Making student dreams come true
Mrs Daisie Yip
joined Anderson Secondary School in 1967 to teach Geography.
As a teacher, “I believe I can make a difference in a child’s life”.
A student had to quit school at Sec 2 because the family couldn’t afford her fees. Before her last day, she shared with Mrs Yip that she wanted to run her own hair salon one day.
To help her take the first step towards her dream, Mrs Yip walked into a salon to get the girl a job as a shampoo girl.
Many years later, Mrs Yip received an invitation to that ex-student’s wedding. She was also invited to the opening of her own hair salon. “Of course I went!”
On opening day, her ex-student offered to wash her hair for her.
“Between the two of us, the tears were enough to wash my hair.”
Mrs Yip also made lifelong friends with her colleagues, including her Head of Department Mrs Theresa Lim. They forged bonds of over 40 years.
Taking teaching to Tekong
Mr Abdul Rahman bin Omar was a teacher at Pulau Tekong when he was 20 years old. He started taking a bumboat to the island and a 15-minute taxi ride to school, rain or shine.
The island had two Malay schools and one English school. As part of his duties as a Malay Language teacher, Mr Abdul Rahman translated textbooks into Malay. He would go on to teach for 55 years before retiring.
“As long as I can teach, I’ll teach. As long as I can impart knowledge, I will.”
Going where the need is
“There were Science teachers who never taught English, but they had to [quickly equip themselves] because there was a shortage.”
Mdm Kok Heng Yee
Teacher at Monk’s Hill Secondary in the 1960s,
when schools were opening faster than they could train teachers. Mdm Kok was trained in Geography but taught English too.
Teaching values through sports
“I calmed him down and told him swearing was no good and there was nothing to be gained in scolding the starter.”
Mr C Kunalan
National sprinter and teacher at Tiong Bahru Primary School, who believed that sports groomed more than physical ability. When he heard a hurdler fuming after being disqualified for false starts, he counselled him on what sportsmanship behaviour meant. He also demonstrated the spirit of resilience and excellence through his own sporting career and as a teacher. In the 1970s, he assembled a track team at Dunearn Technical, which became champions in just two years.
Rallying support from parents
“I’d reason [with the parents] and try to convince them to let their children finish their homework and rest after school hours, though it was difficult because most parents needed the help.”
Ms Nandavathy Bandara
Principal of Haig Girls’ School, on how in the 1970s, most of her students were children of hawkers, who attended school looking tired and dishevelled because they helped out at the stalls after school.
Marching to a hopeful beat
“We’re part of a family — Me, the students, teachers, students who became teachers…”
Mr Lee Seck Chiang
Crescent Girls’ School’s first bandmaster in the 1960s, when the Ministry of Education started training band instructors with the aim of producing a band at every school by 1971. Though Mr Lee couldn’t read music, he signed up, believing that band activities could build character and cultivate leadership skills. He went on to train an award-winning marching band and taught himself to play the flute.
Using tech to transform classrooms
“When the Education Technology office submitted a budget request of $3 million, Minister Goh Keng Swee laughed. The office next returned a revised budget of $78 million to which Mr Goh readily agreed.”
Ms Tan See Lai
Deputy Director of Education Technology and Director of Information Services in the 1970s, who led a team producing educational programmes for students. But many schools didn’t have enough TV sets and video recorders to play them. When Mr Goh Keng Swee was Minister for Education in 1979, he aimed to transform classrooms with technology. Ms Tan’s advice to young teachers? “Don’t be afraid to try and fail. There are many more opportunities today than in my time.”
For more stories on our pioneer teachers and school staff, watch our MOE Pioneers video series:
Our MOE Pioneers Part 1: Mr Ng, Mr Lee and Mr Lim
For more interactive stories, visit Schoolbag.edu.sg