The dust is settling after live coverage of the 2022 National Day Parade turned parade-goer Azuan Tan into an Internet star. The English and PE teacher from Bedok View Secondary School talks to Schoolbag about the teacher whose single question shaped his view on giving back to society – and explains for the tears that fell on camera that day.
It has been two weeks since Mr Azuan Tan made headlines at the National Day Parade.
His face, with tears streaming down as he sang the national anthem, was captured on camera and in minutes, everyone wanted to know the man behind the emotion.
When Schoolbag caught up with him recently, he had already appeared on TV, radio, online media, and social media memes. Long-lost friends had called to say hi and he was glad for the opportunity to catch up with them.
The good-natured English and Physical Education teacher at Bedok View Secondary School is also the Year Head for Upper Secondary and has found the incident to be a great conversation starter with his students about being the best versions of themselves in the service of others.
“We had just come out from the pandemic; the struggle is everyone’s story,” says Mr Tan, 41, who has been in the teaching force for more than 14 years.
“I’ve always felt patriotic on National Day more than other days but being at the parade live and soaking it all in and thinking of everyone who had been fighting so hard on the frontlines for Singapore, my emotions just got the better of me.”
To his students, he relates his thoughts on selfless contribution to Bedok View’s school crest, which features a lighthouse overlooking waves. “As young students, they climb up the stairs of the lighthouse, soaking in the many beneficial experiences of school,” he explains. “At Secondary 4 and 5, they are standing at the top of the lighthouse and looking out at the horizon. This is the time for them to not only see the next steps on their education journey, but also to be a beacon that lights the way for others.”
As a Scout back in secondary school, he participated in Job Week, a traditional Scouting activity where they visit households and do chores, such as gardening tasks, washing cars or cleaning windows, for a token sum that goes to charity.
One year, Mr Tan and his fellow Scouts were comparing the different jobs they completed and how much funds they had raised. Listening in, their teacher-in-charge Mdm Chin Hock Yew asked them to look again at their assessment, this time based on how valuable the jobs were to the people they helped.
Immediately, Mr Tan and his buddy named the elderly couple whom they helped to shift the potted plants in their garden, who could not perform the task on their own; they realised in that instance that value was not – and should not – always be tied to money.
“With her simple question, Mdm Chin reminded me to reflect on who I’ve helped, rather than the monetary value of my actions,” he says. “My school life has taught me that it is important to give back. My teachers and parents have always told me that no matter what I do, or how busy I am, I must help others in need.”
More at https://www.schoolbag.edu.sg/story/for-azuan-tan-it-is-about-giving-back-to-society
It has been two weeks since Mr Azuan Tan made headlines at the National Day Parade.
His face, with tears streaming down as he sang the national anthem, was captured on camera and in minutes, everyone wanted to know the man behind the emotion.
When Schoolbag caught up with him recently, he had already appeared on TV, radio, online media, and social media memes. Long-lost friends had called to say hi and he was glad for the opportunity to catch up with them.
The good-natured English and Physical Education teacher at Bedok View Secondary School is also the Year Head for Upper Secondary and has found the incident to be a great conversation starter with his students about being the best versions of themselves in the service of others.
“We had just come out from the pandemic; the struggle is everyone’s story,” says Mr Tan, 41, who has been in the teaching force for more than 14 years.
“I’ve always felt patriotic on National Day more than other days but being at the parade live and soaking it all in and thinking of everyone who had been fighting so hard on the frontlines for Singapore, my emotions just got the better of me.”
To his students, he relates his thoughts on selfless contribution to Bedok View’s school crest, which features a lighthouse overlooking waves. “As young students, they climb up the stairs of the lighthouse, soaking in the many beneficial experiences of school,” he explains. “At Secondary 4 and 5, they are standing at the top of the lighthouse and looking out at the horizon. This is the time for them to not only see the next steps on their education journey, but also to be a beacon that lights the way for others.”
“My parents and teachers have always told me that no matter what I do, or how busy I am, I must help others in need.”
He learned the spirit of giving from a teacher
Mr Tan’s admiration for Singaporeans who contributed to fighting the Covid-19 pandemic is rooted in his own school experience.As a Scout back in secondary school, he participated in Job Week, a traditional Scouting activity where they visit households and do chores, such as gardening tasks, washing cars or cleaning windows, for a token sum that goes to charity.
One year, Mr Tan and his fellow Scouts were comparing the different jobs they completed and how much funds they had raised. Listening in, their teacher-in-charge Mdm Chin Hock Yew asked them to look again at their assessment, this time based on how valuable the jobs were to the people they helped.
Immediately, Mr Tan and his buddy named the elderly couple whom they helped to shift the potted plants in their garden, who could not perform the task on their own; they realised in that instance that value was not – and should not – always be tied to money.
“With her simple question, Mdm Chin reminded me to reflect on who I’ve helped, rather than the monetary value of my actions,” he says. “My school life has taught me that it is important to give back. My teachers and parents have always told me that no matter what I do, or how busy I am, I must help others in need.”
More at https://www.schoolbag.edu.sg/story/for-azuan-tan-it-is-about-giving-back-to-society
