Family & Life Magazine Issue 14 | Page 9

More Than a Decade in Character Building as quickly as possible,” says Grace. It was an incredibly business-like approach but it worked. Word soon began to spread of the effectiveness of Character Montessori’s education and principles. The children coming out of the pre-school were not only highly prepared for primary school but displayed leadership and character. GROOMING THE FUTURE “We should give our children the courage to make their own decisions and understand their own strengths. There are a few key points that we need to teach them – respecting people and showing them that the world doesn’t follow the beat of their own drum,” says Grace. “A lot of parents think that children at three are still young and will change when they grow up. The problem is that when they grow up, it is very difficult to undo the damage that has been done.” According to her, teenage rebelliousness can be traced all the way back to the events that occur and the teaching he or she receives at the age of three. It’s a discomforting thought, knowing that your worldview is shaped by behaviour and events that would eventually be lost to the scourge of infantile amnesia, but Grace’s assertion is backed up by many scientists and researchers. The aspiring pre-school mogul also reckons that far too many Singaporean parents mollycoddle their young children instead of letting them explore their independence. You hear stories of today’s self-entitled strawberry generation and you start to think that Grace might just be right after all. “Parents do too much for their children – pack their bags, check their timetables, inspect their homework, etc. I’ve never done that; if I do that for my four children, I won’t have the time to do anything else in my life!” says Grace. Instead, Grace only interfered during the first two weeks of her children’s primary school life, training them to check their timetables and bags on the night before each school day, before leaving them to do it themselves. Here’s the kicker: she knows they will eventually make a mistake. In fact, she’s waiting for them to “trip up”. It’s a certainty in her book. “It’s not about my child going to school and being able to do everything. It’s about my child going to school and taking responsibility for his or her decisions,” asserts Grace. This is why, in the next five years, Grace wants to reach out to parents and tell them that the attitude at home is more important than what happens in pre-school, if they would like their child to be successful in life. She’s written and published books targeted at parents, all of which are focused on specifics aspects of a child’s growing up years, and started giving advice at various talks and seminars. “Teaching young children is quite easy compared to teaching parents,” Grace says wryly. She’s still going to try though, such is her hardworking and ambitious nature. Talking about ambition, Grace has been accepted into the National Institute of Education’s Doctor in Education programme, which is starting in 2015. She’ll be 51. Age truly is just a number. OF RISKS AND DANGER As the interview winds down, we talk about business and entrepreneurship in Singapore. After all, not too long ago, Grace bravely forged a path during a period in her life when most people wouldn’t even be remotely thinking about starting a venture. Surprisingly, Grace isn’t a big fan of the business culture in the country, citing a lack of support from the financial powerhouses e.g. banks as one of the main reasons. “Rental is high and unstable. Manpower costs are through the roof and you have the extraneous items such as CPF. The environment in Singapore isn’t very nurturing and friendly to entrepreneurs,” says Grace. And despite what she has achieved with Character Montessori so far, Grace remarkably but understandably wants to be remembered for something else – the legacy she leaves for her children. “If my business fails, then it’s fine. I just need to shutter the doors. But, if my children fail, I can’t just close shop. The impact is for life,” says Grace. “If I imbue in them the right values, then these values will be passed on to their children, and that will be the biggest impact that I will have on my community.” Her mother might have affectionately called her bonkers but Grace’s heart and head is in the right place. Life has a funny way of unfolding itself but it usually turns out great in the end. All you need is passion and hard work, and maybe a bit of craziness. Call 65070 444 [email protected] www.cm-preschool.com Join our facebook group parents4character A Beautiful Transformation Counts Ang Mo Kio Punggol 161 Ang Mo Kio Ave 4 420 Punggol Rd New New Yishun 2 Yishun Ind St 1 Northpoint BizHub Bishan 1 Pemimpin Dr One Pemimpin (Franchise-Biz Available) Christmas 2014 • Family & Life 9