8 minute read
When Opportunity Knocks
from The Voice 38
Opportunities come up every day, but it’s what you do with them that really matters. Here are three Tanglin parents who jumped at the chance to make a difference with
their talents.
When opportunity knocks
Healing the generation panic
Agi Heale is not only the mother of two children (one is currently in Year 1 at Tanglin), she’s also a Leadership Coach & Facilitator based in Singapore. She started her career in Financial Services recruitment in London, and ended up as a Director managing three teams in a fast paced environment. She said, “I realised that recruitment wasn’t where my heart was, but loved coaching my team and clients through transitions – that was where my true passion lay. I went on to train as a certified professional coach (CPCC, PCC and Certified Master NLP Practitioner). I built my coaching practice in London, and now in Singapore (Westbourne Associates Pte Ltd), where I run leadership development programmes and coaching engagements to help clients build confidence and operate at their best.”
And that’s not all. Agi also published Generation Panic, a book filled with tips and techniques for anxious professionals to get back on track. In fact, it has over 100 tools that are accessible and easy to apply during times of anxiety.
WHAT INSPIRED HER TO WRITE THE BOOK?
Agi explained, “over eight years ago, I was really struggling with anxiety and panic attacks and was desperate to find a ‘one stop shop’ that was going to have everything I needed to get back on track. I felt very lonely and had no idea where to start. I couldn’t find the book that I desperately wanted and needed, so I wrote Generation Panic. It was quite simply written for me; a reminder of all the things I could do to feel myself again and so I could continue to perform at my best. My hope is that the book becomes a guide and a companion to help others. The reader can return to it again and again whenever they might need a booster or a refresher to feel stronger in the face of anxiety. The
reader also gets to choose what they need for them. I have not had a panic attack since that time as I use the tools in these pages daily and remind myself of the techniques whenever I need to.”
NOT JUST FOR ADULTS
Although Agi wrote Generation Panic as a way to help manage her anxiety, she tells us that the book is also a useful tool for children. She said, “I believe that if children have the tools from a young age they are better equipped to deal with any challenges they face. For me, I didn’t even know what anxiety was when I found myself in the middle of a panic attack. I had never been educated on these kinds of topics, so I was terrified as I had no idea what was happening to me. The tools in the book are not overly complex – they are designed to be simple and practical things that anyone can use to feel better. I strongly believe that no one needs to feel how I did, and it is purely about accessing the right techniques, finding what works for you and building self-awareness. If we can get the tools into the hands of kids from a young age, they will be able to handle far more – and lead a life that is happy, confident and resilient.” Agi’s book is now on Amazon, Book Depository or Audible. » 53
Telling stories through photos
You may know Katie Martin-Sperry as a fellow Tanglin parent, but do you also know that she’s a professional photographer? In fact, she comes on campus from time to time to capture theme days such as Magic and India Day. “It is a great insight into the year groups and how the school operates, which as a parent you don’t get to see on a day to day basis. It is no surprise that my kids love it there. The teachers get really involved and go to all sorts of lengths coming up with different themes for each year group, there is so much energy and a real sense of fun,” Katie beamed.
HOW DID IT ALL BEGIN?
It all started at the age of 16, when she was never without a camera and always capturing friends. Katie reminisced, “I studied A level art and spent most of my time in the school darkroom developing my own holiday photos, I would get completely immersed into it, hours would go by and I would completely lose track of time. Back in those days, the art of photography was always such a mystery as film was used (now I am really showing my age!), you would take a photo and not know what it would look like until you got your roll developed. Sometimes rolls wouldn’t be developed for weeks or months so the results were often a surprise. My photos would get delivered weeks later but there was always so much suspense and excitement when they arrived. There were always photos you had forgotten you’d taken, so some images were a revelation. I think the love for evocative and beautiful imagery is a big driver in why I have gone down this path. Even now, after a successful shoot, I love racing home after and looking back on the images that I have just taken.”
AS IF BY FATE
Katie would later move around the world and take on various corporate roles, but she never forgot her love for photography. She took an evening photography course at the Chelsea College of Arts but Katie only started to pursue photography as a full-time career when she moved to Singapore. She said, “I believe it was all down to fate. When I moved to Singapore and was two months pregnant, I realised it wasn’t easy to secure a job. Wondering how I would spend the next nine months, I put my passion to work and took photos of friend’s kids and parties, and the whole thing evolved from there. Knowing that the hours I previously worked weren’t kind and with a baby arriving soon, it felt like a natural path as well as the demand for kids’ photography.
BEST PHOTOGRAPHER
Katie’s talent and eye for beautiful photos would soon earn her Expat Living’s Silver Award for Best Photographer. How did it come about? “That is a very good question!” Katie told us with a smile, “I was completely taken back that I had managed to make it up on Expat Living Shortlists as one of the best Photographers in Singapore. It is essentially all down to my lovely loyal clients who voted for me. I remember being at my desk on the morning of the announcement and friends were texting me to congratulate me, I had no idea as I hadn’t opened my emails.” Visit Katie’s gallery on her website at katiemsperryphotography.com to see her portfolio.
Computational thinking for kids
There are many ways to help our children become future-ready, but Tanglin parent and tech enthusiast Vidhi Singhal took it a step further. She creates unplugged activities to help her children build computational thinking and even wrote a book called Pre-coding for Kids: An Offline Skills-building Activity Book for ages 4-6 and 5-7.
How did she do it? By setting up Kinder Koder (www.kinderkoder.com), where she creates content to teach computational thinking in a fun and engaging way. “It doesn’t focus on any specific programming language because they could become outdated over time,” Vidhi explained, “instead, it seeks to introduce the underlying skills that would provide a strong foundation in this area. Learning computational thinking can teach children to solve everyday problems efficiently and creatively. Children learn the same skills coders use e.g. writing clear instructions and recognising patterns.”
screen time. ”
WHAT IS HER BOOK ALL ABOUT?
Pre-coding for Kids: An Offline Skills-Building Activity Book introduces foundational concepts of coding through engaging age-appropriate activities. The exercises are specially designed to be intuitive and no prior knowledge is required. With its fun activities, this book aims to future-proof and equip preschoolers for the digital environment without increasing screen time. In fact, Vidhi told us that her book is perfectly aligned with Tanglin’s 3-14 curriculum. She said, “I was delighted to see “Computational Thinking” as a knowledge category in the Technology and Computer Science subject.
This book supports that learning and to be honest there is very little screen-free content available in the market as teaching computational thinking to preschoolers is still at a very nascent stage.”
WHAT WAS HER INSPIRATION?
According to Vidhi, the inspiration for the book came from spending time with her son during the pandemic. She said, “As a computer programmer, I always had keen interest in encouraging my children to develop computational thinking/problem solving from an early age. During the 2020 pandemic I got a lot of time at home with Arsh. It was then when I started creating activities for him to practise. Not only did he really enjoy these activities I could see him improving and learning in the process. I looked around for more content and enrichment classes but unfortunately did not find any. Seeing the big gap in the market I decided to quit my corporate job and venture out on my own. That was the beginning of Kinder Koder where I teach, write books and develop screen free games for kids.” Vidhi is currently working on another book for 3-4 year olds and has a few board games in development. In the meantime, you can purchase Vidhi’s books at KinderKoder.com or at all Popular Bookstores. ■
