school tour by his grandfather , a founding member of the Sun Hung Kai Company . Joseph followed his family ’ s footsteps and continued his family values of contributing to Hong Kong in the form of high-quality education .
Joseph views education as being crucial to community . Though he has a background in finance , Joseph admits this was a practical way for him to eventually fulfill his dreams of being involved and giving the best start for the next generation .
The Way Forward Hong Kong has local and international schools based upon the legacy from the UK , but the education system here hasn ’ t evolved as rapid as it has in the UK and elsewhere . Joseph saw this as an opportunity . There is certainly a niche for play-based and progressive learning in Hong Kong . He wanted to have a school enabling students to explore natural settings , interact with the environment and at an individual pace . He chose the Reggio Emilia framework to accomplish this .
Fairchild Junior Academy and Fairchild Kindergarten employ a “ play to learn ” philosophy and are set in a specifically nature-based environment . This approach to early childhood education was developed in Italy over 70 years ago . It is inquiry-based and views the child as strong , capable and resilient with a deep curiosity for learning . Playing and interacting with the environment are considered to be elemental to learning and development . Using this methodology , the FCA fosters the 3 pillars of education – the
school and its teachers , parents as supportive guides along the education journey , and the school environment / physical space . Teachers are there to empower the children . The school environment makes use of natural lighting , places few restrictions in a safe space and includes some green space . Fairchild actively encourages parents to be engaged by accompanying children on community school trips , sharing their country ’ s cultures and supporting each family as a community member .
All of this makes FCA a popular school choice for families with young children . Another reason for FCA ’ s appeal is inclusiveness . The Academy is welcoming to all and simply aims to offer a good education valuing playbased learning .
Coping With Online Learning During the course of the pandemic , FCA was able to quickly transition to online learning in creative ways . They recognized the value of making things more personal and brought their class designs online . The mindset was already established so it wasn ’ t difficult for them to transition via Zoom and other tools . Joseph expressed his view that the need for education and structure still exists during a crisis such as this . He strongly felt continuity and flexibility were crucial and in this way , FCA succeeded in offering the best solution possible .
Nurturing Father With his own 2 daughters , Eleanore ( aged 3 years ) and Charlotte ( aged 4 months ), Joseph aims to give them as much outdoor experience and self-led discovery as he can . He often takes them on hikes which Eleanore enjoys a lot . Hiking provides both physical exercise and a way to engage with new things while learning actively and happily . She will pick up a leaf , identify colours , count items , and make up songs and stories along the way . Joseph aspires to look at his girls as individuals and let them lead the course of their learning process . I personally observed this when I saw him climb the little treehouse with Eleanore and he followed her lead , all the while continuing our interview .
I left with a couple of important messages . When trying to survive all the online learning and working from home , it ’ s helpful to explain to children the individual needs of all family members . It ’ s also good to remind ourselves that our children are individuals with their own desires and interests . Children are capable of understanding and some level of reasoning may help avoid battles . Just a few minutes of discussion could save you a few headaches along the way . While we ’ re all at home more than usual , take the opportunity to play , make up games and enjoy things like cooking together and explaining things as you go . You can make anything fun !
If you have an interest in checking out FCA , book your child for a trial class any time . Alternatively , sign up for one of their camps or school extension classes and find out for yourself what they are all about . Bring the outdoors inside and play to learn .
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