Finding an EQ equilibrium

From an early age, Frederick POON Siu-chi always knew he wanted to be a teacher and enter the field of education. Now Principal at St Paul’s Co-educational College, Poon was fueled by a desire to spark passion in others, the same way he was inspired by two of his mathematics teachers during junior school.

“Those two teachers not only taught me maths, they also taught me how to be a good person and to have wisdom. They taught me that education is fundamental to the development and growth of teenagers,” Poon said.

For this reason, when the time came for him to kickstart his career, Poon knew he wanted to earn a degree in Education. “I told myself I would like to be a teacher. That was my aim, so I had to find a course that would help me to do that,” he said.

At the time, City University of Hong Kong (CityU) was offering a BA in teaching English as a second language, and Poon decided to take up this subject because of his experience at his alma mater, St Paul’s College.

It was there that his old English teacher had encouraged him and his fellow students to read the South China Morning Post’s Young Post supplement every day in order to build up a solid foundation in English. “That’s how I got interested in English and why I chose to do my BA in English at CityU,” he said.

Passing on the Torch
The years that followed at CityU proved to be an incredibly valuable time for Poon as the courses he embarked on and the lectures he attended helped to refine his career goals. In particular, he recalls how his lecturers would share their experiences of working as secondary school teachers before they joined the University. They would explain how they dealt with different situations, providing insight into what it takes to be a good teacher.

Poon said the beauty of having both foreign and local lecturers was in hearing different perspectives on how different cultures deal with various issues in a classroom.

Following his bachelor’s, Poon continued to study, earning a Postgraduate Certificate in Education and then an MA in teaching English as a second language. As he began to become more interested in administration, he eventually did a second MA, in Educational Administration, years later. In all, Poon became extremely passionate in working with teenagers with the hope of instilling the same sense of humanity and curiosity as his teachers had done for him.

In 2017, he became the head of one of Hong Kong’s prestigious schools—St Paul’s Co-educational College.

In this current role, Poon is adamant that students live and breathe the school’s age-old values and its motto of embracing faith, hope and love in all that they do. He believes that the well-being of teenagers is intrinsically tied to these and to getting a good education.

In order to do this, Poon believes that education should provide students with the opportunity to expand their international perspectives, train students to think critically and learn how to express themselves rationally and be able to have the good judgement to differentiate between what is right and wrong. He also believes that helping students to develop a strong EQ is important to teach them how to handle different situations. Crucially, educators have the important job of teaching students to value learning itself.

“Subject content is important, but we also have to offer many chances for them to expose themselves to any cross-curricular activities in order for them to learn to be well rounded,” he said.

Emerging Stronger from Crises
And of course, setting a good example is also important. Poon himself is a shining example of a person of resilience, wisdom and someone with great passion. He has had the challenging job of navigating and leading the charge at the school during several tumultuous years in Hong Kong through education reform, protests and, most painstakingly, COVID-19. But rather than seeing these events as challenges, Poon saw them as opportunities.

“The pandemic created new opportunities for students,” he said. “We have been adopting a blended mode of education using Zoom and meetings, and it’s given the students and teachers a new exposure to new technology.”

Recognising that there are definite pitfalls to using too much technology, Poon also sees this as an opportunity to improve the school’s values education, to teach a new generation of tech-savvy thinkers how to be critical thinkers and ethical citizens in a digital age.

“Education is significant and fundamental in preparing our new generation to face all sorts of challenges,” he said.

While this alumnus of CityU has enjoyed significant success throughout his career, he does not claim it as alone achievement. Poon is grateful for the support of his college council, his hardworking staff and his own educational experiences for his current successes. He also believes that his own personal philosophies have stood him in good stead.

“For example, I always have to be in the know about everything that goes on in our school, no matter how big or small. This is the only way that I can get a better picture,” he said. “I talk to everyone—the students, the teachers, the janitors, all the different stakeholders to hear how they feel about the school.”

Poon’s advice for current students studying at CityU is to make good use of their time to learn as much as they can and to contribute to society. “Hong Kong is a place where East meets West and it’s a great place to train and broaden your horizons,” he said. “Always remember your alma mater and live up to the values of CityU whenever and wherever you can.”