“Design will never be the same” - Morgan Time comes to an end
All good things, ultimately, come to an end.
Glen Morgan — widely known as the EOTC coordinator who recently brought us a full week of enjoyment after years of cancellations — has left Renaissance College (RCHK). During his three years at RCHK, he’s undoubtedly made a remarkable impact on many students’ lives and is an inspiration to even more. From his unique approach to teaching and his passion for his work to his unremitting humility and perceptive worldview, Mr Morgan is a truly inspiring person.
The RCHK Truth interviewed him so that even when he’s gone, his invaluable teachings and inspirations stay with us.
Can you introduce yourself?
Glen Morgan, Design Technology and Theory of Knowledge teacher. I love teaching. It’s part of my life, and it’s what I do. I hope everyone else can one day get a job they love, just like I love my job, because that way, you don’t worry about getting up in the morning.
What jobs have you worked apart from teaching?
I've worked several jobs, but only part-time ones, because I was always going to be a teacher. I've done labouring on building sites, door-to-door sales, putting stickers on food wrappers, etc, just to get some money to go through University. My most interesting job was working in [sic] a dishwasher at university — I used to do that on Friday nights. And also putting books away in the library.
What brought you to Hong Kong?
I’ve always wanted to live overseas. I first came to Hong Kong in 1988 when I was 20 years old to visit a friend, and I loved it. I wanted to work overseas as a teacher, and Hong Kong was one of the top places for its English-speaking environment and good international schools. I was just lucky to land a job here.
Why should students take Design?
Design is a different way of thinking. Some people think in mathematical terms, or they're thinking like a humanities person, or geography, or history. Design is another way of thinking — trying to solve problems and make our world a better place. [It’s] about the things in our world, what systems we use, and how we can change them to better our lives.
What is your best memory or experience from RCHK?
My best memories [come from] interacting with students — I enjoy seeing them out on EOTC. I also really enjoy seeing students’ frustration when making failed prototypes because they keep trying until they finally [succeed] and are proud of their work, and that’s where I see the joy in students.
Is it true that you built your own Australian mansion?
I’m not sure it’s true that I live in a mansion, but I did build a house — in fact, I built several houses with my hands. I took [a] long service leave from my teaching job, drew the plans, and [since my father was also a builder, we worked together on the house.] I built the frame, poured the concrete, tied the steel, put the walls up, did the wooden floor, etc. My family likes to slave away. Our time is free — our time is our own, so we build houses for each other on Sundays and holidays to save some money.
So you have a YouTube channel where you post tutorials and offer your teaching to the world. Why do you think this is important?
I enjoy making tutorials because I like teaching and [helping] people. I started making tutorials for people to learn [independently] and catch up on classes. With COVID, it became even more [important] — it’s just a different teaching method. And it’s interesting to see people learn that way, and it's quite satisfying.
One of your most popular videos is a tutorial on attention-tracking students using Zoom. It has a lot of dislikes, with many students calling it an invasion of privacy.
Yes, but those students didn't watch the video until the end. I've had some very abusive comments about that video, yet it's the most popular one. I made that video for teachers when Zoom first came out, and one of the first people at RC to watch it — one of the IT people — came to me and said: “I liked that video because you linked it to teaching at the end.” It just shows you how you can be misunderstood very easily online because I only intended to show teachers how to use attention tracking as an interesting device.
Let's be honest, it's an invasion of privacy. But I used it to cross-check the students' results and marks, which was interesting. The first time I used it, I looked at the attention ranking, and then I looked at the student’s workbook, and surely enough, the student had not done any work. Attention tracking helped me to target that student and help them to do work.
However, Zoom took the function away shortly after I made the video because it was an invasion of privacy. And in the video, I talk about how attention tracking needs to be used carefully because I wouldn’t want a CCTV camera watching my classroom either. It's not right.
So maybe we can explode that video and let it go one day.
You’ve often commented on the negative aspects of news (e.g. false information, echo chambers). What advice would you give to people trying to deal with it?
You got to be aware of it because I'm aware of my obsession with news. I'm aware of where I get my news from, but it's very easy to just continually get your news from the same source, and it's very easy to follow people [on Twitter] who you agree with. It creates an echo chamber because we, naturally as humans, seek out people that think like us. It’s very risky, so you need to try [to avoid it] — personally, I have several news apps on my phone. But I don't force myself to look at the different news apps enough. I'm no one to preach to you about that because I’m [facing] the same risk myself.
Who do you think will win the World Cup?
Not Australia, because Australia’s just lost. I don't know — I’ll guess Japan. I like Japan. (November 25, 2022)
What is your advice to students who aspire to do well at school?
If you want to do well, you just gotta work hard. Use strategies, concentrate, and trust yourself. Don't keep doubting that you can do something. Believe that if you work hard, you can get there and that discipline will help you overcome most problems and get yourself organized.
Where are you going and what plans do you have for the future?
I'm moving back to Brisbane, Australia. I don't have a job yet, so I've got to find a job. But I'm hoping that even in that instance, I'm showing that people in their lives can trust that they will find something and trust that things will work out, and they usually do. So if you make an effort, take the risk and take the jump into a new situation, you can do it.
Will you ever return?
Yes, very possibly, because I love Hong Kong. And I've already left and returned once. I've lived here for 11 years: the first time for six years, this time for five years. So maybe next time I'll come back and live here for longer. My daughter’s a Hong Konger, and I want her to love Hong Kong as I do, so she'll come back, and I'll bring her back.
What quote do you live by?
Live your life well, seek freedom, seek justice and seek to make a contribution to those around you.
We asked students about their most memorable experiences with Mr Morgan. Here’s what they said:
“Mr Morgan gave me an 8, then told me I didn’t deserve it. He was the only teacher who could guilt me into working harder.”
“He always said that he would grade better if he felt we deserved it. Every time, he gave me a better grade. I am forever thankful.”
“During EOTC/Glen Morgan Week [sic], when our group was doing the high wall challenge, Mr Morgan stepped in and helped us [lift groupmates over the wall]. That was honestly very cool of him, being a teacher who had no obligation to participate.”
“Hour-long triads about some random issue preventing me from ever doing design work in design. I’m not complaining, though - these were thoroughly enjoyable and made classes much more fun.”
“I deeply reminisce in my memories during Mr Morgan's design class, where he was a very supportive individual who was willing to share his own life experiences to provide guidance for our own. He was even more supportive when I accidentally cut my hand open during his design class, which he tended to over the course of several weeks.”
“One time, Mr Morgan ranted about stolen Mar-a-Lago documents and how Donald Trump was responsible for stolen American nuclear secrets.”
“He went on for half the lesson about how great the Fusion 360 drawing view was, and how long it took ‘back in the day’ to learn and draw isometric drawings.”
“During EOTC, I loved when Mr Morgan said ‘It’s Morgan Time’ and Morganed all over the place.”
“Once, my friend squeezed a superglue stick from the middle rather than the end, and Mr Morgan threw a fit. Proceeding to invite all the other design teachers into the room to discuss how they used their toothpaste sticks.”
“When he ranted about how we were all likely to fail university if we gave the slightest **** about our grades. Design will never be the same without him.”
According to a survey of 80 RCHK students, Mr Morgan has a 95.00% approval rating. His net approval is 92.50%.
