Little Miracles

A great story (click) - As SB teachers, it's always important to see our students holistically, there is always a reason for the way they act, little miracles happens when we support them and never give up on them

One of the most touching thing I witness in SB is the changes that happened on Jimmy!

I taught him both this year and last year. After the first year of SB, he hided all his parents letter or anything related to SB away because he didn't want to come back for another summer. He think his English is weak, and he doesn't understand what the teachers are speaking anyways, he sees himself as a burden to other students. In class, he refuses to write, because his English is not as good as the others, he would day dream and not participate.  

However, Jimmy is an amazing hip hop dancer, musician and artist! With the support from his mom, he decided to come back to SB. But life has not been easy for him, on the second week of second year, we found him crying in the bathroom. 

But little changes begin to appear as we give him more support and designed the classes to allow him to express his ideas more artistically. He starts to feel more confident and tries hard even though sometimes he doesn't understand everything. 

He finally got a medals on the third week, and he was super excited about it, he supports his classmates, help the teacher to pass out materials, remind other students to be quiet...and he even wrote me a one page letter (unlike other students, he used to just draw in his letters to me) .... 

The most amazing thing was that, this student who normally don't speak much in English, gave a SPEECH on Visitors' Day in front of hundreds of visitors and parents.  

We are all very proud of him :)

Spring Leaves

Marco finally got a medal today. I still remember that he cried last year because he didn't get it even though he was one of the brightest in the class.  I always wonder if I'd get to see him get a medal during my time in SB. Funny enough lol, wanting to witness that is one of the reason I came back to SB. 

I made him a medal myself by the end of last year, telling him that even though he didn't get a medal, he's still a shining star (the medals last year were star-shaped, as the theme was Reach for the Stars) Hopefully he has grew to understand that how good he is, is not judged by whether he gets the medal or not. 

He has impressed me from the very beginning. 

Nine more teaching days, to be frank, I kind of wish it's over sooner. But I shall try my best. 

Rain of flowers

When I was reading a very long letter from Gary during the dinner. Stephen said "I am so jealous that you have such special bonding with the returning students" (Because i am the only returning staff from SB07). It makes me both so happy and unhappy.

I am so glad I came back, and I still get to see them, have lunch with them, talk with them, to see them being leaders as returning students in SB; but also sad when I see that they seems to have moved on a lot better than I do.
This year, 3 of the returning staffs including me was assigned to a quite difficult CDC, since the first day, we never had full attendance, and we often have problems with one of the class - it's my first period everyday, and it's often discouraging.Maggie (a very experienced staff) and I both find it really sad that we don't feel bonded with the students the way we usually do.

Today was a great day, we went off early to prepare for the special event. After the students left, we had a reli cool CDC staff dessert in IFC, then dinner with KK, K wong, Mark, Stephen, Sharon, Katherine, Maggie, Vanessa in Tsui Wah, THEN, joined the admins for dinner (again) in CWB. I am sunburnt, under 33*C without shades. We had so much fun and laughed so insanely much.

Yesterday lunch, a student of mine from last year cried, and she said she wanted to talk with me. I was surprised. She said she felt really sad, but there's no one she could think of that she could talk to except me... aww. She cried because she lost something that Shirley (our director) lend her, and she felt "really stupid"... I feel so close with my CDC students last year. Miraculously, after we part, I found the thing back for her in the room that I had to go to! It's totally like a miracle! and she gave me a big big big kudos in afternoon ASM.

I am not good in maintaining relationship with people, partly because I don't think I need to and also I doubt the possibility to do so, I can often move on so quickly, meet new friends, and enjoy my new life. But in my heart, I really wish that I could keep this relationship with these students from SB. (difficult..) I really love them (and when I am saying this, I am almost just solely thinking about my students from last year+my 3B class if they are all here).
Maggie is right, SB is addictive.