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EduBuzz EduFeature Northlight shares - Shu Ren's Story| Northlight shares - Shu Ren's Story |
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There is a Chinese saying, “If there is a strong general, there will be no weak soldiers.†My family and I would like to pay tribute to NorthLight School by first thanking its principal, Mrs Chua Yen Ching. When the government announced the setting up of NorthLight School, I was jumping for joy. For the longest time, I have been waiting for a school like this for my son. A school where the emphasis would be on hands-on skills. I also liked the school’s aim to help every student develop positive values and good character. I sought out Mrs Chua even before NorthLight opened. She was then principal of another school and I had heard of the many good things she had done for her students such as turning would-be delinquents into model students. My son, Shu Ren, had dropped out of the local school system and was slightly overaged, but I did not give up hope. I remain grateful to Mrs Chua for giving him a chance to be in NorthLight. Shu Ren was admittedly less enthusiastic about moving on from home schooling. He was wary that he would fail in his studies and was apprehensive about fierce teachers. I am glad to say that he has been a proud student of NorthLight for the past one and a half years. He has grown so much in confidence and for this, I am grateful to his teachers. He has learnt to be more disciplined and more focused in his goals. He is even talking about trying his best to get into the Institute of Technical Education because his teachers believe he can make it. This from a boy who, a few years ago, said that he had to get a job as soon as possible as he couldn’t study and he would always fail. My husband and I are amazed to see how much he has grown. Until coming to NorthLight, he had never won anything in school. In 2007, he was given the Model Student for May award. This year, he won a book review award and has even qualified for an Edusave merit bursary. We are cheering our son on as he continues on his learning journey. It is not just Shu Ren who has grown. Mu husband and I have also learnt and grown as well. We have learnt to respect Shu Ren’s privacy more (he said his teachers had taught him about the right to privacy; good job!) and we treat him like an adult, although it is still a struggle sometimes because we are only human and we worry a little too much. We also believe in being involved with the school in whatever way we can. Just the other day, Shu Ren was so proud that his dad had joined him in his table tennis sessions and as a doubles team, had (just) managed to beat his friends. My husband is also teaching conversational Japanese at the school once a week. Recently, Shu Ren came to my room and out of the blue, told me that he was very happy in school. I asked him why and he said it was because his principal was very encouraging and his teachers, though firm, were fair to the students. I cannot tell you how happy and comforted I was to hear those words. After years of feeling rejected in school, my son has finally found a place he belongs to, and which will allow him to grow to his full potential. To all the teachers in NorthLight School, thank you so much for your belief in our children and your sense of mission. It speaks volumes that in a competitive society like Singapore, where winning is everything, all of you chose to come to NorthLight to make a difference. Chang Wai Leng, Would you like to read another true story? Hamka's Story Â
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