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By Mr Ang Han Hoe, Science Teacher, St Hilda’s Secondary
School |
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| Visiting
a public school in Chiang Mai. |
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The world is our classroom. Turning this into reality, Mrs Sng
Siew Hong, Principal of St Hilda's Secondary, led a group of
17 students for a service-learning trip to the rural villages
of Chiang Mai. This bi-annual overseas service learning experience
is an integral part of the school’s programme to provide students
with a platform for experiential learning and community service.
As early as January this year, suitable students were selected
and recruited for the trip. This was followed by a highly successful
school-wide donation drive which saw the collection of more
than 200kg of books, toys and clothes for the trip.
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| Sculpted
balloons brought much joy to the children at the
orphanage. |
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The public school that we visited in Chiang Mai was a simple
two-storey building that housed about 20 classrooms. Furnishing
in the classrooms was simple: a chalkboard, wooden furniture,
overhanging fluorescent tubes and a fan. Notwithstanding the
lack of modern amenities, the students, dressed neatly in their
native tribal costumes, displayed immense concentration and
eagerness during lessons. The fact that education was a privilege
and not something accessible to everyone in these rural areas
set our students thinking about how fortunate they were and
how they should appreciate their education in Singapore!
We were given a heartwarming welcome with freshly picked Thai
roses the moment we stepped out of our bus into the orphanage.
While we were presenting the children with song items, they
spontaneously stretched out their hands and mimicked our actions.
Our balloon sculpting demonstration thrilled the younger children
and they loved the balloons, holding on to them like treasures.
We were later told that it was the first balloon ever for some
of the students. During this face-to-face interaction with the
Thai children, all our feelings of apprehension and anxiety
were instantly banished as our hearts connected.
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| Students
learn the value of labour while working under the
hot sun. |
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Our most meaningful visit was to the school for the visually
handicapped where we took over their daily duties of cleaning,
sawing of firewood and gardening. Sawing the thick logs was
no small feat as our students struggled with a two-metre saw
and a rusty axe. While weeding the fields under the full glare
of the afternoon sun, we were reminded of the song Planting
Rice is Never Fun. One student remarked that she now understood
fully the fact that every single grain of rice was the product
of farmers’ weary labour. Though handicapped by sight, the Thai
students could feel the warmth in our hearts and reciprocated
by performing local Thai songs and presenting biscuits to us.
In a nutshell, the trip was a real eye-opener for our students.
It changed their perspective on life. We learnt that given the
most basic amenities, one can still study if the spirit of learning
is there. We urge schools to step out of their comfort zones
and lead students overseas to see for themselves how fortunate
we are in Singapore schools.
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