Principal urges students to find joy in learning
SingTao · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Chan Yuet-ping says the real challenge in education is not that learning is difficult, but that it can become joyless when reduced to rote memorisation, testing and grades . Reflecting on a new-student adaptation week exercise, she was struck by a student who wrote that they hoped to become “an interesting person” in six years, seeing this as a model for meaningful learning . She argues that students become more engaged when they study with curiosity, ask questions and discover interest for themselves . She also says a school culture that values both process and outcomes can help students become more expressive, optimistic and ready for future challenges .
Key Points
- During new-student adaptation week, students were asked to write about themselves six years later, and one wrote, “I hope to become an interesting person” .
- Chan says students fear boring learning more than hardship, especially when study is limited to memorisation, tests, scores and passive knowledge intake .
- Citing the idea that enjoying something surpasses merely liking it, she says true interest drives initiative, concentration and recovery from failure .
- She defines an “interesting person” not as someone entertaining, but as someone who appreciates the world and notices beauty in ordinary things .
- Chan says schools should not focus only on results or standard answers, but also encourage questioning, participation and enjoyment in everyday learning .
Why It Matters
Chan’s argument speaks to a wider debate in Hong Kong education about whether schools should measure success only through examination performance or also through mindset and character formation . Her emphasis on curiosity, resilience and active participation suggests that student well-being and long-term growth may depend on making learning meaningful rather than merely compulsory .