Mdm Ang Sing Yee was inspired to teach because she believes education is the key to unlock potential and empower students to thrive in today’s VUCA/BANI world. She aspires, and now rallies educators, to be a mentor and guide, fostering not only intellectual growth but also social and emotional development in my students. She is particularly passionate about creating inclusive learning environments where every student, regardless of their challenges, can realize their fullest potential.

Mdm Ang Sing Yee champions inclusive education anchored in strong teacher-student relationships. She focuses on supporting students with special educational needs and those from challenging backgrounds, fostering a supportive learning environment for all students.

As the team lead for special educational needs in her school, Mdm Ang is a role model for the staff in building a warm and supportive culture. She collaborates closely with the school’s special educational needs officer to understand and effectively address these students’ challenges and help them to develop holistically. This teamwork has resulted in significant improvements in both students’ behaviour and development and academic confidence as they progress through school. For example, one student, who was disruptive and unfocused in Secondary 1, graduated as a top student of the cohort and progressed to a polytechnic. Mdm Ang also creates tailored intervention plans for her students with additional needs, teaching them life skills and transforming their lives. With her intensive support plan, another student from a challenging family background learnt to manage the demands of home and school and successfully applied to polytechnic, thus gaining renewed optimism for the future.

Mdm Ang leveraged her experience in fostering strong teacher-student relationships to pioneer the use of the Teacher-Student Relationship Inventory, developed by the Singapore Ministry of Education. Her effort successfully helped teachers in her school foster strong relationships with their students as they adjusted their practices to better support students’ needs. She was invited by the Ministry to share her approach implementing the inventory at the 2023 Teachers’ Conference and ExCEL Fest, inspiring educators nationwide.

She also partnered with the Ministry to develop a video showcasing the impact of the inventory, that was widely shared with all teachers. She has also implemented various school-wide initiatives to build teacher-student relationships and to enhance student well-being, for example, “Tender Tuesdays”, to provide weekly opportunities for one-on-one teacher-student chats, a “Back-to School” package, to ease students’ transition to school after long holidays, and “Mindful Monday” to build emotional regulation and resilience.

Recognising the importance of holistic development, Mdm Ang refreshed the school’s signature STAR Programme to heighten students’ awareness of community needs. This programme provides students with authentic experiences to develop their character and 21st-century competencies, with themes expanding from “Self” in Secondary 1 to “World” in Secondary 4. To provide community-related experiences, her team planned visits to various community groups, allowing students to gain better awareness of diverse communities in Singapore. For example, some Secondary 3 students went on a learning journey to Enabling Village, where they had the opportunity to interact with people of varied abilities and hear their inspiring stories, helping them better relate to schoolmates with different abilities and special educational needs. She also initiated “Felicitous Friday” to celebrate student successes and share inspirational stories, contributing to a positive school culture. In 2023, she invited students to share their inspiring community service experiences of “Volunteering at International Migrants Day”.

Beyond her school, Mdm Ang actively engages with parents and the community. She strengthened parent-school partnerships by establishing four annual touchpoints between parents and teachers. Her efforts extend to collaborating with external agencies like TOUCH Youth and REACH to support students with more complex needs.