SINGAPORE, Aug 30 — When her student at Da Qiao Primary School misbehaved by trampling on spiders, Ms Rezia Rahumathullah pulled him aside and made him do a PowerPoint presentation on animal welfare for the class.
It is an example of how the school has been handling disobedient students for the past three years — by getting them to discuss with their teachers ways to rectify their misbehaviour. This approach was initiated by Ms Rezia, 36, when she was the school’s discipline mistress.
“Punishment doesn’t work because it is a reactive approach and not aligned with what they have done. Instead, (we) want students to ask, ‘How can I make myself better?’” said Ms Rezia, who currently heads the school’s Character and Citizenship Education Department.
She described the approach as positive education — focusing on building relationships with students. “We need to go to their level, understand their background, what made them the way they are ... Children are not naturally violent or vulgar,” she said.
Ms Rezia, who has taught for 12 years at Da Qiao, was one of five to receive this year’s President’s Award for Teachers at the Istana yesterday.
The award is presented annually to teachers who are dedicated to the holistic development of their students.
The five recipients this year were chosen from a pool of almost 2,800 nominees by a panel chaired by Member of Parliament Lim Biow Chuan, chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee (Education).
The other four recipients were Madam Linda Lim Yen Peng from Chongzheng Primary School, Ms Wendy Wong Yoke Chan from Geylang Methodist School (Secondary), Ms Lucy Sim from Guangyang Primary School and Dr Muhammad Nazir Amir from Greenview Secondary School.
Ms Rezia, who was a Normal (Academic) stream student in secondary school, once struggled with an inferiority complex as she had trouble coping with her studies, at one point failing all her subjects. “I felt absolutely helpless … I had no money to seek help from tuition, so the only people I relied on were my teachers,” she said.
What helped was a teacher who not only assisted her in getting financial aid through bursary awards, but also helped her find value in herself. “I am very thankful that she was concerned about my growth … she didn’t think we were hopeless just because we were in the Normal (Academic) stream,” Ms Rezia recalled fondly.
Her experience spurred her belief in positive education, a concept that puts students’ well-being at the heart of education with the use of psychology, which she chanced upon while doing research in her own time.
Student Marcus Leong said he used to be shy, but Ms Rezia constantly challenged him to step out of his comfort zone. “Ms Rezia believed in my ability to lead even though I doubted myself. Because of her, I took the challenge to be the vice-head prefect,” said the 11-year-old.
The positive education concept has been well-received by her colleagues and principal — the school has even invited experts to help staff get acquainted with it. Among the initiatives Ms Rezia has helped spearhead is the colourful Gratitude Wall at the first level of the school, where students and staff — including non-teaching staff such as canteen vendors and cleaners — pen thank-you notes to one another.
In the staff room, teachers buddy up so they can help look out for one another. Building camaraderie is key, so that when teachers face difficulties, “they know they are not in it alone”, said Ms Rezia.
Ms Rezia added that seeing students “turn around (from their problems) because they feel valued” keeps her going.
“I always look forward to Mondays,” she said. — todayonline.com
