What inspires you?

I am an educator and I am sure my fellow educators will agree to this statement, "Being an educator is extremely rewarding." It goes without saying of course that you need to have the passion in order to stay in this field.

However, even the most passionate person can come to a point where they question themselves, "Is this where I really want to be?" I would be lying if I said that I have never had that thought before. One thing that has always kept me going is when I see my students achieve even the littlest thing. Another is when I come across inspiring stories of other educators.

I came across the story of Kanniga Devi who has been in the education sector for nearly 30 years! I was intrigued by the title of the article itself! "S’pore educator has been working with special needs children for 30 years, almost quit on her first day!"

She mentions in the article how she wanted to quit her job on the first day due to an unexpected experience of a child ripping her blouse. However, she changed her mind the next day because of the greeting from the same child and she has never looked back! She had pleasant as well as unpleasant experiences but she strived on making differences in many lives. She is now leading a team of specialist volunteers from Singapore International Foundation (SIF) in collaboration with an Indian NGO called the Muktangan Education Trust in Mumbai for a three year Early Childhood Education Curriculum Enhancement and Pedagogy Project. She has not only made a difference in children’s lives but also went on to share her passion, experiences and knowledge with others. That's what we call a changemaker!

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We definitely need more passionate educators like her and kudos to those that keep going! Reading the article about her reminded me of why I am here. This is something that inspired me. What inspires you??