Uma and Deyonsi, on the L.I.F.E programme

October 20, 2022

“I’m Uma, I’m 45 years old and working in the F&B industry. I have two daughters, Deyonsi and Angelina. Deyonsi is currently in primary 3. She does well in English and Science but needs help with Math and Tamil, but she has improved a lot thanks to Beyond’s L.I.F.E programme which provides her tutoring in these subjects.

She is always excited for her L.I.F.E classes and would ask me “Mummy, today I got zoom?” or “Mummy what day is it today? Tuesday? Tomorrow I got Zoom class right?”. The other day someone asked her “Do you like school?” She said “No, I don’t like. I only like Beyond’s classes”. That’s why I feel that we’re very lucky to have her in the L.I.F.E programme.

Deyonsi struggles in school. They have their way of teaching and would always insist that she must do things in the way that is asked of her, no matter what. They will always message or email me about her learning difficulties or if there are problems. It was only this year I spoke up and said “I don’t force her to do anything, I hope you can let her be herself. She can pass, she can learn, but she has her own way. Don’t force her.”

It’s not that she doesn’t want to learn or can’t learn. When she’s excited about the subject, when she is very happy, she can learn. In the L.I.F.E programme, the teachers are friendly and she responds very differently. She is more enthusiastic and energetic. When the tutor starts off the classes, she will say “ok!” and take all her materials out and prepare.

The other day, she was very proud to tell me that her teacher said “Deyonsi is very good, even though she was absent she completed all her homework”. I realised that when she is told encouraging things like “good work” or “keep it up!”, she feels very happy. And that encouragement and affirmation is what the tutors at Beyond often say. She likes to learn from them because of this.

She even told me once that Beyond Social Services should have their own school.”

– Uma, a community mother from Whampoa

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Support programmes such as L.I.F.E so that students like Deyonsi can continue to develop a healthy and fun relationship to learning!: bit.ly/bssbuildingblocks

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