SCGS - N.E. Nuggets

YOUNG DOCENTS PROGRAMME

Sharing by Jaclyn Fong Rei Teng (3SY) and Manizah Huq (3SE)

Good morning Mrs. Low, vice-principals, teachers and fellow students. I am Jaclyn and this is Manizah. We are from the Young Docents Programme, and today we will be sharing our experiences with you.

The programme was set up with the aim of training Sec 1 and 2 students like us to become young docents, meaning museum guides. Over a period of a few months, we worked closely with the newly-revamped National Museum of Singapore to achieve this. The end-product was a half-hour assessment in which we were supposed to conduct a full tour of the museum. In future, we will also get the chance to lead younger students of the school on museum tours. During our museum visits, we had to familiarise ourselves with the entire tour route and know at least some general information about each period of Singapore’s history, including 14th century early Singapore, the Port City after Raffles’ arrival, Syonan-to and modern Singapore. This was closely tied with the content in our Sec 2 History syllabus, so while the Sec 1s got a head start in their learning, the older ones simply revisited their previous lessons!

However, being in this programme was a bonus because it was nothing like what you can get in textbooks. The museum stores an amazing collection of artefacts, which includes 11 special treasures. One of these is a 2 metre long fragment of the Singapore Stone, found at the mouth of the Singapore River. Legend has it that a man named Badang gained extraordinary strength after eating a demon’s vomit, and he managed to throw the stone all the way to the river mouth. What was particularly worth looking at was the section on SCGS, which was full of our rich tradition and heritage. Did you know that our first school uniform consisted of a white samfoo and blue pants?

Through this programme, we have definitely come to know more about Singapore. Historical facts aside, we gained precious insight into the daily lives of the locals back then – the wealthy traders, secret society members, loyal amahs and the schoolchildren. I found the personal recounts of the citizens most valuable. For example during the war-times, survivors would recall how countless souls were slaughtered at Changi Beach. And meanwhile they lay still among the casualties, trying desperately to save themselves by playing dead. It was recounts like these that drew me closer to Singapore. This has led me to develop a greater understanding of the island’s past and a deeper sense of pride for the successful city we have matured into.

I highly recommend this programme to all students as it inculcates a sense of national pride and great emotional attachment to Singapore, not to mention loads of historical knowledge and good oratorical skills!

Last but not least, I would like to thank those who have given us invaluable guidance throughout the programme: Mrs. Florence Phuah, who has kindly organised the YDP and painstakingly mentored us on our museum tours; Miss Ku, who has also taken care of us by her helpful guidance; teachers who accompanied us on museum visits and the school for providing this opportunity. Thank you!

February 2009