[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":108},["ShallowReactive",2],{"collection-portrait":3},[4],{"id":5,"title":6,"body":7,"description":95,"extension":96,"floatImageLeft":97,"floatImageRight":97,"heroImage":97,"images":98,"isAd":100,"meta":101,"navigation":102,"ogDescription":97,"ogTitle":97,"order":97,"path":103,"seo":104,"stem":105,"tagName":106,"__hash__":107},"portrait/portrait/from-trying-to-teaching-our-2025-valedictorians-reflect.md","From Trying to Teaching: Our 2025 Valedictorians Reflect",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":92},"minimal",[10],[11,12,14],"article-layout",{":title":13},"title",[15,16,18,24,33,37,40,43,46,49,52,55,58,61,64,67,70,77],"template",{"v-slot:content":17},"",[19,20,21],"h1",{"id":17},[22,23],"binding",{"value":13},[25,26,27],"p",{},[28,29,30],"em",{},[22,31],{"value":32},"description",[34,35],"article-image",{":image":36},"articles/portrait/hero.webp",[25,38,39],{},"When Ms Chionh Yee Ching first declared she wanted to be a teacher, she was only seven. Dressed in a blue frock for her school’s career day, she recalled, “I thought teachers could wear whatever they wanted.” Looking back, Yee Ching may have been wrong about the dress code, but her inclination to join the profession was genuine, inspired by teachers who left a mark on her young mind.",[25,41,42],{},"Fast forward to 2025, the BA (Geography and Education) graduate stands at the Teachers’ Investiture Ceremony, joined by fellow Valedictorian Mr Max Lee from the Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) (Secondary) programme, as they deliver addresses at their respective ceremonies. While Max’s path to teaching was different — his purpose was just as clear.",[25,44,45],{},"Yet, neither Yee Ching nor Max arrived at the NIE without self-doubt. In 2018, Yee Ching failed a promotional examination and had to be retained. “I watched with disappointment as my classmates moved on while I stayed back for one year. I wondered for days if I would ever amount to anything useful,” she admitted.",[25,47,48],{},"The setback stayed with her. And even at the NIE, moments of doubt would creep in. However, the feeling of being “not good enough” wasn’t unique. Yee Ching discovered that many of her friends felt it too. “Teaching is demanding, and we often have to mentor, mediate and even entertain. We don’t have to be the smartest or the most talented in what we do. Rather, bringing sincerity to our day-to-day tasks would be the most important.”",[25,50,51],{},"“For all we teach others about bouncing back from failure, we must also be compassionate with ourselves. As teachers, we’re a finite source, and we cannot pour from an empty cup,” she said. “So if there’s one thing I’ve learnt as a student teacher, it’s to seek the little moments of joy — a spark of understanding on a student, a kind gesture from your toughest learner, or even a chuckle at your own mistakes. These are the quiet treasures that keep us going.”",[25,53,54],{},"“As we leave the NIE, we hold more than just our certificates. We carry shared memories, forged friendships and a deeper understanding of ourselves and our profession. Stepping out is both liberating and daunting. But if we stay true to the reasons that first brought us here, we’ll find magic in everyday acts of care, connection and love,” she advised.",[25,56,57],{},"While Yee Ching draws strength from quiet conviction, Max reflects on the power of community and resilience. He recalls his early days as a contract teacher and the late nights revising lesson plans during practicum. The job tested him not just academically but emotionally. From day one, his PGDE professors cautioned the importance of mental resilience — to be flexible with teaching aids and to expect the unexpected.",[25,59,60],{},"“It turns out my best resource wasn’t the A+ I got for my lesson plan, but my fellow Biology and Chemistry teachers who stood by me and became my friends. They were the ones who understood the highs and lows of teaching, just from the look on my face,” Max recalled. “I couldn’t have asked for a more spirited and supportive group.”",[25,62,63],{},"Teaching, Max said, does not end when the clock strikes 6pm. “It follows us home in our thoughts — we wonder if we did enough, if we truly made a difference,” he admitted, finding it easier to dwell on the negatives. “But if we pause and look closer, we’ll see the positives too — quieter perhaps, but deeply powerful.”",[25,65,66],{},"He recounts a defining moment during his first parent-teacher dialogue. “I had finished most of the sessions and was ready to head home when two parents appeared at the door. I was surprised as their daughter was an excellent student. But then the mother said, ‘My daughter insisted that we meet you — you’re the reason she loves Biology.’”",[25,68,69],{},"That moment taught Max three valuable lessons: to weather the storms of doubt, trust the unseen effects of teaching and lead with heart. “There will be days when we question if we’re enough,” he shared. “But it’s the struggles that show how deeply we care. Just because we don’t see the impact of our influence doesn’t mean it isn’t there — the results often surface years later. At its core, teaching is about connection. Our compassion is what students will remember, long after the lessons are forgotten.”",[25,71,72,73,76],{},"Max paraphrases a line from ",[28,74,75],{},"Abbott Elementary",", a TV comedy about teaching. “Teachers are the administrators, the social workers, the therapists, the second parents. It’s not about the money. We do this because we heard the call — and we chose to answer.”",[78,79,80],"article-box-content",{},[25,81,82,83,91],{},"Ms Chionh Yee Ching is the winner of the NIE Award and the Pacific Andes Book Prize, while Mr Max Lee took home the NIE Gold Medal and the Justice Choor Sing Book Prize. They were among the 47 award recipients at the Teachers’ Investiture Ceremony for the Class for 2025. Full details ",[84,85,90],"a",{":target":86,"href":87,"rel":88},"_blank","https://www.ntu.edu.sg/nie/news-events/news/detail/teachers--investiture-ceremony-(tic)-for-the-class-of-2025",[89],"nofollow","here",".",{"title":17,"searchDepth":93,"depth":93,"links":94},2,[],"With honesty, purpose and heart, Ms Chionh Yee Ching and Mr Max Lee, the Valedictorians of the Class of 2025, share the challenges, joys and quiet victories of their teacher preparation journeys. Uncover the stories that fuel them, and the lessons they’ll carry to their classrooms.","md",null,[99],{"resource":36},false,{},true,"/portrait/from-trying-to-teaching-our-2025-valedictorians-reflect",{"title":6,"description":95},"portrait/from-trying-to-teaching-our-2025-valedictorians-reflect","Portrait","ypKVk78HQnvCGj8S2VUfLv5wxquzybD6GhYaLP4DcXU",1758877567884]