Dear students,
The environment may not be changed but our mindset can be changed!
It has been more than one year that our life has been changed due to pandemic situation. Most of the lessons have been moved to online / blended mode. College activities and other social gatherings are reduced. Unlike the past, we could not have parties with our friends and relatives during Christmas or Chinese New Year. We could not travel aboard during term break or long holidays. Even worse, some of us may have financial difficulties due to pandemic situation. It is really a tough year!
On the other hand, some new opportunities have been opened up in this special year. The online lessons enable us to explore how technologies may be beneficial to our learning. Many universities put their courseware to internet as open courses. (I heard that even Princeton University has uploaded quite many courses in recent years.) Many organisations and universities (both local and overseas) have organized online seminars in this year. We can attend the courses and seminars just by sitting in front of the computer. As the video conferencing software (e.g. zoom) is so widely popular, we can get connect with our friends and relatives who live far away from us. Some of us have developed new hobbies (e.g. cooking) during this year. As we cannot travel aboard for our vacation, we have more incentives to explore interesting places in Hong Kong. Many of us develop the hobby of hiking and enjoy the beautiful views of countryside and islands in Hong Kong. We can try many different things during this pandemic year.
The environment may not be changed but our mindset can be changed! This is how we can live a positive life. A well known prayer states that, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” Recently, my colleague sent me a quotation which has similar fashion. “When you can’t control what’s happening, challenge yourself to control the way you respond to what’s happening. That’s where your power is.” Wish you have the wisdom and power throughout your life!
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About Dr. Chan Yip-Cheung:
Senior Lecturer of Department of Curriculum and Instruction, joined Lee Woo Sing College since he joined CUHK about 10 years ago. He has a wide range of academic interests, including mathematics education, spiritual education, Christianity in society and religious studies. In his leisure time, he likes reading, hiking and chatting with his students. If you would like to know more about Dr. Chan, please visit https://www.fed.cuhk.edu.hk/cri/faculty/dr-chan-yip-cheung/.