Teachers with Conviction, Creativity, and Care

Mdm Choo Pee Ling started out as an administrative staff at Katong School. But within a year, she was so won over by the students that she chose to apply for a teaching position. Fifteen years later, after putting in two year’s worth of evenings in pursuit of a part-time degree in Special Education, she serves as the school’s Head of Department for Maths and Life Skills.

On the other hand, Ms Wong Wai Sian had a different route to special education. Having volunteered with the intellectually disabled since her freshman days, it was second nature for her to become involved in helping those with special needs after graduation. Today, she teaches at Tanglin School, where she leads the students in Mathematics, making music and even helps them to give back to the community.

With creativity, a deep sense of care and a strong belief in their students, Mdm Choo and Ms Wong were the recipients of the MOE-NCSS Outstanding Special Education (SPED) Award this year.

Catering to students of every nature

“Every child is unique and learns differently; hence the teaching must suit the diversity of the cohort,” stated Mdm Choo. “It’s important to identify their strengths and interests and work with them in their learning.” This task would seem harder in a SPED context, but Mdm Choo stayed true to her word, having served up a suite of customisable Maths programmes that cater to pupils with various learning styles, and make learning fun to boot.

‘Minute Maths’, for instance, is a method Mdm Choo designed for students at ease with numbers but weak in reading and writing. Problems are expressed entirely with numerals and are dished out with increasing complexity. The exercise allows students to practise their numeracy and gain confidence as they solve each step. For those better with words than numbers, she has introduced storybooks that explain mathematical concepts.

Maths and Life Skills are combined when Mdm Choo brings her classes to places such as the Zoo and Bird Park, where she has created a series of Maths Trails. The students walk through exhibits and perform tasks of varying difficulty, from counting the number of birds in a cage to estimating the amount of food an animal might need daily.

In ‘Learn to Play, Play to Learn’, students learn through games. Held before classes start for the day or during recess, these sessions reinforce Maths principles as well as help the students open up socially. To ensure that the kids don’t forget what they have learnt during the holidays, Mdm Choo came up with a ‘Maths Homekit’ of activities they can do with their family during the breaks, such as measuring their furniture and counting household appliances.

When donning her Life Skills hat, Mdm Choo is a champion of healthy eating who initiated ‘Fruit Eating Day’. Held twice a month, this event is not just a culinary treat but also a chance for students, some of whom seldom get to eat fruit at home, to sample a good diversity of wholesome fruits, and hopefully pick up a healthy lifelong habit from the experience.

Where do all these ideas come from? “Over time” is Mdm Choo’s unassuming reply. She revealed that some were adapted from programmes she saw while on attachment to other schools. But it doesn’t matter if the idea isn’t original. What matters for her is that the students benefit and get to move forward in life. As she put it, “I want to do what I can to see the students transit successfully into society.”

Helping students create a better world for themselves and others

A love for music has carried over to Ms Wong’s routine at Tanglin School, where she teaches Literacy (English) and is level head for Numeracy (Maths) which she also teaches. Ms Wong also heads the Angklung Ensemble and helps out in Physical Education, Horticulture and Hospitality lessons.

Given her reputation for juggling multiple roles and long hours, it’s not surprising that Ms Wong’s students realise that she expects them to strive out of their comfort zones. For instance, she led her final-year numeracy students in a final push to ace their exams last year, with twice-weekly remedial classes lasting as long as two hours or more. Some students were less than enthusiastic, but she persisted as she wanted them to achieve the targets they had set for themselves.

It might seem onerous, but she explained that the effort was not just about academic competence. “Most of the weaker students lack confidence, so besides teaching concepts, we also have to counsel them, show them that they can do it and motivate them towards their goals,” shared Ms Wong.

Asked what her greatest wish for her students is, she replied, “For them to lead quality lives, and to believe that they are valuable individuals, capable of contributing to society, whether in community service or in employment.” To show her students that they can be of help to others, Ms Wong organises trips to children’s homes that are as much fun for the visitors as they are for the residents. During one visit, the students sang Michael Jackson’s hit song Heal the World for the children. On another day, she charged her students with the task of buying gifts for their hosts within a set budget.

The late pop singer also serves as an inspiration, as Ms Wong would tell her students of Jackson’s charitable deeds and his vision of a better world. And to top it up, Michael Jackson impersonators and photo opportunities for fans are part of the package during visits to the homes.

Ms Wong readily admits that her plethora of roles does lead to fatigue. But a smile or a high-five from a student is enough to perk her up and remind her that what she is doing is making a difference in their lives. “I am happy to be nurturing them, and happy to see them realise the meaning of giving back to society,” she stated with undisguised pleasure.