In school, students often show appreciation for their teachers, whether during Teachers’ Day or after receiving one’s desired exam results.
But when was the last time non-teaching staff in schools receive gratitude too?
For one canteen staff at Temasek Polytechnic (TP), the gesture came from a student.
In a TikTok video posted on Tuesday (Oct 6), TP student Chloe Lee shared how she surprised the man, whom she refers to fondly as Uncle Heng, on his special day.
“Come surprise my favourite canteen uncle with me for his birthday!” she wrote.
Armed with a slice of cake, she approached the elderly man at the canteen while singing the mandarin version of Happy Birthday.
@chloee._lee shout out to the amazing uncle heng 🫰🏻more awareness for schools’ non teaching staff✌🏻✌🏻 everyone’s birthday deserve to be celebrated 😛😛😛 #temasekpoly #fyp #birthday #fypppppppppppppp #awareness
With his back initially facing Chloe, Uncle Heng was visibly stunned when he turned and saw the surprise — pausing for a moment before making his way to the student.
What started as a simple gesture soon turned into an emotional moment.
After receiving the cake, Uncle Heng revealed: “No one has celebrated just for me before.”
Tearing up, he shared that his birthdays had only ever been celebrated at church, where he attended for over 10 years.
“I feel very blessed, thank you,” he then told Chloe.
The video ended with Chloe thanking Uncle Heng for always bringing a smile to everyone’s faces.
“Shoutout to the amazing Uncle Heng,” she wrote in the accompanying caption, adding that she hopes for more awareness for non-teaching staff at schools.
“Everyone’s birthday deserves to be celebrated.”
Chloe’s gesture quickly warmed the hearts of netizens, with many leaving supportive messages in the comments.
“May my daughters grow up to be [as] kind and sweet as you. Keep spreading kindness,” read one comment.
“Uncle will remember this day for the rest of his life. Thank you for being so kind and thoughtful. Ought to learn from you!” another said.
AsiaOne has reached out to Chloe for more information.
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carol.ong@asiaone.com
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