"Oh, that school in Ang Mo Kio," my friends and acquaintances will respond in this way without fail whenever I mention that I am teaching at Sunshine School. Without missing a beat, I will explain, "No, that's Pathlight School. For children with autism. Sunshine is a school for children who fail their Primary School Leaving Exam (PSLE)."

A school for PSLE failures. It is a phrase that does well to explain why Sunshine was set up (and to satisfy my friends' curiosity), but it fails entirely to capture how lucky I feel to be working in a school that brings out the best from staff and students alike. Many a time have I been inspired by their kind and thoughtful acts. It makes me want to do my best since my efforts, though small, contribute to a cause greater than myself.

There are not many schools in Singapore where teachers will put aside their position of authority in order to reach out to a troubled student. Case in point: I was taking my student to consult the doctor at Sheraton Medical Clinic when I came across another student, Adrian, who was just sitting down and staring into space at the subway station. Sensing that something was amiss, I managed to get Adrian to come with me and calm him down. Apparently, he had run out of school because of an argument. Subsequently, I peeked at his phone when he was checking his messages. It was flooded with messages from many teachers exhorting him to come back to school so that they could "sort things out". Before I could even digest what was going on, a teacher called Adrian to appeal to him directly. I was utterly moved by the entire episode as it really brought the saying "It takes a village to raise a child" to life. It became one of my fondest memories - this inspiring story of how Sunshine staff came together to reach out to and support Adrian at his low point.

Another memory that is etched in my mind is how one of my former students, Peter, agreed to speak to my current form class. We arranged to meet at the back gate at 12.15pm, but he was already waiting patiently ten minutes before our appointment. This, from a young man whose attendance for school during our time together was despairingly sporadic.

When I took him to meet my current students, he blew me away by sharing about his past candidly and compellingly. In fact, I was so taken aback by his revelation that I responded instinctively, "You are too honest!" However, I could not help feeling overwhelmingly touched by his confession. He went all out to share about himself because he wanted to help me connect with my form class better. No words can fully describe my gratitude and pride for him. From a reluctant student, he has blossomed into an empathetic young man whom I can rely on.

Teaching is a profession like no other, because teachers have to embrace their students into their lives and welcome them into their hearts. Such openness will inevitably lead to heartbreaks, when your students fail to respond to your tireless efforts. Nonetheless, I can sincerely say that my heart is lightened and my resolve strengthened because of all the inspiring staff and students around me. Thank you, NorthLight, for showing me how the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Or as the Malay saying goes, "Sedikit-sedikit lama-lama jadi bukit."