S’porean gave up assistant vice-president position in bank to care for wife & child, now finds joy as MOE Kindergarten teacher

Ask someone what they think of when they hear the words ‘preschool teacher’ and an image of a nurturing female may come to mind.

Instead, seeing a male teacher in a preschool class may result in a few raised eyebrows or even cognitive dissonance for some.

But 51-year-old Hee Ching Long is not letting others’ perceptions bother him:

“I am aware that there may be certain concerns about male preschool teachers. Even though I don’t fit the ‘typical profile’ of a preschool teacher, I believe I can do the job well.”

Unlike other preschool teachers who may have joined the sector fresh out of school, Hee spent the first half of his working life in a bank and made a mid-career switch to pursue his passion in early childhood teaching in his late thirties.

“I had pursued a path in the banking industry in my younger days in the hope of earning more money because I didn’t come from a wealthy family,” Hee explained.

Left Assistant Vice-President position in bank to care for wife and child

However, a catalytic event in 2006 prompted Hee to re-evaluate his priorities and consider what he really wanted in life.

Hee’s wife had a difficult pregnancy and almost miscarried, which made him question: “What do I want to do in life? So what if I have a lot of money?”

After much deliberation, he decided to leave his position as an assistant vice-president at a bank to care for his wife and child.

Became a full-time preschool teacher in 2022

Hee first spent 10 years helping children who need more support in learning English, before transitioning to a full-time role as an MOE Kindergarten (MK) Educator.

After attending a nine-month early childhood diploma and conversion programme for mid-career applicants, Hee officially started teaching at MK@Wellington in 2022.

The nature of a preschool teacher’s work is vastly different from Hee’s past work experiences, and so are the challenges of this job.

For starters, Hee has to speak at a level that children can understand, and be keenly attuned to children’s behaviour and needs to facilitate their learning and care for their wellbeing.

After all, it’s not easy for an adult to help a 5-year-old child recognise complex (but valid) feelings like jealousy, then process and manage the turbulent emotions in socially acceptable ways.

Hee believes in building a strong rapport with the parents of children in his class because parents are their child’s first teachers, and a strong teacher-parent partnership will allow for consistent practices across the MK and home to better support children’s learning and development.

Hee taps on various opportunities to connect with parents, such as when parents come to pick up their children after school:

“Parents can tell if a teacher is here just for a job or for the children, so I am very open and authentic with them and let them see my heart for the children. I can understand how parents feel because I am a parent myself.”

Leading hearts and minds

Thankfully, Hee’s transition has been made smoother, thanks to Ms Latifah, who was the Centre Head of MK@Wellington when he first joined the centre in 2022:

“Ms Latifah is very experienced and has mentored me well to prepare me for my role as a preschool teacher.”

Ms Latifah, who is currently the Centre Head at MK@Casuarina, is well-respected by her children, teachers and parents.

In addition to the caring MK Educators and focus on the holistic development of the children, parents also value the conducive and spacious learning environment in MKs.

“MK provides a safe and secure learning environment with inviting indoor and outdoor spaces so the children have ample opportunities to explore and play in. There are plenty of resources provided for integrated playtime and learning, which can enrich the children’s interactions meaningfully,” Latifah explained.

The fact that MKs are sited within primary schools provides many advantages, such as the opportunities for teachers to conduct activities to familiarise the children with the primary school environment to support their transition to primary school.

For example, the children get to experience buying food from the canteen and borrowing books from the school library.

‘Hardware’ and ‘Heartware’

Teaching resources, the learning environment and curricular plans are examples of ‘hardware’.

What’s just as important (if not more important) is the ‘heartware’, which refers to teachers’ positive beliefs about children and purposeful mission to help each child develop to his full potential.

“MK teachers undergo a series of in-house mandatory and elective training courses to build their teaching competencies. Beyond training, I try to build staff morale and unity so that they can find meaning in their work,” Latifah said, elaborating that “staff camaraderie keeps our energy up and provides the intangible support and sense of belonging to keep us going, even when the going gets tough, to do our best for the precious little ones who come under our charge.”

Hee echoed Latifah’s sentiments:

“I feel very supported in my professional and personal growth in MK. I once heard this saying – It’s not that better human beings become teachers; it’s that being a teacher makes one a better human. This is true (at least) for me and my fellow MK Educators. MK aims to provide a strong start for every child. I would add – and for every teacher and parent as well!"

Indeed, it’s never too late to start to become a better version of ourselves.

As of 2024, the monthly school fees for MOE Kindergartens are:

• S$160 for Singapore citizens
• S$320 for Singapore permanent residents

Full day childcare service is available and there are no additional out-of-pocket expenses for complementary programmes, such as field trips.

If your child is a Singapore citizen, they may qualify for financial assistance under the Kindergarten Fee Assistance Scheme (KiFAS)*.

*KiFAS is provided by ECDA and applies only to MOE Kindergarten school fees.

Click here to find out more.

This sponsored article by MK gave the writer a newfound appreciation for preschool teachers and a better understanding of MKs.

2024 marks MKs’ 10th Year Anniversary – it has been a good 10 years of providing a strong start for every child, with many more good years to come.

Quotes have been edited for clarity.

Top image via MK.