'Loved students like her own': Tributes pour in for beloved former PLMGS teacher who dies at 93
Wong Man Shun
The Straits Times
Feb 14, 2026
Generations of old girls from Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School (PLMGS) have been paying tribute to a beloved former teacher who died on Feb 14.
Mrs Claudette Poulier, who taught the lower primary levels at the school for half a century, died of a kidney infection, said her son, Mr Ian Poulier, who announced her death on his Facebook page.
Mr Poulier, a 60-year-old English private tutor and counsellor, said his mother had been in hospital from Jan 28.
In a Facebook post on Feb 14, the school said: "It is with sadness that we share the news of the passing on of Mrs Claudette Poulier, a beloved teacher and friend."
Mr Poulier told The Straits Times that his mother would not think twice about hugging a crying girl or whispering a heartfelt prayer for a troubled child.
He said: "She loved students like her own. Many will attest to that. Many have been profoundly affected by her love and caring spirit."
Mr Poulier added that her former students and colleagues would visit her in hospital to offer comforting words and prayers or even to sing a chorus she taught them in school.
One chorus that has been deeply imprinted in her former student Ang Hwee Suan's heart is the Girls' Brigade vesper, which is sung when the girls are dismissed.
Ms Ang, 64, said she had known Mrs Poulier since 1969, when she was in Primary 1. Mrs Poulier was the then captain of the fourth company of the Girls' Brigade. Ms Ang was a "proud member" of it.
Ms Ang, an entrepreneur, recalled how she wanted to go for a Girls' Brigade tour in Malaysia when she was in Secondary 3, but her father was against it.
She said Mrs Poulier called her father and assured him that she would be personally responsible for Ms Ang's well-being.
"She was the kind of teacher who was friends with your parents too. Nobody would say they didn't love her. Not a single girl would not remember her. She is synonymous with PLMGS," said Ms Ang.
The entrepreneur said that there were students whose mothers had been taught by Mrs Poulier, and that she "influenced generations".
"This morning, when I heard that she passed away, I thought that our captain had gone to be with our Captain Divine", she added, referring to Jesus Christ.
Former Nominated Member of Parliament Chia Yong Yong, a 63-year-old lawyer, said: "I come from a Chinese-speaking background and I barely knew any English other than my alphabet and how to introduce myself.
"My mother panicked when she saw that my Primary 1 form teacher was a Caucasian lady. But to our surprise, this Caucasian lady spoke Hokkien!"
Pausing at points during the interview to compose herself, Ms Chia said that Mrs Poulier exemplified the love of God, and that it was "not just something that people talk about".
When asked what Mrs Poulier taught her, Ms Chia said: "One of the things is that regardless of background, everybody deserves to be loved, well nurtured and taught the right values.
"She fulfilled her duty as a teacher not to make herself loved, but to teach. And in doing so, she made herself loved."
On the school's Facebook post, former students, including one who said she graduated in 1978, paid tribute to Mrs Poulier.
A netizen with the username Amander Liew said: "Mrs Poulier was my teacher in Primary 1 and if it wasn't for her, I don't think I would believe in myself as much as I do today." Ms Naomi Selvarajah, also posting on the school's Facebook thread, who was taught English and music, called Mrs Poulier a "beautiful woman with a heart of gold".
The wake is held at Block 2 Marine Vista from Feb 14. The cremation will take place at Mandai Crematorium Hall 3 on Feb 17 at 12.20pm.
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