I am a teacher with the younger children (5-7 years olds) in the Preparatory Course for Primary (PCP) Programme. The one-year PCP programme helps transit pupils who do not have English as their first language to the mainstream school. My bilingual education in English and Mandarin gave me an added edge in communicating and interacting fluently and comfortably with pupils who have Mandarin as their first language. Besides language, I explore other resources and means, such as pictures, body language, songs, rhymes, technology and so on in helping these pupils acquire the English language.

I’ve been in the preschool industry since 2002 and my passion for teaching the young ones reignited when I did relief teaching for Brighton College in August 2023, teaching pupils who use English as an additional language (EAL). I realized that conflicts and misunderstandings between pupils and between pupil and teacher often arise owing to miscommunications and leading to being misunderstood.  I felt very much satisfied when I facilitated conflict resolutions between pupils and supported fellow teachers in the translations when communicating with the parents. I tapped on the active collaborations with the teachers and the committed parents to support the pupils in their acquisition of the English language.

In my earlier work in planning and policy work with the Ministry of Education, Preschool Education Branch, my key role as a Secretariat Member of the then Preschool Qualifications Accreditation Committee reminded me of the importance of the role of the teacher in children’s lives. After attaining the Masters in Education (Early Childhood Education) at the National Institute of Education/Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) in 2012, I continued to pursue skills and knowledge in teaching and in working with young children. I’ve been an adjunct lecturer and practicum supervisor with Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Seed Institute since 2014. They are now under the Singapore’s National Institute of Early Childhood Development. One of the modules I taught was ‘Supporting diversity in early childhood education’. I am now putting theories into practice as I work with the non-English speaking pupils everyday.

I am often admired for my high energy level, especially when playing with children. I enjoyed most sports and in 2017, I chanced upon yoga. I love the calm and mindful practice, and the challenges posed in the asanas. The ‘teacher’ in me led me to my Yoga Teacher Certification in 2023. Since then, I have been teaching Yoga in a Yoga studio on weekends and I hope to encourage more teachers to practice Yoga with me.