I took Urgent Private Affairs leave yesterday to attend my son’s orientation, which meant that I had to forgo the Year 4s’ graduation today.

Amidst this group of students whom I went toe to toe with was a young man who recently came back to school after a brief stint at the Singapore Boys’ Home. To this day, I can vividly recall the moment in which he left me so pissed off that I had to consciously regulate my breathing in front of him, afraid that I might blurt out something that I would regret. So atrocious was his behaviour back then. But even then, we forged an easy connection that was quite hard to beat. After all, I don’t address myself as 干爹 (Godfather) for most of my students.

Anyway, two ex-colleagues were kind enough to capture him in a video saying all those words of gratitude. As one might have expected, given that emotions were running high and people were nostalgic about an era soon to be relegated to the past. Honestly, I couldn’t quite hear his emphatic affirmation because the background noise overshadowed him. Still, his earnest and shy 腼腆 demeanour shone through.

I guess that was enough.

I matter to him - as much as he mattered to me back then.

The starfish story sometimes rings hollow for a job that is jam-packed with responsibilities. Moments like this serve as validation that I have served my purpose with strength and dignity. That 我坚守着自己的岗位。