News / Nunn Road / 2014 / November 2014

After the Harvest festival, the 6 graduating children have been practising tirelessly for their graduation day presentation together with the smaller children.  Then, on that sunny 14^th morning, their big day finally arrived.

Their parents shared that their children woke up in great excitement on the said day.  They washed, changed and dressed in their best to come early to Nania.  The smaller children were also very eager to come to give their support and congratulations to their ‘ko-ko’ and ‘che-che’.

The day before, Teacher Ling and I cleaned and decorated the classroom as part of the preparations for the graduation day.  On the morning of graduation day, we gathered some fresh flowers from the garden to further beautify the classroom.  We felt happy and excited just to be in that warm and beautifully decorated room.

After they had all arrived, the smaller children went to play in the Japanese class while the 6 graduating children stayed in the classroom to get ready.

We began the graduation ceremony when their parents arrived together with Teacher Junko.  The graduating children stood upright with confidence to lead the whole ceremony.  They gave speeches, recited poems, sang and also invited their smaller friends to participate with them during the day’s presentation. 

The highlights of the ceremony were the recitation of the action poem ‘I am a Star’ and also the presentation of “Rasa Sayang” to the accompaniment of singing, dancing and playing musical instruments that they had made earlier.

The smaller children watched in awe at the performances by their ‘ko-ko’ and ‘che-che’ and I am sure they look forward to the day when it will be their turn to do so.

These 6 children have spent many meaningful and wonderful hours and days with us in Nania.  I have grown to love them and they me. I do not have answers to every situation but have always tried not to be quick to judge.  I always try to lend them my ears before deciding on how to react to a particular situation.  Often, I am humbled by the way children view things and have learnt some valuable lessons along the way while dealing with their daily issues.

Whenever I am not feeling well, the children in the class are extra cooperative and try to take care of me. They show their sincere love and concern for me and I am grateful for these wonderful children who come into my life.

Out of his concern for me, one child brought a herbal drink for me because prior to the graduation day I had lost my voice.  He brought the drink to make me feel better on graduation day.  His kind thought touches my heart and his action is the best gift a teacher could ask for.   

We are now preparing for the coming Christmas festival on the 12^th of December (Friday).  I hope to see you and your family on the festival day.

Teacher Nora

 ENGLISH CLASS GRADUATION