I watched with pride as his little footsteps hurried across the stage. He shook his VP's hand and stood posing as the photographer snapped pictures. My boy was up on stage collecting his Good Progress Award for Chinese language.
For a child with speech difficulties, struggling with daily conversations and in relating events, it was an immensely proud moment for hubby and I as we watched the scene unfold before us.
This same boy had once dreaded going to kindy because of his fear in chinese lessons, even feigning illness on several occasions just to skip school. Subsequently starting primary one with only a smattering of chinese in him, he had progressed over the year beyond our wildest imaginations, improving little by little, to receiving an award on stage.
Although his report card pegged him only at 53 for his chinese, we were nevertheless humbled and touched by his efforts and improvements. His progress then at kindergarten 2 had been deproving. It was only after months of pondering and probing did the teacher and I come to the conclusion that because he lagged too widely behind his peers, he had totally given up on trying to catch up. His confidence suffered and as a result, he dreaded attending chinese classes.
I wasn't exactly overly worried then because for a child with learning difficulties, I knew that we were able to get him excused for Chinese in primary school. But shortly after he started school, we made a decision to engage a chinese tutor instead. Our intentions then were nothing academic. We had only wanted to try to bridge the gap since he was 'starting on a clean slate' with new peers. We were hoping that at the very least, we could reduce the fear he felt in things chinese, and improve his confidence in learning and grasping the language. Ultimately, our hopes for him were that he would be able to converse in simple mandarin.
Engaging a tutor didn't come cheap. But in wanting to prevent S from dreading school once again, we decided to give it a shot. I'm not sure if it was because the tutor was effective, or that we began to put in more effort to speak more mandarin to him at home, or a mixture of all the above, but over the months we noticed his confidence level creeping upwards.
His outright rejection towards things chinese slowly decreased, and he was gradually more willing to answer in simple mandarin. Although we were heartened by his progress, we didn't think too deeply into it. So long as he was progressing, no matter how slowly, we were encouraged.
Seeing him walk up the stage to collect the award was truly the icing on the cake. Since S wasn't very often relating school events back to us, we only got to know that he was an award recipient moments before stepping foot into the auditorium. The school had recognised the efforts he put in and the progress that he had shown, and so did we. As he stood on stage, I clapped as loudly as I could with tears in my eyes.
All the sacrifices that were made, the cancellation of appointments, the rushes home after work, the tight squeeze of time after dinner and before bedtime coaching him on his homework, the endless frustrations and worries expended throughout the months, the scarcity of me-time, these simply melted away the moment we saw him on that stage. He made us very, very proud parents with his improvements and progress.
The fall of those red velvet curtains after the award ceremony and year end concert also signified the end of school for the year. Over the year, S has developed from a scrawny, unsure boy, into one who is more outspoken and confident, filling out (a little too) snugly into his initially over-sized uniform. His preference is fast angling towards somewhat of a thrill seeker and sports enthusiast, showing so much more agility and dexterity in his movements. Evident in his taking of steps two by two, sometimes in threes, he also enjoys jumping off from a (short) height, and in taking the road less travelled (read as manouvering grassy slopes instead of walking on flat cement ground).
As I watch S lounging on the bed at home, playing on the ipad with intense concentration and deft fingers, rationing the amounts of nitro that he has in manouvering his golden Ferrari on Need For Speed, I realise that time will slowly develop this boy into a child of his own character.
He needs much improvements in his other subjects (he failed maths) and many other aspects such as his patience, span of attention, cognitive and social skills, and his initiative to help, amongst many others. The progress will be slow, but nevertheless, we will get there by and by in his own time.
The closure of the primary one journey opens a new chapter for next year with new sets of books and bigger-sized uniforms. There is much more to accomplish with him in the neverending journey of education. I'm not sure how our journey will go, or where the road will lead us to, but as I hold my boy's pudgier hand, I steel myself for the similar but tougher cycles to come in Primary Two.
In the meantime however, all that I will be doing is putting up my feet and enjoying the December holidays.
Till the next year.
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