The teachers, usually donned in neat uniforms, put on light clothing on this day and laugh and chat as they make their way across the river side by side. (Photo by Au Foong Yee)
"Watch out for the stones, everyone. It is slippery, walk slowly."
Surrounded by greenery, the teachers of Tzu Chi Great Love PreSchool shed their usual neat uniforms for light clothing and laughed and chatted as they made their way across the stream side by side.
Children's Day fell on 7 October in Singapore this year. On this school holiday, the teachers of two Tzu Chi preschools in Yishun and Toa Payoh visited Ground-Up Initiative (GUI) for a full-day Staff Retreat. Through physical and sedentary activities, the educators communicated and learned from one another and reignited their passion for teaching.
Early in the morning when it was still dim, the Head of Education Services Tai Nyeok Moi and the preschool principals gathered at the entrance of the farm to greet the arriving teachers with a song: "It is a real pleasure to see you, we welcome you with joy! Welcome, welcome, welcome!"
Tai Nyeok Moi also prepared umbrellas as a gift for every teacher on site as ‘umbrella’ has the same pronunciation as ‘kindness’ in Mandarin. She hoped that everyone would develop their talent at work, work amongst kind people and learn to be kind.
On Children's Day, the teachers from two preschools in Yishun and Toa Payoh attend a full-day Staff Retreat in nature. (Photo by Audrey Koh)
Getting in touch with Nature through Farming and Carpentry work
With the joy of celebrating Children's Day, everyone was excited to take a walk in the stream. "Watch out for stones. It is slippery, walk slowly.” Amidst the warm reminder, everyone stepped on the stones carefully into the winding stream and from time to time, lent a hand to one another.
Eve Tan, an assistant teacher in early childhood education, was afraid to step into the stream initially because of the steep muddy slope and slippery stones. She wandered on the shore and dared not move down any further. After much encouragement and support from three of her colleagues, she eventually overcame her fear and set foot in the water.
However, as she moved forward in the water, Eve Tan got frightened again and could not bring herself to make another step. At this point, Xie Qiong Mei, a teacher walking not too far ahead, stretched out her hand immediately to Eve Tan and said, "Don't be afraid. Come, let me help you – hold my hand and we will walk together".
Eve Tan, an assistant teacher in early childhood education, carefully stepping into the stream with the encouragement and assistance of her colleagues. (Photo by Au Foong Yee)
With the support of her colleagues, Eve Tan successfully completed her first experience of walking in a stream. She felt grateful and said, "It's really fun to step into the stream, the water was so cold. This is a great opportunity to get close to nature. When we walked to the end of the stream together and saw the mini waterfall, we were pleasantly surprised”.
"A big thank you to the team for their support and encouragement. Although I fear heights and was afraid of walking down the slope at first, I have no regrets at all going into the water because it was so fun."
Feeling joyful on Children's Day, the teachers are excited to experience taking a walk in the stream. (Photo by Gan Wen Shan)
During the walk, Teacher Azizah picked up the trash lined on both sides of the stream and placed them in the bucket she was holding and brought them ashore to sort and recycle.
Azisha said, "This is a memorable activity. It is also the first time I stepped into a stream to pick up trash. We really enjoyed the games and the bonfire. Although it rained, it did not dampen my mood and we had a great time. ”
Teacher Azizah picks up trash lined on both sides of the stream and places them in the bucket. (Photo by Audrey Koh)
On that day, the teachers were divided into groups to experience farming and carpentry and learn about the park’s concept. Although most of the teachers have never tried farming or carpentry, no one complained. Everyone gained something in the process.
Teacher Rehka, who just joined the preschool for less than half a year, squatted with her partners in the vegetable garden to plough soil, hoe the ground, pull weeds and harvest the crops. She said happily, "I would like to take this opportunity to thank the preschool for organising this wonderful team retreat, I had a great time throughout the day."
"This is not just employee training but a learning journey full of wisdom and education. I have always wanted to explore nature, so I am thankful that the activity today has granted me this wonderful opportunity and brought back my childhood memories!"
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Working on the vegetable garden reminds Teacher Rehka of her childhood. (Photo by Au Foong Yee) -
Although most of the teachers have never done farming, no one complained and everyone gained something from the activity. (Photo by Au Foong Yee) -
The teachers focus on removing the nails from recycled wood one by one so that the wood can be reused. (Photo by Audrey Koh)
Role-playing to enhance confidence in teaching
Besides farming and doing carpentry work, the teachers also exchanged ideas and insights through group discussions, each analysing and sharing their teaching experience.
Tai Nyeok Moi explained the SWOT analysis model to the participants before asking them to divide into groups to brainstorm and assess the current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the two preschools based on the SWOT model.
Tai Nyeok Moi said, "We are here today to analyse and discuss our strengths. We should be grateful for our strengths and maintain them to seize opportunities. If there are deficiencies and gaps, we should humbly accept that and brainstorm together to put forth constructive suggestions so that we can improve and present each child with the best education”.
After that, the teachers also examined several situations that often occur at the preschool through role-plays and reviewed the standard operating procedures (SOPs) adopted to handle the situations.
Chef Tan Suan Hong put in his best effort to play the role of a child pampered by his parents, crying at times when he refuses to attend class and at other times sitting like a spoiled child waiting for his parents to take off his shoes. Gan Wen Shan played the role of a preschool teacher patiently guiding him and said, "You have to take off your shoes before you come in." It was a funny performance that triggered everyone to laugh heartily.
The teachers divide into groups to brainstorm and assess the current status of the two preschools using an analysis model. (Photo by Au Foong Yee)
For the first time in more than two years since the pandemic, everyone is finally getting together to play teambuilding games and simple activities which trigger joyful laughter from all. (Photo by By Au Foong Yee)
In the second last session of the evening, each group put up a performance as a form of appreciation. Everyone took turns to perform – some teachers performed ‘Thank You’ in sign language while others sang and danced. There were also those who prepared delightful props and dressed up as beach girls to perform a ‘Seaweed Dance’, bringing the evening to a climax.
"Ms Tai is dedicated to preschool education, Ms Lim is dedicated to OT, what may I dedicate to you, my Tzu Chi?"
The final group of teachers made everyone laugh with their adapted lyrics of the Chinese song “奉献” (‘Devotion’).
After listening to the song, Au Foong Yee, the Vice Principal of Tzu Chi Great Love PreSchool (Yishun), said emotionally in tears of joy, "This morning, I felt really grateful and moved as I watched the two teams from both preschools walking into the park because I believe that everyone has a common goal to work together for childhood education. I hope that more people will join us on this path to providing education of kindness."
In the performance segment, some teachers prepared delightful props and dressed up as beach girls to perform a ‘Seaweed Dance’, bringing the evening to a climax. (Photo by Au Foong Yee)
At the end of the teambuilding training, the teachers thank one another by performing for each other. (Photo by Gan Wen Shan)
Tai Nyeok Moi appealed to the teachers and said, "I believe that after today's event, we will also have a better understanding of one another. We are a team with multiple strengths and so I hope that we can focus our efforts to achieve more together and provide the best education for our children”.
"Our goal is not to become rich in terms of money or profit but to become rich in wisdom and love, and to make parents feel comfortable and fortunate to have met teachers like you and to send their children to your care," she said.
"I hope everyone can be the best version of themselves for their sake as well as for the people around them. I’m infinitely grateful to you all.”
Finally, everyone celebrated the birthday of those born in the month of October, bringing the event to a perfect closing.
After attending an unconventional training session for 12 hours from dawn till dark, the teachers brought home with them not just knowledge but the aspiration to walk hand in hand on the path of education.
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