Do you remember fondly your first day in school, the day you said goodbye to your friends and teachers on the last day of school or at the graduation party? Or did the school memories fade like old photographs and we complain about the have-nots?
Wei Hong, graduated from Pasir Ris Crest Secondary School (PRCS) a year ago, took time to note down the people he is grateful to have met during his time in school. It’s easy to get caught up with life and take what we have for granted, but that’s not what he plans to do. In fact, Wei Hong wrote a letter to Education Minister (Schools) Ng Chee Meng, and here’s a snippet of what he’s grateful for!
1. The Unsung Heroes – Teachers
Wei Hong has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and struggled academically. His teachers were all very supportive and encouraging. They tried out various teaching methods to suit his pace and constantly kept him updated of his progress.
“I consulted Ms Felicia Chew when I failed Social Studies during Mid-Year exams. She did not discriminate my slow approach on mastering and learning, but instead encouraged me and always told me to believe in myself. She varied her techniques to suit my interests and recognised my strengths…Her countless efforts definitely paid off…I went from F9 to A1 in a span of 2-3 weeks. It would not have been possible without you.”
“Mrs Mimi Ang sacrificed her weekends to facilitate discussions, revisions and conduct consultations while preparing us to be self-directed learners. During the post-examination period, she would reflect together with students on their performance and the process of tackling examination questions.”
2. Opportunities to discover talents
Discovering interests, strengths and talents is part of our personal growth as individuals. We tend to discover them when we are exposed to a variety of experiences. Sometimes, we need the help of an older mentor, such as a parent or teacher, who is able to spot and groom potential.
Wei Hong found his passion for music because of the opportunities provided in school, and the encouragement from his General Music Programme (GMP) teacher, Ms Atika, to pursue it.
“Learning Asian Music was definitely an enriching experience as I got to learn different instruments and musical styles, and broadened my cultural perspective as I could appreciate the arts of other countries.”
Learning basic keyboard skills was just the start of his journey. In Upper Secondary, he was motivated and challenged to pursue music at a higher level.
“I had trouble executing certain musical pieces in Secondary 3 due to my weak command of technical skills. This issue was corrected through relentless reminders from Mrs Joyce Yu. Motivated by her, I also challenged myself to try even more demanding and technical musical pieces and performed well in my National Examinations. Thank you Mrs Yu.”
3. Moulding character
What sets us in good stead for the future is not just academic success, but solid values that have been ingrained in our daily lives, and applied in our thoughts, actions and decisions. Wei Hong shared that he was grateful for the role models in his life. He caught the spirit and remembers them specially.
“Ms Kris Chua strongly believed in inculcating life skills through the sharing of moral values during class…This is definitely essential for moulding youths like us to be righteous leaders of society, who are able to differentiate between right and wrong in all that we do”
“Mr Tay gave me the opportunity to lead as a class chairperson in Secondary 4. His responsibility and dedication to our welfare has inspired me to lead. I am motivated to be a leader like Mr Tay, be it now or in the future.”
Having been a recipient of great support and encouragement, Wei Hong’s heart of appreciation is expressed in his determination to live well and pursue greater heights.
An attitude of gratitude is having a good habit to express thankfulness and appreciation regularly. It has tremendous benefits and even better if we start nurturing these values at a young age. It is a process and it definitely helps to improve self-esteem, makes one mentally tougher, positive and sets one up to achieving more in life. For a start, we can be the first to say thank you to our child for their efforts. Just like how we encourage them to read or pick up an activity, we can also encourage them to express gratitude to develop their character.
We are our child’s first and most valuable teacher.
