One of my ex-students visited me yesterday. I have never expected that there would be a day where I could see my student graduates. It makes me feel so….OLD. Just like the other day when I saw a new staff getting ready for her new cubicle, it reminded me the first day I joined the school. Time flies and it has been almost a year since I first stepped into my cubicle.
To be frank, I have never thought of becoming an educator. I can vividly remember my records back in primary school where we wrote our 3 ambitions each year. Mine was always 1) Lawyer 2) Pharmacist 3) Pianist/artist.
The day when I started to teach was at St. Joseph’s Home. I was having my 3 months summer break. I just woke up one day and realised I wanted to volunteer at this home by teaching little kids to draw and paint. And later that day, I spoke to the person-in-charge and got myself a ‘job’. I was teaching 2 classes: primary school kids and high school kids. I taught basic drawing and painting for the younger ones and photoshop for the 13-15 years olds.
The younger ones…

The first day of my teaching, I was very nervous and I can’t even park my car properly. Thousands of worries flooding my head: I can’t manage a big bunch of kids, the kids dislike the class etc. But when I stepped out of the car, the kids were waiting for me at the entrance. I was greeted with warm glee and some of the younger ones (2 and 3 years old) hugged my legs. I was melted. At that point of time, I told myself that I have to give my best to the kids and not to disappoint them.
Photoshop class

I attended my “class” about 2-3 days a week. And I have learned so much each day. I came to learn about each of their family backgrounds and it was heart-breaking. Because of that, I set higher expectation for myself so that each session was spent wisely and could bring the best out of these kids. After 2 months, I stepped out of the Home, totally transformed by the young and innocent minds.
Most of the times we take granted of what we have and what is given to us, until the day we lost them. I have seen people being transformed (even myself) after volunteering. Sometimes I share my experience at the home with my current students and encourage them to contribute to the community. You may never know what you would gain from this experience until you experience it. It changed me and definitely has changed my career path, too.
Why and what is “Cher”? My students call me “Cher” sometimes. I only came to know this word when I came to Singapore. It is a short from “teacher”.
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