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LUMEN | REFLECTIONS
2013 was a major milestone for two members of our community who overcame their daunting circumstances to attain impressive academic results in the GCE ‘ O ’ Levels Examinations . Coincidentally each decided to write a letter to their alma mater .
Letters from the
13 Jan 2013 To my family in SJI ,
Thank you for putting so much effort in helping me integrate into the school after my judo accident in 2010 . It must not have been easy . Railings and ramps had to be constructed while many other inconveniences were tolerated to accommodate me . The community learnt to be compassionate , patient and understanding towards me . You could simply have left me to fend on my own . Instead , you virtually brought me back to life showering me with so much love . Everywhere I went I saw angels . Each person who came into my life : the students , teachers , principals , the SJI Facilities Department members and even the cleaners made me feel so welcomed in SJI .
The teachers would so willingly help me with my studies and frustrations regarding my disabilities . They also accompanied me for lunch , took me for exercise , counseled and motivated me whenever they felt my fire was burning out .
Who is my biggest angel ? No one . All the teachers are really big guardian angels sent from heaven . Ms Shaun Ng , my Mathematics teacher , advised me to drop Additional Mathematics and focus on Elementary Mathematics as she saw that I was crumbling under the stress brought on by the latter . Eventually I received an A2 for my Elementary Mathematics . My English teacher Ms Daisy Chia would give me daily oral practice one month before the actual exam . She had her own
The teachers in SJI are role models ; they walk the talk . By their unconditional love for the students , I learnt to love .
fair share of stresses coping with her other students who also wanted more practice but she took the initiative to find out when I was free . Mr Winston Chew would sacrifice lesson time to teach us precious morals and principles of life . Mr Zurkeflee , my Geography teacher , battled a major illness and came back to teach , displaying true fighting spirit . In fact , there are many more ; even teachers who did not teach me have left an imprint on my life . Mrs Wang Pei Fen and Mrs Nicole Khoo are just two of the many . The teachers in SJI are role models . By their unconditional love for the students , I learnt to love and live life fully .
Another angel I am indebted to is our school counselor Ms Christina Tang . She has helped me in so many ways : helping me discover my strengths , guiding me towards a goal which is the Social Work Course at Nanyang Polytechnic and assisting me in for my application into the Social Work Associate Sponsorship . Beyond counseling , she even drove me home during the nights when I remained in school to study despite living on the opposite of the island .
My fellow students were also my angels . Whenever anyone saw me needing help , they would offer a hand whether it was pushing my wheel chair or
accompanying me to the washroom at the expense of losing precious lesson time . Some of them would even wait for the taxi to arrive to help me get into the taxi . Volunteers were never scarce in helping me with the many daily tasks which I could not do myself . On many occasions , students will say ,’ Hi , Ser Yung .’ making me feel I was an important part of SJI .
Even the cleaners would chat with me sometimes . Through talking to them I felt loved and not alone in this journey of life . There was once when I came back for academic consultation and the canteen was not open . Uncle Zheng offered to buy lunch for me but refused any payment .
My needs had also been catered to by the Facilities Department in SJI . Besides constructing ramps and railings , the air-conditioner and the public announcement system was adjusted according to my needs during the examinations .