From a Track Queen to an Outstanding Star in Education

Would you be able to describe in the blurb when was the moment you realised that you were destined to be a Physical Educator and the value you see when you don that mantle?

To me, PE teaching can sometimes feel like the most rewarding yet most challenging role. (I started teaching PE in Raffles Junior College (1982 – 1985 and then went back to my alma mater – Cedar Girls’ Secondary School (1986 – 1996). The first issue I found is that some students are not keen to be physically involved in PE due to ability levels or low fitness levels, and some had feelings of embarrassment or lack of confidence. They then find all sorts of excuses to be excused from PE.

I was fortunate to have worked with a team of like-minded, passionate PE teachers (especially at Cedar Girls’ Secondary School). We constantly adapted to the needs of the students and overcame barriers for the students to be motivated. Together with the team of PE teachers, we created a positive learning environment where pupils feel safe and empowered to challenge themselves without fear of failure or embarrassment. For example, we got the students into teams and kept the teams for at least a term. When they report to the gym/sports hall, they get into their teams and form a circle rather than a squad in a straight line. The students then brainstormed ‘team names’ and agreed on one they can be proud of. They often high-5 along with a smile with their teammates and thus established a team bonding and strengthen relationships. The team leader is tasked to look out for ‘weaker’ students who may be left out during the games. Team warm-ups were also done rather than the PE teacher conducting a whole class warm-up session. We also planned fun and engaging activities (we adapted outdoor education – like climbing bouldering walls, within PE lessons, which improved their fitness. 

I then realised that I was destined to be a Physical Educator as I had constantly looked forward to seeing the students having fun rather than finding excuses to skip PE.

The team of PE Teachers (4 female PE teachers) who were teaching at Cedar Girls’ Secondary School had challenges where some academic teachers gave feedback that we, the PE teachers, had an ‘easy’ time as we need not plan academic lessons and do marking. Being the HOD, I was informed that the 4 PE teachers were required to take on an academic subject besides teaching PE. We were depressed and felt that there was an ebb in our PE career. However, we did not let it dampen us. We proposed to our then-Principal that we take on an extra CCA rather than an academic subject. It was a brave decision as we were very involved in the extra CCA training and competitions, and didn’t mind the extra time spent and needed to bring out the best in our students. Though it was tough (having to manage 6 times a week of training and also weekend competitions), managing the 2 CCAs each of us had, we were still very happy that we did not go down the academic route and continued to teach PE as passionately as we set out to do. 

Being a role model, having professional skills and creating a fun environment (especially with a team of like-minded PE colleagues) gave me the greatest joy when I was teaching at Cedar Girls’ Secondary School.