I Am a Believer In Education

Illiterate, Granny did not know it was a school. When it was mentioned by the neighbours and she finally understood what it was, she called it, in Hainanese, the school with the three dolls. The boys who passed through its gates wore white shirts and pants and a striped green tie.

Today, the 'three dolls' - the statue of St John Baptist and the two children continue to welcome boys through its gates.
My boy is now in the last year of his 4 years of secondary education here.

The culture and tradition of a school play a big part in forming our worldview and the kind of adults we become. The songs we used to sing, the school cheers we used to chant on the sports grounds, the performances and plays we put up and watched, and of course the crazy hours put in for exams- these things give shape and texture to our younger days.Although it was madly competitive, the routines of school gave me a sense of calm and stability that was sorely lacking at home.

Now that the boy is in his final year, he is spending more time preparing for his exams. The O Level Chinese Exams have started. His teacher spent at least two weeks doing 'night study' with the boys, and as it was during the lockdown period, this was done online from 8 pm to 9.30pm after the daily lessons. Throughout, she was sending texts to encourage her pupils and even being present on the morning itself to do last-minute coaching. Having been a school teacher myself, it is a very intense process, almost akin to sending kids into battle. We want to equip them as thoroughly as we possibly can.

The other teachers sent words of support in the class chat. I do not remember having the luxury of my own teachers doing that. Maybe it was harder to be personal and comforting in an age when written word technology was practically non-existent.

I was touched by his teachers' dedication. I have heard about the nurturing culture of this school and how boys who pass through its gates become real gentlemen, but now I see it and feel its warmth. For once, I give thanks that he is not in any other school (not even Raffles Institution). There is indeed something here that cannot be replicated elsewhere.