Special education is close to Ms Melody's heart. Our principal has always been passionate about education in general, being a career teacher both in Singapore and Penang. Her first taste of special needs education came with her 2nd son, Art. From an early age, she knew something was 'different' about him. He didn't utter a word till he was 5. He would spend hours puzzling over massive puzzles instead of running about like boys of his age. He had poor social interactions with others, was extremely clumsy with motor task, and was easily irritable. Even wearing socks and shoes got him worked up.

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At that time, special needs education in this part of the world was in it's infancy. Learning disabilities such as ASD and ADHD was unheard of. Ms Melody therefore had to trust her instinct and years of teaching training and experience. To address his postural and motor skills, she would march him about, constantly checking on his posture and gait. Art was pulled to the neighbors and made to play with the other children. Socks and shoes were put on before he woke up (pictured on the left is an image of Art waking up to this). 

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Her 2nd son is now Dr Art Chew, married to a fellow doctor, and has 2 beautiful children of his own. Ms Melody always says that there is hope for any child, regardless of the challenges. Pairing the never-ending love for a child with well-informed holistic methods of education, a young one's full potential can be reached. Having gone through this challenging but rewarding experience, she hopes to spread this message of hope. That every child is an achiever. Their dreams matter and can be achieved.