The world of Tzu Chi March 2021 (Vol.132)

2021 • 03 18 eature issues. However, I feel much at ease now with regular trainings arranged by the school and helpful colleagues around me.” Kim Choo is now able to assist the Chinese subject teachers in their preparation of online lessons and share useful teaching software with teachers from other schools. She is pleased to have broken through her limitations and picked up another skill. The advantages of online classes Secondary school Science teacher Chow Geh Tsung joined TCISKL in April 2020. Despite not having met any of his students prior, he was quick to overcome all challenges in communication and adapted well to online classes which he found beneficial. He related, “At school, students have to line up to enter the lab and take time to settle. Some may even forget to bring their textbooks along. So, if students are diligent in learning, online lessons could be more time efficient.” In using Google Classroom to set and distribute questions, Geh Tsung can access students’ answers in real time. Students can also replay the recorded lessons and review notes and materials shared by him after every lesson. Geh Tsung was an environmental consultant for almost four years before he became a teacher. On a trip to Japan in 2013 as Malaysia’s representative for the Young Environmental Leadership Programme, he realized the importance of education and his true calling. Upon return, he took a leap of faith and left his well-paying consultant job to become a school teacher through the Teach for Malaysia (TFM) fellowship. As one of the selected candidates under TFM, he started teaching in 2014 and obtained his Postgraduate Diploma in Education the following year. He was assigned to teach in a high-need government secondary school where he stayed for more than six years before making a move to TCISKL. He observed a similarity in the recruitment process of TCISKL and TFM—both searched for individuals who are passionate about education. He is impressed and inspired by the education philosophy and leadership in TCISKL. The principal and school leaders would greet and usher students at the entrance every morning. They are constantly on the ground with the teachers, and are humble and diligent. He has great respect for the leaders and passionate community in the school. Moreover, the teachers are generous in sharing their experiences and knowledge, and are collaborative in lesson planning and problem solving. The team spirit is unrivalled! Geh Tsung expressed, “I am really happy teaching here, such a conducive environment makes me a better teacher. The principal and school leaders are earnest and down to earth. They are role models of great character. This deeply inspires me to always give my best and to work diligently alongside them.” Caring abounds Lin Chew Man, TCISKL secondary school academic coordinator, was vice principal in a Chinese independent school in Taiping, Perak. Both he and his wife, Tan Pok Suan, were familiar with Tzu Chi as they often watched Da Ai TV programmes. He was exuberant upon learning that Tzu