Retired Teacher Revives Childhood Dream Through Picture Books
SingTao · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
At 62, retired primary school teacher 王惠瑛 has transformed retirement into a creative reinvention, reviving a drawing dream she first held at age 10 after leaving a 27-year career in education. She shifted from full-time teaching to part-time academic work in 2017, then pursued formal training in illustration, sketching and picture-book creation to strengthen skills she felt she had long left unfinished. Her efforts culminated in the self-funded bilingual picture book 《城城——我在九龍城的小故事》, which captures family memories in Kowloon City and has since been collected by public libraries in Kowloon City and To Kwa Wan.
Key Points
- A union survey cited in the report found nearly 70 percent of teachers felt physically and mentally exhausted, while over 30 percent considered changing schools or retiring early.
- 王惠瑛 entered education in 1988, majored in biology and minored in psychology, and said she preferred creative, non-mechanical teaching approaches throughout her career.
- While teaching English at a prevocational secondary school, she used English songs in class, and students later chose one of those difficult songs for a school singing contest.
- After moving to 宣道會陳元喜小學 for counselling work, she often worked with parents using picture books to convey values, experiences that sustained her commitment to teaching.
- In retirement, she studied urban sketching, illustration, a CUHK SCS diploma in drawing and painting, and an HKPC diploma in picture-book creation and culture.
Why It Matters
Her story offers a counterpoint to burnout in Hong Kong’s education sector by showing how retirement or career transition can become a structured path toward renewal rather than withdrawal. It also highlights the growing cultural and therapeutic value of picture books, not only for children’s learning but for adult reflection, intergenerational memory and community storytelling.