MLS Jan 2018 Local Attachment MLS local report final | Page 40

special needs children in our mainstream schools, there will be more opportunities to expose our pupils to the issues that some children face in society and how we can be more inclusive. The question is how we can leverage on this situation in schools to inculcate in our pupils the spirit of empathy in giving back to society and appreciating one’s life at the same time, feeling blessed to live life like a normal human being, experiencing the wonders that life has to offer. As an IP KP in school, my focus is usually on the academic areas mostly and the on the experiences beyond school to get our pupils to understand the concepts learnt better. But how can we get pupils to learn values of empathy and appreciation through their daily learning? Yes, there are platforms for pupils to learn values but it seems rather isolated. The integration is important to allow pupils to see the importance of these values and the more they are exposed to it, the more they resonate with them. As I go back to school in a month or so, I bring this thought back with me. Through the work I do, I want to try my best to inculcate the value of empathy and appreciation in the pupils to allow them to understand life a little better. 39