Teachers Make A [BIG] Difference

They really do. If not for these unsung heroines, I'd probably have an uninspired boy for a child. Ewan is a high-spirited kid to start with and depending on how he's being nurtured, he could turn out either ways - vivacious or boisterous . I sure am glad he's been assigned to very dedicated teachers in his class from Playgroup to Nursery. That's the best thing any parent could ask for. 

Part of the teachers' KPI in school is to give all their children a bi-yearly appraisal through a Parent-Teacher Meet. They will fill parents in on the child's progress and sharing both positive and negative experiences in school. We will be presented with a portfolio of artwork hand-made by our mini-mes, together with a report book detailed with praises and suggestions. With all that they've done for Ewan from settling him in on the first day of school to painstakingly toilet-training him, teaching him table manners and giving him the confidence to speak in Mandarin without any adverse effect, I should think they deserve an assessment from us too. A bright and well-deserving one.

I thought about the various gifts we could present to his teachers and frankly, parents are not short of ideas because there are one and a million ideas online! Many suggested that the best kind of gifts are food and red pens. *haha* Teachers are always hungry, need lozenges and in dire need to always stock up on red pens. However, the best kind of a Thank You gift in my opinion is one that is made by hand. We could bake cookies but I'd probably burn a few batches before getting a nice tray. Nursery teachers absolutely need no red pens because there are no answers to tick or cross at! 

I brought Ewan back to The Plant Story at Hort Park. Perfect place for terrarium-making because it's just five minutes from our home and it set within a park! He hand-made three terrariums for the teachers whom he cannot stop talking about. Never underestimate the love of a child because when he sets his mind to it, terrariums aren't a feat at all. I brain-stormed (between myself and I *haha*) and thought that a terrarium would make a brilliant gift because it was something he could easily handle on his own without much help. Surprising how an intricate mini garden such as this could be so simple to assemble isn't it? It is if we weren't looking to create a mini-Singapore in a jar! 

We met Cecilia, a staff at The Plant Story, who was initially skeptical about a three year old at terrarium-making. We agreed that we will let him do 90% of the work and she gave only verbal cues, QC-ing his work after he placed in each layer of sand and stones. Ewan hand-picked every single jar, sand colour, murano animal and dedicated each one to each teacher. To add to that, he didn't just choose them and had me put the terrarium together like what his dad thought. It was made with love from scratch and all I did was held onto his hand to write those gift tags. Impressive much! 

Ms Melissa: You were his teacher when he first went to school at 18 months old. I was pregnant with Faye and on top of those hormonal ups and downs, I became even more emotional than I already was. Like you said, I had more of the separation anxiety issue than he did. That year in Dalbergia, Ewan learnt to eat his meals on the table, took his first afternoon nap without me, improved leaps and bounds in his verbal and motor skills, was toilet-trained and given the opportunity to excel just by being him. Thank you for not only being a teacher but giving me assurances that he is well taken care of in school. I was a sappy sad story with my problematic pregnancy, wishing I could be there every step of the way for my son but couldn't. The transition to put him from full-day to half-day was the toughest. You went beyond the call of duty to soothe my restless worries by staying with him till he napped in the afternoon. Oh and those videos you took of him saying "I Love You Mommy" when I was hospitalised over Mother's Day brought tears to my eyes. You are not that typical meek and gentle teacher that every parent/child might like. If there is a need to be stern, you can be harsh and I too, appreciate that. Spare the rod and spoil the child. Although you no longer teach him, you're still very much involved in his daily school life (the teacher next door) and he never cease to speak about Ms Melissa at home.

Ewan chose this particular jar for you with a metal lid. He said he wanted orange for Ms Melissa and she will get that white dog. When I suggested another jar, he actually said, "No. Only this for Ms Melissa." During the whole process, he was assisted only by the staff at The Plant Story to imbed the plant. He chose a final pink as its top layer and I thought it was a bright alternative to black (he thought about it very long and changed his mind from black). Everything down to the words on the card was suggested by him. Happy Teacher's Day!

Ms Mirah: You! You are God-Sent for Rain Tree! Some parents, including myself, had a rough time with the teacher prior you. She was new and we had all been very patient with her awkward methods. Ewan's daddy drops him off at school every morning and on the first day you came, he sent me a SMS saying, "Oh gosh! Ms Mirah is a hundred times better. At least she displays love for the children and she speaks to me!" Teaching is a gift. To be a teacher, you'll need passion. Zeal over everything else. I saw you on photos before I met you in person - photos from the Zoo excursion. May I share with you my first impression of Ms Mirah? "Wow! She is one crazy woman!" Your poses were big and your smiles spelt H.A.P.P.Y! I like crazy teachers for my son. *hahah* You'll make Rain Tree a lively classroom and definitely be able to compliment 陈老师.

I secretly wished he'd choose the tall jar for you and he did! He chose "Green for Ms Mirah" and proceeded to layer the rest of the jar with drainage stones and soil. As mothers, we tend to get suggestive and when he said he wanted to give you a black dog, I steered him towards choosing the cat instead. Pardon my ignorance if I had been shallow with my observation but Malays prefer cats over dogs? *yikes* I hope I'm right! He gave you a Chrismassy colour of Reds and Greens in your jar. Again, I didn't think that looked like a nice combination but this is his work of art. I shouldn't be any more influential on his choices. He was very certain what he had picked out for all three of you teachers and kept repeating, "Orange for Ms Melissa, Blue for 陈老师 and Green for Ms Mirah." I laughed out loud when I asked him what message he'd like to say to you. "A, B, C, D I Love U!"

陈老师: Moving from Playgroup to Nursery One was a tough transition for Ewan. He is an outspoken kid. The last thing we expected from him were wails when he moved classrooms. You won his heart with your unwavering love. You do not know how much I appreciate all those hugs and kisses you shower every kid in class. You speak to them in the eye and they listen. I see mutual respect and that is very comforting. You are the best thing that happened to this class of children. Ewan's mandarin proficiency has became UNBELIEVABLY good! I cannot believe my ears when he use words like 荡秋千，交通工具，嘲笑鳄鱼，感恩妈妈， 很烫。。。In fact, when a cab driver or shopkeeper strikes a conversation with him in mandarin, he actually replies them in the same language. I remember you telling me that it is common for the children to reply in English even when you've started the conversation in Chinese. But you had a plan. Your strategy in breaking that is to speak to them in mandarin and mandarin only. If they spoke to you in English, you wouldn't acknowledge what they say. Kudos to you, that is a swell strategy! It worked. As long as the kids are exposed to mandarin the way they currently are in school, none of them should need enrichment classes with 白力果.

妳一直都很热情。I'll always see you at outdoor play with the older children whenever I pick Ewan up from the PG Full-Day program. I didn't know who you were because you've never taught him before but Ewan seemed so acquainted with you. You'd shout at the top of your lungs, "再见亿文！来个抱抱！" Surprisingly, he'd run into your arms endearingly and say good-bye. He told me you are 陈老师. When we found out you'd be his teacher for Nursery One, I told the rest of the moms that our children will have a great time because 陈老师 is 鬼灵精怪 and FULL OF ENERGY!

Your terrarium sits in an apple jar that Ewan had chosen for you. Although he picked out two different sand colours as base and top for Ms Melissa and Ms Mirah, he oddly decided that you get two different shades of Blue. I do not know what ideas this boy had in his head but he was quite assertive with his choices. Then he finished the terrarium with a single duck in your jar.

He was very excited when he saw his teachers today, knowing so well that he made them gifts. He was jumping and trying to dig those glass jars out of the bag. Oh my! I was so afraid that he'd break them! He spent a a little over an hour at The Plant Story putting these three terrariums together. He must have been pretty proud of his work to show them off so eagerly. Let us take a little pictorial walk-through the making.

I read a quote from a teacher on Instagram, "You mean to say teachers go all day long without peeing?" Oh I can totally resonate because it sounds exactly like what I do as a Stay At Home Mom! We have to be highly animated, making sure they drink their water, ensuring their safety, have them fed and constantly pumping in thought-provoking brain food. Their hours are long but they keep going because of the children. So here I am, as a parent, doing my best to encourage the teachers even further with a note of gratitude on top of the terrariums Ewan made for them.

I had seen nothing but impressive developments from his first day of school and I credit the teachers for working with me on it.

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