Returned to Yishun MRT when a young man approached me. I was momentarily confused until a flicker of recognition grabbed my senses. Why, he was my ex-student in my graduating class at Naval Base Primary School.

Exchanged pleasantries for a bit. Remembered that he was supposed to graduate from secondary school and asked him for his recent happenings. Turned out that he is currently studying Mechanical Engineering at ITE College Central. His growth felt poignant. While in my classroom, I sometimes glared and growled at him for walking around my classroom and disrupting his classmates. Seemed that a few years of brain development has enabled him to keep his ADHD tendencies in check.

Upon reaching home, I sent a surprise message to my last form class at NorthLight. “See you all at CCA,” it promised. This was the impetus for me to message the basketball captain. I was pleased to note that he consistently put a full stop at the end of every message. I know it sounds trivial, but his full stops were the crystallisation of my months of assiduous pestering. Seems that he has taken my instruction into heart. Coincidentally, he has ADHD too, which makes his newfound sensitivity all the more heartening to me.

And this is why Sensei teaches.