood out and received accolades from colleagues and parents alike. They were all invited to renew their contracts to teach at Yew Chung.

In these interviews we talk with five current Teachers of Tomorrow at Yew Chung who share their goals with us. They also talk about how their higher education experience at YCCECE was rewarding in several ways and helped them reach career goals.

You can reach for the moon at Yew Chung

“They all performed admirably during their internship, and made tremendous contributions to the college. Not only are they advocates of children’s rights and welfare, but they are also true believers of play-based learning,” observes Lin, YCCECE’s Head of student affairs office.

When Harriet Chan was young she volunteered at a kindergarten for 10 years to help toddlers learn. She received a Community Service Award by the Hong Kong Social Welfare Department for her work. She went to a local school but due to ‘ineffective’ teaching her learning was adversely impacted. This experience taught her the value of an inspiring teacher early on in a child’s life. International schools’ approach to teaching appeals to Harriet as children tend to learn better in a more nurturing environment.

After completing her higher diploma she entered the bachelor degree programme. Last New Year’s Eve, a professor asked Harriet to write down her goal on a piece of paper, on which she wrote, “graduate with first-class honours.” Harriet got a perfect 4.0 GPA, up from an already admirable 3.6.

The lecturers motivated her to reach for the moon. She learned to leave her comfort zone and set herself new challenges. She applied for a Teacher of Tomorrow position at Yew Chung International Kindergarten in Shanghai and began to stand on her own two feet away from home. Her years at YCCECE prepared her for success as she regained confidence. “YCCECE helped me become a new person. I think it is my destiny to be an early childhood educator,” she says.

Like Harriet, Karen Yip and Carmen Chan are both idealistic young educators who also started teaching at Yew Chung in Shanghai. As English is the medium of instruction at YCCECE, Karen and Carmen feel very comfortable working in an international school environment. Being bilingual, they can communicate with parents easily in Chinese too.

Having had internship experience during their college years, Karen and Carmen prefer the international school teaching approach. The emergent curriculum, for instance, is more consistent with the approach they have learned at YCCECE. Says Karen, “At many international schools, academic results are still very much emphasised. Yew Chung’s philosophy allows children to ‘learning through play.’ As we have just begun our teaching career, we are still exploring how best to put this notion into practice.”

Play-based teaching is best illustrated through everyday practice. In her first two weeks at the kindergarten, Karen observed a child who was able to learn and remember the word “elephant” as the child constantly played with a toy elephant. To her surprise, a few days later, the child told Karen that there were also toy elephants in other classrooms. In this instance, learning was enhanced through observation, association, and expression.

Elis Cheung and Suki Hui chose to stay in Hong Kong, and began their career as teaching assistants at Yew Chung International Kindergartens. “At local kindergartens, classes are led by teachers. However, at Yew Chung, a child-centred teaching approach is preferred in order to respect children’s interests, choices, and thoughts. Curriculum design is also based on this notion. Using innovative materials, Yew Chung’s educators focus on children’s creativity, such as art and technological ingenuity. These pedagogical approaches are consistent with our teaching philosophy,” Elis says.

The College’s greatest influence on our Teachers of Tomorrow is the notion of play-based teaching. Suki hopes that this approach, which allows children to enjoy educational play experience, can be adopted in more preschools in Hong Kong. When she applied for jobs, she paid close attention to the curricula, and checked if they were compatible with her teaching philosophy. Suki notes, “Hong Kong’s early childhood education field is relatively saturated – the applicant-to-hire ratio can be as high as 400:1 – so the ToT scheme is a precious opportunity.”

Elis is the only Higher Diploma graduate of the five Teachers of Tomorrow. She was grateful for this opportunity in this highly competitive landscape. Every Saturday, she studies for the bachelor degree programme. She expects to earn her degree in four years. For the next few years, she hopes to stay on at Yew Chung.

Learning from Shared Experience

“It is a privilege to graduate from YCCECE and teach at Yew Chung International Kindergartens in Shanghai. When it comes to teaching, the school and I share the same beliefs. I just need to practice what I have learned,” says Carmen.

Due to the pandemic, parents are no longer allowed to enter the school premises. Instead of face-to-face conversations, teachers have to put in more time and effort to communicate with parents. Our Teachers of Tomorrow tackle the challenges in various ways.

Harriet talks to parents on the phone and via Zoom. Carmen uploads photos to the Seesaw platform so parents can see what’s going on in the classroom to allay any anxiety. Karen got a few helpful tips from more experienced co-teachers. When talking to parents about their children, she uses the child’s Chinese name and keeps it brief. Her focus is on the children.

Teaching is a rewarding experience but can be stressful too. Since the beginning of the school year the young teachers have made the transition from teaching small groups to managing an entire class. There are several challenges. Helping children to cope with separation anxiety, for one. Young children often miss their mothers and cry. Patience is required to calm them down. During the pandemic children have not played with other kids for a while so they are less ready to share and often fight over their favourite toys. Again, it takes patience to teach good behaviour.

In Carmen’s class the youngest child cried almost daily. So she came up with a brilliant solution. Each day she gave the little boy a number of photos of him that Carmen had taken and printed. When he finished this routine, Carmen would take one photo away from him. As the number of photos he had in hand dwindled, the child had an idea of how much time was left for school before he reunited with his family. Over a few days the youngest boy in the class was crying a lot less.

“Although we all learned about various pedagogical theories in college, we sometimes review reference books and lessons,” Harriet reflects. Supervisors who are experts in the early childhood education field are great resources for the young teachers. Through weekly meetings and class observation, supervisors offer useful suggestions. For instance, when children fight over glue and stationery. As Harriet explains, “I was told not to worry too much as kids will be kids. It is the easiest just to fetch more stationery for them. Supervisors’ advice reminds me to be practical. Supervisors helped me see through blind spots and to be more flexible.”

At Yew Chung International Kindergartens in Hong Kong, the principal and assistant principal take turns every week to hold a seminar with Elis and Suki. They discuss difficulties that the young teachers have encountered and suggest reference books for Elis and Suki. Elis learned from the principal a ‘spot casting’ technique that helps children understand and express their emotions objectively. As Elis works with two-year-old toddlers whose vocabulary is fairly limited, she needs to pay more attention to their needs, and teach the children useful words to interact with them.

Suki is particularly impressed with the work culture at Yew Chung in Hong Kong, where working overtime is discouraged and a meaningful work life balance is sought. Moreover, colleagues have lots of opportunities to interact with one another and young teachers are encouraged to share their views. Students from YCCECE come to visit often so, for her, it feels like homecoming at times.

On September 23, school resumed for kindergartens in Hong Kong. Elis and Suki sprang back into action as they prepared teaching aids and ordered new uniforms. They also took care of the children and played with them. These so-called trivial tasks are all equally important for the children.

As a freshly minted teacher, Harriet hopes she can contribute to the class and make a difference, starting with the basics. Her latest classroom decoration has won praise from colleagues. She studies the curricula of Hong Kong and the United Kingdom, and designs her own curriculum and teaching plans.

At home, Carmen and Karen compile their own song lists. They search for new songs to cater to the children’s interests and give them a sense of novelty. They learn how to sing the songs at home so they can teach the children to sing along with everyone in class.

“Yew Chung is where I can put what I have learned into practice,” Suki enthuses. “Children get excited easily with so many things so designing a curriculum to cater to their interests is no easy task. Yew Chung’s teachers are some of the best in the field, and it is up to me to learn as much as possible from them while teaching here.”

On 12 August 2020, Mr Mark Montgomery, our YCIS Shanghai Artist-in-Residence (AIR) was invited by Starbucks to hold a Portrait Art Exhibition at its Gubei store, one of the most popular neighbourhood hangouts for the YCIS community.

The exhibition ran through September and was so well received that Mark earned kudos and a small following in Shanghai for his unique storytelling through portraits. Mark is from the USA and graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design, Georgia, majoring in sequential art with a minor in painting. Mark joined YCIS Hong Kong in 2010 and two months later moved to Shanghai. He has been with YCIS for 10 years.

Mark sees himself as a storyteller and enjoys his special morning routine sipping coffee at Starbucks, observing and drawing faces. The idea of portraiture started with his reluctance to discard envelopes and paper, which he saved for his doodles. His work evolved with different colours and techniques as he completed more than 60 portraits of family members, colleagues, and total strangers.

Sharing his experiences as AIR at YCIS, Mark says he took it as an opportunity to learn from students and teachers and to grow. He has been teaching art through storytelling and a recent project involved the creation of fun and expressive comic books by primary students.

“Whether an artist or anything else, do what you love and practice it every day,” says Mark. “Be it drawing, basketball or science, find that passion because it will carry you through good times and bad.”

 

YC alumnus Nelson Ko is living proof of the exhortation, ‘Step out of your comfort zone.’ It’s the route to a new level in life and the way to enjoy unexpected and rewarding experiences.

Nelson demonstrated his keenness to explore well before he graduated with the Class of 2004 at YCIS Hong Kong. Lacking experience in musical instruction he nevertheless decided to share his passion and offer drum lessons to students to help them through a time of distress. “I was proud I took the leap,” says Nelson. “I believe the experience boosted my self-confidence.”

To this day, as the director of Wilson Garment Accessories International Ltd, Nelson still continues to test his boundaries and take frequent leaps of faith. In light of the Covid-19 outbreak in Hong Kong and China that placed many of his factory workers at risk and realising that face masks were in short supply, Nelson boldly embarked on a new project.

“We decided to manufacture and directly supply quality face masks to our workers, as well as to others in need at an affordable price.”The company joined the HKSAR government’s Local Mask Production Subsidy Scheme.

Nelson and his team faced immediate challenges as the company moved from “business-to-business (B2B) to a business-to-consumer (B2C) model,” he says, adding, “We also faced difficulty in installing and operating the mask-manufacturing machinery with insufficient technical staff. Simply handling the sheer quantity of masks required in a very short time proved very difficult for us.”

Despite the frustrations, Nelson and his team persisted. In the end their effort was successful. The first delivery to the HKSAR Government late June totalled a staggering two million masks.

As well-known American entrepreneur Jim Rohn used to say, “We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.”

Regardless of the numerous obstacles and hurdles in the way, Nelson worked tirelessly to have a positive impact on the lives of many. He never gave up. “By being far outside my element, making masks for myworkers and for the community, I gained the most rewarding experience,” he says.

Nelson believes that staying in your comfort zone is like wearing blinders. “As my comfort zone expanded, I removed those blinders and was able to see new opportunities.” His next step was to venture into making quality reusable masks. He also made masks for kids. Nelson has already ordered more machinery to manufacture more masks. We’re sure we shall get to wear some of these before long.

Nelson’s positive attitude and other admirable qualities make him an excellent role model to encourageus to step out of our comfort zones. Let’s seize those hidden opportunities.

We have always been told to do good in school, because graduating university with good grades will get you a “great” job in a “great” company!

 

While I agree these are great targets to achieve, but there is more to personal and career development and most importantly, we need to ask ourselves what is a “great” job?

Finding a job isn’t only about going into big companies like Google, Alibaba or JP Morgan, it is about the fit. Your talent, your skills and your degree in school all matters when you are looking for a job. You will most likely be getting a job in a financial institution with a finance degree or step into the creative industry with an art degree. Though, you can still get a job in a financial institution with an art degree, but keep in mind that the competition and challenge will be higher!

I’ve learnt a lot about talent acquisition in the past 4 years with a hypergrowth company – Uber and would love to share my experience and tips in today’s talent market.

Fit is the most important thing in finding a job and remember to read the Job description and meet those standards. You will be ruining your chances with the company if you apply to “Marketing Manager” when you have just graduated and have no full-time work experience or apply to a job which requires 2+ years of work experience when you have none. Rather than the role “Manager” maybe go for something like “Coordinator” - being qualified for the job is your first step getting your first interview.

So, how do we apply and score your chance to the first interview and eventually get the job?

Nowadays, it is more difficult to find a job and people are desperate for a job. Being proactive in job hunting is important but being too proactive may land you to a job you aren’t interested or not passionate about. At the end of the day, you should be at a company where you believe in their mission, love what you are doing and learning a ton!

We often apply to countless amount of companies and to do so, we often have just one cover letter and CV we pass along to all companies. However, companies go through hundreds of CVs, spending on average 5 seconds per CV. Therefore, wha makes your CV eye-catching for the first 5 seconds?

Make sure your CV is easy to read. Think of ways on how you can make your CV stands out. When the recruiters go through CVs, they already have the MUST HAVE requirements in mind. For example, sales role may require skills like full-time sales experience, great negotiator or cold calling. You could literally copy those exact same words from the job description on your CV. When recruiters see relevant key words and needed requirements, you should have a chance to get your first recruiter phone call. But remember, never lie on your CV! Not only it is unethical, but also there is no point as they will be able to pick that up while during interview!

 

What else can we do to find our best fit job?

LinkedIn can be very powerful! Make sure your LinkedIn is updated and fully polished along with a great professional profile photo. Through LinkedIn, you will be able to see whether you have connections with the company you are interested in. It could be your friends, their friends or someone who was in the same club with you during school. Don’t hesitate to reach out to them, employee usually get referral bonus at companies so they will most likely invest time to put your application through the employee referral program. Referrals often are more prioritized than other regular application so this can be a great advantage.

Master degree is definitely a great bonus for your career. Even though it can be very time consuming and need heavy financial investment, but you can learn foundations outside from your undergraduate studies and meet ton of peers from different industries with different experience. Though there are both pros and cons in going straight for a master degree after your undergraduate studies, but I do recommend having real-world experience before getting into masters. Without real-world experience, you won’t be able to contribute much in class discussions, and you will be in disadvantage while finding a job since you are pretty much at the same level as an undergraduate in terms of skills and working experience.

Finding a best fit job can take a little longer, but it is definitely worth the time. Know your passion and find the best suitable job for your current stage. Don’t worry if you couldn’t meet some of the requirements for your dream job yet, evaluate yourself and try to fit the job. Wish you all best of luck in finding your best fit job or even starting something on your own!!

Biography

Sho is originally from the land of the rising sun (Japan), a city named Koshigaya in the Saitama prefecture. Since young age, Sho has moved around the world, growing up and spending time in different countries and cities (Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo and the US).

Sho attended the Yew Chung International School of Shanghai (Gubei Campus) from year 2000 to 2011. Upon graduating from YCIS SH in 2011, he attended New York University later transferring to HKUST.

Right after graduation, Sho joined Uber in the APAC recruitment team where he learned all-things recruiting and in the 3 and a half years, he contributed and builtworld class teams across Asia, especially in Japan.

Currently Sho is involved in another venture…

Coco Chanel once said “Fashion is in the sky, in the street. Fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” Fashion is living with us every day. It is not just the clothing we put on, or matching a red shirt with pink pants; it is a lifestyle. We know very little about fashion, and yet we cannot live without it.

Mr David Leung, one of the very first Chinese designers to work directly with Gianni Versace, has dedicated his whole life to fashion and textile and is now moving one step forwards, influencing young talents through his story and experience as the Director of Fashion Design of our Foundation!

Dream Big and Take Risks
Mr Leung’s career in fashion started by picking up pins on the floor and buying coffee for designers, just like all the other graduates in this field. He spent years developing the skills and techniques needed to become a successful fashion designer until he finally decided to follow his passion and moved to Milan, Italy, with no friends, no job, and no knowledge about the culture or the language. He gave up everything he had in New York and started to knock on doors with his resume and portfolio, hoping to get recognition and work from the top designers. It was truly a dream-come-true moment when he finally got the chance to meet Mr Gianni Versace, not only hearing positive feedback from Mr Versace but also being offered a position in the design team for Versace.

During his time with Versace, he contributed many creative and innovative ideas. One of the most iconic designs of all is the “Medusa” logo, which has now become a brand identity for Versace.

The iconic Medusa logo designed by Mr David Leung

The Philosophy of Fashion
Mr Leung believes fashion isn’t just about clothing, but a lifestyle where the designer has a visual communication with audience through their design. “People often only see the 15 minutes of fame during fashion shows but do not know the years of effort we put in,” Mr Leung sighs. As a fashion designer, doing sketches is only one tiny part of the job. “Doing Research, knowing the history, the contemporary pop culture, and the market trends, is all important while creating a brand name and making a product which everyone likes,” said Mr Leung.

When it comes to fashion design, the design itself is still a very important part of the product. Mr Leung’s inspiration in design doesn’t come from a particular artist or designer. He shared that the key to any design is observation, exploring different cultures and world histories or simply sitting at the side of the street watching the world pass by. These are all good ways to understand what the world is trying to tell us and what people really like! “That’s why I particularly admire Miuccia Prada. As the head designer of Prada, she was never trained to be a fashion designer. Her Ph.D. in Political Science gradually developed a style in her, and all her progressive ideas were often reflected in her designs, the understated glamour and the refined elegance,” shared Mr Leung. She gives us her personal voice and addresses humanity through her designs, and this is what Mr Leung believes design should be doing – to tell your own story and to tell the world who you are!

The Next Step
After years of dedication in the fashion industry as designer and creative director in Milan, Paris and New York, his life has gradually become restless. It was at this moment when Mr Leung decided to indulge his passion in fashion in another way, which is teaching, passing on his experience and training young talents as independent designers. While teaching at the Parsons School of Design, Mr Leung received a message from his two life-long mentors, Dr Betty Chan and Professor Paul Yip asking him whether he would like to come to Shanghai and develop a fashion and textile A Level curriculum for YWIES Shanghai Gubei. It was a huge dilemma for Mr Leung at first, giving up New York again and going to a completely new environment. But at the end, what really changed his mind was when Dr Chan told him he will be sharing his own experience with the whole country and influencing a wider community by coming to China.

It wasn’t easy for Mr Leung at the beginning, not only that he needed to get familiar with the culture as well as the people, but there were also challenges waiting ahead when building up the programme. This A Level programme is designed to be more concentrated for Art and Fashion, so we need to offer the right courses to students while being able to fulfil university requirements, and prepare students for examinations and university education with all the necessary courses. Therefore, finding instructors can be a big challenge as well, since the requirements and standards are very specific.

But eventually, like many stories, this one for YWIES Shanghai Gubei ended happily. The big upgrade will be coming in September, providing a three-year curriculum for students who are interested in pursuing a degree in Art and Design. We offer courses such as foundation of art, business, as well as lifestyle and wellness, language and portfolio building. This concentrated curriculum will provide the right courses for those who want to cultivate interest in this field, preparing them for not only university but also career.

Mr Leung hopes through this programme, we will be able to train young talents how to be creative and innovative using their own hands and brain. Finally, Mr Leung suggested “We need to dream big, set goals, and work hard! Not only just the fashion industry, but we all need to be observant of what is happening around the world, while still looking at small details as well! Being passionate with work, life, family and everything we do is the ultimate goal, and eventually you will be able to tell your own story and tell the world who you are!”

We have considered our collaboration with Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education (YCCECE) especially meaningful since we met for the first time in 2018. The objectives of Wofoo Foundation, Wofoo Social Enterprises and Yew Chung are very much in line. “Wofoo” refers to “peace and richness”. Our organisation attaches great value to social harmony and development in Hong Kong with the aim of promoting a friendly and affluent environment. Through our communication with YCCECE, we are impressed by their care and assistance provided for ethnic minority students to integrate into the society through the college’s professional training, and by the institution’s commitment to nurturing loving teachers, which is basically the same as our vision to create a caring society.

We are glad to be a donor to YCCECE and are excited about our two main projects, with one being the community event H“ART”PPINESS TRILOGY that facilitates social inclusion through diversified family activities, and the other being a scholarship scheme to recognise students with potential to be great teachers. While a teacher can be any individual equipped with teaching skills, a good teacher must be an individual who also genuinely cares for his or her students. The scholarship aims to recog- nise future teachers from YCCECE who are committed to serving their students with love and care, and willingly devote their time to grow together with their students. Early childhood education is of utmost importance in character building for it lays the foundation of one’s life values. Life values that toddlers pick up can have an enduring impact on his or her whole life. This is why we think early childhood education is so important.

A school may be recognised usually for its academic achievements, but seldom for its efforts to help students develop good moral character. Schools are actually very important places where students can cultivate good virtues and develop a positive outlook in life by showing mutual care and respect to their peers and teachers, and vice versa. However, with the continuous advancement of technology, artificial intelligence (AI) will also pose
a major challenge to the education sector. How can we effectively integrate AI into education? When AI brings about changes in curriculum design, school administra- tion and ample information handling, how can teachers be simultaneously nurturing students with correct attitude while equipping them with adequate skills and knowledge? In this age of information proliferation, our young people should take advantage of the technological advancement by reading more and understand more about our society and its culture, thereby finding the underlying truth. When everyone values cultural cultivation, chances are we can create a more harmonious society.

We are honoured to join hands with YCCECE through this gift and cooperation, to establish the Wofoo Student Learning Commons and to make more contributions to the education sector and to our future generations. With the college as our kindred partner, we do believe that we can further enhance the social harmony in Hong Kong with the knowledge and wisdom YCCECE has to share. We look forward to the fruitful achievements in the above projects.

Susanna Lo’s story with Yew Chung started 12 years ago. She’s a Yew Chung mum, and a disseminator of love to society.

Like many parents, Susanna heard about Yew Chung from her friends. Both her son and daughter began their Yew Chung journey at a very young age. Her son is now in the UK and her daughter is still studying in Year 8. Apart from her role as a full time mother, she is also a volunteer in many performing arts organisations, and is a member of the YCIS-HK Secondary Home-School Co-operation Committee (HSCC), which is a bridge between parents and the school. These experiences have given her more opportunities to see the harmonious relationship between teachers and students, and truly understand the positive impact of a Yew Chung education on kids.

“Charity isn’t about pity; it is about Love” – Mother Teresa

Everyone has their own troubles. Susanna told her kids, “It is never about the misfortunes of others, nor how lucky we are. Everyone has different experiences, and it is im- portant to be able to help others while we have the ability to.” Sometimes a tiny act of ours will change a person’s life.

Susanna has always been involved in charitable activities whenever she had the opportunity. It all started with a TV interview she saw 10 years ago showing a two-year-old girl picking up paper boxes on the street to ease the burden of her family. Out of curiosity, Susanna called the organization who supported this little girl to hear more about the story and to learn more about this charity. After visiting their office Susanna had a better understanding of what they do, and without any hesitation she issued a 10,000 HKD cheque to see how the money will be spent. She was later shocked by the result, not only because of how much the money could do, but also from the problems other people might suffer from. She could never imagine the things we took for granted is a luxury to others. While we decide on which restaurant to eat at, or what clothes are trendy, there are others who are concerned about daily transportation to school or simple hygiene problems at the apartment. The 10,000 HKD Susanna generously gave made a huge impact on another person’s life by putting food on their table or providing light in their room. “I can’t imagine what kind of future is waiting for them if no one is willing to help, ” Susanna sighed.

“I think of this volunteerism as a cycle. Those who have benefited will most likely help others.” As Susanna said, “love will continue to pass on, and we will feel the love while spreading the love. This is something we can feel in Yew Chung, our alumni coming back to volunteer or helping other students to deal with their difficulties.
The same happens in Art Mentor, Susanna’s chartiable initiatives for performing arts and musicals. For example, the children sponsored in the previous musical will come back and help for the next musical. “The first step in starting a cy- cle is the key determinant of whether the cycle continues. We hope that those who are helped can enjoy and be happy while cherishing this experience, and thus they will be willing to share and deliver the love they have felt to others! At the same time, spreading love is never only about money, but to help those who are less fortunate become independent and confident.” said Susanna.

Up to this day, Susanna is still doing her best for society. At the same time, she also inspires people around her to par- ticipate only because “Doing good deeds together is happier!” Every year Susanna insists on visiting the elderly and children living in the partitioned flats. She also prepares dinner for the elderly and children to gather together during special occasions such as the Chinese New Year. This meal not only will bring them food, but also the chance for them to enjoy warmth and good company in a spacious area, something we take for granted but they cherish. “It is heart warming to see how we eventually become friends with all the neighbours. The time and experience here have become a beautiful memory we all share together. A little girl walked over and gave me a kiss. She told me later she’s really thankful for what I’ve done. It was this moment I felt the meaning of the meal. It seemed I had to do it every year from then on!” Susanna smiled.

Susanna’s advice for us is to create your own cycle of love. It can be with your family, school or community. It is an act that can change a person’s life and lets our love last forever!

Jackson Chow spent 11 memorable years at YCIS Shanghai, attending from kindergarten to high school, before going abroad for university.

I realise that 12 members from my family are either alumni of Yew Chung or current students at Yew Chung! 

After all of these years, I consider Yew Chung part of my family. My brother, David, was the very first student enrolled at the YCIS Shanghai Hongqiao Campus, and my sister, Angela (Class of 2012), studied at Yew Chung for 16 years, from K2 until she graduated from high school. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree at the University of Tokyo. When I take a moment to think about it, I realise that 12 members from my family are either alumni of Yew Chung or current students at Yew Chung!

People often ask why my family is so committed to Yew Chung. Well, that story goes back to my father’s generation. The city of Hong Kong is crucial to my father's career, and since both my sister and I were born in Hong Kong, my parents wanted us to be part of the Yew Chung family as soon as YCIS Shanghai opened.

Yew Chung has had an unforgettable and meaningful impact on my life. Some of my classmates became my life-long friends, and we have been together for many milestones, including our matriculation at the same university - UBC, Canada. Post-university, we have continued to be part of each other's important events over the years, and I will always remember when they flew to Shanghai to witness one of the most important moments of my life: my wedding!

YCIS Alumni from left to right: Albert Hsu, Douglas Wong (both Class of 2009), Jimmy Chan (Class of 2007), Leo Wang, Jackson Chow, Wei Chun Ma, Charles Chung, Raymond Wang, and Danny Liu (all Class of 2009).

Yew Chung has had an unforgettable and meaningful impact on my life. Some of my classmates became my life-long friends, and we have been together for many milestones

Although it has been years since I graduated from Yew Chung, I still have fond memories of its inclusiveness and the warm personal interest the teachers and staff had in all of the students.

In the years when I was at Yew Chung, there were not many students, so each grade typically consisted of three classes. Therefore, it was easy to get to know each other. My classmates were from all over the world, and most of them joined Yew Chung because of their parents' work in China. However, each year, some students had to return to their home countries as their parents were relocated. It was a natural routine for us to welcome new friends and wave goodbye to the old ones.

Students at Yew Chung come from diverse cultural backgrounds and have different ways of thinking. This diversity allowed us to naturally accept the differences of others and learn to be socially inclusive

Students at Yew Chung come from diverse cultural backgrounds and have different ways of thinking. This diversity allowed us to naturally accept the differences of others and learn to be socially inclusive. Rather than forcing others to adapt to our cultural values, Yew Chung alum tend to understand and appreciate others’ experience. Growing up with this diversity of thought and experience has positively impacted some of my lifelong decisions and career choices. I'm able to get along and make friends with people from all over the globe, and I am able to think in both eastern and western mindsets. This is why Yew Chung alum are truly ambassadors of the world, and this continues to benefit me today in my work today at ESPN China (A Walt Disney Company).

Beyond the inclusive atmosphere, I am also thankful for the school’s culture of respect. At Yew Chung, respect was our way of life, permeating the culture of the campus. Everyone at the school, from bus drivers to ayis to teachers to staff, modelled the value of respect to us in their actions.

Recently, the school held an inauguration ceremony for the newly refurbished 'A Building' at the Hongqiao Campus. I was very touched to be part of this momentous occasion, and I enjoyed spending some time catching up with school leaders. I was also delighted that the school invited a number of retired ayis to join this meaningful event. Surprising enough, one of our lovely former ayis still remembered me and asked me to send her best wishes to my grandma. These heart-to-heart connections with my Yew Chung family are what I cherish most!

Dr Esther Chan, Ms Cher Lee (Class of 2009), Dr Betty Chan, Jackson Chow and his wife, Ms Adrianna Ma, Ms Rachel Zhao, and Dr Lydia Chan at the recent YCIS Puxi Primary (Hongqiao) Campus Building Dedication Ceremony.

This is why I loved my time at Yew Chung. The school's atmosphere, the environment and the people, all taught us the true meaning of learning

This is why I loved my time at Yew Chung. The school's atmosphere, the environment and the people, all taught us the true meaning of learning. The holistic education that the school provided moulded us into good students and good people.

In my opinion, a good teacher isn’t necessarily someone who simply imparts knowledge but, rather, is someone who truly cares about their students and makes learning fun with their own unique charisma.

Thinking back, Mr and Mrs Polson are two of the teachers I remember most. My first impression of Mrs Polson was that she was a rather stern teacher whom some of the students found a bit intimidating. But as I spent more time with her and got to know her, I realised that she was actually a very sweet and caring teacher on top of being an excellent educator. Mr Polson, on the other hand, was more like a friend to us than a teacher. He would patiently listen to us and show concern, even when we were not in class. After I returned from Canada, we are able to see each other again and many happy tears were shed.

When people ask me which school I will send my children to, I always answer: "definitely Yew Chung!"

I could speak for days about the impact Yew Chung had on me. Words are not enough to describe my experiences and feelings. But when people ask me about my alma mater, I am always proud to tell them I attended Yew Chung International School of Shanghai. When people ask me which school I will send my children to, I always answer: "definitely Yew Chung!" And now we have great news - our young son will join YCIS Shanghai soon, and my wife and I could not be more thrilled that he will have the opportunity to study at this amazing school and carry on our family tradition.

Establish Tradition and Pursue Innovations

With his innovative leadership style known to many, Professor Allan Yuen, the new President of Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education (YCCECE), the first specialist institution in Asia to offer formal teacher training in Early Childhood Education, makes research a major task in the College's development plan despite various challenges.

Prof. Yuen wants to build four pillars –teaching, research, community service and knowledge exchange –for YCCECE on top of the sound foundation of Yew Chung schools. Among the four pillars, he puts emphasis on research and strives to promote a research culture in the College because he believes research is crucial for the sustainability of the College. The University Grants Committee has granted YCCECE a fund to establish a research office. Prof. Yuen is drawing up research plans with his colleagues, hoping to apply for other research funds.

YCCECE was established less than two years ago (previously Yew Chung Community College founded in 2008 which was upgraded to the status of ECE degree-awarding institution in 2018)based on the foundation of Yew Chung schools with a history of 87 years. It is no easy task to lead a new college to promote local ECE development, but Prof. Yuen focuses on opportunities rather than difficulties. The teachers and other staff come from different countries with various cultural and academic backgrounds. Prof. Yuen has realised the College needs time to establish its own culture and tradition. At the same time, he still sees the diversity as an opportunity: “As all of us have different backgrounds, we can draw on collective wisdom and absorb all useful ideas.”

Finding working capital is another challenge. Prof. Yuen said everyone thinks Yew Chung is very rich but actually Yew Chung is a non-profit organisation. When he raised money for YCCECE, he found another opportunity: “Many people are willing to contribute to education.” It is not only about donors giving money, but also about suggesting plans to conduct community projects with YCCECE.

Talking about the expectation for YCCECE, Prof. Yuen hopes the Collegecan provide an inclusive learning environment, which he regards as the essence of education. He is preparing to develop and start more new programmes in the future including taught postgraduate programmes to help the College achieve a greater success.

If you have been to or have read about the Pamela Peck Discovery Space at Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education (YCCECE), you probably have seen these photos:

The amazing space does not just appear on its own. In fact, it is Haruka Ostley, our former Artist-in-Residence who initiated and contributed to these fantastic designs!

Haruka is a multidisciplinary artist (painter/ muralist/ performer) who hails from Japan. Growing up and living across four different continents allows her to easily work with people from different backgrounds, and has given her art work a bigger variety and style! Both Haruka and her husband Gabe Ostley used to work as Artists-In-Residence in YCIS Hong Kong and eventually worked in different campuses across China. Although Haruka left Yew Chung in 2014, her story with us doesn’t just end there!

After living in the US for four years, they were then invited back to Yew Chung to do several short-term projects which later on extended to designing the children’s Discovery Space at YCCECE. Along with other educational experts and architectural experts, Haruka organised and contributed to the layout, the interior design and the murals throughout the space. “The process was long but fun!” said Haruka.

When we asked Haruka about where she got all those ideas from, Haruka proudly told us that “My primary inspirations are my sons!” Being a mother of a seven-year-old and a three-year-old, she got to observe and think in a children’s perspective. Following their trails, she had the chance to visit many playgrounds, libraries and museums around the town, and most importantly, through observing how her kids communicatedand how they played, she got an inspiration and it fits perfectly to Yew Chung’s vision of play-based learning!

However, since the Discovery Space is such a big project, Haruka told us that the process wasn’t easy. It all started as sketches and visual drawings on a piece of paper, as well as inspirations from the Portland Children’s Museum and communicating back and forth with the Yew Chung educators and the architecture team. While achieving an awesome design and cool furniture, it also needs to be fun for kids to play in, explore and feel safe at the same time. The final result of the YCCECE Pamela Peck Discovery Space is truly phenomenal; Haruka herself was very pleased and happy with the result. But at the same time, Haruka shared with us that she feels like the Discovery Space is only a beginning of a frame work, “There is so much to develop throughout the following years with teachers, staff and most importantly, with the children! After seeing children playing in the Discovery Space, we already discovered things we want to add to it.” Kids are filled with unlimited imaginations and this is how it should be. “There is no learning if the space is completely done and filled with set in stone activities!” said Haruka.

Being an artist and an educator, Haruka showed us the bond between art and education, and demonstrated to us the unlimited possibilities in education and how art bringsus all together. The YCCECE Pamela Peck Discovery Space is only the beginning! The fun, the creativity, the unlimited imagination and the education doesn’t just stop here. Education and learning should never only be about how much books you read or how good you achieve in an exam. The future lands on our children’s hand, so don’t be afraid to have them dream, create and build their own future in the YCCECE Pamela Peck Discovery Space!

Facts about the Discovery Space:

The YCCECE Pamela Peck Discovery Space is a haven with 14 different sections where children and their significant adults can enjoy time together, building quality relationships. This innovation and stimulating learning space is designed to keep childrenat the centre, providing childrenwith opportunitiesto explore their curiosities, wonders and imagination.

This unique space is open to public fromTuesday to Saturday with twosessions each day from 9 am – 4 pm at HK$ 80 per visit.

Visit: discoveryspace.yccece.edu.hk for more details!