I never liked art lessons in school.

That was why I was puzzled when my drawing of Spongebob Squarepants for a test back in Secondary 2 clinched me an A grade (the theme was "Underwater" if you're wondering).

I asked my teacher if there was a mistake in the grading, to which she replied:

"Your Spongebob is a bit off, but it is a creative approach to the theme. Baby steps are good!"

But I was never good at art, and ended up taking Food and Nutrition anyway.

Those words, however, have stuck with me, and I'm lucky to have had more supportive teachers since then.

Now that I've graduated from my schooling years, I spoke to three teachers to find out more about why they do what they do -- and the lives they have changed along the way.

Unhappy graphic designer turned art teacher

Upon reaching St Hilda's Primary School on a scorching hot Wednesday morning, I was greeted by art teacher Jasjit Kaur with a bottle of ice-cold mineral water and a cup of fruits in her hands.

"I got this for you because I figured it's a very hot day, right?"

It made sense why a student of hers recently wrote a tear-jerking article to nominate her for the Caring Teacher Awards, which is a biennial event that pays tribute to teachers, organised by the National Institute of Education.

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It was recess time when I was having a chat with Jasjit in the art room located on the first floor of the school.

Every time a student peeks in through the window and waves enthusiastically at her, the teacher would wave back and giggle while shaking her head a little, perhaps because of how cheeky her students are.

This cheerfulness is a stark difference from her three-year stint as a graphic designer, which she described as "monotonous":

"I felt really down about my job. I was bound by my clients' needs and wants and after a while, it felt as if I was just churning out design after design."

That was when Jasjit's mother, a vice-principal of an MOE school, encouraged her to become an art teacher.

Intimidated by the thought of teaching a large number of students, however, Jasjit applied for the role of an allied educator (someone who provides learning and behavioural support to a select number of students) instead.

But that didn't last long.

Apart from her duty as an allied educator, Jasjit also contributes to the school by getting involved in art-related activities, like painting the school mural.

Noticing Jasjit's contribution to the school, her principal suggested to her to become a full-fledged art teacher, and that's when she realised she found her calling in life.

"The fulfilling thing about this job is when a student says, 'Huh, how come the lesson has already ended?" I know that they want to learn more and I realised that this teaching thing is something I should do."

Teaching is a big responsibility for this geography teacher

While Jasjit was uncertain of her career at first, Wong Yi Fong had known that he wanted to be a teacher since young.

Wong was inspired by his geography teacher back in secondary school:

"She didn't just teach the subject, she also gave life lessons and life skills and it's something I try to impart to my own students."

Fast forward to today, Wong Yi Fong became a geography teacher himself at Unity Secondary School.

But realising his dream career isn't enough for him -- he wanted others to find their passion and work towards it too.

That's when he co-founded The Apprenticeship Collective, an initiative where students are given opportunities to find out about different jobs and try them out in order to make better-informed decisions on their future career paths.

This initiative, by the way, partly led to him being awarded the Outstanding Youth in Education Award -- an award by the Ministry of Education that recognises the achievements of young teachers who are role models for the teaching profession -- which he sheepishly attributed to "luck".

But such awards aren't what makes his job rewarding for him -- it's how he impacts the lives of his students.

"If I am able to give my support and teach them the right values from the very beginning and they end up becoming good, contributing citizens then I think I'm doing my part to change society while changing lives. It is a big responsibility on the teacher."

"They're not lesser than us, they just have a different set of needs."

On the other hand, for Seah Wei Liang, a volunteering stint with the autism-focused Pathlight School helped him to realise that he wanted to become an allied educator:

"I wanted to play this role to give back to the community and help them be successful."

Being the only allied educator in Sengkang Secondary School, Seah works with most of the special needs students there.

Unlike a regular teacher, an allied educator does not necessarily teach students their academic subjects.

He sees to their day-to-day needs in order for them to be more successful in class and ensure that their access to learning wouldn’t be compromised by their difficulties.

"This group of people need support. They're not lesser than us, they just have a different set of needs."

While some people would consider a promotion as the highlight of their career, Seah thinks that the breakthrough of his students tops everything else.

He spoke fondly of a former student who had an anxiety disorder, affecting the social interaction between teachers and her peers.

The quiet and reserved student would see Seah during her free periods to improve her academics and go through weekly therapy sessions.

After much work, the girl who once couldn't even speak to her teachers can now do a presentation confidently and fluidly in front of her classmates.

"She is a breakthrough, I think that is the highlight of my career."

All photos by Fasiha Nazren