Like gentle raindrops falling softly on the leaves, her love is strong yet gentle. As time passes and the world changes, Madam Pamela Phang has remained constant and true to her calling. The softly-spoken founder and principal of Tadika Yume has dedicated the best part of her life to nurturing young minds and instilling in children a passion for lifelong learning.
Today, Tadika Yume has infused its original Montessori approach with the best practices of different methodologies and adapted its curriculum and syllabus to be relevant and current. It is also in line with the National Preschool Syllabus so that the children will be fully prepared and adapted when entering the various national primary schools. “Montessori is the bedrock upon which we base our curriculum and syllabus. However, over time we have adapted ourselves to the changing landscape of early childhood education so that even today we are able to provide the latest and best preschool education to the children who come to us,” says its principal, Mdm. Pamela Phang, proudly.
Within the confines of Tadika Yume’s brightly painted walls and classrooms one will find well structured and stimulating lessons in progress. It is amazing that all the preschoolers are attentive and well-mannered – working at their little desks, listening intently to the teachers or posing happily for our cameraman. Obviously, the children have been nurtured well in the Montessori philosophies for instilling physical, social, emotional, intellectual and creative skills. In preparing a child for primary school, subjects such as Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mandarin, Mathematics, Science, Moral, Arts and Craft and Music and Movement are also included in the syllabus.
To further reinforce the students’ preschool foundation, Tadika Yume creates and prints its own range of workbooks. “This allows us to maintain the high standards and quality of the contents and materials,” explains Madam Phang. For the past few years Tadika Yume has also gradually started introducing technology into its teaching, learning and environment. There are interactive lessons and activities via audio and visual equipment and computers for subjects such as Science and the languages.
Not wanting to limit the children’s preschool learning experience to just books and the four walls of the kindergarten, Tadika Yume has a very well equipped outdoor playground and their very own pool for water play! There are also organized excursions and trips to places of interest, concerts, sports day and the celebration of the various festivals of our multiracial community.
Having well trained, qualified and vastly experienced teachers, many of them having been there since day one, is another unique aspect of Tadika Yume. “I am truly grateful to my staff and I am humbled whenever I think about their years of dedication and single-mindedness in nurturing each and every student……,” Madam Phang says with true appreciation in her voice.
Being a preschool educator today one has to be everything to every student. One has to be a teacher, a mentor, a friend and even a substitute parent. In Tadika Yume you will find all of them here – the teacher, the mentor, the friend and the substitute parent. Tadika Yume is a special kindergarten, with special teachers and a very special principal. I take my hat off to them for their warmth, their passion and their dedication.
