I dare say that the people who come to work at NorthLight are top notch.

This year, I learnt a humbling lesson about life. And it all began when an office lady asked me about why a boy in my form class wasn’t granted the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) yet. “Kesian,” she stated emphatically.

That Malay word for pitifulness jolted me out of my inertia. I gained renewed energy from her word and concentrated my efforts on helping my two remaining students get their FAS. It emboldened me to invite the mother of this girl to come down to school so that I could help her print all the CPF and IRAS statements that she needed to submit.

To be honest, I was expecting opprobrium from her mother. After all, she had given up all hope of applying for FAS for her daughter. But my gentle nudge worked. She came down to school the day after Hari Raya with her family in tow. And I methodically printed out the necessary documents, one by one.

There was an hour of my life I was never going to get back. But what did it matter in the grand scheme of things, if a 14-year-old girl could get the food and transport allowances, as well as the school uniforms that she yearned for? I’m glad that my office lady colleague still has her heart in the right place in spite of her long years of service. Because she hasn’t turned jaded, she reminded me that it is important to do the right thing, no matter the costs.