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Most students who score well in SPM tend to follow a familiar route, one that’s stable, secure, and often decided by their parents: a solid 9-to-5 job, predictable career, and a life that checks all the boxes.
Like many high achievers in school, JJ was once on a straight path toward a conventional 9-to-5 life. Having scored 9As and coming from a family that encouraged stability, the plan seemed clear: study hard, get a good job, and settle into something corporate.
But life had a different kind of fulfillment in store for her.
‘I never felt heard’
With a Bachelor’s degree and currently pursuing her Master’s in Clinical Psychology, JJ found a way to merge her academic passion with real-world impact in the most unexpected setting: by teaching special needs children how to swim, connect, and grow.
As the middle child in a traditional family, JJ said she often felt ‘invisible’.
My parents wanted me to study business, something stable. I never really felt prioritised growing up. That feeling of being overlooked…that shaped how I relate to the kids I teach today.”
Given the common stereotype that psychology wasn’t a “practical” or “stable” degree, JJ’s parents encouraged her to pursue business. But, she chose to follow her heart instead.
Overcoming her fear
As someone who didn’t grow up learning how to swim and almost drowned once, JJ’s connection to water didn’t begin in childhood. In fact, it began with fear.
I was terrified of water. I never had any formal swimming background and I nearly drowned once.
“It wasn’t until university that I decided to face my fear head-on. What began as a personal step toward fitness soon became something much more. From there, everything just aligned,” she said.
After undergoing one year of DPS SwimEduPRO Swimming Teacher Course, JJ began noticing a troubling pattern. “Parents of special needs children were always asking, ‘Do you know anyone who can really work with our kids?’
“As it turned out, many of these families struggled to find teachers who understood their children’s emotional needs, not just physical safety.
“That really stayed with me. I realised I could use my psychology training in the water to connect, to teach, and to support in a way others might not be able to.”
All about patience
JJ’s approach to teaching goes beyond swimming techniques, but it’s also rooted within the concept of trust. Some children take days just to feel comfortable near the water, and she’s perfectly fine with that. For her, it’s about meeting each child where they are and adjusting the pace to suit their needs.
As for students who are non-verbal or sensitive to touch, she communicates through presence and observation, becoming what she calls their “aquatic Google Map” by gently guiding, rerouting, and supporting without pressure or judgment.
One breakthrough moment JJ remembers clearly was when a student who had been struggling for weeks with front paddling suddenly completed the whole sequence on his own.
That moment reminded me that real progress often unfolds slowly and then all at once,” she added.
JJ understands the unique challenges her students face, which range from sensory sensitivities to communication barriers and physical limitations. But she believes these aren’t problems: they’re simply differences that require a different approach.
To her, the the real hurdle lies in shifting society’s mindset regarding special needs kids.
“Too often, special needs children are seen as “difficult” when in reality, they’re just as capable and intelligent, except that they learn in their own way.
“I’d like to tell all parents that progress doesn’t always follow a straight path. It may be slow, quiet, or unconventional, but every small step forward is still progress, and it deserves to be celebrated.”
Seeing beyond labels
If there’s one thing JJ wishes more people understood, it would be that special needs children are not broken, incomplete, or defined by their diagnoses. Beneath every label is a child who wants to be seen, heard, and treated with the same respect as anyone else.
She believes that society often focuses too much on what these children can’t do, rather than recognising the many things they can do. With the right support and understanding, they are capable of incredible growth, connection, and joy.
For JJ, every child she teaches is a reminder that there is beauty in difference and that every child, no matter their challenges, deserves to be met with patience, dignity, and belief in their potential.
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