Courtesy of Mr Justin Yap
A Chemistry teacher, an RI National Cadet Corps member (RINCC), and a former Captain in the Singapore Armed Forces. Mr Tan has clearly done it all. After 30 years of teaching generations of students all about chemicals and being there to support them when they needed it most, it is truly a bitter-sweet moment to see him retire from his post and take a well-deserved break. As an indelible member of the Rafflesian family, I decided to conduct an “email-interview” to find out more about him.
Before we talk about his thoughts and plans for the future, let’s take a look at his colorful and illustrious past. Originally, teaching was not his first choice for a career. In fact, upon completing his “A” Levels, he intended to pursue Medicine or Engineering at university. However, after being awarded a teaching scholarship, he embarked on the path to become a teacher. Regardless, he never looked back, as he found the experience immersive and truly enjoyable.
Mr Tan began teaching Chemistry 30 years ago, in 1995, at Anderson Junior College. Later, he worked in the Curriculum Planning and Development Division in the Ministry Of Education (MOE), focusing on Chemistry-related teaching and learning areas. In fact, it was during this time that he worked with schools to implement the then revised 2006 A-Level curriculum. Furthermore, in the same year, he pursued ‘Curriculum Studies and Teacher Education’, a one-year programme at Stanford University. Later on, he received his Master’s Degree in the United States before returning to MOE. Finally, in July 2008, he was posted to RI.
From Mr Tan’s perspective, his tenure in RI was the highlight of his career as it always meant coming up with new methods of teaching content. Furthermore, he also enjoyed the lively conversations he had with students, something he felt was the very essence of teaching. Apart from that, the icing on the cake was the fact that he was able to work with a “dynamic, highly-driven and intelligent team of fellow subject teachers”. All in all, “the setting was, for me, absolutely perfect”.
Reflecting on his experiences, he likened getting acquainted with the methodology of teaching to a Chemistry reaction pathway, where one needs to surmount the activation energy or overcome the temporary barrier to reach a point of equilibrium. After settling into a new job, many begin to seek new challenges, viewing them as opportunities to hone their learning and professional development . For Mr Tan, this came in the form of subject leadership roles and pursuing graduate studies. According to him, it was a steep and tremendously wonderful learning experience.
In RI, Mr Tan was “very honoured to have also interacted with teachers” during his tenure as the Head of Raffles Academy (2011) and as the Dean of Academic Studies (2012-2014). In 2015, he joined National Cadet Corps (NCC) as Teacher-In-Charge. He found this to be a ‘privilege’ and ‘a wonderful fit’ because he was “committed to persuading students about Total Defence and contributions we can make, for example, to National Service”. He went on to say that in NCC, he has the opportunity to take small steps and work through enriching and fun contexts to develop skills, character and leadership, all while keeping a larger goal in mind.
Mr Tan during the Passing Out Parade in NCC
Courtesy of Mr Justin Yap
For some time, Mr Tan had been considering a shift from teaching at RI to embracing a different pace and gaining more personal space. Given that he is financially independent and in good health, something he is thankful for, he felt that was able to “effect a change”. However, he is now considering teaching Chemistry-related content in a different work setting.
In conclusion, Mr Tan feels that “teaching at RI has been the very best part of my life experience and I am equally happy to be able to move and establish a new personal equilibrium.” We wish Mr Tan all the very best in his future endeavours!
