While many teachers equate education reforms with increased workloads and brand many new ideas as impractical, school principal Paul Yau Yat-heem sees them as an opportunity to fulfil dreams.
Mr Yau - the mastermind behind Tseung Kwan O's new Logos Academy - is a beacon among front-line educators.
While local schools are often criticised for their closed-door attitude, Mr Yau, who is also chair of the Education Department's Committee on Learning Resources and Supply Services as well as a member of the Education Commission, is an exception.
Taking the initiative to visit professional colleagues and schools worldwide during his holidays, he has expanded his network of educator friends well beyond Asia. He also shares his experiences widely, having held staff training sessions for almost 80 secondary schools within the last two years at Queen Maud Secondary School, where he was formerly principal. In an exchange trip to Shanghai in May, the 48-year-old grumbled about his more-than-adequate Putonghua while getting ready to make a presentation on the development of IT in education in Hong Kong. 'If the speech was in Cantonese, I could better explain the essence of my approach,' he said.
His willingness to share is not reserved for fellow educators, and at the end of the conference, an informal chat with reporters lasted until midnight.
An umbrella Christian organisation, the Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union, has also benefited from his expertise. Last year he drafted a proposal for its first school, the Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) Logos Academy, due to open in Tseung Kwan O next September.