Think back to your school days — were there any important moments that helped shape who you are today? And did any of them involve an encounter with a teacher?
For a particular Secondary One Normal Academic class, the breakthrough they experienced was a result of the love and care showed by their teacher, Matthew Zachary Liu. He saw what was happening among the students, how much hostility and resentment they had towards one another, and decided to put aside the books to find the root of the problem.
Treading with sensitivity and respect, Liu conducted a simple exercise in the hopes that his pupils would be open to accepting one another. With their eyes closed, he began. The questions started out innocently enough, touching on topics like hobbies, likes and dislikes. If their answer was a yes, they’d stand up, open their eyes, look around, and discover which of their peers had similar interests.
Soon enough, the vibe in the room shifted, from disinterested to engaged. Then Liu probed deeper. When he asked, “How many of you feel useless or have ever been told you’re worthless?” The entire class got to their feet. From there, some of them started to remove their masks and open up, sharing vulnerable stories about loss and complicated family backgrounds that they never had before.
Later, one student thanked Liu for “the best lesson ever”.
These heartbreaking stories that Liu surfaced serve to remind us that not everything is about grades and numbers. Perhaps the Ministry of Education will heed his plea to tweak the system and allow teachers more opportunities to really invest in their students’ lives.
This is what he recounted on his Facebook post, which went viral in less than a day.
I’ve been struggling, contemplating whether to share this publicly.. but it being the March school break now, with time…
Posted by Matthew Zachary Liu on Monday, March 14, 2016
More than 900 people so far have commented on his post, and they were overwhelmingly positive and supportive. Here are some responses.
