She was a ‘guardian angel’: Reunions with teacher and former helper stir emotions online

She was a ‘guardian angel’: Reunions with teacher and former helper stir emotions online A teacher’s kindness helped shape Dino Isaac’s life, while a former helper who raised Leticia Peh ended up sacrificing more than the girl imagined. Their reunions, featured in On The Red Dot, have struck a chord with viewers. SINGAPORE: As a young boy living in a children’s home, Dino Isaac used to wish his Primary 3 teacher, Teresa Lee, could adopt him. Two decades later, their emotional reunion revealed that those feelings went both ways. To his surprise, Lee, now 44, told him she had “similar thoughts”. But she was not married at the time, so she “kept the thought” to herself. Dino, whose childhood was marked by abuse and homelessness, was placed in a children’s home at age five. Lee was his form teacher for just half a year, but she was at Jin Tai Primary with him for another two years before transferring to another school. She nurtured his musical talent and made him feel seen and valued. “Ms Lee was literally a guardian angel sent from the sky,” he said. “She looked out for me in a parental way.” Now 30, he enlisted the help of On The Red Dot to track her down to her current school to show her how far he has come and tell her his decision to pursue social work, inspired by her kindness. Their story is part of the show’s Finding series, which returns to reunite Singaporeans with the unsung mentors, friends and figures who shaped their lives. The episode has prompted an outpouring of responses online, having racked up more than two million views and over 2,000 comments on YouTube. Many viewers said the reunion moved them to tears. Others reflected on the influence teachers can have on their students and remembered educators who had changed their own lives. WATCH: The teacher who made me feel seen when no one showed up for me (22:44) THE TEACHERS WE NEVER FORGET Lee’s care for Dino went beyond the classroom. She looked after him when he had a high fever, bought him food when he did not have enough pocket money and selected him for the school choir after hearing him sing. Their bond grew stronger through choir practices and performances, and when events ended late, she would bring him back to the children’s home. She encouraged him despite his grades, writing in his school report that he was musically and artistically talented and could become a good leader. “She saw the potential in me,” he recollected. Watching their reunion stirred a desire among some viewers to reconnect with teachers who had impacted their lives. Instagram user @kei.hirano88 recalled two teachers who helped pay for tuition when the user’s family could not afford it. “Because of them, I’m now very successful. This story reminds me that I need to find my teachers who helped me in the past,” the user wrote. For YouTube user @punsohtang, the episode was bittersweet. After graduating from polytechnic, the user had hoped to thank a primary school teacher for her tender loving care, only to learn that she had died. “I never had a chance to thank her,” the user wrote, adding that watching Dino’s reunion offered “a little bit of closure”. Some netizens remembered a teacher’s encouragement long after they left school. Retiree @DennisYoungblood-r6b said his own “Ms Lee” had instilled “a sense of courage and confidence” that has stayed with him over the years. “Even in those quiet moments of ‘imposter syndrome’ emotions, I think back to her and the encouragement she provided,” he wrote. For Youtube user @dannykuang9433, who said he had taught in after-school programmes, the episode highlighted the lasting difference teachers can make. “Great teachers are one in a million, and the hearts and minds they touch, inspire and help nudge into the world are countless,” he wrote. “I wish every student in this world gets their own version of Miss Lee.” THE SACRIFICES BEHIND A LIFETIME OF CARE Teachers were not the only figures of care featured in the series. Leticia Peh, 23, was hoping to find her former domestic helper, Muslichah Abdullah, or “Auntie Mas”, who cared for her and her three siblings for about 12 years. Auntie Mas was there for them during some of their most difficult moments. When Peh struggled in primary school with undiagnosed hearing loss, Auntie Mas would notice when she came home upset, make food for her and comfort her. The helper was equally protective of the family’s youngest child, Lenette, who was born with Down syndrome. Peh recalled Auntie Mas telling their father once: “Sir, if you don’t want her, I’m going to bring her home.” After 11 years apart, Peh travelled to Kudus, Indonesia, to surprise her. A stunned Auntie Mas exclaimed: “I feel like (it’s a) dream.” WATCH: What happened to the helper who raised me after she left our family? (22:45) But the visit also showed Peh what life was like for Auntie Mas, 56, after her two decades working in Singapore. She lives alone in a rented room. Her sons live elsewhere in Indonesia, and her grandchildren are not close to her because she had been away for so long, she said. She had built a house with her sister. But when the latter asked for the house, saying she had cared for Auntie Mas’ sons until they got married, Auntie Mas gave it to her. At one point, Peh broke down. “Auntie Mas, you always say (you’re) very okay, but it doesn’t look like you're okay,” she said. “You always take care of everyone but yourself.” The former helper’s circumstances resonated with netizens. One Indonesian viewer on YouTube wrote: “There are many ‘Aunty Mas’ in here. A woman who pursued the future for her family and left herself behind.” Another YouTube user, @Keizoneverybook, reflected on how helpers can spend years away from their spouses and children. “So please take good care of your helpers when they are with you, don’t take them for granted. Many times, we forgot their sacrifices,” the user wrote. Others were reminded of helpers who had become part of their own families. YouTube user @ConanDQ2345, whose former helper was with his family for 16 years, expressed hope that he could visit her one day when he is well. Leena Rashid, meanwhile, had the same helper for 27 years and did pay a surprise visit last year to her home in Indonesia. “She is family and will always be,” wrote the Facebook user. As for Peh, her trip changed how she saw her relationship with Auntie Mas. She said: “For a long time it’s been one-sided: Me just going to her for comfort. But now it can be a two-way thing.” She has set up a Give.Asia fundraiser for Auntie Mas, which has raised more than S$11,000 so far, with a target of S$50,000. “Even though Auntie Mas doesn’t have a dream now, I will work hard to help her find a new one — whether it be a home she can call her own or anything else,” Peh wrote online. Watch Dino Isaac and Teresa Lee on Finding Teacher here, and Leticia Peh and Auntie Mas on Finding Auntie here. The programme, On The Red Dot, airs on Channel 5 every Friday at 9.30pm.