Dear Tanya,
Thank you for your little note requesting if you and your friends can surprise your teachers with a performance during the Teachers’ Day Celebration this year! This is your way of saying “thanks” to them for all they had done. You and your friends are more than welcome, my dear!
It is heartening for me to know that so many of you will return on this special occasion to see the teachers! Trust me Tanya, this student-teacher bond can last a lifetime! I still have former students sending Teachers’ Day messages every year without fail. And you know what? This is one of the reasons many of us become teachers in the first place. This nurturing of human relationships which bind us together to uplift the human spirit to make this world a better place.
I share your excitement in bringing together your P6 classmates, wherever they are, and I know that every student that has passed through the ages of Princess Elizabeth, had every opportunity to Learn, Love and Lead. That’s our school philosophy, remember? And it would be a joy to me and the teachers to listen to your muses, grumblings, adorations and endless talk of who broke his foot weeks before PSLE and got pushed around in the wheelchair. And who gave such a beautiful rendition of ‘Majulah Singapura’ with Mr Adib on the guitar, and who made Mrs Choy panic-stricken when she went missing for a while at the airport in Hong Kong.
Your stories are our stories too, Tanya, and in them, we know you learned, in painful ways sometimes, that English, Maths and Science serve you beyond the T-score, that celebrating diversity and inclusivity is beyond Racial Harmony Day, and what will stay deep within each of us is our core values – “ASPIRE”, as we have it in Princess Elizabeth! Ambition, Self-Discipline, Perseverance, Integrity, Respect and Empathy.
Your cohort was special. There were many firsts that we did as a school. We opened up the campfire for your family members to join us in the traditional games for example. Never did we expect so many to turn up! And what an opportunity to see you taking on leadership to organise yourselves in that chaos and have a fun and meaningful time. For the first time also, we had the whole student body exercise the right to vote for the student leaders. It must be nerve-wracking for the Head Prefect hopefuls to go through interviews and organise their so-called elections campaign and address the whole school too! But I’m sure as you reflect on this experience, you will appreciate the idea that you are an active participant to any change process in the world.
Your cohort was even more special to us because we have a shared memory of the biggest celebration ever – SG50! You had a hand in painting the butterflies for our wall mural and some of your friends were involved in the Homecoming Musical, singing alongside past principals and alumni members. It was indeed a whole community affair! And if you recall the special moment when I asked all of you to close your eyes and visualise yourself celebrating SG100, I hope you were excited about all the possibilities of having your family and friends celebrating the nationhood of a people, imbued with enduring values, of diversity and harmony, shared vision and togetherness, holding on fast to memories of the contributions of past generations, yet, full of confidence and hope for the future.
And when you visit during Teachers’ Day, you will get to hear about the new and exciting things that are happening in school. It is my hope that you and your friends will continue to not only return to your alma mater, but be actively involved in the school in various ways when you are ready. Many have come back to work with the teachers and our parents to enrich the school experiences because everyone believes in the importance of a good education to our young. And this is the belief that fires me up every day as I come to work.
On a daily basis, I ask myself, “What can I do as someone entrusted with the responsibility of nurturing young minds, to make the schooling experience safe and enriching? How do I strengthen their resolve to bounce back from failure and disappointment? How do I model humility as we celebrate success and excellence? How do I truly embrace diversity and develop a desire in them to preserve the common space that defines us as a people? How do I instil confidence in the future and equip them to face the unknown?”
Dear students, I will always strive to give you the experiences that help you make meaning of realities and challenge you to take risks, so that you can be nimble and resilient in future. A future that will call on not only your skills and knowledge but your sensibilities. And what an exciting future you have before you.
Yours Affectionately,
Madam Moliah
