Children born after the 1980’s would not recognise the Primary 7 and Primary 8 system, which Mr Aw was a part of. Struggling academically, his teachers commented on his yearly report book that he was not putting in the effort and was plain lazy. He was failing so consistently that he had to transfer school and transfer again to a school that supported Primary 7 and 8 students. After Primary 8, Terran could not qualify for secondary school so he was enrolled into the Vocational and Industrial Training Board (VITB), the predecessor of today’s Institute of Technical Education (ITE). There, his first two years consisted of general skills before he went on to specialise in mechanical fittings. Terran took courses in early childhood movement and applied the techniques when he taught children gymnastics. Through his job, he met many parents who have come up to tell him that their children have dyslexia. They connect immediately because Terran truly understands them. At the age of 42, Terran was diagnosed with dyslexia. Though painful to acknowledge he accepted his problem. And by accepting his problem, he felt more relieved and grateful that he was able to achieve what he has accomplished despite having dyslexia. Now, he sincerely hopes to convey to more children who are facing issues, not to be in despair.

Read Terran’s personal story here:

This article was published in FACETS Vol 1 2018

Terran also presented his story at UNITE SpLD 2018 – Stay tuned for the video – COMING SOON!