Morning Sharing on 9^th May

Ms. Man

Good morning everyone

Do you like music? Do you like listening to music or playing musical instruments? I love doing that.

Have you ever watched any TV programmes like “Midlife, Sing & Shine!”? Do you see the passion of those singers?

Actually, if you are bad at singing and shy about it, you will not sing.

However, you shouldn’t be!

Singing is for everyone no matter their talent, and we can all benefit from it.

Nowadays, we emphasize the importance of ‘staying positive’ and one of the biggest benefits of singing is that it makes you feel better. When you sing, your body produces more happy chemicals. Those help you remain in a more relaxed mood.

Through songs, you can express yourself and your emotions.

Your singing may even touch people. It may bring them joy, ease their pain, or help in other ways.

In late May, there will be an English Week. One of the activities is Song Dedication. You may not be able to sing in the public but you can also use a song and your words to touch someone.

If you are afraid to sing in the public, pick a song for your friend first. When you hear the song in the activity, just sing with him or her together.

Remember, everyone can benefit from singing!

Reference:

The benefits of singing. (2023, April). ABC Interactive English, 251.

Morning Sharing on 3^rd May, 2023

Keeping a pet

Miss YY Choi

Photo from the website of South China Morning Post, 2 May 2023 by May Tse

Good morning, principal, fellow teachers and students, this is Miss Y Y Choi.  Today, I would like to talk about pets.  Some of you keep pets like dogs, cats or hamsters.  Did you watch TV news last night?  A crocodile was found in Yuen Long yesterday.  It was very scary when I heard that there was a crocodile in Hong Kong.  We are in danger.  The crocodile was two meters long and it weighed about 35 kg.  It was an endangered species.  The crocodile is now kept in Ocean Park.  Some people including my old students keep strange pets like spiders, lizards or snakes.  An old student kept a spider but it died the next day after it was taken home.   Another old student told me that he kept a lizard because the colour was special but I did not see how special the colour was.

Before you keep a pet, you need to have a strong sense of responsibility.  There are four factors that you need to consider.   First is the space.  Is your home spacious enough for your pet to move around?  When an animal is kept in captivity, there must be enough space for it to exercise or move.  You need to consider if the environment is suitable.  Will your animal cause danger to you, your family or your neighbours?

Second it is money or cost.  There is so much to spend apart from food or a cage.  You also need to take them to see vets for medical check-ups or vaccines.  When you take them to see the vets, you may also need to drive or take a taxi since many public transports do not allow pets on board.  There is quite some money that you need to spend on.

Third it is time.  Do you have time taking your pet to see a vet?  Do you have time to talk or play with your pet?  Do you have your time to clean the cages, the tanks, feed your pet or go shopping for pet food or pet goods?

Lastly, it is your emotion.  When your pet is sick or injured, you will feel worried because your pets cannot tell you how bad they feel.  When your pet die, you will feel very upset because you have kept it for years.  There is a bondage between you two.  Your pet is like your family member.  Could you overcome this emotional crisis?

Boys and girls, keeping a pet is a life-long responsibility, so, think twice before you keep one.

Book sharing by Mr. Siu (7^th March 2023)

Good morning Principal, Teachers and Students,

I am Mr. Siu. Today I am very grateful to have this opportunity to share with you a book that I have been reading again and again for years. However, before I tell you the title, I would like to ask you a question: what is an activity that you do every day at every moment that your teachers and parents seldom, if ever, teach you how to do? The answer is thinking. We think every day and almost every second. We also somehow think in our dreams. However, thinking, being so important, is seldom taught! Therefore, Edward de Bono, being a medical doctor as his original profession, decided to write a book about thinking, and the title is ‘Six Thinking Hats’.

        Let me tell you what those hats are and what they stand for. The white hat is to consider the data, facts, information known or needed. White is a very calm color, so you should realise that we need to see the situation calmly and ‘chew on’ the data and facts. Red Hat is for feelings, hunches, instinct and intuition. Why do we feel nervous or uneasy about something? Actually, we have put the red hat on already. I do not mean we have to be emotional, but we have to listen to our heart and think about why we do not feel good. Black Hat is for defining the difficulties and potential problems. This is a major step. The reason is simple: if we do not know the crux of the matter clearly, then how can we come up with a solution? The solution must be geared towards the problem. Therefore, defining the problem is of paramount importance.

        Having defined the problem, we have to put on the yellow hat, which is thinking about why something may work. This is to make sure that the solution should be feasible. Sometimes we must put on the green hat for creativity as well. This is to think out of the box. The last one is blue hat, which is to come up with the steps of solving the problem.

        I do hope that you will go to the library, head for the non-fiction section, grab it and turn a few pages. Thinking is too valuable a skill that we should never underuse or misuse.