Leading by Example

As we come to the end of week 7, it dawns upon us that we only have 4 sessions left with our young apprentices. We have been heard first hand from the masters about how martial arts have shaped their lives. Today, we wanted to see how well the young apprentices have done.

We asked the masters to identify and share with us some of the students in the class that stood out. For Master Chan, it was Rahman. Master Chan noted that learning martial arts did not come easy for Rahman- when we first started, it was clear that it was challenging for him to get the movements. However, it was also apparent that Rahman worked the hardest and put in a lot of effort in attending this program. His attendance has been regular and he gives 100%. This has led to him improving tremendously in the 7 weeks!

For Madam Ge, she highlighted Syafiq. Syafiq is an outgoing boy that is constantly talking and aiming to be the centre of attention. His is popular with everyone and his jokes always bring a smile to our faces. However, Madam noted that he is able to reign in his playfulness and even though she teaches mostly in Chinese, he has absorbed the material well and is able to perform the moves with seriousness and intention.

For Master Loh, he brought our attention to Eden. Eden is a soft-spoken girl but she has been regularly attending all the sessions. Her consistency and ability to motivate herself is what made Master Loh appoint her to help lead the group in practices. His wish was that she would continue to take on this leadership role even in the absence of teachers.

We see the relationship between the apprentices and the masters growing deeper every week, and we hope that even after this program, they will look back and treasure this journey.