35 long years in Education

As I reach the big six-Os in June this year, I could not help thinking back the 35 years spent in schools. By now, some of my first pupils would have been fathers or mothers or maybe even reach  father/mother-in law status.

When I started teaching, I never thought that I would last this long, given the ever changing education landscapes, thus needing to adapt constantly or else become irrelevant. Things were so simple then......just do your best and teach knowing that we will never reach the SEO status, thus no backstabbing or school politics.
However, whatever they changed, the souls of pupils do not. Maybe their outlook and expectations are different through the ages but their innocence and naviety are always the same, ready for the teacher to mould them.

Through my experiences, it is not what I have achieved but what I learnt from these experiences which no one could ever take away from me.
Earlier, I have blogged about my experiences in the schools which I was posted to. Here I included images and highlights during my journey.

School 1  :  Kim Seng Technical School (1973 - 1975)

Highlights : Badminton sessions organised by the late Mr Wong Seng Kwong every Saturday afternoons followed by food and drinks at Zion Road coffee shop. I could never forget the time that we have to go across to the old Great World to look for pupils loitering in the billiard saloons.

Downlights: Nil as teaching in school was so simple then.

The Metalwork teachers headed by Mr Winston Teo (back row centre) 
Standing left to right : Ms Goh S B; Yeo T H; Winston; Woo P F; Wong K S
Seated : Wong S H; Yue C S; the late Wong Seng Kwong 

One of the largest group of technical teachers

School 2 : Raffles Institution (1978 - 1986)

Highlights: Daily lunch (usually porridge and fruits) with fellow teachers at Zion Road market; weekly badminton or squash sessions; in charge of RI Soccer; NCC officer, many halfday off school because of achievements in sports and academic

Downlights:  When the rugby team hijacked most of the C Div soccer players in 1981

RI Staff photo 1981 ( I was at the back row 3rd from right corner)

Mr S Rajaratnam, DPM ; former Foreign Minister was the GOH for the 160th Founder's Day

 1983 - RI 160

ECA in RI were NCC(Land) and Soccer

National 'A' Div Soccer Champion 1978 at the old National Stadium

  Photo with pupils from Anderson Secondary. Other schools which used RI workshop facilities included Crescent Girls, SCGS and Fairfield Methodist 



RI C Div Soccer team in the early 80s. Nearly all the players were later roped into the rugby team


Ortega Cup revival

Ortega Cup 2007 held at RI Bishan. The rivalry between RI and SJI in soccer was revived after more than 2 decades. Former Singapore National Team captain Au-yong Pak Kuan in front row extreme right and above receiving the trophy from Mr Abdullah Tarmugi, a RI old boy.

Fong K H; the late Teo S B; Wong G C; Kwang T H; Sng J S; Lim C H; Lee K H;

Ang S T (Metal Instructor); Suhaimi (Wood Instructor); Woo P F

Technical Department Raffles Institution 1984
left to right : Kwang T H; Fong K H; the late Mr Teo S B; Ms Lee W K;
Sng J S (Head of Department); Lee K H; Lim C H; Woo P F

Updated 2016

It has been more than a year since Mr Tan Kim Cheng passed away. He was a legend and an institution in RI during those days at Bras Brasah and Grange Road campus. Capt Tan's commanding booming voice from the office could be heard along the corridors of Grange Road. I found out that he was a NCC officer before I became one. As a young teacher then, I looked up to him as a model teacher, feared but fully respected by every RI students. I would often found him in charge of the school when the Principal was away, since he was a Senior Assistant, and matters would still run smoothly.

RIP Mr Tan

School 3 :  Woodlands Secondary School (1987 - 1989)

Highlights:  Visited National Stadium for second time with B Div soccer team; meeting Gordon Banks with the boys; form teacher of 4D; VITB night class supervisor; conquered Mt Ophir

Downlights : official protest against Principal


The few girls of 4D who took Metalwork in 1986

 Woodlands 4D Class of 86 - My form class

Woodlands 4B Metalwork Class 1986

Sec 4D of Woodlands Sec 1986

The A Div Woodlands boys playing at National Stadium

Camp Commander of St John's Island Camp 1989

The A Div Soccer Boys took the Championship in 1987 at Jln Besar Stadium



Woodlands A Div Soccer Team in 1987 before the finals

A Div Soccer team with the legendary England goalkeeper Gordon Banks at Jln Besar Stadium

Woodlands teachers at St John's Camp 1988


School 4 : Si Ling Secondary School (1989 - 1992)

Highlights:  appointed Head of Department; organised St John's Camp; conquered Gunung Tahan with the school's first expedition team

Downlights: a messy, choatic school during that period

 Teo Y J (2nd left); me (3rd left) & Gowri (right) were the three teachers who successfully brought the group up to Tahan 

With Teo Yong Joon on top of Gunung Tahan June 1992

At Sungai Pahang river, before departing for the mountains

 Teo Y J and me with the two support staff

Organising the food supplies before heading to Tahan

 Mr Kenny Jones and me supported the 4B interclass soccer team 1990

Si Ling Secondary Sec 4B 1990 or was it 1992?

Sec 5N class, FT Mrs Ngoh

Staff at the 1991 St John's Island camp

School 5 : Chua Chu Kang Secondary (1993 - 2001)

Highlights : Pioneer batch of teachers to start the school; Discipline master for 3 years; Camp Commander for the school's first Sec 2 Camp which has 17 classes of pupils using Camp Bahtera & Camp Christine (we pulled it off without incidents; Camp Commander of St John's Island camps; pioneering NYAA in 1994; Assistant District Commander for NCC West

Downlights :  School leaders' show of power during the last few years;

CCKS circa 1996

First picture of CCKS when I reported to Ms Sum Chee Wah in Nov 1992. They were on the verge of taking down the Cross (scaffoldings) as the school was originally built for St Margaret Secondary

Pioneer batch of CCKS staff with Ms Sum Chee Wah seated centre

1998 photo of CCKS Craft & Technology Department

Left to right: Zukliflee; Ong H T; Mrs Ngoh C F; Woo P F; Mrs Helen Tan;

Koh F L; the late Yeo Seng Piow

CCKS Staff at St John's island Camp

Mt Ophir Expedition 1994

First batch of CCKS pupils at Mt Ophir 1994

CCKS Teachers and friends at Mt Ophir 1994

CCKS Taman Negara Trip 1997

School 6 : Jurongville Secondary School (2001 - now)

Highlights: survived 35 years in education service; Eden School project

Downlights:  Met worst professional crisis exam related; stepped down as HOD

DT Sec 5NA 2009 at the old workshop





Sec 2 Level camp at Tg Piai March 2013, with 2T1

Winning a design competition at Ngee Ann Polytechnic 2011

2T1 at Yellow Ribbon Project 2012