There was one time when Hope Tan, a mother of two, accidentally left her coffee flask in her 4-year-old son Seth Tan’s bag, instead of his water bottle.

His teacher, Joelle, quickly noticed it, and kept it aside for Tan.

Seth was feeling rather generous though. “I think you can have mummy’s coffee”, he told his teacher.

While Tan got her coffee flask back with her beverage intact, she had a good laugh about it with Seth’s teacher.

This is just one of the many funny moments that happened in school since Seth joined his preschool at the pre-nursery last year in 2019.

The warm and friendly environment in the kindergarten quickly put Tan at ease with leaving her child in the care of the teachers in the school.

Over time, Tan found herself bonding with the preschool teachers as well; she got to know Isabelle, a smiley and cheery teacher, and Joelle, a genuine and caring teacher who is also a mum.

Tan mentioned that their friendship was built along the way. Besides sharing casual observations about Seth over text messages (such as an earworm Seth wouldn’t stop singing), Tan’s friendship with the teachers further deepened as they worked together to explore collaborative methods to improve Seth’s behaviour in school.

Collaborated to support son’s development

Like any child his age, Seth sometimes has his moments.

“He's the kind who will test boundaries, I would say. So when he started school it was a bit difficult for the teachers to learn how to communicate with him or get him to understand that he needs to follow boundaries and school rules”, Tan shared.

Despite her son’s behaviour, Tan noticed the teachers didn’t call Seth naughty or mischievous.

Instead, she felt that they patiently gave Seth ample time to adjust to the new school environment and would even proactively plan specific approaches with Tan to help Seth manage his behaviour in school.

For example, if Seth behaved well for the day, the teachers would contact Tan and inform her that Seth did well that day, and Tan would bring snacks to affirm his good behavior.

“I thought that it was really nice that they really tried and put in the extra effort to see what works for my kid,” Tan said.

“I appreciate it because it is really hard when you have a class of like 18 kids - your eyes are all over, and schedules [to stick to, but] you still have to pick up [on] this child's [behaviour] specifically and [find] specific strategies just for that child.”

The school continued to go the extra mile as Seth transitioned from the pre-nursery to nursery class.

Initially, Tan had told them she was worried Seth would find it hard to adjust to a new school year as he would also be under a new teacher.

To ensure that the strategies deployed and methods to help Seth would be carried over to the next year, a meeting was arranged involving Tan, the Kindergarten's principal, Seth's current teacher, and his new teacher.

Together, they discussed what might be some of the things Seth may need help with, and briefed his new teacher on what she could look out for to ease Seth’s adjustment into the new year.

For Tan, this incident especially helped her to appreciate the teachers’ extra effort and dedication in giving parents a peace of mind and developing trust in them.

Going the extra mile

Besides working to help Seth improve his behaviour, there were many instances when the teachers went the extra mile for both Seth and his mum, such as offering to apply eczema cream regularly every few hours on his skin when it flared up.

Tan shared that there was once when Seth had a high fever that caused him to hallucinate. He was rushed to the A&E.

His teacher asked if Tan would allow her to share with the other teachers about his condition so that they could keep him in their thoughts.

It provided Tan with a lot of comfort during that particularly scary incident. “I thought it was a really nice thing at that point [in time]... it was so scary for me.”

Thankfully, Seth made a full recovery, and the teachers shared their concern and relief for him when he returned to school.

Seth has now blossomed into a loving and altruistic child who shows care for others around him, and expresses himself well, often sharing about his day and feelings with his parents.

He is also especially affectionate, running up to his teachers to give hugs in the morning and before he leaves school.

When asked what she’d like to say to the preschool teachers this Teachers’ Day, Tan is full of gratitude.

“I appreciate that they show up every day and put on that smile to really teach the kids from their heart because I think it's not easy. I mean, I'm a mum and I have two kids; every day it’s hard to just smile and be so joyful all the time... the teachers in school are incredible.”

As for Seth? “He would like to say I love you and give his teachers a big hug”, Tan shared.

Preschool teachers make a big difference

Seth’s preschool teachers are just a few of many dedicated educators who go above and beyond to enrich the lives of the children, and there are plenty of heartwarming stories, including that of their own personal efforts to fight Covid-19.

For example, some educators hand-sewed kids-sized face masks in school for the children, while others specially created and shared videos with parents on teaching kids how to practise good hygiene.

Beyond their students, these extraordinary educators also went the extra mile to assist parents and guardians, including a principal who helped to fetch a child to and from school while his grandmother was unwell, to ensure he could continue to attend school.

These seemingly small actions and gestures have a huge impact; a preschool teacher’s job is so much more than just imparting knowledge to children, for their dedication and enthusiasm is what will help shape Singapore’s future, one child at a time.

Watch this video to see what other parents (and kids) have to say about their experiences with preschool teachers this Teachers’ Day.

Visit ECDA’s website here to find out more about the important role that early childhood educators play in Singapore.

This sponsored article by ECDA reminds the writer that it takes a village to raise a child, and her heart is full of gratitude to teachers who have helped to coach and nurture countless children.