Dear Parents,
During our Open House in September, I met a dad and his daughter for the first time after two years of online classes. Let’s call his daughter ‘Hazel’ and our conversation went like this.
“Teacher Deddy, I know your team has identified her as a Spark and she will be joining the Maker Technopreneurship Programme (MTP). That said, at times, I don’t quite see the motivation in Hazel,” her dad went straight to voice his concern. Sparks are students who have performed extremely well in class and have been invited to join MTP.
I turned straight to Hazel and looked her in the eyes because I knew where her dad was coming from. We have observed that she was late for class in the first few weeks of the module and had to be reminded to attend the class but it got better. I needed to do something about this. I needed to give a “speech” have that “conversation” that would nail things down right there and then.
“Hazel, do you know that you are very fortunate?” I opened with a seemingly unrelated question.
“Fortunate..oh why?”
“There are many students out there who cannot afford a coding class. Dad works very hard and he chooses to invest in your coding interest. You are very fortunate!”
She nodded in agreement.
“Which school do you go to, Hazel?” I broke the silence.
“Huamin Primary School,” she replied confidently, as if it was a school that many would know.
“Nah, it’s just a school in the neighbourhood.” Dad interjected, making sure that it would not turn into an awkward situation in case I don’t know the school.
“You know what? Huamin was my primary school too! I used to be the head prefect there”, I was laughing inside and immediately delivered the punchline, so eager to build a common ground with this Spark.
We couldn’t believe this coincidence! Out of so many schools in Singapore, we were from the same primary school! The next few minutes were filled with the three of us recalling teachers’ names who are still teaching in the school today.
The next day we saw a review from her dad on our Facebook page (as seen in screenshot below). I’m so glad that through this encounter, Hazel has revived her interest in coding!
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At Kodecoon, we want to inspire our students beyond coding. We want them to recognise that they are in a privileged position to pursue their interest early and that each of them matters. On days when our students don’t feel so motivated, we want to be there to encourage them in this long journey for excellence.
With Love,
Teacher Deddy
If you are keen to embark your child on an exciting coding journey, do contact us to find out more about our coding classes today !