OpinionLet our children think, talk and argue over Occupy protests
Kelly Yang says the Occupy protest offers the chance of real-world learning at its best, not least because of its importance for Hong Kong
As the protests continue, with no end in sight, it's been a very interesting month for Hong Kong teachers. Occupy has galvanised students' interest in politics. I have led debate after debate, with rooms packed full of secondary students.
One said, "These [student protesters] are total hypocrites. They want democracy. Yet they refuse to abide by the rule of law. If they really care about Hong Kong and their future, they should go back to the classroom and prepare for their future like a real student." Another retorted, "But what's the point of preparing for the future when that future is not bright?"
As a teacher, arguments over democracy, rather than whether Miley Cyrus is still cool, make you feel excited, whatever your politics. This is real-world learning at its finest. No longer are debate motions simply vague, abstract arguments. No longer are essays concocted by teachers, and students are actually happy to write them.
As soon as Occupy began, I asked all my students whether their teachers had talked to them about Occupy. What was their take on it? What did the students think? To my surprise, many said they hadn't talked about it at school. Apparently, it was business as usual at many establishments.
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I understand the hesitation to talk about Occupy. It is such a heated topic; just how are we teachers supposed to discuss it without injecting our own views, even accidentally? And if we do that, are we unfairly imposing these views on students?