MLS Jan 2018 Local Attachment MLS local report final | Page 33

4.2 Sarifah Azlin Binte Syed Mohammad
Dedicated workforce
“Teaching is a SPED school is a calling,” said the Senior Officer when asked
why she left her previous job to join Fernvale Gardens. This struck a chord
with me. Many share the same sentiment about joining the teaching force in
general, but having spent two days and getting a glimpse of what being a
teacher in a SPED school is about, it is more than just a ‘calling’. That word
seems to underestimate the amount of dedication, time and energy that
teachers in SPED schools have to contribute in h elping to develop their
students. This brings me to the point of the low attrition rate of SPED
teachers in general, as claimed by one of the school leaders. This special
group of people seem to be fully aware of the lengths that they need to go
through in order to create a positive impact in their individual student’s
life. This is because these children with special needs require specialised
care and attention in order to get by in terms of accomplishing simple tasks
and chores daily. The direct impact is essential in working with the
caregivers in developing the child’s overall growth and development,
physically and cognitively that is within their capacity.
Such dedication is seen in the way they talk about their work in the school,
the genuine care they show in their students and the readiness in
embarking in professional development that would lead to more
knowledge and better processes in the SPED school.
Likewise for Kidzania, the passion and enthusiasm in the staff is
representative of the way they run the organisation. Their willingness to
invest in training the ‘casuals’ even though they are prepared that not all of
them would give their full commitment shows that every staff matters in
carrying the brand name as they work on the ground and meeting their
customers. Their customers, in this case children, is at the centre of their
day to day operations. As such, much work has been put into creating
authentic experiences for the children - from getting well-known external
establishments to ensuring the facilitators have the right disposition and
persona - which is a trademark of Kidzania that they are very proud of.
Even the host, Dannie, who brought us around, provided us with genuine
hospitality, making us feel like we were a part of the organisation. Such
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