Meet the Hong Kong primary teacher on a crusade against grades and ‘tiger mums’
Christine Ma-Lau says good values, not results at school, will shape our children’s futures, and a learning centre she founded in Wan Chai is attempting to uphold that philosophy
Christine Ma-lau wants to send a wake-up call to the city’s “tiger mums” that “there are more important things than good grades”.
The eldest daughter of MTR Corporation chairman Frederick Ma Si-hang says children need to be given the space to discover their own unique talents rather than letting others define them.
She is pushing an alternative philosophy on education, one that says good values such as empathy, respect, responsibility, teamwork and friendship are crucial in defining a child’s self-development and well-being, rather than grades in school.
In 2009, she launched JEMS, or Junior Excellent Members of Society, a learning house in Hong Kong that focuses on building character and instilling good values in youngsters. It is the first centre of its kind in the city.
We know many people got straight As when they were younger. But if they don’t know how to care for others, how to communicate with people and be respectful, at the end of the day, it doesn’t mean much
“We know many people got straight As when they were younger. But if they don’t know how to care for others, how to communicate with people and be respectful, at the end of the day, it doesn’t mean much,” she says.
Ma-Lau says many of the city’s leaders and high-ranking officials, including her father, were not outstanding at school, but achieved success in their careers due to good character and teamwork, being respectful and persevering.