My Journey Towards Inclusiveness

My name is Ryan O.J.L.

What prompted me to start this blog to raise awareness of inclusiveness is none other than this gentleman on my left pictured above. His name is Mr Maximillian Tan, he is a para-equestrian

A little article about him can be found on the link : https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/ride-of-his-life

On a personal note, what inspires me is his tenacity towards life at the same time initiated my passion towards inclusiveness.

What is inclusiveness: Every single student, no matter what is the current state ( physical state or cognitive state) shall be treated equally as a normal student in a single stream of education with no segregation of streams based on abilities.

I was tasked with organizing my school's Paralympic games in conjunction with our annual Sports Fiesta for the very first time in history. As an old boy from our school, Mr Maximillian Tan was invited as Guest of Honour to inaugurate this milestone significant in our school after graduated from Seng Kang Secondary School a few years back.

Throughout my conversation with him, I was truly inspired by his positive energy  in life. His energy is clearly contagious and all I can see is someone with hopes and inspirations awaiting for him.

When he was in Secondary One, he came in to the school on wheelchair on the very first day. The former Principal told him, " Max, as you entered the school on a wheel-chair, when you graduate, I will see you walking out of the school gate by yourself"

Indeed, words of encouragement from the Principal came true and on the last day of his four years journey with us, he has managed to use crutches to support himself and walk out of the school gate independently.

" Mind over Body" is the exactly the word to describe this phenomenon which has happened to this fantastic boy.

Annual Paralympic Games_ Boccia as a main sports for our students on wheel-chair

Learning Journey of our students with the Paralympian swimmer_Ms Yip Ping Xiu 

Our very own Seng Kang's student's Gareth Ho being interview on the newspaper for his passion for Boccia because of our Paralympic Games which exposes them to the possibilities of engaging actively in sports like his peers in the school

Before I even introduce myself, I would like to give my thanks and appreciation to one special person in my life.

She is none other than my wife. Her name is Caroline. She has been the one that motivates me to write a blog and penned down significant events in my life and create a miracle for the special needs students out there and most importantly providing my years of experience in sharing how to help their own children to cope with the mainstream education in Singapore.

Picture taken on year end 2017 and we celebrating the incoming of 2018

2018 is definitely and key milestone in our marriage and 8 years passes by so quickly in a glance and we have made a dream list which is to go back to China to relinquish the time and place where our love actually begins....

To our wildest dreams, we got an opportunity to go back to China in March 2018 and we got a chance to be there as a matured couple and braved a few wonderful adventures together.

Picture taken in March 2018 in China-Guanxi

First and foremost, let me give you a brief introduction of myself.

I was a former teacher with MOE ( Ministry of Education) started my teaching stinct as a contract teacher and further my studies in PGDE( Post Graduate Diploma in Education
Specializing in Physical Education and Lower Secondary Mathematics ( Secondary School )

In my beginning teaching career, I was teaching in a normal mainstream school. Teaching was challenging as I was exposed to students from different challenging backgrounds.

Majority of the parents whom I have interacted in my school; both of the parents have to work to meet the financial obligations of the family needs.

I felt that initially, I was an over-paid childcare provider with my clients being teenagers instead of infants or toddlers in a usual childcare centre setting.

In the initial months of my contract teaching, I thought that teaching was just a job but in my first year of contract teaching, I knew in my heart, it was not just a job but a vocation.

A vocation that provides constant disappointments with occasional silent success to encourage me on a silent note.

Attached below are my qualifications, testimonials and long service award in the education industry

Bachelor Degree from Singapore Management University ( Finance major)

Post-Graduate Diploma in Education ( Physical Education and Lower Sec Mathematics)

Testimonial from the school on my last day which is 31st December 2017

Long-Service award from Ministry of Education since 2009

Even before I even begin to share what is really lacking in today's teenagers....as the sayings goes, picture speaks a thousand words. Let this snapshot reveal ....

Secret Recipe for Understanding Kids in this GENERATION... 

Time is the essence of everything including success in everything we embark on...parenting is lifelong process and commitment to a child's developmental growth.

It is definitely not the domestic helper duties, not the school teacher's scope of work and definitely not the grandparents's obligations towards the grand-children, it is the sole responsibilities of the parents. 

In this blog, I would like to share different success stories from different learning abilities students at different stages of their lives ( ranging from Primary to Secondary schools not in chronological order)

Student A :  Mark, age: 13
Profile: ADHD and studying in a mainstream school in a Normal Academic Stream
Exempted from Chinese ( 2nd language) since Primary school.

Half a year of close monitoring and guidance has yielded success in him for the very first time.

This boosted his confidence leaving him looking at everything with possibilities instead of having a mind-set of constant belief of failure.

Attached is an email affirmation from the parents with regards to my guidance towards student: Mark.

Compliment Email from Parents to the Principal for my dedication with student Mark

Student B: Kf: Age: 15
Profile: Diagnosed with Autism and studying in a Special School in a Normal Technical Stream.

Exempted from Chinese ( 2nd language) since Primary school.
Provided private tuition in Maths since May 2017. Received Most improved award by end of 2017 from the school.

Different pedagogies were used to engage him. Initially, it was an uphill task in engaging him as there was no direct verbal communication with the student.

He was a reserved person with no awareness in terms of social skills.

In my interaction with him as a tutor,  as there was no clear signal whether he understood what was taught to him. I was lost for the first time as a teacher.

A month of sit-down sessions (twice weekly) with him proved fruitless.

After getting his parent's permission, lessons were conducted differently as follows:

Toss and Catch activity was used to improve his memory in multiplication without using calculators.

Tennis-playing activity was used to perform simple addition and subtraction questions.

Shopping activity was introduced where real life applications relating to Math problems was presented to him.

It was basically a bonding activity which he missed out in his childhood days which  rekindle his passion and mindset towards learning.

The first smile I got in return from Kf was in the third month of doing the activities as mentioned above.

To be a teacher for him, I have discarded the two years of NIE training, where classroom management routine were used.

For him, I have adopted a bolder approach towards throwing the normal pedagogy "out of the window"

At the year-end of 2017, he won the most Improved Award in Mathematics and went up on stage to receive this award after failing in Maths since Primary school.

It was a like a dream came true not only for him but also a tutor like me whom perseveres with him.

One of his conversation with his father, he wants to pass Maths one day so that he can make his father happy.  Simple wish from Kf really touches my heart and really press me forward to help him to achieve his dream which finally came true.

Attached is the "Most Improved Award" with certain details omitted to protect the identity of the student.

Most Improved Award for 2017

In the beginning part of SA1 of 2018, with continued effort and commitment to this calling of helping out with him. Kf achieved another fantastic results for the first half of 2018.
Attached is the Maths and Science SA1 results

SA1 2018 Maths Results

SA1 2018 Science Results

With the second half of 2018, I am confident of him doing well in his Maths and Science once again.
Kf, Jia You! You CAN DO it

Because of the consistent effort in three subjects scoring above 75 marks. He was awarded the most competent award

Below is his individual marks for Maths Paper 1/2 and Science Paper 1/2

Student  C: Sharleen

Profile: Primary 4 with high intellectual abilities and actively involved in CCA in a mainstream setting

Tutored the student in beginning of 2018 and within 3 months topped the class in Maths whom just passed borderline in Primary 3 end of year examinations.

Strategies used:

Confidence enhancing activities like getting involved in her passion in CCA and relating to her in terms of a coach not a teacher in the same routine manner.

Most importantly, the style of a coach works better than a teacher in this scenario and I am able to engage her and spurred her towards the same direction which is to achieve good results for her Mathematics assessment.

Attached is a snapshot of the conversation between her parent and myself.

Whatapp message with the parent

After my 2 months of tutoring with Sharleen, she has achieved an unbelievable results, from borderline passing to 78 marks for her common test just before the SA1.

Attached below is her common test results for CA1

Common Test (CA1)_ 2018 

With right attitude and hardwork from the student, Sharleen has achieved 90 marks for her SA1_2018 paper.

Attached below is her SA1 results

SA1_Maths Results

Sharleen has achieved fantastically on her SA2 and below is her results

In essence, different students have a different potential trigger points to achieve to their fullest potential.

It depends how far the teacher/coach is willingly to explore together with the student that makes the difference.

In many occasions, I felt personally responsible when their results were not up to my expectations.

However, what keeps me going is the joy of their face when I witnessed them achieving their fullest potential and saying to themselves “ I finally did it”


To all parents, this is one sentence which I would like to share:

"When the student is ready, the teacher appears”

In my next post, I would relate to my life experiences for the month of May 2018, where exciting encounters with people and experiences add on to this blog.

From 1st June to 15 June 2018,  I will be travelling to Europe for this long-awaited holiday.

Stay tuned to my next blog update or further updates as I recap my life journey. Numerous people are very curious about my love life, how I met my wife and how I ended up in a marriage with an Indian from India and how do our kids look like? All these questions will be slowly revealed and also my solo adventure in New Zealand in mid of 2016 where my passion towards inclusiveness were heightened and encouraged

Date: 14th of September 2018

Finally the long awaited journey and vacation began. It was a 14 day trip with my wife and two lovely daughters.

Definitely bringing these two young kids with us is a challenge. I was like the one that brings 4 suitcases single-handedly while my kids were literally on my wife. Since they are still young, 4 and 6, our eyes have to be on them constantly at every single second during the travelling.

Be it at the airport, transiting to another flight, having meals, shopping, inside the hotel room, our sense of awareness were heightened. First and foremost, being in a foreign land where unfamiliarity is a big concern, our survival instinct become more acute and sensitive as compared to our home country.

As a parent, some of the thoughts are what if my kids went missing in a foreign country, losing passports, missing connecting flights, incidents of being the next victim of theft and even to the event of our kids being kidnapped. Most important, if the kids fall sick, where is the nearest hospital to run to.

All these are valid points as a parent with young children travelling in a foreign land.

Throughout this 14 days adventure, one of the most significant event is the lack of children clothes as the children have more change of clothes as compared to my wife and me.

When we were at one of the hotel, Caroline had a brilliant idea. She initiated to wash the children clothes ourselves instead of engaging a laundry service which would cost a significant amount.

However, the only question: Where to hang and dry the clothes?. We were actually on a group tour with a schedule to follow.

Instead of following the schedule of the tour group, we told our tour guide that we will skip one of the day's event.

Our most unexpected adventure began...we went out to hang our clothes in the open, on the staircase, anywhere there is sun. To our wildest dreams, due to the low humidity and hot scorching sun during the day, the clothes were dry without having to spend a fortune with the laundry shop.

On that night, I was thinking. If we were to follow "the schedule" planned by others, we will be achieving the Tour Group's  schedule and not able to meet our children's needs for a fresh wash and drying of their clothes.

In life, sometimes we need to walk the less travelled path of making the right decision. That day i might have missed a few sightseeing places, but by staying back to wash and dry our children's clothes have been the most unconventional yet rewarding event to both of us.

Attached below are snapshots of the photographs which I would like to share with my avid readers or readers whom have been following my blog of my personal update.

The very first picture:  Eiffel Tower in Paris

Somehow with a stroke of luck, a hawk was flying past and I managed to capture this wonderful picture.

This trip would not have been so fun and exciting and safe as the first priority as a parent. I hereby present to you our tour group photo:

Did you notice something, we are the only family with young children over this 14 days of adventure and I must say credit goes to my wife for her meticulous planning and dedication to this trip. I was like sleeping on the coach most of the time pushing our four huge luggages from different points.

One of the mountain....Mount Titlis..One of the mountain highlight is going up through cable-car

Cuckoo Clock

I can still remember this cuckoo clock when it was introduced to Singapore ....many many years back...this trip's highlight is cuckoo-clock making....a tedious process but the kids really enjoyed it

Indoor shopping arena ( Dome-shaped ) in Brussel

I was very much intrigued by the indoor shopping arena and of course specialty highlights: Hand-made chocolates

Not forgetting visiting this famous Hard Rock Cafe- Brussels...actually we were looking for a place to sit down as we were very tired from the walking .....sometimes i have to carry the kids...especially my younger one ....

Our next exciting stop..Amsterdam...Cheese of course is a big thing......my goodness ..the cheese is awesome....with windmills as a heritage monuments add in the favor of Amsterdam Once more...

Welcome to Amsterdam

Authentic Windmills..

Gothic Structures of Buildings

Gorgeous Looking Apartment by the Riverside....

From Amsterdam, we actually went over to Dubai and a few nice snapshots worth-sharing

Snapshots in Dubai

This snapshot is definitely worth mentioning.....the words have so much meaning and depends on which angle you are looking at things from various different angles...

Tallest office towers in Dubai

Desert Sight-Seeing

In Dubai, how can we miss the Desert scene, camel has always been the highlight in desert area like Dubai. We missed the desert scene as the weather is just too hot for us to bring the kids and this photo is by our tour group members whom shared with us.

Right after the trip, I have three more new students added to my current list of students

Student D: SQ
Age: 7
Primary One
Mainstream setting in a Primary School

Profile: Lack of focus and heavy dependency on gadgets especially after school hours when both parents are not around.

On 11th of July, received a referral from a parent to help out with her son's Maths.

Attached below is the conversation from the current school teacher to her.

SQ-Comment from current Maths Teacher

After my two months of "struggling" with him. Below is his superb Maths results for CA2 just before his SA2.

SQ actually score full marks from his recent CA2, from failing to full-marks ( 100%). Indeed, my "struggling" with him was worthwhile.

Stay tuned for my "struggling" sessions where actual practical approach will share how I achieve the best ever results for him within the shortest possible time-frame of just two months with twice weekly sessions of two hours of each session...

My struggling sessions for a Primary One student involves in using visual aids:

Some of my visual aids are as follows:

Cones were used to illustrate " Grouping" concepts

SQ sitting on the floor to think about
"grouping"

Using fine items like pepper seeds hone fine motor skills development

Concept of addition or subtraction can be leveraged using small plastic bowls and numbered small billiard balls to enhance lesson engagement

SA2 Results

After three months of consistent work, he has nearly scored full marks for his SA2 for Primary One Maths examination

Student E: HS
Age: 11
Primary 5
Profile: Lack of focus and heavy dependency on gadgets especially after school hours when both parents are not around.

Highly motivated and capable individual and loves soccer to the Max!

After 4 months of hard work, he has done extremely well and I am so proud of his achievements.
Below is his SA2 results

From 62 marks I took him 4 months ago before the SA2, he has scored 90 marks for his SA2.

Well done and definitely credits goes to his hard works.


Student G: KT
Age: 9
Primary 3
Dyslexia: Currently studying in a mainstream girl's school and attending DSA ( Dyslexic Association of Singapore) on a regularly basis since

Profile: Lack of focus and heavy dependency on gadgets especially after school hours when both parents are not around.

For this girl, I must say this is the most challenging case of all.

 Till date, no much success and I am using Pet Therapy as a last resort. Most importantly, I know that she likes dog alot. Since beginning of September 2018, I have been bringing along my own dog for the last two session.

A few key observations during the last two lessons

1) She is more calm and receptive to listening to the teacher's instructions
2) She is more attentive to details and follow-through is observed for Problem Sums Questions
3) She managed to score a better results as compared to the last session ( without Pet Therapy)
4) Homework given the previous session ( pet therapy session) were accomplished without complaint
5) As she was doing work, she was cuddling the dog simultaneously, hand-eye coordination motor skills are being honed.
6) Gross Motor skills were enhanced while practicing the Maths questions and cuddling the dog.
7) Feeding the dog with cut apples displayed sensitivity towards her surrounding. This is known as spatial awareness and important for the development of a child.


As for Karin, I have been deploying a few techniques likes the following:

1) Copying of questions so that reading skills can be greatly enhanced and key words from the Problem Sums can be captured in the sub-conscious state of mind.
2) By repetitive method approach, questions are reviewed for understanding of key concepts
3) By changing the subject of the Problem Sum but retaining assessment of key concepts reinforce full understanding of questions.

The above observations and follow-up of subsequent lessons are important for next stage of pedagogy approach refining towards the lesson planning and lesson objectives outcomes.

Her results were out for SA2 and she did not pass. I have definitely learnt alot of helping kids with dyslexic and I can say that time and commitment is the key to her success. But unfortunately, her parents decided to stop the tuition after 3 months of no visible results from her.



18th of September 2018

It was just out of the blue that I decided to bring my wife out for a dinner. The place is known as Emporium Shokuhin. Its location is situated right in the heartbeat of a Marina Square.
Website: https://emporiumshokuhin.com.sg/

Actually Caroline has been sharing with me that she would like to try the "live" fish from this place. However in many occasions, we ended up with the two princesses on a typical Sunday having their specialty: Japanese Ramen Noodle.

Let me show you the snapshots and you would have a good idea what I am sharing...

We have the fish steamed with Assam Sauce

Catching of live fish with the net

Bringing it out and to check its "aliveness"

All-ready to be in our stomach

A happy wife is a happy marriage

Today, an idea came along with having a small video of some of my students being showcase in "live" asking them three questions...

1) What do you like about Teacher Ryan's teaching style

2) What were your results before you met Teacher Ryan

3) What were your results after you met Teacher Ryan

These will be captured in a one-minute video showcasing either my students or the parent's student so that this blog can be more exciting and more real when readers view the blog. It simply boils down ti authenticity. In short..Being Real as an individual...I will be working on it and shall release it soon..Stay tuned to my blog update..

In this blog I will update a few key events which has occurred since June 2018 and I shall wrap up 2018 and move into 2019 with more dreams and goals to work towards ...