INTERVIEW | LUMEN
23
Nicholas Foo from the class of 2001 has this to say : “ 20 years after you taught me , I still hear your voice in my head today . That ’ s the kind of teacher you are ! Your style of principled nonchalance sprinkled with passionate lectures was crucial in moulding me and my peers into gentlemen . Thank you for helping make me the man that I am , as I am certain many generations of Josephians have benefited from your teachings too ’
Indeed , Mr Liew has made a difference to the lives of batches of Josephians and has deeply ingrained in his students what it means to be a servant leader . He empowers his students under his care and challenges each one to be a servant leader , a leader with a good heart for community . Bryan Lùm from the class of 2010 :
‘ Mr Liew , you are the OG leadership guru . The prefect exco fondly remembers the many visits to your office munching on tidbits , listening to your musings , and receiving wisdom on leadership , life , and what it means to be a Josephian . The class of 2010 could not have pulled off the inaugural SJI carnival without you . Your astute judge of character gave the organising committee many insights on how to rally the multiple stakeholders needed to make
this happen . Thank you for all the lessons you ' ve taught us 10 years ago - we are better men for others because of it .’
However , students are not the only ones whose lives Jeremy has touched . To many in school he is more than a ‘ colleague ’ – he is a ‘ friend ’. He is respected for his intellect , his wisdom , his honest feedback and sometimes cynical views of life and politics . Having been involved at many levels of school life , he was certainly the go-to person if you needed to
know the inner workings of the school . The teachers in the Geography Unit will certainly miss Jeremy . He spent much time with this team of teachers in reworking new Geography syllabuses and planning and executing field investigations .
His work with teachers across all levels was made more concrete in his appointments from 2014 when he became School Staff Developer and later in 2018 , Director of Learning for the O-Level Academy .
Over the many years he has spent in SJI , Jeremy has put his gifts to good use , benefitting all of us as a school , by merely wanting to see things done well . As Jeremy himself puts it , his years in SJI was
a ‘ mission that he embarked on each day ’. We will all agree that Jeremy truly embodies the Lasallian core values of Faith , Service and Community . We wish him a happy retirement and praise the Lord for the gift of a true Lasallian .
Facing page ( left ): Sharing words of wisdom with a Year 4 student
Facing page ( right ): The ever affable Mr Liew , making both students and parents comfortable in his presence
This page ( top left ): Sharing ideas during planning meeting
This page ( bottom left ): With students at Tsim Sha Tsui , Hong Kong in 2013
This page ( centre ): Completely immersed in a discussion , Kota Tinggi in 2012
This page ( top right ): Accompanying Fr Simon Tan , CSSR , for the blessing of classrooms
This page ( centre right ): Jiving with the Year 4s with the SJI Wave
This page ( bottom right ): A fun moment with the green mascot rooting for Marcian fraternity at Sports Day