Bulletin Special Supplement Professor Arthur K C Li: A Six-Year Term as Vice-Chancellor of The Chinese University (1996–2002)

該是多麼寫意!有這才稱得上是一所 大學啊! •這些年來你一直在敎育界服務，更 曾 執敎鞭，可否談談你自己的求學過程 之中，誰對你的影響最大？ •我的老師之中，有兩位對我的影響特 別大。一位是小時候敎我中文的「卜 卜齋」先生。他講書動聽極了，經常 用故事來解釋古文，又容許我插科打 諢，是活潑而互動的敎與學；我最記 得他講解孟子見梁惠王上篇。 相比之下，在學校上的課就顯得 枯燥和沉悶。我曾經大惑不解：為甚 麼同是艱澀難明的文字，從私塾老師 口中道來，卻是如此生動有趣？我的 「卜卜齋」經驗告新我，不要為表面艱 深的課文所嚇怕，它們都可以是趣味 盎然的，分別在於誰作講解。多得這 位老師，我沒有失掉讀書的興趣；到 了我自己執起敎鞭，也就更懂得如何 去啟發學生。 在劍橋唸醫科時，遇上一位幽默 感和愛心同樣豐富的導師（ director o f s t u d y ) 。這位敎授對於不想聽的説 話，永遠裝作聽不見或聽錯了，有時 令我們哭笑不得。但他其實十分關心 學生的發展，更擅於掌握青年人的心 理，每每讓學生感到他的期望和信任 而自發地做到最好，為的是不想令他 失望。他堅信每個人都有獨特的長 處，都可作出有用的貢獻，這深深影 響著我後來對敎育工作的看法。 pleasures than soaking up such leisurely and scholarly atmosphere. When your eyes are tired, you can watch the carps go about their business . This i s the stuff that universities ar e mad e of ! • You r workin g lif e ha s largel y bee n associate d wit h education. I n you r ow n upbringing , wa s ther e an y mentor o r teacher who reall y mad e a difference? • Amon g m y man y teachers , tw o wer e particularl y influential. On e was my ‘private ' Chinese tutor i n my early teens . He wa s a most interestin g teache r wh o often illustrated classical Chinese texts with anecdotes and allowe d me t o jes t durin g lessons . Hi s lesson s were livel y an d definitely interactive . Hi s lectur e o n ‘The Meetin g o f Menciu s an d Lian g Weiwang' wa s especially memorable . By comparison, th e lesson s I'd ha d to sit through at school wer e boring . Ho w m y privat e tuto r coul d turn a n otherwis e indecipherabl e piec e int o a n exhilarating experienc e ha d left me puzzled for quite some time . I t taugh t m e no t t o b e intimidate d b y seemingly difficul t subject-matte r an d tha t th e righ t teacher could mak e all the difference. Thanks to him , I didn' t los e m y interes t i n studies . M y experienc e has also taught me how t o b e an inspirin g teacher . At Cambridge , I had a tutor, or director of study , who wa s endowed wit h equa l dose s of humou r an d kindness. H e wa s alway s har d o f hearin g whe n i t came t o thing s h e didn't wan t t o hear , muc h t o ou r bemusement a t th e beginning . Bu t h e wa s als o extremely concerne d abou t ou r growt h an d well - being, an d well tune d i n to our way o f thinking. Hi s expectation an d trus t wer e ofte n th e reason s motivating u s to perfor m ou r bes t as we didn' t wan t to le t hi m down . H e firml y believe d tha t everyon e had special gifts enabling hi m t o contribute i n usefu l ways, and that has shaped my views about education. 情見乎詞 Ou r Immediat e Pas t Vice-Chancello r 27