At ASJ Foshan, there stands an exceptional teacher. As one of the founding core teachers and Head of Chinese & History Departments, Mr. Ho Ka Yuk came from Hong Kong to the Greater Bay Area. He turns obscure academic knowledge into vivid everyday experiences, enabling students from Hong Kong and Macau to take root and thrive amid immersive cultural nourishment.
He integrates Cantonese dialogues and classic McDull melodies into his lessons. Rooted in the spirit of jik saang (resilience and resourcefulness), he makes culture tangible, knowledge engaging and growth heartwarming.
What is true education? Is it rote memorization, or learning rooted in real life? Is it merely imparting knowledge, or nurturing sound character?
Through his lively lessons and sincere companionship, Mr. Ho Ka Yuk has offered the perfect answer.
（ Address at the Opening Ceremony）
Fun-filled Classes: Bridging Book Knowledge to Real Life
In Mr. Ho’s view, cultural values and knowledge are never conflicting, but inherently integrated.The finest education is not rigid textbook teaching, but enabling students to learn from life and understand through real-life scenarios.
When teaching My First Visit to the Western Hill, he introduced the rhetorical device of anadiplosis. Since this figure of speech is rarely elaborated on in mainland curriculums, many students found it rather abstract. To make it easy to grasp, he quoted a classic line from the Hong Kong movie Jiang Hu:"You don’t understand when told, won’t act even if you do understand, act wrongly once you do, refuse to correct your mistakes, and remain unconvinced after correction — what am I supposed to do with you?"
This neat anadiplosis sentence is plain, down-to-earth and rhythmic, instantly livening up the class. Students quickly got the logic of this rhetoric, while also gaining insight into the straightforward, pragmatic mindset inherent in Hong Kong people.
To truly bring Cantonese culture into the classroom, he keeps exploring innovative teaching methods.
He rearranges modern songs, uses soundtracks from McDull animations, and incorporates emojis and internet slang. He seamlessly blends these elements from students’ daily lives into lessons, hoping they can gradually grasp the Cantonese language and Hong Kong culture in authentic contexts. "I hope that if they ever settle in Hong Kong one day, they can carry on this cultural heritage and grow into new builders of Hong Kong."
Cultural Rooting: Forge the Foundation of Growth with the Spirit of Jiksang
Beyond textbook knowledge, he also attaches great importance to helping students gain authentic insights into Hong Kong’s culture and society.
Mr. Ho fully embraces the spirit of jik saang as mentioned by Hong Kong director Wong Jing. To him, this spirit embodies the pragmatism, adaptability and resilience that define Hong Kong people amid changing circumstances. Therefore, in class, he not only imparts textbook knowledge, but also guides students to get to know the real Hong Kong.
He talks about living spaces in Hong Kong public housing estates and urban characteristics, explains how the highly efficient public transport network operates, and shares the laid-back lifestyle in cha chaan tengs and street food stalls, as well as the straightforward way locals communicate with one another.
He often encourages students to immerse themselves in real Hong Kong life during long holidays. "Visit local markets, food stalls and tea restaurants, grab a casual meal, and observe what people around you are doing."
He believes that most cultural insights cannot be gained merely through lectures, but are gradually perceived through real-life observation. For instance, the swift manner of waiters wiping tables and the concise, efficient communication when ordering meals all reflect the typical way of doing things in Hong Kong society. "It is through such experiences that you can truly understand and get to know Hong Kong."
（ Classical Literature Class）
（ Field Trip in Hong Kong）
This cultural immersion is directly reflected in exam performance. When local Hong Kong cultural topics such as two-dish rice appeared in this year’s DSE English oral exam, our students spoke confidently and fluently — this is the most tangible achievement of immersive cultural education.
Targeted Empowerment: Align with Growth Rhythms and Grow Alongside Students
（ Simulate a College Entrance Interview）
Besides classroom teaching and cultural experiences, he also pays close attention to students’ growth at every developmental stage.
He currently teaches students from Form 4 to Form 6. In his view, adolescence between 16 and 18 is a period marked by constant shifts in students’ personalities and learning patterns, so teaching approaches must be adjusted accordingly.In Form 4, he prioritizes consolidating academic foundations and fostering learning interests. In Form 5, the focus shifts to cultural immersion and competency building. For Form 6 students, greater emphasis is placed on exam pacing and answering strategies.
Therefore, he guides students to sort out reading skills, rhetorical analysis and answering techniques by going through past exam papers. He also drills them repeatedly to develop a fixed answering mindset: judgement + supporting evidence + reasoning elaboration. Meanwhile, based on the latest DSE proposition trends, he helps students identify key texts and genres for focused preparation."In essence, this whole process is about constantly adapting teaching methods to best suit students at different growth stages."
（ Coming-of-Age Ceremony Group Photo）
Education is not one-way instruction, but mutual growth. Many students take the initiative to talk to him about academic stress and share their worries. He says he feels privileged to accompany them through this pivotal phase and help them work through their troubles.
This heartfelt companionship has forged a deep emotional bond between him and his students. His birthday falls in late July. Back when he worked in Hong Kong, he rarely celebrated his birthday specially. Yet since joining ASJ Foshan, he has spent every birthday in the company of students. Form 5 students even invite him to their birthday gatherings shortly before the holiday break."I believe these precious memories will stay with me for years to come."
Rooted in the Greater Bay Area: Grow alongside the School, Nurture Youths of the New Era
Looking back on his early days in Foshan, vivid memories still linger. Back then, the school gymnasium had just been topped out, the playground was still under earthwork renovation, and the entire campus was still under construction.
Today, the student body has expanded from fewer than 300 initially to over 800. Meanwhile, he himself has grown from a young teacher from Hong Kong into a subject department head.
"I am truly grateful to the school for offering abundant opportunities. It allows me to bring my professional experience gained in Hong Kong here and puts me in a great position to put them into practice."
（ Address at the Mid-Autumn Festival Fair）
He commits himself to in-depth teaching research and constant pedagogical upgrading. Working closely with the teaching research institute, he reports real-time classroom learning conditions, shares Hong Kong teaching expertise and optimizes teaching efficiency, putting the integrated Greater Bay Area education philosophy into practice in every lesson.
His classes perfectly embody the educational ethos of ASJ Foshan: to nurture young talents in the Greater Bay Area with patriotism, cultural confidence and a global vision.
（ Coming-of-Age Ceremony Group Photo）
繁体
