By Tania Tan

A DECADE ago, Mrs Diana Lim made the leap from investing in dollars to investing in young minds, leaving her job in banking for a career as a teacher.

She may have taken a 70 per cent pay cut in the process, but the returns have been good.

Yesterday, the 40-year-old bagged the President's Award for Teachers, the highest honour for educators here.

She was recognised for innovative classes that placed an emphasis on community involvement and problem solving, as opposed to rote learning.

Speaking last night after receiving an award from President S R Nathan at the Istana ceremony, Mrs Lim said she hoped her work will influence students to be 'beacons of light' that can touch other lives.

Mrs Lim joined the teaching profession after seven years as a currency broker cutting multi-million dollar deals for banks. She made the switch because she needed a change of pace.

'I won't lie, it was an exciting job and it paid well,' said the head of Information and Communications Technology at Coral Secondary School.

'But I wanted relationships that were more meaningful, not ones that went up and down with the market.'

She decided to try teaching, drawing inspiration from her mother-in-law, who was a teacher. Aggressive campaigns by the Government to attract people to the profession also encouraged her to make the leap.

Initially, Mrs Lim found it hard to cope with the demands of being a teacher, such as managing students and their parents.

But she soon found her groove, and after joining Coral Secondary in 2001, she helped form the Student Action Research Programme, which helps students identify problems in their community, such as littering and public hygiene, and devise solutions for them.

Her approach of teaching students how to identify problems and come up with solutions has been hailed for making them think out of the box. The programme was later used as a prototype for an Education Ministry movement to place less of an emphasis on rote learning in education.

Mrs Lim was one of three teachers - Mrs Eileen Ong and Mrs Lee Kok Hong, from Haig Girls' School and Temasek Primary School, respectively, were the others - to be honoured on Teachers' Day.

They beat over 2,000 other teachers vying for the honour. A record 7,806 nominations were received this year from parents, students and colleagues. Established in 1998, the annual award recognises teachers for their dedication to the profession.

Though they have unique teaching styles, all three award winners agreed on one thing - teaching is no walk in the park. Tight deadlines, managing irate parents and addressing students' needs are just some of the daily trials teachers go through, said Mrs Lim.

Mrs Lee said the secret of her success is family support. 'My family was always ready to step in, as and when I needed them,' she said. 'It was a big support and it helped me excel.'

Being mothers has also helped these women take their profession even more seriously.

Said Mrs Ong: 'Ultimately, you have to hand your own children over to other teachers, so I believe that you cannot shortchange the children.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Sept 2, 2008.