Faced with a roomful of disgruntled underachievers and unruly teenagers, teachers might be daunted by the task of turning their young charges around. But Manda Ma Wai-man refuses to regard her problem students as lost causes.
The discipline mistress at Tung Wah Group of Hospitals' Mr & Mrs Kwong Sik Kwan College in Tuen Mun, Ma instead goes out of her way to give them a boost, spending considerable time after work to help them reconcile with estranged parents or catch up on studies.
'Our school caters to lots of children who need special attention. They might suffer from dyslexia or have a tendency to disrupt classes,' says Ma, a 13-year veteran at the college.
Although it takes a lot of extra time and effort to engage recalcitrant students, the satisfaction of helping them carve a path for themselves is what keeps her going, she says. She especially recalls a young troublemaker who eventually became a mountain biking champion.
Ma is among 25 educators honoured yesterday in the 2012 Outstanding Teacher Election organised by the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers.
Awards are given in four categories: teaching, education management, national education and caring. A total of 173 teachers were nominated.