Cultural Differences 1

2 January 2015


Episode 1

Where are the tables? 


One major highlight of the Open Day was a demonstration lesson by a young teacher using a HK brand online reading program - i-learner.com.hk. The venue was the Computer Room. The teacher in charge had given a finishing touch to the setting - with three tables in the middle of the lecture area. To my surprise, when the demo lesson was about to start, I found all the students cramped around just one table, instead of comfortably seated around three. This really put the academic head in panic. He flew around to dig out the missing ones. There's no time to find the cause of this chaos, but to resolve the problem so that teaching and learning could proceed, and visitors wouldn't be upset by this poor management. 

Up to this date, no one admitted committing the fault. What had really happened was not investigated. Things were taken away, or just moved from one place to another, 'not stolen', as long as it was not taken to somebody's home. Whether the action had been approved, or had caused other's inconvenience was unimportant. The important thing was: as far as my part was done, it was okay. I did it for the good of my department, which was also part of the school. 



This is the first snapshot of the cultural differences between  HK and mainland where I have been working as a school manager. Hopefully I can record my experiences for the reference of those who're considering venturing into China for a career on short or long term basis.