Ask 'Why Not' instead of 'Why Me': MINDS Pioneering Teacher Ethel Woo Ti Soo’s Story
#60Stories
As the final notes of music faded from the air, the dancers took a bow, curtains drew to a close and the Victoria Memorial Hall filled with resounding applause. Sitting in the audience, Ms Ethel Woo Ti Soo broke into a huge smile. It was not an international dance troupe that had graced the stage but some of her own students, who are Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (PWIDs).
This was back in the 1980s, but Ms Woo, who was the principal of Lee Kong Chian Centre (now Lee Kong Chian Gardens School) remembers the scene well. As an avid lover of music and the arts, she had arranged for Singapore Association for Retarded Children (SARC) students to perform at the prestigious concert hall for the very first time. “Why not?” the 86-year-old retiree asks. “Our children could perform as well as any other!”
Asking “why not?” instead of “why me?” was characteristic of Ms Woo’s career at MINDS. When she joined on 6 June 1964, the organisation was still called SARC. SARC had asked for help from Ministry of Education (MOE) and Ms Woo, along with 3 others, responded, becoming the pioneering team of special needs teachers.
A Snapshot Of The Past
The first few days of work at the SARC centre along Ah Hood Road were chaos. “There was no uniform, and the children came in all sorts of clothes, even pyjamas, and sometimes not even matching ones,” Ms Woo says.
There were no textbooks, no lessons plans — not even classrooms, just empty rooms in an old bungalow. To make things more challenging, the students differed drastically in their abilities. Some were unable to feed themselves. “They were fed by their parents until they were teenagers and the parents never thought about teaching them how to hold the cup or eat by themselves,” she explains.
Starting From Scratch
Yet, Ms Woo remained unfazed. “We always said Chin Pu. This means progress. So we didn’t rush, and took it step by step,” she says.
Uniforms were introduced and the team adapted what they had learned at Teachers’ Training College to develop a curriculum which included reading, writing, physical education, and music. True to Ms Woo’s belief that “you must know how to take care of yourself,” they also began to teach social skills like how to eat independently and clean up after oneself.
Creativity Overcomes the Odds
With creativity, resourcefulness and teamwork, Ms Woo and the team steadily chipped away at the obstacles they met. When students had trouble remembering how to brush their teeth or clear their cups after meals? They used song and dance to help. And when there was no money for a playground? They created their own by asking companies in Singapore to donate unused items like a truck, car, and even concrete drain pipes.
“If you don’t open your mouth, people won’t know what you want,” Ms Woo explains. So, she made her voice heard — loud and clear — not just when sourcing for donations, but also to raise awareness for PWIDs. For example, she wrote articles to champion their cause and hosted visitors from National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), and even UNICEF, to share about MINDS’ best practices.
Her efforts contributed to many firsts for PWIDs in Singapore: Besides the first concert held at Victoria Memorial Hall, there was also the first preschool at Lee Kong Chian Centre catering to children between 3 and a half and 5 years old, and the first team from Singapore to go to the Special Olympics — the list goes on.
Reflections On A Life Well-Lived
Yet, looking back at these milestones in special needs history, Ms Woo is quick to play down her importance in making them happen. “I just did what I know,” she states, adding: “If you don’t love the children, you shouldn’t be there!”
Love is why she continued as a member of MINDS after her secondment ended in 1985, even serving as honorary secretary from 1993 to 1994. It is also why despite being well into her silver years, Ms Woo still actively attends MINDS events today: To show support and serve as “encourager” for the next generation.
Her time on the stage has ended, and she is content to cheer from the audience, knowing that the work she has done has left a lingering melody of encouragement for PWIDs of the future.
We always said Chin Pu. This means progress. So we didn't rush, and took it step by step.
Note: All photos courtesy of Ms Ethel Woo Ti Soo
Ms Woo’s story reminds us that sometimes, all you need to be able to make a difference is patience and love. Looking back on how MINDS has transformed over the decades, we thank pioneers like her for their unwavering passion and perseverance. Thanks to their dedication, countless lives have been changed for the better.
Like them, you, too, can do your part to impact the field of special needs.
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