Tanglin Oldtimers

Agnes Lau, Departmental Assistant (Senior School)

Tell us a little about yourself. How and when did you first join Tanglin and what was your first role back then? 

Before I joined Tanglin, I was a teacher in a local preschool. 3 years into my profession, I decided to upgrade myself and I applied for a job in an international school. I learned a lot in Tanglin as the teaching system was much more versatile compared to our local school. I really enjoyed teaching the children and providing them with guidance and knowledge. After teaching in Infant School for 10 years, I was posted to Senior School as a department assistant to support the teachers. During those days, there were only four classes in each year group. The teachers and support staff were a wonderful bunch to work with and I learned new skills along the way. 

What was Tanglin like back then? How is it different from Tanglin today? 

When I first joined, the nursery classes were in Alexandra Park and it was called Winchester School. In 1996, it moved to Portsdown Road to merge with the Infant School. The Infant building had expanded and it was equipped with better facilities and the playgrounds were upgraded. In the late 90s, email was introduced. At that point of time, this was something new to everyone and we were trained to improve our computer skills. The school library also changed to a scanning system and even the scanning machine was phased out by the photocopy machine. Our school building has been enhanced and improved over the years with more departments and social areas. Within the Senior school itself, my office has been moved several times due to expansion. 

Local and overseas school trips were introduced for students to explore in their curriculum. School food changed to a healthier menu and our school has moved completely towards going cashless in cafes and canteen. On top of that, we encouraged sustainability and you can see many recycle bins placed all over our school. We have also created a Forest School to allow children to explore nature through hands-on learning. Today, students are encouraged to develop their interest and talent in music, arts, and sports through co-curricular programmes and outdoor education. These learning experiences will give them opportunities to hone their leadership and social skills by contributing to communities through CAS. The Senior started off with four Year 7 classes and today we have 12 classes of Y13 IB and Level students. 

If you have to name one person who made a difference in your life at Tanglin, who would it be and why? 

That person is Jane Rogers., a nursery teacher. Her positive attitude, kind approach, creativity, and talent opened up my perspective on teaching. I grew up in a Chinese family and our culture and traditions are so different. I was brought up believing that there is no room for error but Jane Rogers was a blessing and she taught me that it is human to make mistakes. When I did something wrong, she would always say with a smile, "it's not the end of the world". She built my self-confidence and my self-esteem grew over the years. I will always regard her as my mentor because she is someone who makes me believe in myself. I also want to thank Tanglin for taking good care of me by providing a safe and comfortable working environment. 

In your opinion, what do you think are Tanglin's greatest achievements over the years? 

Tanglin has strived to meet students' different learning needs, abilities, and aptitudes over the years. Our educational pathways have catered to students with different strengths and interests, developing each child to his or her fullest potential. Tanglin also provides a rich diversity of learning experiences for our students. LifeSkills have been introduced to help students cultivate qualities such as independence, creativity, and collaboration that are essential in our rapidly changing world. Our school offer education and career guidance to help our IB and Level students to discover their interests and strength so as to choose the pathways that allow them to achieve their fullest potential. Tanglin has inculcated in them values such as respect, responsibility, resilience, integrity, care, and harmony, all of which are important for a cohesive, multi-racial, and multi-cultural community. 

What was your proudest moment at Tanglin? 

Over the years there were many proud moments in which I was given recognition for my work. But the greatest feat will be the moment I stepped onto the stage and received a bouquet for my 30 years of service. I felt like it was a big accomplishment especially when everyone stood up to cheer for me. 

Sulastri Foo, Library Officer (Infant Library)

Tell us a little about yourself. How and when did you first join Tanglin?

My paternal grandfather was from Hainan, China and I am Singaporean born and bred. My two sisters and I were mostly raised by my grandmother while my parents worked in the civil service. I attended a Methodist school and was an active member of the Girls’ Brigade. I enjoy sports – particularly long-distance cycling which I did in the past to raise funds for charity – and now try to keep myself fit with gym workouts, badminton, and long walks.

After secretarial school and a short stint in the building construction industry, I applied for an administrative post at a large international school in the Dover area. I was one of two shortlisted applicants but was not offered the job. Instead, the then Deputy Head recommended me to his wife, Veronica Goodban, the Headteacher of Tanglin Junior School, who was looking for a school secretary at the time. I had not heard of Tanglin but I accepted the position. This was in 1982 and, as frequently said, the rest is history.

What was your first role back then?

It was generally giving administrative support for the smooth operation of a typical school day. One of the many duties that I love was to ring the school bell - for the start & end of school, for car children, bus children, wet days, fire drills, etc. There were, of course, times when I would forget, and many a harried teacher at the end of the day would pop his/her head into the office and plead, “Su, please RING the bell!”. I enjoyed that heady sense of responsibility!

I also managed the daily milk distribution and there would be confusion and tears when a child got a strawberry instead of a chocolate one.  Just one of many “domestic” issues to sort out daily. It was protocol for teachers on their birthdays to treat all staff to curry puffs so I would order these for morning break from Balmoral Bakery at Sunset Way which still stands to this day!

What was Tanglin like back then? How is it different from Tanglin today?

Tanglin in the early 80s was a different school altogether. The Junior School had less than 50 teachers and full student enrolment was below 700. Electronic mail? Messages were handwritten and delivered to teachers´ pigeonholes. Newsletters to parents were banged out on stencils and then printed, stapled, counted, and distributed to children. The deafening electric typewriter was mercifully replaced by the bulky word processor with the tall screeching modem, but a technological leap no less. Smartphones? We had our indispensable pagers (for the uninitiated, these were beepers that sent message alerts) as brick-like handphones were only seen in Hong Kong gangster movies.

Portsdown Road then was a “wilderness” compared to what it is today. There were no traffic lights and no buildings taller than the ancient Banyan tree on our school field. Walking to school, one may share a footpath with an occasional ground lizard or grass snake. Once a black cobra encroached on the school grounds and our gardener (Mr Wong, who is now retired) bravely confronted its rearing head with a broomstick and stool. Grey squirrels ran in pairs along the school fences and brilliant blue kingfishers were often sighted near the open canal. MRT? The only available public transport was bus no. 200. As there was an army training camp at the end of Portsdown, the bus was usually packed with national servicemen during the morning commute so one needed to elbow and jostle to board.

What was your proudest moment at Tanglin?

I can’t exactly pinpoint a “proudest moment” although there were many happy times and occasions associated with being a part of the school.

If you have to name one person who made a difference in your life at Tanglin, who would it be and why? 

Without any prior work experience in an expatriate community and school environment, I am extremely thankful for the patience, guidance, and encouragement extended to me by Veronica Goodban. She gave me the much-needed confidence and motivation to work well, enjoy the process, and know that my contributions were appreciated.

When and why did you move to the school library?

A love of reading and a curiosity about the operation of a public library prompted me to take a one-year Library Studies course at a local Polytechnic. It was an eye-opener! I had no idea so much needed to happen before a book was eventually placed on the shelf for borrowing. When a Library Officer position became available in the Senior School library in 2003, I decided to make a (very brave) transition. After having been in a senior management support role for 20-odd years, I thought it would be interesting to be immersed in a learning and teaching environment and to have a closer interaction with children and teachers.  It had proven to be a challenging and steep learning curve but there were no regrets and I still enjoy what I do over the years (Infant Library 2015 – present).

In your opinion, what do you think are Tanglin's greatest achievements over the years? 

When Mrs Goodban retired in 1994 after 12 years, Mr Ronald Stones, Head of The British International School in Jakarta, took over the helm at Tanglin. During his leadership, and during my years as his Personal Assistant, he spearheaded many initiatives as well as the construction of new purpose-built school buildings. It was a proud moment when in recognition of its significant milestones achieved over the years, Tanglin was visited by Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and former British Prime Minister, Mr John Major. Under different leaderships, Tanglin had come a long way to what it is today, with its many accolades. I am sure it will continue to grow and evolve even as it approaches being a grand old centenarian in the not-too-distant future.