A Learning Session With Bro John D'Cruz

Last Sunday morning, Mrs Ee invited me to join her, Mr Ee, Sis Theresa and Sis Grace to meet John D'Cruz at Harap Learning Centre Bukit Baru later at 5pm.

I had heard about this name from Piek See a few times. I had assumed that John D'Cruz was a Westerner giving some training to preschooler teachers in Malaysia. When I saw him in person and learnt that he was actually from Melaka, I was no longer surprised to associate this brother in Christ's Eurasian face with his Malaysian identity.

Bro John gave a brief introduction of himself--He was a secondary school teacher and later 5 years of principal from 1965 to 1982. 17 years under the national education system, he realised that many boys and girls, especially those from the marginalised community, were not academic and could not catch up with their classmates. Hence, he started the La Salle Learning Centre in Penang in 1984 to help these students to learn how to learn.

"These students are not slow learners, but different learners. An American psychologist Gardner stated that if a child is not linguistic or mathematically/logically inclined, he or she may have stronger skills like musical, visual/senses, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalist and kinaesthetic..."

I immediately remembered this theory of multiple intelligences. To children who show poor academic performance, John D'Cruz suggests that facilitators should focus on life skills, namely talking, listening, remembering, spelling, reading, writing, comprehension, counting, doing/making, drawing, gardening, etc., rather than knowledge. Once the life values are imparted to them, these children will be able to cope with the school syllabus.

John D'Cruz asked me why I, having a comfortable full-time job, was helping in this Projek Harap. I answered, "Because I have the heart for the underprivileged children. Whoever is given up, I'll pick up." I told him that I am also involved in Calvary Care Home.

My work was just the beginning if compared to John D'Cruz's 25 years of experience of reaching out to underprivileged children. He invited five of us to go for the five training sessions within six months specially catered to the Harap Learning Centre which would be held this year.

I thank God for this opportunity to get myself connected with His faithful servants who give a hope to students from difficult backgrounds.