SINGAPORE - It is a sight you don't see very often, if at all - a man standing outside a school gate, smiling and welcoming pupils as they stream into the school every morning.
And the man is not a worker at the school, nor a teacher, but the principal.
Dr Chin Kim Woon, principal of Tao Nan primary school, takes it upon himself to stand outside the school gates every morning to greet pupils as they come in.
According to some parents the Shin Min Daily spoke to, Dr Chin bows ever slightly to greet each one of them, and does so no matter rain or shine.
His actions have touched many parents, one of whom contacted the Chinese daily to pay tribute to him, ahead of "Teachers' Day" in September.
Madam Huang Li Fen, 44, who works in the insurance sector, has two boys studying in Tao Nan Primary. She told Shin Min she always sees Dr Chin outside the school gate at 7am when she takes her sons to school.
He always has a warm and sincere smile for all his pupils, says Madam Huang.
She recalled how when it rains, Dr Chin would carry a large umbrella to shelter the kids from the car to the school building after their parents had dropped them off.
According to her son who studies in the afternoon session, Dr Chin also makes it a point to share a few stories during the assembly that will imbue kids with the right moral values.
When interviewed by Shin Min Daily, Dr Chin says he does his morning routine because he believes mornings are the most important part of the day.
He quoted an old Chinese saying, on "how one's plan for the day largely depends on the morning".
Dr Chin, who has more than 20 years experience in teaching, said it is important to "be full of life and energy in the morning", and hopes to give students a good start to each day.
According to a reporter who observed Dr Chin, pupils will automatically greet Dr Chin cheerily, with no hint of fear of trepidation as one would expect when faced with the principal.
Dr Chin also spots students with undone shoe-laces, and tells them to tie them up before they trip.
