Actress Evelyn Tan Opens Up About Raising Three Dyslexic Sons
“I saw other kids do well and thought that I, the homeschool mum, was the one who was teaching badly"
By Farah Daley -
SINGAPORE – Singaporean actress-host Evelyn Tan has opened up about raising her three sons who were diagnosed with dyslexia.
Tan, 49, has four children with local actor-host Darren Lim, 51: daughter Kristen, 19, and sons Jairus, 17, Way, 15, and Elliott, 11. She put her career on hold when she became a mother, and decided to homeschool her children during their formative years. However, she faced an uphill task when she discovered all three boys were dyslexic.
“It was really quite tough,” Tan told The New Paper. “I saw other kids do well and thought that I, the homeschool mum, was the one who was teaching badly.”
Although homeschooling went smoothly with Kristen, Tan realised that Jairus needed more time to grasp concepts and found reading a little more difficult. He was diagnosed with dyslexia in 2016.
“Thankfully, Kristen performed well, and I was not doing anything different, so it could not have been my teaching methods.”
Determined to support Jairus, Tan signed up for the Dyslexia and Literacy Teaching course offered by the Dyslexia Association of Singapore in 2016.
“It was a beacon of light for parents like myself,” she said. “For a dyslexic mind, you have to give very specific instructions. The course taught me that not everyone learns spelling the way I did.”
She added: “I also learnt how to make the task simpler by cutting up words into chunks or syllables. It was beneficial for me as well.”
Way was diagnosed with dyslexia in 2018, and though Elliott was not officially tested, Tan said she noticed he exhibited some traits of dyslexia.
Had she known her sons were dyslexic, she would not have taken the homeschooling route, she said.
Kristen is pursuing a Diploma in Digital Film and Television at Temasek Polytechnic, and Tan is still homeschooling Jairus, who will take his O-level exams in 2024.
Way, who is now in Secondary 2, started his mainstream education at Primary 6 when Tan realised he was struggling during the Covid-19 pandemic and needed to socialise.
Elliott, who is now in Primary 5, was not homeschooled as her hands were “full with the other two”.
Tan hopes that by sharing her experience, she can help other parents who have children with learning challenges.
“Rather than blaming the child, be knowledgeable and informed, and find that community to support your child and yourself,” she said. “It can be a very lonely walk if your child is the only one failing in your circle of parents with smart kids.”
She added: “It’s okay if you have one dyslexic child – I have three.”
Now that her children are older and more independent, Tan has returned to drama productions after an 18-year hiatus.
She was once dubbed by local media as Channel 8’s Wu Jie, or “fifth sister” in Chinese, after female stars Zoe Tay, Fann Wong, Ann Kok and Phyllis Quek.
Tan is now starring in Channel 8’s Moments, which is streaming on mewatch. The 14-episode drama also stars Desmond Tan, Pierre Png and Paige Chua. THE NEW PAPER
This article was originally published on The Straits Times.