SINGAPORE: It is still dark when the first school bus pulls up to Yuhua Primary School at 6.30am, its loud rattling noise breaking the early morning silence.
One-by-one, children decked in red and blue chequered uniform hop out of the bus, clutching the straps of their backpacks.
As they make a beeline for the canteen, the school’s discipline master Musa Abdul Kadir comes into view, smiling warmly at them.
“Good morning, children! Welcome back to school,” says Mr Musa, repeating the greeting every few seconds as the students stream pass him.
Some chirp a greeting back while others simply bow their heads out of respect or wave back shyly.
More buses arrive and soon he is surrounded by a group of students, trying his best to keep up with them as they talk over each other excitedly.
Above the chatter, one boy could be heard saying: “Mr Musa, have you seen my YouTube video? I make Legos in it!”
Another shows him his new black jacket, beaming proudly when he receives a thumbs-up from Mr Musa.
As this reporter watched the children rush up to Mr Musa, I was surprised. It was a far cry from my own experience back when I was a young student.
My discipline mistress in primary school was a fearsome woman, whose stare was enough to make me quiver in fear – even if I hadn’t done anything wrong.
I recall morning assembly being exceptionally nerve-wrecking, as she prowled around the parade square, her sharp eyes quick to catch misbehaving students.
Back then, avoiding the discipline mistress was not only “the thing to do”, it was a matter of survival.
Going up to chat with her was more likely to end up with a warning about how socks were supposed to be above the ankles or how hair should not be below the eyebrows, rather than a casual conversation about our day.
But the latter is exactly what Mr Musa hopes to do.
While each exchange is no more than a few minutes long, the 51-year-old believes that it goes a long way, especially when it comes to instilling positive behaviour in children.
“To discipline is to care and so, as much as possible, I try to find time to touch base with students just to show them that they are valued and welcomed in school,” said Mr Musa, who is also a Head of Department (HOD) overseeing student management, discipline, and student leadership.