For 68-year-old Henry, teaching has allowed him to impart skills and values to his students, and for him, it is also about lifelong learning. Previously teaching full-time for 23 years at Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s (NP) School of Business & Accountancy and later in the School of Interdisciplinary Studies, he then converted to teaching part-time there and has been doing so for seven years on the subject of critical and creative thinking. “I like teaching as I can be a channel of positive influence to others by walking the talk. Apart from sharing principles and applications, I am really teaching them how to think more holistically. They can then make better decisions and choices, and at the same time their lives can be more creatively interesting and fun.”
The father of three added: “I love the subject I am teaching. If you don’t like it, it would not be delivered in an enthusiastic way and would end up boring the students. I upgrade myself with new skills and updated knowledge so I can bring to my students something new and refreshing.” Though NP used to send him to conferences and workshops when he was working full-time, he still goes but at his own expense in his quest for learning. Recent workshops were on visual recording and asking “smart” questions in order to think out of the box. “This is how I keep myself updated and upgraded, or else I lose touch. It also helps me to enrich myself – it makes me become a better, more knowledgeable person. When at a workshop, you meet others and you tend to nurture your own spirit. There is really a lot to learn out there.” He said: “Learning is multi-dimensional, you don’t learn only from books, you learn also by interacting with different people. To me, it makes life more purposeful and fulfilling.” Besides teaching and learning, he is also busy doing “creative“ gardening and reading. He enjoys reaching out to the community conducting fun and games, and bonding activities and going out on mission trips to India, Nepal, Bhutan and the Philippines. |