Six-year-old Boo Ray Sheng went through a significant transformation during his two years at the Tzu Chi Great Love PreSchool. (Photo by Peng Run Ping)
“How long have you been a vegetarian?”
“Five years,” came the answer.
“Why are you a vegetarian?”
“Don’t want to kill animals; animals are living things……”
Six-year-old Boo Ray Sheng, a K2 student from the Tzu Chi Great Love PreSchool, has been on a vegetarian diet since his birth as his father is also a vegetarian. Before he turned six, the little boy did not like to interact with other people and counted drawing and reading as his favourite activities. “The 13-Storey Tree House” series of books were his “best friends,” and his mother, his “able helper.”
In the past, he did not like his father and would depend on his mother for all his daily tasks, such as brushing his teeth, eating and bathing. Apart from being anti-social, he was overly dependent on his mother and would scream and cry whenever he met with any situation he found unpleasant.
His mother said, “Whenever he lost his temper, he would just lie down wherever he stood and scream.” This made his parents very unwilling to bring him out as their outing would be ruined and they would return home in dampened spirits.
Though she did consider seeking the help of a child psychiatrist, she eventually gave up the idea when she was told that Ray Sheng’s temper tantrums were just a passing phase of childhood during a medical talk. Subsequently, she decided that it would do him good to have more social interaction with other children, and on the recommendation of her sister-in-law, she enrolled her son in the Tzu Chi Great Love PreSchool, a childcare centre run by Tzu Chi Foundation (Singapore).
Having done some research, she found out that not only does the PreSchool offer longer care hours, it also provides the children with vegetarian meals. This convinced her that she was making the right decision and she registered him for the K1 class.
The Beginning of Small but Noticeable Changes
The new environment did not result in any drastic changes in Ray Sheng’s behavior initially. Whenever he met with situations he did not like, he would still throw tantrums. He also showed no interest in mixing with his classmates. Teacher Chong Voon Hwee recalled that for almost half a year, he did not want to interact with them.
Chong had her own ways of dealing with the little boy: whenever he threw a fit, she would let him wait at the side. Only after he had calmed down would she go over to console him. She said, “I think education should be for everyone irrespective of background. If every teacher only chooses to teach the good ones, problematic students will be left behind and no one will discover their potential.”
Finally, in the next half of the year, small changes were seen in Ray Sheng. Though he would occasionally prefer to be by himself, he did make some good friends and had started to mingle with the other children.
At Tzu Chi, a “thank you” said with gratitude is often heard, and Ray Sheng too, learned to do the same. He would even greet his teachers politely whenever he saw them. Apart from these improvements, he also began to independently care for his own needs in daily life. His mother noticed that while he used to need her help for everything, he was now happy to complete these tasks by himself. Under the guidance of his teachers, Ray Sheng now knew how to wash his own bowl and shoes, and put away his own clothes.
Kind at Heart
Beneath the previously problematic exterior of the young boy lay a kind heart. Ray Sheng’s mother noticed little acts of kindness coming from her son, such as the time that he had tried to save an ant that had fallen into a cup of water.
A vegetarian since birth, Ray Sheng does not have any interest in meat. His mother puts it across simply, “(Him) being vegetarian has its plus points, as he does not dislike his greens even though he may be picky with what he eats.”
Perhaps because of his dietary preferences and the teachings he received at the Tzu Chi Great Love PreSchool, Ray Sheng understands that vegetarianism is a form of saving lives. His mother related an instance while they were holidaying in Australia, where he had told his uncle “Don’t kill fish!” upon seeing the latter head for the kitchen with the day’s catch.
Once when his grandmother was cooking meat, Ray Sheng saw what she was busy with and immediately requested her not to do so. His grandmother expressed that in the past, her grandson would refuse to speak in Mandarin and was predisposed to having tantrums. Now that he would even express his gratitude towards others made her feel very happy.
Moral Character Comes First
The Tzu Chi Great Love PreSchool sometimes requires its students to prepare recyclables from home for handicraft lessons. As time passed, Ray Sheng’s mother who used to know nothing about recycling began to think that it was a meaningful activity. Since then, the mother and son have begun to collect recyclables which they would place in the recycling bins below their block.
Occasionally, Ray Sheng would share the Jing Si Aphorisms (wise sayings by Dharma Master Cheng Yen) that he had learnt in school. She quoted an example of an Aphorism on “anger” as an example, and had barely started when her son finished the sentence for her. Though he was not absolutely correct, it was obvious that he had taken the teachings to heart. “Say good words, do good deeds and think kind thoughts” was the first Aphorism that her son had shared with her, and it had left a lasting impression on her consciousness.
Ray Sheng himself says with childish innocence: “In the past I lost my temper with my teachers because I did not understand (that one must have) respect (for others), now I know (how to show respect).”
The transformation of Ray Sheng has brought welcome comfort to his mother; for as a parent, she always believes that moral character surpasses academic excellence in importance.
Teacher Chong Voon Hwee would deal with Ray Sheng’s temper tantrums by only approaching him after he had calmed down. (Photo by Peng Run Ping)
Ray Sheng took half a year to start interacting with his classmates and join in the group learning activities. (Photo by Peng Run Ping)
After two years at the Great Love PreSchool, Ray Sheng has formed good friendships and mingles well with his classmates. (Photo by Peng Run Ping)
A vegetarian since birth, Ray Sheng is aware that every animal is a life, and thinks that one should avoid killing animals by not eating meat. (Photo by Peng Run Ping)
Today, Ray Sheng is no longer overly dependent on his mother and is able to complete simple tasks, such as washing his shoes and packing his own bag. (Photo by Peng Run Ping)
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