Pinky Siu Nam-li, a general teacher of visual arts at the Kids’ Gallery, part of the KG Group, began as an assistant teacher after graduating from the School of Creative Media at City University.

“My plan was to study further but the KG job seemed fun and attractive. So I accepted the offer and began the day after finishing my exams,” she says.

Teaching is Siu’s primary duty. She also has to develop the curriculum and create mock-ups. Every morning, she arrives 15 minutes early for coffee and to get ready before teaching at 9.30am.

“It is always good to be early since there are always ad hoc matters – then I have extra time to deal with them. Even on a day that is less hectic, I can still handle other things or go through things I need to deliver in class again, and also have a chat with parents or kids who are waiting for class outside,” she says.

The students’ learning experience is Siu’s top priority and she is in constant touch with her colleague to try to create the best results.

“As an art teacher, I have my expectations on the outcome of children’s work; and at the same time children are able to learn something in a fun and creative way when they come to class,” Siu says. “It is therefore important to communicate well with co-teachers.

“We discuss things such as how to deliver the learning points well and what kind of materials we can provide to make it easier for children to understand, as well as to achieve progress,” she says.

Siu is currently seeking opportunities to continue her education in art. “I am going to study part-time, as I believe there is a lot of knowledge and skills waiting for me to discover which would contribute to my teaching,” she says.

She has discovered that every child is different when it comes to learning, and the most important thing as an educator is to be flexible. “Each child comes to class in a different mood, especially the young ones. It is important that we as teachers try to understand what they need, how they feel and work with them,” she says.