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
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Christmas 2014 • Family & Life
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