As an instructor, it is LTA Roxanne Guan Hui Qi's duty to impart her knowledge of fundamentals of infantry as well as to nurture her cadets into future leaders.
 
As LTA Guan shared, "To nurture my cadets into future competent leaders, I believe in the importance of employing both hard and soft leadership. I do, however, tend to favour soft leadership, whereby I get to know my trainees, encouraging them to discover their strengths and to cultivate their leadership potential".
 

Being a trainer doesn't mean that your learning stops and as with different batches of officer cadets bring new challenges, LTA Guan takes it upon herself to adapt to her trainees so that she can bring out the best in them. 
 
"It is essential that I too continually work and improve myself, as my cadets deserve the best model of myself. I also have to learn how to adapt to different teaching methodologies as every cadet's learning pace is different. Finally, I always remind myself of the tenet "Redefining Perfection". While we can achieve the perfect forms and practices currently, the goalposts will always be moving due to improvements in methodology and technology, and it is on us to stay abreast of new developments to redefine and deliver perfection in our duty continually."

Alongside LTA Guan, we have LTA Teo Shao Hui Terence, a Platoon Instructor in Officer Cadet School Hotel Wing. LTA Teo feels that it is their responsibility as instructors to ensure that their officer cadets are well-trained and instilled with the SAF core values.
 
LTA Teo shared, "I firmly believe that instructors are an image of what Officership is to the cadets, and that is why I will only do what is right, upholding my values to ensure that my cadets do the same", shared LTA Teo. He further added that, "As their role models, being an instructor holds a lot of meaning and responsibility, I will continue to strive for excellence, to embody the motto 'To lead, To Excel, To Overcome'."

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly added to the challenges faced by the already challenging OCS course. However, LTA Teo and his fellow trainers are well equipped to handle the crisis responses by ensuring that learning gaps have been mitigated. 
 
"We adapted and adopted a new methodology to continue providing the best training to the cadets. We allowed them to train hard without compromising standards and adhere to COVID-19 guidelines at all times. The cadets went through all outfield and live firing exercises as robust as past batches. Hence, I believed that we had achieved the intent in meeting all training objectives despite the COVID-19 situation."

Meanwhile, at Specialist Cadet School (SCS), SSG Varun Dass has the mentality of always giving his all when guiding his cadets through their journey at SCS. "When I train my men, I always do my best to encourage them, motivate them," shared SSG Dass.
 
SSG Dass believes in peer coaching, as it helps to strengthen the relationship between him and his cadets and at the same time unify the cadets. "I believe that as you teach, you learn more. Therefore, I would encourage peer to peer learning during my training. Meanwhile, I would carefully monitor them before conducting a debrief session, making sure the trainees have internalized the lesson."

As a trainer, it is important to not only train the trainees in their respective fields of vocation but also look after their well-being. For SSG Dass, he treats his trainees as his "students", by learning more about them and helping them to overcome challenges that they may face while at SCS.
 
During his days as a trainer, "I still recall a trainee who was unsure of his future in life. I spoke to him about his problems, carefully guiding him through his training. After some time, he started to change and eventually graduated as the most improved cadet for his batch. It is at times like these where I find my role as a trainer particularly meaningful."

Together with SSG Dass, we have SSG Toh Zhi Hong. As trainees have to go through the 22 weeks SCS course, SSG Toh believes that having two-way communication and treating his trainees as 'family' are the two most important aspects of a positive learning environment.

As Singaporean sons transit from being a civilian to a soldier in the Army, some may face difficulties in adapting to the huge change in lifestyle. This is where trainers like SSG Toh step in to help these soldiers feel more at ease and provide them with the confidence they need to go through the future endeavours in their soldiering life. 
 
SSG Toh further shared that, "Having to go through the transition from a civilian to a soldier is never easy. Therefore, it is important to communicate and to understand them. I do my best to guide my trainees, putting my heart and soul into training and motivating them, which is key in allowing them to open up and excel."

These trainers take a personal approach towards training, by getting to know each trainee individually, encouraging and motivating them throughout their training journey. Kudos to the trainers who are the heart of Our Army training system. As Teachers' Day approaches, we would like to thank all trainers in the Army for their contributions and wish every teacher alike a Happy Teachers' Day!

Click HERE to hear from our trainees on what they have to say to their trainers!