King Tong

 This is my "Tribute to Mr. Tong" post. My family voted on which title I should use. (I nixed their original idea; Steve, if you are reading this, I'll have to tell you in person what they recommended I call this blog post.)

In about three weeks, one of our long-time teachers will retire. Stephen Tong has been at our school since 2006. (For context, I arrived at our school in 2004, along with three others who continue to teach there. There are only two other teachers still on staff that have been there prior to 2004. It's a wonderful place to work, so people try to remain on staff as long as possible.)

Steve is an incredible educator. I was flipping through my digital photo collection on behalf of the Grade 8s who needed photos for their graduation slide show, and I found a few featuring Steve that deserve commentary. It's evidence of his commitment to students and to learning.

The above two photos were taken November 6, 2020. I was teaching Grade 5-6 during the height of the pandemic and there were so many restrictions that planning physical education lessons was a challenge. (We couldn't even share balls at the time!) I decided to do a mini-golf unit - but I don't know the first thing about golfing. Enter Steve. Not only did Steve conduct a class for my students on how to putt properly, we held a small tournament in December 2020. Steve created the "Golden Golf Ball" award and gave it to the student who had the best score. (See, I know so little about golf that I don't know if a high number or low number is the best!)

Another pair of photos come from a moment in April 2023. (See below.)

I was fortunate to collaboratively teach for a bit on a unit that he and his amazing ECE Thess Isidro had already been developing, on food. What I love about these photos is how it shows Steve getting up close and personal with the students. As a kindergarten teacher, he has almost limitless patience. (I think I can only count on one hand the amount of times I have ever heard Mr. Tong raise his voice.) He knows a lot about how to explain things in age appropriate ways and how to scaffold lessons for maximum understanding. When the students were busy working, I'd pick his brain about authentic kindergarten assessments and methods of content delivery and I always walked away smarter after talking with Tong.

To the left is a rather old photo, from 2006, Steve's first year at our current school. (For the record, this is Steve's third school of his career.) This was a photo from Twins Day and I hope it captures how much FUN Steve is and was on staff. (I'm on the left, Steve is in the middle, and Renee Keberer is on the right.) He is game to do or try almost anything. Dressing up for Danceathons or Spirit Days or Halloween was no problem. Funny (and disgusting) stories in the staff room always flew around the table when Steve was present. (Trust me, in kindergarten, there are a LOT of disgusting stories to share.)

To the right is probably the most recent photo I have of Steve, taken surreptitiously during our Welcome to Kindergarten evening for the incoming parents. You'd think that with a dwindling number of days to go before his educational career ends, he'd be coasting or taking it easy. Not Steve. He is still fully present, sharing insights, and providing that rock-steady foundation for parents nervous about their child's beginning school days. 

I'm not sure of the reason, but often, if Steve was owed prep that he didn't get, because a teacher was away with no supply replacement, it'd take some persuading for him to take the time he was owed. I suspect it was because he'd take all the hard work on his own shoulders and try to lighten the load off his colleagues. I know when I wrote kindergarten report card comments for Steve, he'd tell me not to fret so much about them. He had it all covered. 

Below is another example of how Stephen Tong "took care of us". We had a School Open House and Exhibition on May 25. He set up a hall display featuring the work of his students that had everyone from the principal down in complete awe.

Mr. Tong organized a "Master Chef" class competition. Students in small groups (led by one of three team leaders - Tong, Maliszewski, or Isidro) had to create and cook a healthy meal that used all the food groups. The above photo doesn't do it justice. The documentation goes on for the entire length of the hall. In post-Expo conversations, he says that this display was "minor" compared to some of the ones he put together in the past, including a floor-to-ceiling dinosaur!

As the other male staff members we had retired or moved on, Steve held a unique place as the only guy in the classroom. This made him a very important role model for our male-identifying students. Steve coached basketball and volleyball, with positive results. He knew that it took years to grow a team to its full potential, which is why he'd begin with students in the early junior grades and build their skills, year by year, until they were ready for competition. Steve also played an important role this past year when we went on the Grade 7-8 overnight trip; he was one of the supervisors. (Below is a photo of all the teachers that went; from left to right are Lisa Daley, me, Dean Roberts, and Stephen Tong.)

Behind the jokes is/was a wise man who you could sit down with and have a serious conversation about future goals, career aspirations, and ways to be a good person. Just last week, he took the time to chat with a former student visiting and promised to help him out with his job search.

Mr. Tong, we are going to miss you. Congratulations on your retirement!