When I first asked Crystal why she became an Educational Support Teacher, her response was tepid, “Oh it is nothing exciting. Not like the others.”
Unsatisfied with her answer, I pushed further, “Tell me your life story.”
What flowed can only be described as a tapestry of struggles - struggling to read and learn, yes, but what flowed was also an unfolding beauty of how transformed pain prepares one to empathise with and advocate for others in ways that could not have been possible if not for the years of persistent challenges that Crystal experienced.
Crystal’s story began in her own life as a student. Primary school was, in her own words, “really, really difficult”. Diagnosed with dyslexia in Primary 3, she “really struggled”. Everyone thought that she was going to end up failing the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) and would not make it. She was told if she did not “pull up her socks”, she would break the school’s trac record of having no PSLE failures. After all, she was attending a primary school that had a good reputation of producing students who thrived and scored well.
Crystal’s struggles in reading and learning were not a result of her lack of trying. In fact, she tried her best. However, her labour was made only more laborious with a lack of support in spite of her diagnosed dyslexia. It was not that she could not learn – she just needed the support.
In spite of her diagnosis, which should cue the provision of support and lesson modifications, Crystal attended primary school at a time when special educational needs were not widely understood or addressed. Hence, she was left to struggle very much on her own for much of her primary school life. (Today, we are still a long way to go in being an inclusive society but we have made much progress from the time she was in school.)
She found herself isolated and demoralised. In a classroom where her peers scored well and seemed to know all the correct answers all the time, she was afraid to speak in class. She would also be scolded if she gave the wrong answers. This added to the sense of difference she already felt so palpably because of how poorly she was faring in school.
“It made me so scared of speaking out. But that experience also shaped me—it gave me a sense of what it feels like to be misunderstood and unseen.” In the end, she graduated with a PSLE T-score of 154 and went on to be in the Normal Academic stream in secondary school.
To many, getting a T-score of 154 and being in N(A) were horrifying prospects. But to Crystal though, it “was the best thing that happened to me”.
Finding her Pace
Being in the N(A) stream in secondary school meant that she was transported from an environment where reading well, speaking well, scoring well seemed to be the norm to an environment to one where learning was actively scaffolded. The teachers she encountered skillfully knew that the students needed extra support and structured lessons that would meet the students where they are. Here, Crystal found her place.
In secondary school, she found the space to grow and the room to breathe. She could express her thoughts without fear of being scolded or sounding inadequate. She would catch up with what was being taught. She could find the support that she needed to help her grow and learn.
This, however, does not mean that her struggles ceased – learning was still hard for her. While she has learnt many strategies to cope with her dyslexia, she still faced challenges. She shared candidly that her mother has been reminding her regularly from a young age that she needed to put in triple the effort of her peers to compensate for her dyslexia. This maxim stuck with her. The need to persevere in the face of discouragement and failure was ingrained into her through her experiences. Through her mother’s dedication and encouragement, she developed resilience and a strong work ethic, learning to navigate her challenges with determination.
“I learned early on that school was never going to be easy for me, especially during exam time. But it taught me the importance of perseverance – that if you kept going, no matter how hard it gets, you will make it to the end.”
Slowly but surely, she made it through all her formal school years. What took 12 years for some people to complete took her 14 years. However she made it to University and went on to National Institute of Education to receive training in order to work with children with special needs in the Primary School as a Special Needs Officer (SNO). After all, her primary school experiences long informed her of the kind of career she would find much meaning in pursuing. Her work as an SNO involved providing assistance to students with various learning difficulties, and it was here that Crystal first saw how much her own struggles could serve as a constant source of motivation. Her heart constantly goes out to the children who seem to be struggling on their own and she was constantly seeking them out.
If Crystal’s story ended here, she would have come a full circle.
Her story, however, did not end there.
Finding her Place
Crystal eventually became a mother and after the birth of her first child, she made the decision to leave the workforce and focus on raising her children. It was through her mothering of her young ones that helped her discover her love for working with younger children. Her affinity to work with them would only grow with every child she bore. Even though she would only return to the workforce after the birth of her third child, by then she was resolute. She ended up searching an Early Interventionist role in a preschool setting.
Helping Others Find their Place
This time, however, she knew that her calling lay in something far more specialized. The experience of raising her children, along with her own challenges in school, had reinforced her desire make a difference in the lives of preschool-aged children with special needs.
Her work as an Educational Support Teacher in Presbyterian Preschool Services allows Crystal to take a more broader approach to student support, helping children not merely with academic challenges but also with behavioural and emotional challenges. She is deeply motivated by the belief that every child has the potential to succeed, regardless of the difficulties they face.
“I know how it feels to be on the outside, to feel like no one understands you. That’s why I’m so passionate about helping children who are struggling,” she says. “When I see a child’s face light up when they finally grasp a concept, I know it was worth every effort.”
While her prior experience as an SNO was valuable, she found that the job had its challenges.
“The demands were high, and it was hard to give each child the individual attention they truly needed. But as an EST, I get to provide one-on-one support. I get to work closely with the teachers and focus on the child’s individual needs. The intensity is different, but the reward is immense.”
Crystals journey is also shaped by her belief that her own struggles with dyslexia were not just obstacles, but part of a greater purpose.
“I believe God allowed me to have dyslexia for a reason,” she says. “It’s made me who I am today, and it’s made me passionate about helping children who face similar challenges. If I can help even one child feel confident and capable, then it’s all worth it.”
Her sentiment expresses what our Educational Support Programme seeks to achieve: walking with children, supporting them through the remarkable days but also the unremarkable days but ultimately finding ways to help them learn and grow.
When Crystal was growing up, the concept of special needs were not openly discussed, and resources were not as widely available. Today, her work in special education feels like part of a broader movement toward understanding and inclusivity.
Found
Crystal began telling her story by remarking that it was nothing interesting nor exciting. Perhaps neither of those words were meant to describe her story. Instead, her life thus far has been one marked by resilience, empathy and unwavering commitment to the children under her care. Her path may not have been conventional, interesting or exciting but it was always purposeful. The journey that she took was also not easy, but through the winding roads of discouragement and being unheard and misunderstood, Crystal found her place and her pace.
Today she is doing all she can to help us find A Place for Every Child and to help children with additional needs find their place.
Postlude to Finding Crystal
As part of Presbyterian Preschool Services’ efforts to promote inclusive practices within our preschools and beyond, we hope to share some “best practices” that our ESTs have found applicable in their day-to-day engagement with their young charges.
When Crystal was asked, her hesitation to share a “listicle” was observed. She explained that each child is so unique with their own potential, gifts, struggles and also needs. She said, while there are broad principles that would help, there could hardly be a list sufficient that is transferrable to all children.
She furthered by posturing that it is the a “village” effort, if you will, that involves the class teachers, principal and other stakeholders who have a role in caring for the child that enables the children to truly grow and glow. In time, we hope to share their stories too.
Nevertheless, there are some lessons we can take away from Crystal’s journey.
1. Diagnosing a child and identifying their additional needs is not a bad thing.
A diagnosis highlights the different ways they learn and allows us to support them in areas that they need. Differences do not mean deficiencies. They are but differences. Sweeping the differences under the proverbial carpet does more harm than good. It isolates the child, demoralises the child and prevents them from finding the adequate amount of support that allows them to thrive. Each child is capable of thriving in their own unique ways. Acknowledging their differences opens the door for us to care for them in ways they truly need.
2. Instead of going fast or desiring that the child catches up with the rest, focus on finding the right pace for the child.
When our focus is on the child, we are paying attention to who they are, how they are made and how they are wired. We take note of what works with them and what doesn’t. Going fast is not always good, neither does it guarantee that a child will thrive under speed. Allowing the child to grow and glow at their own pace is akin to us recognising that different species of flowers blossom at different times. When we focus on finding a pace that matches the child’s drum beat, the child ultimately benefits.
3. Our children deserve our perseverance.
Crystal’s story is as much about her own resilience as it is about the perseverance her village demonstrated by never giving up on her. Alone, even an individual with the strongest willpower would falter at times. When our children cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel, we can hold fast to our belief that they are capable of thriving at their own pace in their own ways. Their differences do not define them. And on days when they do not believe in themselves, it is important that us, the adult caregivers in their lives, do our best to show them we believe in them, “lending them” our belief in them. This will do well to tide them through the most challenging of days when they are struggling to learn.
Do you resonate with Crystals story? Partner her and our Educational Support Team by
supporting our effort financially. Your financial gift will enable us fulfil our aspiration of
providing A Place for Every Child.
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