She wasn’t planning to do a Master’s. But when the email came, she said yes.

“If I ever decide to do my master’s, please tell me ‘No!’”

I remember saying this to a friend when I had just completed my Post-Graduate Certificate in SEN. But I guess it’s true when they “never say never”, because when my lecturer emailed me asking whether I was going to continue down the master’s degree route, it didn’t take much for me to say yes. “Might as well go all the way, right?”

You might think the decision was a matter of convenience, rather than a vision, but I beg to differ. I had a vision of it getting me somewhere, but 2016 me didn’t quite know where exactly. All I knew at that time was that I enjoyed being in the SEN field; I would reflect on the different learning experiences of my students, and I wanted to push myself to see what else I could do to contribute meaningfully.

I don’t remember the details of every single module I sat through, but I can tell you the key things that stuck with me and shaped how I now see the SEN landscape in Singapore. It opened my eyes to the
world my students live in outside of their remediation sessions. I remember the discussions we had about the systems and policies in place, the long-term plans for students with SEN, and what we could do to prepare them for that. I gained a broader perspective on what support looks like on a policy and national level, and not just within the classroom. I also learnt to critically evaluate current research and practices and adapt them to support my students. I carry these lessons with me to this day.

These takeaways also greatly influenced how I chose my thesis topic. I loved that the programme allowed me the flexibility to explore what I was genuinely curious about. I thought about the many questions I had based on my classroom experience, and I finally got to choose one to dive deep into – Dyslexia and the Malay Language in Singapore – never mind that it was an under-researched area. While that made the journey more challenging, it was even more meaningful knowing I was contributing to a small but growing body of research.

I was an Awareness Speaker at that time too. I was speaking to parents, students, educators, and even corporate staff as part of CSR initiatives. There were so many things I wanted people to understand about learning differences – so many misconceptions, so many missed opportunities to support learners better, whether they had a diagnosis or not. I wanted to do more to help shape the conversation. So when the opportunity to become a lecturer came knocking, I knew I had to take it.

Today, I’m a lecturer-practitioner at DAS Academy, teaching adults – parents, professionals, and even university students. The MA played a big part in the progression, both in terms of the qualification and the confidence it gave me to step into the role. In my lectures, I try to bring that same spirit of curiosity and critical thinking. I want the learners I work with to walk away with more than just frameworks and theories. I want them to understand the why behind them, how to apply them thoughtfully, and how they can play a role in improving the SEN landscape in their own spaces.

It doesn’t escape me that my career path would have looked very different had I not said yes to that email. And I’m not sure I’d still feel this connected to the heart of the work after ten years in the field. If you’re thinking about pursuing the master’s but you’re unsure – do it. If you must ask a friend to advise you against it, then perhaps deep down you already believe it’s something worth doing; you just need a little nudge. Besides, my friend never even gave me that vehement ‘no!’ that I requested for anyway.

You don’t need to start with a vision, let alone a grand one.
Start with a question, or two, and let that guide you.

Find out more about the Master’s programme here

Find out more about Hamadatun Yusuf here