Her form teacher, Ms Nan Zhonghua, who is also her mother tongue teacher, frequently encourages her students to ask questions.
Hazel, a Secondary 1 student at Yuan Ching Secondary School, says: “At the start of the year, I was still quite shy. I was used to figuring things out by myself, but I just tried it in February. It was the first time I raised my hand to answer a question in front of the class.”
Emboldened by her experience in Ms Nan’s Chinese class, Hazel started speaking up more in other subject lessons too.
Hazel says: “Ms Nan is the teacher who has brought me happiness and knowledge. I find her approachable and trustworthy. I can feel her kindness. She treats us like her own children.”
Ahead of Teachers’ Day, which is commemorated on Sept 5 in 2025, students interviewed by The Straits Times talk about how educators have made a difference in their lives.
Whether it is supporting students through academic challenges or everyday life lessons, what shines through is how a teacher’s encouragement can uplift a child.
Power of encouragement
About a month after this incident, Hazel approached Ms Nan when she experienced a setback.
She had not done well in one subject during her first weighted assessments.
Hazel says: “I failed that one time. All along in primary school, I always passed. She calmed me down and told me it’s actually okay for us to fail because if we hadn’t failed, we wouldn’t have known our mistakes and we could try harder next time.
“I felt quite touched. No one had said that to me before.”
Ms Nan, 42, says she appreciates the opportunity to support students both academically and in more personal ways.
The senior Chinese language teacher says: “Every interaction with my students – whether it’s through discussions and activities in class, or casual conversations after lessons – strengthens the bridge between us, turning lessons into connections and making me a better, warmer teacher.”
Some students have told her how they shared a Chinese idiom to comfort a friend, or how they started using certain expressions they learnt in class, in conversations with friends or in messages to their parents.
Ms Nan says: “As a Chinese language teacher, the most rewarding moments for me are when I see my students move from thinking, ‘Chinese is difficult’, to genuinely enjoying the subject.”
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Lessons from PE
Mr Shang Thian Huat (centre), head of department for physical education at Blangah Rise Primary School, with pupils Kashiwagi Hinata (left) and Sri Raman Rajaraman. ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI
Some pupils learn from their teachers how to push themselves in daily life and on momentous occasions.
Sri Raman Rajaraman, a Primary 5 pupil at Blangah Rise Primary School, applied a lesson he learnt in basketball in lower primary from Mr Shang Thian Huat, the head of department for physical education and co-curricular activities (CCA).
Raman, 11, says he was not athletically inclined, but recalls how Mr Shang once taught a lesson on being confident. He tried to aim the ball along a curve, like an imaginary rainbow, into a basket as instructed, rather than slamming it straight at the target.
Raman says: “Whenever it’s a near miss, it sometimes felt like, why should I bother? But you have to not give up. Mr Shang is caring. He doesn’t want his students to accept that they can’t do it. He’s determined to push them to realise their potential in sports, whether it’s a slight improvement or becoming an NSG (National School Games) player.”
Primary 6 pupil Kashiwagi Hinata, 12, credits Mr Shang for helping her ace her Direct School Admission (DSA) interviews for Secondary 1 in 2026.
Hinata says: “I’m not the most positive person, but Mr Shang is one of the most positive teachers I know.”
Mr Shang coached her for mock DSA interviews, asking her to treat her interviewer as if she were talking to him. It stood her in good stead. Even though she faced a “scary” interviewer, Hinata, who likes to paint watercolours, received a DSA offer in visual arts in a school of her choice.
Mr Shang, 50, says that some of his favourite Teachers’ Day cards have a common theme. “They would say something like, thank you for correcting me when I was wrong. I became a better person. I really appreciate that they understand that we correct them not to put them down, but to lift them higher and help them go further.”
Appreciation years later
Greenridge Primary School teacher Arivalagan Rajangam, who is head of department for character and citizenship education, enjoys connecting with former students like Chelsea Ong ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
When Chelsea Ong, 16, was in Primary 5 at Greenridge Primary School in 2020, she was asked to take part in a TV interview. This was for a report about celebrating National Day during the Covid-19 pandemic, at a time when social distancing still held sway.
She was a prefect and a regular emcee at school assemblies. Known for public speaking, she was a natural fit for the job, says Mr Arivalagan Rajangam, 50, the school’s head of department for character and citizenship education (CCE).
But a few days prior, Chelsea had what she called a meltdown and declined the opportunity. She recalls: “I was so scared of messing up on the actual day.”
Her teachers, including Mr Arivalagan, supported and comforted her. He resolved to find her another such opportunity in the future.
The following year, when she was in Primary 6, he asked Chelsea to lead the school in the pledge-taking for National Day, which she did with aplomb.
Now in Secondary 4 in Bukit Panjang Government High School, Chelsea is in the executive committee of her student council and its head of development and management.
She realised only in Secondary 2 that being given another chance for the public engagement in Primary 6 had ensured that her confidence was shored up.
Chelsea says: “It gave me the confidence to continue pursuing leadership opportunities in secondary school. I applied for the student council in Sec 1.
“I realised that the job scope for teachers extends beyond the curriculum. They care for their students. They do so much for us to learn and have a great experience in school. In my case, I didn’t realise it until a few years down the road.”
For his part, Mr Arivalagan enjoys connecting with former students like Chelsea, who return to Greenridge Primary School for a “homecoming” event for Teachers’ Day. The alumni connect with their cohort mates and their former teachers.
He says: “We can feel the aura of appreciation around the ex-students. They still have the same respect for us they had in primary school.”
Like the other teachers interviewed, Ms Chua Jinxun, 39, an English and social studies teacher at Opera Estate Primary School, gets recognition and appreciation for teaching and guiding current and former pupils.
She says: “It’s rarely the things I have done, but the words I have spoken to them. I’m mindful how I choose my words and, hopefully, they give them hope and confidence.
“What strikes me in this career is that words have so much power.”
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Venessa Lee is a feature writer and senior correspondent at The Straits Times.
