Fadhilah Bte Mazlan
HAND IN HAND
What makes you want to work with special needs community?
My interest in working with special needs community was ignited when I volunteered at a SPED school at the age of 17 years old. I was truly inspired when I see the children making progress. I was honoured to be able to share the joy of their accomplishments eventhough it was small steps each time. After few years of volunteering, I made up my mind to want to make a difference in the lives of children with special needs. I started off as a shadow teacher and subsequently had the opportunity to take on different positions, such as a teacher for an integrated kindergarten, an early intervention teacher and currently a certified educational therapist. It brings me a lot of happiness to be able to reach out to children with special needs and their family members.
In your years in work, what have you learnt most?
I have learnt that motivation is a very important aspect. We have to always cheer on the students to achieve their goals but we have to also ensure we know when to push and when to pull back. In addition, I realised that it is not only me teaching the students but they also taught me a lot of things as well. Every student is unique with different personalities and challenges, therefore I have to always try new ideas and continue learning.
