Teacher’s spotlight: Miss Jane Fairweather

By Jocelyn Ho (6JF) and Cyrah Seto (6JF)

Jocelyn Ho and Cyrah Seto from Year 6 interviewed their class teacher, Year 6 teacher Miss Jane Fairweather to learn more about Miss Jane and bond with her.

Why did you choose to work in year 6?

’’ I used to teach in Year 4, but I have experience. I chose to teach in Year 6 because I was ready for a change from Year 4, where I had taught for seven years. I had taught Year 6 previously in London, England, and also in the USA. I think the team was hoping that I would be able to use my experience in an exhibition to help our team.’’

How many schools have you taught in to strengthen your experience in teaching?

’’I have taught in six countries. I haven't counted up how many schools but I know that it is more than ten schools.’’

Christmas is almost here, what’s your favourite festival?

’’I have a very interesting answer to this question because I would say my favourite festival is American Thanksgiving. I'm not actually from America, but I like the idea that you get together with your friends and family and reflect on everything that you are thankful for in your life. I went to High School in the USA and have lived there for a total of six years, and it's one of my favourite celebrations from around the world.’’

Your home country is New Zealand, Can you share some fun facts about New Zealand?

‘’Fun facts about New Zealand number one: the word kiwi can mean kiwi fruit, kiwi bird, or someone who comes from New Zealand. Number two: In New Zealand, when we say hello, we use the word Kia ora (KI-OU-RA) Number three: New Zealand was the first country in the world to give women the vote. Number four: In New Zealand, we also think that we were the first people to invent the aeroplane. The name of the inventors is the Pearce Brothers.’’

Where would you recommend us to go if we visit New Zealand?

‘’If you came to visit New Zealand, I would suggest that you try and visit both the North Island and the South Island. On the North Island, you could go to a place called Rotorua and see thermal geysers and boiling mud. You could also go and visit Hobbiton from the Lord of the Rings. On the South Island, you could visit Queenstown. This is a great place to go if you like to go bungee jumping and skiing.’’

Where did you live before you came to Hong Kong?

‘’I grew up in the North Island in a city called Auckland. This is the same place that Miss Rebecca Price (the Year 5 Teacher) and Mr Brendan Lee (the Year 6 Teacher) come from. I actually have my home in the South Island because this is where my parents and grandparents come from.’’

Do you like Hong Kong? If yes, why?

‘’I love Hong Kong, and I have been living here for 11 years, and I am now a permanent resident. My favourite thing about Hong Kong is the winter. The climate in Hong Kong is perfect in the winter for being outdoors. I also tell everybody in New Zealand about how friendly the people in Hong Kong are. Whenever I get lost, people always help me find my way back home again.’’

Why did you choose to be a teacher?

‘’I played a lot of sports at school when I was a teenager. I also tried to help my community by doing a lot of sports coaching. I coached an elementary school rugby team and in that experience, I enjoyed working with young people and felt like being a teacher would help me to be able to continue to do this. Working with young people is a lot of fun and in some ways helps me to also stay young at heart.’’

Why did you choose to move to Hong Kong?

‘’A long time ago, I had a big journey and travelled overseas from Russia to Singapore and on my journey, I stopped at Hong Kong. I liked what I saw and was excited when Dr Brown offered me the opportunity to come and move to Hong Kong. Also, Hong Kong is a lot closer to New Zealand than London is!’’

Why did you choose to teach in RCHK rather than teaching in other schools?

‘’I chose to work at RCHK because somebody that I knew worked there before me, and he told me how awesome the school was. I also love that RCHK is not only a MYP school but also a PYP school, so this means that there are kids and they are allowed to ask lots of questions, and I love answering questions!’’

What is your favourite thing about teaching at school?

‘’My favourite thing about school is seeing students who feel like they can't be successful, and then they have a moment with a realisation that they can do anything!’’

What were you looking forward to the most when you first arrived in Hong Kong?

‘’My first trip to Hong Kong was on my own, and I had been travelling across China by train from West to East for several weeks. By the time I got to Hong Kong, I was looking forward to having ice cream. I remember going on a ride up the tram to the peak and Hong Kong spending an enormous amount of money buying ice cream and enjoying the view of the city.’’

What is your favourite thing to do on the weekends?

‘’My favourite thing to do at the weekend is to go for a swim. I love swimming in the ocean, and I also love swimming in the swimming pools. The weekends are also a great time for me to catch up with my friends and enjoy some of the fantastic food that there is in Hong Kong.’’

What are you looking forward to in the future?

‘’I'm very much looking forward to my mom coming to visit me in the winter holidays. It's been a long time since she came to visit and I'm looking forward to showing her the Christmas lights in Hong Kong and to be able to take her to the night markets.’’

A Big Thank You to Miss Jane Fairweather for answering our questions!