Stories That Matter: Reaching Kids Who Need Them Most
PanelChen Wei Teng, Chloe Ng, Francesca Wah | Moderator: Far’ain Jaafar
Reading stories to children and providing a print-rich environment give children a strong foundation for academic confidence and holistic development. In this session, inspirational school principals and educators will share insights on how reading, storytelling activities and easy access to reading materials both inside and outside the classroom empower students. The panel will discuss the methods of implementation and positive impact these initiatives have had on children's development and well-being.
joy of reading
Chen Wei Teng (Singapore)
Wei Teng is a literacy specialist and author who believes in empowering neurodivergent learners to march to their own beat. She works with children and teens with specific learning differences such as dyslexia and ADHD and previously served at NorthLight School, where she supported at-risk youth from disadvantaged backgrounds who struggled with literacy. Her picture book, Murphy, See How You Shine!, won the Moonbeam Children’s Picture Book Gold Award (e-book category) in 2018. Most recently, she published her memoir titled Zen Musings from a Fly on the Wall. Beyond the classroom, Wei Teng has volunteered in both local and international communities—where she helped put together a library and train teachers in Nepal and Cambodia. She now runs her own educational consultancy, The Oak Planters, and is an associate member of the Storytelling Association (Singapore).
Chloe Ng (Singapore)
Chloe knows that loved children learn. Not from theory, but through her research and experience working with children—and how far short she sometimes fell. She started building 32 Pages, a school of emotions, as an undergraduate to help adults who faced the same challenges: to become more effective learning facilitators who first listen, guide, and help children feel at home in themselves. She now supports aspiring changemakers at SUSS Entrepreneurship and has represented Singapore at the 2024 United Nations ECOSOC Youth Forum.
Francesca Wah (Singapore)
Francesca is an educator by profession and a social worker by conviction. She started a charity organisation, Bringing Love to Every Single Soul (BLESS), that reaches out to the less privileged children. One of BLESS' programmes, Shining Star Reads, aims to impart literacy skills to the children residing in rental flats.
Moderator Far’ain Jaafar (Singapore)
Far’ain Jaafar is an educator, and a published children's book author. She is dedicated to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in her work and publications. She is an award-winning advocate and educational leader with more than 15 years of experience in the field of education and youth development. Her areas of advocacy revolve around children, women, youth, and families.
Programme dates and times are subject to change.