Author: Zak Payne
Picture this - hundreds of underprivileged children from Hong Kong’s less fortunate families and backgrounds travelling across the world to represent their school and country in some of the most difficult running events there are. Well, this vision is being made a reality by the incredible staff at Buddhist Fat Ho Memorial College - one of the most distinctive schools I have ever visited.
Yesterday, I had the privilege of joining Jo on a trip to visit BFHMC in Tai O - a school dedicated to helping all kinds of people, especially those with learning difficulties or behavioural limitations. They are incredibly accepting and take in all kinds of people - despite whatever difficulties they may have.
As I arrived at the school, I was struck with the warmth and the energy that could be felt emanating from the students and Teachers. It was amazing to witness such a passion and
the joy of life from the students - who at the time were practising reciting a Poem for an upcoming event at a nearby Monastery.
The school is embarking on an exciting new initiative, in which some of the schools top runners and cyclists will be Travelling to both Jeju Korea and The United Kingdom to participate in the UTMB and Trailwalker events respectively. It is an exciting opportunity for all students to excel in their physical education, stay fit and healthy and visit new places surrounded by their friends and teachers. Jo works closely with T8 and Above the Clouds (Topo Athletic) - who are helping to provide shorts and shoes for the kids participating in these events and ultimately helping them to perform as well as they can which I found to be both inspiring and thoughtful. These sporting events are helping to shape the children's futures - creating resilient, hard-working and dedicated champions.
Upon arrival, we had the joy of meeting some of the students - and it was amazing to see the diversity and variety of people and backgrounds. It was immediately clear to me that BFHMC is an incredibly inclusive school and it was a pleasure to get to know people from all sorts of different lifestyles and backgrounds. We also got to meet John, the P.E. teacher at the school who instantly struck me as energetic and passionate about his subject . It was surreal being able to talk to girls who spoke perfect, fluid English and turning around to talk to others who couldn’t speak at all. The stark differences in English fluency helped to highlight the school’s remarkable ability to create an inclusive and safe environment, where each student could thrive, regardless of their linguistic capabilities.
After a short introduction, we embarked on a run around Tai O. As it was my first time going to Lantau, I thoroughly enjoyed being shown around the beautiful mountains, hills, lakes and villages.
On our run we were accompanied by one of the school’s most elite cyclists. It was brilliant to talk to him - and despite the language barrier - learn about his experiences at the school and his history with running and cycling. By conversing with John and the ‘Head of Discipline and IT’ at the school over lunch, we learnt about the unique and idiosyncratic teaching methods employed at the school. They aim to encourage students by fostering an interest and pushing them to succeed in an area they enjoy. For example, many students elect sports (more specifically running) and music as a subject to excel in - which builds their confidence and drives motivation which can then be channelled into their academic studies. This teaching method has allowed BFHMC to become one of the best performing schools in its league and has evidently benefited the students both in terms of their academic performance and character development.
As stated by the Head of Discipline, the most important takeaway from any education is ‘being a good person’ - which I believe resonates with everyone around the world, especially students like me studying in Hong Kong due to the highly competitive nature here. As someone who is constantly putting a lot of pressure on myself and becoming obsessive in relation to school work and academic excellence - it was wonderful to surround myself with people from a different walk of life than myself, and it has really helped me to open my eyes and appreciate the real beauty of life. Also, this experience has developed and founded a personal passion for charity and giving back to the community. Being able to meet all these new, special people has encouraged me to embark on more life changing experiences like this one. Witnessing a day in the life in a place that is greatly different to what I am used to and observing the difference in privileges and opportunities that I receive compared to some of these students has inspired me to be more grateful for what I have - and be more open to sharing not only money but time with people who are living in conditions worse off than myself. Admittedly, I sometimes forget that life isn’t all about school and I let myself be consumed by grades and awards, but the words spoken by the amazing teachers at BFHMC will stick with me for the rest of my life.
‘It’s always more important to be a good person.’
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