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Latest! Release of SPEA Newsletter 2025 Jubilee Edition
NIE PESS
My Journey
Hello! My name is Sharul and I graduated with the Diploma in Physical Education in 2025 and a Professor Sim Wong Kooi Gold Medal award winner. I am 46 years old and my journey with sport and movement has been a lifelong one, shaped by an active upbringing where I represented my schools in mini-tennis, football, sepak takraw, and softball, and had the honour of captaining the softball team. I am also a father of two boys, one in primary school and the other in secondary school, which gives me a valuable parent’s perspective on what children may enjoy and look for in PE lessons.
Before teaching, I spent a decade as a personal trainer, followed by several years in the tourism industry as a licensed guide conducting museum and heritage tours across Singapore. When Covid disrupted the sector, my wife, who is a teacher herself, encouraged me to consider teaching, a suggestion that eventually led me to NIE and into the PE classroom.
During my time as a personal trainer, I often recall clients saying things like, “If only I had been more active when I was younger, I wouldn’t be struggling now,” or “If only I enjoyed sports in school, I wouldn’t feel this unfit today.” Others would say, “If only I had been taught better eating habits, I wouldn’t have this health issue.”
Hearing these reflections made me grateful for the active environment I grew up in, one where sports and physical activities were not just encouraged but celebrated. But it made me reflect on the barriers some of my clients faced. I lost clients because they could no longer afford to continue training. It was often heartbreaking, leaving me torn between my need to earn a living and my desire to help others live healthier lives.
These experiences pushed me to consider how I could make a difference beyond one-to-one training. I realised that becoming a Physical Education teacher offers a way to bridge that gap. It allows me to instil healthy habits early on, in an environment where access is not limited by cost. Through teaching, I hope to empower the next generation with the knowledge, motivation, and confidence to lead active, healthy lives, long before the “if only” moments begin.
Even before I became a PE teacher, I have always been interested in kinesiology, nutrition, and sports psychology. I believe that being healthy leads to happiness, and that it all starts with the love for movement, finding the joy and not just understanding the importance of lifelong mobility and flexibility. This belief eventually shaped my philosophy:
“I believe that physical literacy is the key to a healthy and happy life, and it all starts in the childhood years. I believe that when we nurture a safe and welcoming environment, all children can develop the desire and confidence to participate in physical activity.”
Guided by this philosophy, I set a personal goal to make every lesson a physically, mentally, and emotionally safe environment, free from any form of discrimination, where every student feels safe to play, to learn, to move, and to explore. As I reflect on the past few years, I have come to appreciate how the knowledge gained in NIE has been central to my growth as an educator, shaping not just what I teach, but how and why I teach.
From the beginning of my teaching journey, starting with my contract-untrained stint, there has been one recurring challenge that continues to surface across classes, the quiet exclusion of certain students. In almost every class I have taught, there are always one or two students who are consistently overlooked by their peers, never chosen for groups and rarely partnered with.
Getting these students meaningfully involved in activities has always been a personal mission. I have employed numerous strategies, encouragement, public praise, and even partnering with them myself during activities to build their confidence and sense of inclusion. Yet, despite these efforts, I often struggled to see these students fully accepted by their peers. They might participate, but true belonging seemed harder to achieve.
However, during my Teaching Practice 2 at Clementi Primary School, I encountered something special that reshaped how I viewed inclusion. In one class, both a male and a female student were regularly left out by their classmates, for reasons that were not immediately clear to me. Rather than letting this pattern persist, I made the conscious decision to consistently pair them together whenever grouping was required.
At first, they were hesitant, quiet, reserved, and unsure of each other. But over the span of several weeks, something began to shift. They started enjoying practising together, supporting each other, and gradually, they began to excel in the activities. More than just completing tasks, they were achieving the lesson objectives with consistency and focus. I soon found myself using them as positive demonstrators, not for the sake of praise, but because they constantly met the learning outcomes.
Then something even more unexpected happened. Their classmates took notice. Other students began expressing interest in joining their group or partnering with them. What began as an act of inclusion grew into recognition and respect from their peers. They were no longer invisible. They were valued.
Ironically, a new challenge emerged. It became difficult to break up their pairing. What was once a reluctant match became a powerful bond grounded in shared growth, perseverance, and mutual trust. In that moment, I was reminded that PE is not just about skills, fitness, or games. It is about relationships, identity, and creating spaces where every child can find a sense of belonging through movement.
Ultimately, my journey has reinforced my belief that physical literacy is more than movement competence. It is about confidence, joy, and a sense of belonging. If every child leaves our PE lessons feeling that they can move, that they matter, and that they belong, then we have done something meaningful. For me, that is what it truly means to be a Physical Education teacher.
Conclusion
Ultimately, my journey has reinforced my belief that physical literacy is more than movement competence. It is about confidence, joy, and a sense of belonging. If every child leaves our PE lessons feeling that they can move, that they matter, and that they belong, then we have done something meaningful. For me, that is what it truly means to be a Physical Education teacher.
Article contributed by:
Name : Mr Mohamad Sharul Bin Mustafa
Designation : Student Teacher
School : National Institute of Education
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