Last weekend, I attended a wake. A friend in church has been promoted to glory land. We have known each other for many years and have served on the church board together. He was truly a jolly good guy. He always giggled. He always has a smile on his face. Actually, I have never seen him frown at all. Sadly, he passed on. Not very old, probably only in his late 50s. I guess, heaven is a more worthy place for a guy like him. Enjoy your time up there, MK!
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At the wake, I met another old pal. He is a professor in NUS. Smart guy with smart sons. I still remember his eldest son, after his PSLE, chose to go to Swiss Cottage Secondary School. He could choose RI, you know. He qualified for it yet, he decided to go for a “non-elite” school. He is now doing his masters in Law and soon to be a DPP. Non-elite school, no air-con, no swimming pool…is he successful now? Need I say more?
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Remember that Scientific Thinking Programme? Well, Kai has been selected. Friday, he will make his way, together with seven other kids to the Republic Poly to meet their mentor. I asked Kai if all these are too much for him. He said, “no.” I guess, when you are doing something you love, it will never be too much.
Yes, “non-elite” school. Bad kids? No opportunities? Failure? Doomed? I thank God for that experience. I now champion P6 parents to look beyond the name of a school!
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The school called and I went for my interview on Monday. I was very surprised at how I handled the interview. I could not even remember when was the last time I went for an interview. More than a decade ago, perhaps. There were no butterflies or sweaty palms. I just took on every question with ease. In fact, it was more of a chat than an interview. I guess life’s experiences help.
I got this in 2000. My employer then did nothing with it. In 2001, I decided to just invest my life on my kids. For these past many years, I always tell the spouse why did I waste my time and money on it. The spouse always said that, it helped to produce smart kids. You see, I was pregnant with Kai when I was in my final year and Kai influenced Ann.
Today, I see the reason for getting that. It paved my way to my next goal in life. Yes, I have been accepted to do my Masters in Social Science. I will graduate in 2016. I will be 50. What a significant year that will be. Kai will be doing his ‘O’ levels, Ann will be doing her PSLE and mama will finish her Masters. I will be the big push, the motivating factor for the kids to study. We will do it together.
There is never a waste in education, in whatever form it takes. Education is life!
