Teachers Training College 1955 -1957
After completing 'O' levels she joined the Teachers' Training College (TTC).
"The only option for students who did not get into the university was to be a teacher, a nurse or a clerk. Most of my friends became teachers."
There was a shortage of teachers, so even before Kam Ying and her friends got the 'O' levels results they applied to TTC and started their training and work. It was a three-year course.
"We went to college to attend lectures in the morning and taught full-time at schools in the afternoon. We were paid $200 per month for the three years. "
Life as a Primary School Teacher 1955 - 1966
During the first year at TTC, Kam Ying was assigned to Stamford Girls' at Waterloo Street, near where she lived, in the city. In the second year, in 1956, she was assigned to Bukit Merah North.
It Was So Ulu
"At that time, Bukit Merah was so undeveloped. It used to be a kampung. I think there was a cemetery too."
From the back fence one could see attap houses and also a community water pipe where kampung folks got their water supply.
"There were pigs running around. It was so ulu."
The primary one students Kam Ying taught did not know a word of English nor Mandarin. The 'ulu' kampung was probably their learning ground.
"I don't think they've been to kindergarten. We had to start from scratch, teaching them to say, “Good morning, Teacher.” They took a long time to grasp the meaning of “Please Teacher, may I go out?” So in those days teaching was tough in that sense."
Ice Cream Sticks and Bottle Caps
For Maths, Kam Ying shared how teachers would use ice cream sticks and tin caps from bottled soft drink as counters. A class was also divided into four or five smaller groups to facilitate teaching. Teachers would teach one group at a time while the rest did written work.
"We also wrote our own flash cards and used very simple textbooks from England, teaching them, “Come John, come. Come Janet, come.” We also taught them a lot of nursery rhymes and drama." Kam Ying shared enthusiastically.
(This story was documented as part of SMP’s collaboration with Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Alexandra Health Services.)
