Baraily Naomi, a graduate of Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education, has recently been interviewed by Dot Dot News to share her views on early childhood education for the programme "Not An Outsider". She reckoned that “Early childhood education is my favorite profession”. She also mentioned her favourite is Pamela Peck Discovery Space, a specialist play space on campus, designed for children from birth to 8 and their families, aiming to actively promote innovative best practices in ECE.

Let's read Naomi's sharing:

"Is Hong Kong your second home?" "No, this is my first home." Born in Hong Kong, Naomi went to India to study in secondary school and returned to HK after graduation to study early childhood education. She admits that she is more like a guest in Nepal, and Hong Kong is her home.

Naomi's parents do not speak Chinese, but when it was time for her to start elementary school, they insisted on sending her to a school where Chinese is the teaching language because they saw it as the first step in integrating into local life in HK. "I couldn't understand anything at first, and when the teacher asked me why I didn't do my homework, I couldn't answer," Naomi said. At that time, what she could do was knock on her neighbor's door for help. The experience of learning Cantonese in elementary school stuck in Naomi's mind, and when she returned to HK after secondary school, the memories of the Chinese language from her childhood came back quickly."

When she first came back to HK, Naomi was not used to the fast pace of her studies, but her love for early childhood education soon helped her find her own pace of life. Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education (YCCECE), where Naomi is studying, is located in the Southern District of HK Island, and she lives with her family in the Northwest of Kowloon, which means that she has to travel across half of HK and by several means of transportation in order to get to the school. To make efficient use of her time, Naomi sets a strict schedule for herself. She studies at school from 4:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and works part-time at a community fitness center twice a week as an assistant kindergarten coach. On weekends, she spends her free time with friends picnicking in West Kowloon or traveling around HK. When she speaks Cantonese, strangers are always curious, so Naomi will share her experience of growing up in HK, "So she's a Hong Konger, too." Naomi was delighted by the sighs from strangers.

Please click the link to view the full interview: