By Jennani Durai

A PARTICULARLY troubled and listless boy in one of her classes caught Miss Cardoza Sharon Ann's eye last year, and she resolved to discover what was bothering him.

She soon found out that his mother had lost her job and the family was having to go without food.

Miss Cardoza, 38, used her own money to buy food such as instant noodles and biscuits for the family. 'Just small things... just so they would know someone was there for them,' she said.

Some time later, when the same boy fractured his leg, she gave him a lift to school every day in a taxi so that he would not have to miss his classes.

'He lived quite near me, so I didn't really have to leave that much earlier,' said Miss Cardoza, who teaches English and mathematics at the foundation level at Farrer Park Primary School, where she is also the subject head for pupil development.

Her commitment to getting the boy to school and supporting him paid off when he gradually began to trust her. His attendance, which was poor initially, became regular.

Said the teacher: 'He began putting more effort into his school work and picked up more social skills.'

Miss Cardoza, who has been teaching for 17 years, feels her job is largely one of a motivator. A trained teacher-counsellor, she firmly believes that a child's emotional welfare is as important as his or her academic standing.

To help boost her students' confidence before the PSLE, she gives them small presents - a pen, a pencil and a paper crane - for good luck.

'It helps them. Many of them wouldn't use them till the day of the PSLE itself, because they become something almost magical for them,' she said.

'I believe strongly that we should always give our children hope. That's one thing we must never take away from them, no matter their performance.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times.