1. A very good afternoon!
2. Congratulations to all of you for having completed your initial teacher preparation at NIE.
3. It gives us great pleasure to finally be able to resume a physical ceremony this year to mark this significant rite-of-passage. I am sure your loved ones are equally excited to be here with you to share your joy!
4. I want to start today's sharing by tickling your minds with an inconvenient question.
- What will make you quit the teaching service?
- Now, this may sound odd when you are just beginning your journey.
- And I am certainly not trying to discourage you.
5. In fact, I asked this question because I envision for you a long and meaningful career filled with challenges, growth, and fulfilment, and not a sprint, nor a flash in the pan.
6. I've always asked this question to all the fellow officers who join me in the various ministries and agencies,
- Because to stay long, we must be aware of the pitfalls.
- And we must then actively guard against such pitfalls, even as we work hard throughout our careers.
Preparing for the Road Ahead
7. To achieve longevity in this profession, you must first remember the 4Ps:
- Remember your Purpose
- Continually broaden your Perspective
- Continually refine your Practice, and
- Continually reassess your Priorities.
8. First, Purpose.
9. You have chosen a noble profession.
10. From this day onwards, you will dedicate your life to helping our next generation succeed and do even better than ours.
11. You may not feel the full impact of your hard work until a generation or more later,
- When you see your students do justice to their blessings,
- And when you see them contributing to the wider society beyond themselves.
12. Many of the things that you will do will require conviction, for you may not see the results immediately.
13. Our benchmark of success is how much we have value added to each student from their diverse starting points, and how able they are to face tomorrow's challenges.
14. Second, Perspectives.
15. To nurture students who are able to navigate the complex challenges of tomorrow, we must take the lead by staying current and relevant.
16. Teaching is no longer just the transmission of knowledge. Learning is no longer just the absorption of known knowledge and information.
- Instead, you will need to help the next generation sense-make in a world overflowing with information,
- To distil that information into knowledge and, if possible, wisdom.
- To not just answer yesterday's questions with yesterday's solutions, but more importantly to frame tomorrow's challenges and find tomorrow's solutions.
17. This requires teachers like yourselves to share experiences from a wide range of viewpoints, including the world beyond education, so that our students can get a glimpse of what they may need now, and in the future, through you.
- MOE's Teacher Work Attachment Plus (TWA+) programme is one such avenue to provide teachers with short-term attachments in public, private and the people sectors.
- Such experiences can refresh and enrich your perspectives. They will allow you to step out of your immediate circle for a short period to experience life in other industries or sectors.
- These do not need to be limited to work experiences; serving the community can also broaden your perspectives too.
18. Today's valedictorian, Kho Qi En Shermaine from the Bachelor of Arts (Education) programme, is one such example.
- In 2018, Shermaine joined a Youth Expedition Project in Sikkim, India. The culture and people of Sikkim left an indelible impression on her, and she returned in 2019 as a team leader to work on social issues in education and environment with other partner organisations.
- With her team's help, local volunteers could better understand the process of environment conservation amidst a growing eco-tourism economy.
- As she steps into her teachership as an English Language and Literature teacher at CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls' School, I'm sure her experiences in India will inform and enhance the perspectives of her students as well.
19. Third, continually refine your Practice and strengthen your professionalism.
- An attitude of lifelong learning with a growth mindset is also necessary for us to keep contributing.
20. And as you contribute, we want you to keep growing and learning.
21. I'm sure that MOE's shift to provide greater customisation of learning and multiple pathways of education to our students is not new to you.
22. However, beyond educational policies and structures, teachers also play an important role in addressing students' varied learning needs. It is thus important that you develop yourselves and grow in your teaching practice, even as you contribute to the service and mentor our students.
23. I will also urge you to model lifelong learning by challenging one another and exploring new ways of teaching. Test these ideas in your classrooms, and then refine the strategies to provide even more customised ways of learning for your diverse students.
24. I would also like to commend Toh Kai Wei Clarence from the Bachelor of Science (Education) programme for exemplifying this spirit.
- During his Teaching Practicum in Tampines Secondary School, Clarence often experimented with new methods. He once used a plastic bag with pieces of bread and acid to show the churning action of digestion. The students couldn't forget how mushy the bread looked after being digested in the plastic stomach.
- Clarence also diligently gathered feedback about his lessons, which he then applied almost immediately, to fine-tune following lessons. I'm certain that his eagerness to refine his practice will continue to benefit his students in Victoria School.
25. And my final P for today's sharing is Priorities.
26. You will always have more things to do than you have resources and time. This is a fact of life.
- The successful ones amongst us are not always those who are endowed with more resources,
- But those with greater clarity of their priorities.
- This means the ability to distinguish the more important goals from the less, and to focus our finite time, energy, and resources to pursue those most worthy goals.
27. As you gain experience and fill your inventory with resources, pedagogies and strategies, do regularly re-evaluate your priorities in your work.
- There is a simple framework that some schools have already adopted: evaluate what you should Keep, Improve, Start, and just as importantly, what to Stop.
- Never fool yourself into thinking that you can always start new things without stopping old ones. To embark on new priorities and replace old ones is a practice of regular and constant prioritisation.
- Therefore, it is imperative to identify what to stop, because there will always be competing demands on our finite resources. Let me assure you that we are not simply looking to do more. That would not be possible nor wise, but we should always seek to do better with what we have.
28. Teachers often share that part of what they enjoy most about the job is the ability to exercise autonomy in the classroom. And with this agency also comes the responsibility to decide what strategies they should and should not use for each student.
29. So stay flexible and identify what works well and what doesn't, so that even as the glass gets filled, the cup pouring the water – that's you – does not get emptied, but at the same time, gets constantly refreshed. You can have our assurance that, from the MOE HQ and the leadership in the education service, we will continue to support you to explore new ways of doing things better.
30. But we need you to have the deep sense of conviction that comes from your broad perspectives on what are the most important things that are essential for your students in the next lap.
31. Our definition of success is not how well we enable our students to do well in the first 15 years of their lives in school. Our definition of success is how well we establish the foundation for them to do well in the next 50 years beyond their time in schools.
Closing
32. Teaching is an immensely challenging job, but at the same time, one of the most meaningful and rewarding professions. As a teacher, you are placed in a prime position to contribute to your immediate school community and beyond.
33. Before I conclude my speech, I want you to remember that your well-being matters too. Last week, when I was at Global Education Leadership Conference, I shared that when I visit our schools, I always look out for the sparkle in the eyes of our students. But at the same time -- I look out for the sparkle in the eyes of our teachers. If our teachers have the sparkle in their eyes, I know we need not worry if there will be sparkle in the eyes of our children.
34. Therefore, I will always encourage you to go forth and retain your zest and constantly remember the 4Ps.
35. I would also encourage you to never view yourselves as "new" or "beginner" teachers.
- You may have less experience than your colleagues, but you have much to offer, including your novel perspectives to help shape the education space for the next generation.
- May you always have the courage and conviction to pursue your beliefs as you ignite the same confidence in your students.
- With so many passionate peers amongst you, I hope you will be inspired to individually, and collectively, make a difference in the educational sphere in service of our nation.
- And I would also urge you to maintain your strong bonds with one another, because when the going gets tough, it is those bonds that you have built up with your friends, your peers, your colleagues, that will help you ride through any challenges that may come your way.
36. So if you continue to remember your purpose, continually broaden your perspectives, continually refine your practice, and continually manage your priorities, you can look forward to staying in the teaching fraternity for a long time, and contribute meaningfully.
37. So today, you have committed yourself to a noble profession. I wish you all the very best and we promise to give you all the support that you need in order for you to discharge your duties to shape and mould the next generation for our country. Our definition of success is that we will enable them to do even better than this generation.
38. On that note, welcome to the education fraternity, and thank you for answering the call to serve our people and our nation.