Every student of Mdm Serene Tang gets three chances per term. Whether it is forgetting their textbook, skipping homework or simply zoning out in class, there are no consequences to slip-ups. These chances, if untouched, are rolled over to subsequent terms in the year.

It is a policy that neatly sums up Mdm Tang’s belief as an educator. 

“What I’m teaching them is responsibility and self-directedness. At the same time, we are all human beings who need someone to give us grace on our bad days,” says the History and Social Studies teacher at Swiss Cottage Secondary School who moved to Outram Secondary School in 2026, serving as Humanities Head of Department at both schools.

Her take on what constitutes discipline stems from her own secondary school days when, she confesses, she was hardly the model student. “I wasn’t given many opportunities as a result, but in my final year, my form teacher saw my strength and nominated me to be a prefect.” 

That one move changed the way she viewed herself. “The 16-year-old me felt that sense of gratitude and desire to grow,” she adds. 

Today, as a teacher to teens, she holds on to the belief that everyone has redeeming qualities when given a chance.

She 'knew every trick in the book' 

The irony wasn’t lost on Mdm Tang when she became the discipline head at Swiss Cottage Secondary. She was primed for the role because she was Little Miss Mischief and knew every student trick in the book! She was also quick to sense which students were particularly at risk, especially those facing challenging home environments and even abuse. 

“When put in difficult situations like that, how can we expect the children to put education as their primary focus?” she explains.

When faced with severe family crises or safety concerns, Mdm Tang and her team prioritised student well-being above all else, even if it means making tough calls.  Working closely with social service agencies and protection officers, Mdm Tang and her team supported a student’s placement in a girls’ home to keep her safe from her abusive stepfather. That decision, which set the student back academically by one year, turned out to be the right one.

“She came back to visit years later to thank me... she was happily married and doing well,” Mdm Tang’s eyes reddening at the memory.

Helping students STAY on Course

Back in the Humanities department, Mdm Tang was no-nonsense when tackling falling student interest in Humanities subjects, especially Social Studies, which was perceived to be harder to score well in. 

The STAY on Course framework was her response. STAY stands for Setting realistic targets, Tracking progress, Adjusting strategies and Yielding results.

The commitment understood by her team to support every Humanities student and their goals across four years, starting at Secondary 1 where all Humanities students have a one-to-one chat with their teacher to set goals. Follow-ups are held periodically and yearly to clarify understanding, monitor progress and establish next steps. “No man is left behind,” says Mdm Tang.

She also saw the Humanities as vital to character development and critical thinking. “The values and dispositions nurtured through Humanities education are foundational to how students learn, relate to others and understand their place and contributions to the world.”

Humanities lessons that ‘make us human’

Even as the STAY on Course framework keeps students on track, Mdm Tang and her team worked hard to keep them engaged.

Under Mdm Tang’s charge, lessons are designed to challenge assumptions written in books. For instance, Geography students may find themselves taking on roles as mayors, foreign travellers and local residents when studying local slums, surfacing the topic of inequality as a result.

History students go way beyond memorising facts – they role-play and debate their way as villains and victors in world wars and other significant turning points, and asked if what happened could have been prevented or enabled. 

Students gain perspectives from being in others’ shoes, navigating societal, ethical and personal biases, and arguing for what they feel is “right” and “wrong”.

“The Humanities, more than any other subject, teach us how to be human. We as educators need to do our best, so the next generation serves society with a heart,” says Mdm Tang.    

“If I see my students 20 years later, still articulating what they learned and are actively contributing to society, I’d know my work has produced real results.”

This brings us back to her work, specifically, that forgiving three-chance buffer in the classroom: What happens when a student messes up a fourth time? Says Mdm Tang, with mirth in her eyes, “Come to my class and find out!”

“Being realistic with targets is important because kids have other things happening in their lives. It is a conversation.”
Mdm Tang