Wednesday, March 21, 2012

The 1st Step Has Begun!


One of things that I held close to my heart, is education. From a tender age of 10, I was sent away from home, in the pursuit of a better education in a country down under. My parents had made big sacrifices and took on the huge risks that I would turn out ok in their absence. Looking back, I know that God had a calling for me.

Now, I am a parent with three kids. When I witness what children had to go through in school, it breaks my heart. Their strengths and soft skills were hardly ever acknowledged; instead, they were expected to perform with minimal coaching. The one and only achievement that could demand praises is their performance in exams. I am not belittling the teachers. Far from it, I have great respect for teachers. However, one can’t deny somewhere in our education system, something is not right.

After talking to numerous parents, the conclusion is: send your child to the right tuition teacher is the way forward! What an alarming discovery indeed! “Why do I send my kids to school then?” I asked myself constantly.

The movie “The Blind Side” changed my entire outlook on education. The movie spoke of an unwanted child whose parents were too busy getting in and out of jail than to look after him. He went from school to school, failing in grades but the teachers still “passed” him, so that he could move on. Finally, through a series of events, he was adopted by a couple, who took on a genuine interest in him. In fact, his new mother took time to go through his records and discovered that his strength was “protective instinct”. With that, she encouraged him to play football, leveraging on his strength. Eventually, Michael Oher became a very successful football player and was awarded a scholarship at a university (you could tell that I know next to nothing about football). One simple recognition and Michael Oher’s life is transformed forever.

As a parent, I felt that God is calling me to discover and develop what my kids are best at. Education is the tool. I long to see parents work alongside teachers to help our children in this exciting journey of discovery and learning. Without my knowledge, God is already preparing people for us to start the school. The inaugural school’s open day was finally held. I am just amazed that this dream is coming true! May His name be praised! I look forward to the day in seeing kids' lives being transformed, because there are teachers and parents who believed in them.

Joseph restoring joy to a friend

We were at a family retreat at Cameron Highlands. Children were having a fun time playing frisbees when one child, Ashton, threw the frisbee...