Top honour for teacher who took CCA to new heights

He is among seven who receive President's Award for Teachers in recognition of efforts

Madam Shanthi Deenathayalan, 47, with her pupils. The head of department for English language at Guangyang Primary School has taught for 24 years. Left: Mr Oh Chee Kiat, 49, a senior lecturer in cyber and network security at ITE College East, holding
Mr Francis Tang, 41, is a senior teacher in physical education at Outram Secondary and was put in charge of the school’s water polo CCA in 2008. The team, which once languished at the bottom, now ranks among the top four in inter-school competitions. PHOTO: COURTESY OF FRANCIS TANG
Madam Shanthi Deenathayalan, 47, with her pupils. The head of department for English language at Guangyang Primary School has taught for 24 years. Left: Mr Oh Chee Kiat, 49, a senior lecturer in cyber and network security at ITE College East, holding
Mr Oh Chee Kiat, 49, a senior lecturer in cyber and network security at ITE College East, holding a Lego Mindstorms kit at Tinkerspace, a lab he set up in the school. With him are Year 2 students Kelvin Tan Kian How and Derrick Tan Jia Hao (with glasses), both 19 and in the Higher Nitec in Cyber and Network Security course. They are each holding Lego Serious Play sets. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Madam Shanthi Deenathayalan, 47, with her pupils. The head of department for English language at Guangyang Primary School has taught for 24 years. Left: Mr Oh Chee Kiat, 49, a senior lecturer in cyber and network security at ITE College East, holding
Madam Shanthi Deenathayalan, 47, with her pupils. The head of department for English language at Guangyang Primary School has taught for 24 years.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF SHANTI DEENATHAYALAN

In the past decade, the boys in the water polo co-curricular activity (CCA) at Outram Secondary School have made a name for themselves in the sport, beating traditional powerhouses like Anglo-Chinese School (Independent).

The team, which once languished at the bottom, now ranks among the top four in inter-school competitions.

And Mr Francis Tang, 41, who was put in charge of the CCA in 2008, has played a key role in its success.

For his dedication, the senior teacher in physical education yesterday received the President's Award for Teachers, the top honour for educators.

Seven teachers received their awards from President Halimah Yacob at a virtual ceremony. The other winners were: Madam Shanthi Deenathayalan from Guangyang Primary School; Madam Wong Bing Sum from Radin Mas Primary School; Ms Yeo Cheng Yong from Fuhua Secondary School; Madam Ira Wati Sukaimi from Mayflower Secondary School; Mr Oh Chee Kiat from the Institute of Technical Education College East; and Dr Chia Hui Teng from Singapore Polytechnic.

All were selected from a list of 17 finalists who were judged by a panel chaired by Ms Lai Wei Lin, Second Permanent Secretary (Education), and Mr Wong Siew Hoong, director-general of education.

The seven award recipients will go on an overseas study trip as part of their professional development.

Honouring teachers in a speech at the ceremony, Madam Halimah said: "As a teacher, your work has a lifelong impact on your students. Beyond academic teaching, you are also role models for your students."

Mr Tang said he pushed his students during training to show them that hard work and perseverance would bear fruit, instead of relying on just pure talent.

"Every time we don't do well, we are too quick to blame lack of talent. I wanted to prove that hard work really pays off, and it doesn't matter what school or background you come from," he said.

When he first joined the CCA, student attendance was poor, and the team nearly always came in last in inter-school leagues. Mr Tang doubled the number of training sessions to six times per week, even during the school holidays. "I gave my students pep talks on why we were doing this, to motivate and help them believe in themselves," he said.

The boys trained in school in a 25m-long pool, half the size of a usual Olympic-size swimming pool, but Mr Tang organised friendly matches in other institutions to get more practice in larger pools.

To ensure their academic grades did not suffer, he implemented a two-hour study session before every training session. He even spent hours talking to their parents to convince them that their children would be able to juggle both their studies and sport.

His efforts paid off handsomely.

"The parents were very happy because their sons were studying and training without distractions like mobile phones and computer games. Within six months, their results actually improved, so the parents were even more supportive."

For Mr Oh, teaching at ITE College East has been familiar ground.

The 49-year-old senior lecturer in cyber and network security was a former ITE student, before going on to polytechnic and university.

"I came from the system, and knowing that vocational training had allowed me to reach where I am, I've always had the inclination to pay it back," he said.

Mr Oh set up a lab called Tinkerspace in ITE College East, where students could play with tools and kits as part of their curriculum.

Minecraft: Education Edition, a game-based learning platform, as well as Lego kits, are used in the lab.

"We're allowing students to use their hands to construct things and this can give them the opportunity to learn more than just download content," said Mr Oh.

Madam Shanthi, 47, has taught for 24 years, but she has not run out of creativity in her lessons.

Her pupils are never seated for long, as she gets them to choose activities based on their interests, be it drawing a comic strip or acting.

In one project she led, pupils would write once a month to their overseas counterparts in a partner school in New Zealand.

"They took pride in their writing and put in more effort when they knew that somewhere else, someone other than their teacher was reading it," she said.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 04, 2020, with the headline Top honour for teacher who took CCA to new heights. Subscribe