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Saturday, November 26, 2005
I received a call from Junhong's mother in the evening yesterday. We talked for about 15 minutes. She was worried that her son is in the last class and asked if Junhong should appeal. She asked about Computer Studies and the benefits of it, whether CS or POA is better? I guess she needed assurance that CS is not a bad subject. I thought so too.
Don't know why students have the impression that CS is a not so useful subject. As it was placed under Option 1, they conveniently assumed that CS is for not so clever students? Is that really the case? Our school is one of the five schools to offer CS for the first time. Information Technology will definitely be useful in the future as Singapore is moving towards an IT-savvy country. Over at Cambridge, they have offered it to their students for so many years and it is quite a popular subject. Perhaps they should have indicated it under Option 3 and it will raise the value of CS.
Oh, I even conveyed to Junhong's mother that his ezlink card is still with me as he has not cleared his Essential Grammar Book. His mother was surprised to know that I was his English teacher this year. I thought I met her in June? I even told her that I could not get through Junhong's home tel no. as the number was no longer in use. She commented that it cannot be that case as they have been using the same tel no for the past few years. I reiterated my point that I got the number from his Form Teacher, Mr Ong, it was the same number that was indicated in the register, so it could not be wrong. Then she commented that her son is not really interested in his studies, he is only interested in becoming a footballer. I thought he shared some resemblance to Qin Hong, another footballer-fanatic.
So far so good, everything seemed quite normal. I did not think too much about the conversation as she called in the midst of my cooking. Then I received a SMS from Qinhong, "Ms Ang, you want my Grammar book?" I was stunned for 10 seconds, trying to digest the message. Slow as I am, I realised that the person that I was talking to in the evening was QINHONG'S mother and not Junhong's mother. Oh my gosh, what a big BOO-BOO I have made. All the while, I was talking to his mother about somebody else's son. Haha. No wonder I noticed that Junhong shared so much resemblance to Qinhong.
Perhaps, I am old already, got problem with my hearing. Haha. But you cannot blame me too, because both names have 'hong' and I did not teach Qinhong this year, hence it did not cross my mind that his mother would call. Therefore, I conveniently assumed that it was Junhong's mother cos the possibility was higher as he was in my EL class. Gosh, how can I make such a mistake? Luckily, I did not say too many bad things about Qinhong. Otherwise, it would do him an injustice.
Hence, after realising my boo-boo, I had to message Qinhong's mother to admit my mistake and assured her that he would be in good hands even though he will be in the last class. Moreover, CS will be taught by the HOD of IT, an experienced IT-savvy teacher. Moreover, I do not see Qinhong as a stupid student even if he is in the last class, in fact his English is better than his counterparts who are in 3E4 or 3E5. No one is born stupid, just that laziness got in the way. In Qinhong's case, it was not only laziness. it was his footballer's dream that got in the way as well.
Honestly, there is nothing wrong with playing soccer, but if you are looking further beyond that, and not to sound like a wet blanket, soccer can only be a hobby, it cannot be considered as a career. Even if he wants to be a footballer, he cannot neglect his studies too. Look at those SEA games competitors; even though they are good in the sports, say swimming or gymnastic, and represent the country, ultimately, they have to make sure they do well in their studies too. It is a matter of managing your time and priorities and handling both aspects. Just imagine, how many David Beckham or Ryan Giggs are there?
Not that I am destroying his dream, but we have to be realistic right? You cannot support your family if you do not have a good education or career. You cannot expect your family to survive on looking at football only to fill their stomachs. It is definitely more than just soccer balls.
Talking about 'in good hands', I got a good laugh from what Qinhong said. If Mr Heng is going to be his form teacher next year, other than he would be in good hands (if you know the real meaning of this phrase), he would also need a pair of good hands. That is because he would be asked to wash the recycling bins very often by Mr Heng, sounds sadist ar…like so poor thing (hurhur). But if he sees it more positively, Qinhong will do the school a service, without the CIP hours though. =)
Ok, enough about Qinhong and my big boo-boo. Please keep this within the four walls of this blog, it is so embarrassing.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let me share a conversation with you, names will not be mentioned to protect the image of the teachers involved. Haha. I know I should not have shared this but perhaps the conversation was definitely too dense for a person with low IQ like me to understand the message A was trying to convey. So let's share this and see if you can make sense of what A is trying to express.
This story was narrated to me by P when we had lunch together today, and the conversation took place in the staff room, about half an hour before we went for lunch. P was using the computer and A was sitting beside P. To make small talk, P asked A if she was going anyway during the holidays. Usually, a person with the usual IQ would either answer no or yes and state the name of the country that she would be holidaying in. But not in the case as mentioned below:
P: Are you going anywhere during the holidays?
A: Oh I would be swimming across the causeway to go to JB. (Duh!!)
P: A!! Do you know that there is such thing as a bus that can bring you to JB?
A: Oh my father does not even allow me to cycle to JB, so what makes you think that he would allow me to take the bus to JB?
Please take a minute to digest this...is A trying to (A) sound intelligent, (B) be lame or (C) be funny? No point trying to guess the right answer, cos I do not have the answer to that stupid question. But during the conversation, she did not laugh at all, so it ruled out the possibility that she was trying to be funny. Secondly, who in the right mind would allow her daughter to cycle to JB? Wouldn't taking a bus be the common or right thing to do? Thirdly, if her father did not allow her to cycle, does it make sense to allow her to swim across the causeway? Doesn't she look like any typical immigrant who is trying to smuggle into Malaysia?
Goodness, really can't fathom why A would give such extraordinary answers for a simple question? Hence, you cannot blame me if I catch no ball, as in could not understand what she was trying to convey. This is just one of the so many conversations with A that we could not comprehend. Hence, the best way to avoid looking and sounding stupid is to avoid such higher-order thinking skills small talk with her. Maybe our antennas are not tuning in to the same frequency as hers. Our brain cells are already so limited, not much is left after handling our students, if I have to waste so much brain cells trying to understand a one-minute conversation, I would rather preserve that little brain cells I have left so that I am able to outwit my students in their battle of childish conversation than 'chimology' conversation like hers...chim man!!
If the conversation is between two students, I would not read too much into it. But if it is between two teachers, then something is amiss right? In my context now, amiss has the same definition as 'funny, weird'. Haha
Don't know why students have the impression that CS is a not so useful subject. As it was placed under Option 1, they conveniently assumed that CS is for not so clever students? Is that really the case? Our school is one of the five schools to offer CS for the first time. Information Technology will definitely be useful in the future as Singapore is moving towards an IT-savvy country. Over at Cambridge, they have offered it to their students for so many years and it is quite a popular subject. Perhaps they should have indicated it under Option 3 and it will raise the value of CS.
Oh, I even conveyed to Junhong's mother that his ezlink card is still with me as he has not cleared his Essential Grammar Book. His mother was surprised to know that I was his English teacher this year. I thought I met her in June? I even told her that I could not get through Junhong's home tel no. as the number was no longer in use. She commented that it cannot be that case as they have been using the same tel no for the past few years. I reiterated my point that I got the number from his Form Teacher, Mr Ong, it was the same number that was indicated in the register, so it could not be wrong. Then she commented that her son is not really interested in his studies, he is only interested in becoming a footballer. I thought he shared some resemblance to Qin Hong, another footballer-fanatic.
So far so good, everything seemed quite normal. I did not think too much about the conversation as she called in the midst of my cooking. Then I received a SMS from Qinhong, "Ms Ang, you want my Grammar book?" I was stunned for 10 seconds, trying to digest the message. Slow as I am, I realised that the person that I was talking to in the evening was QINHONG'S mother and not Junhong's mother. Oh my gosh, what a big BOO-BOO I have made. All the while, I was talking to his mother about somebody else's son. Haha. No wonder I noticed that Junhong shared so much resemblance to Qinhong.
Perhaps, I am old already, got problem with my hearing. Haha. But you cannot blame me too, because both names have 'hong' and I did not teach Qinhong this year, hence it did not cross my mind that his mother would call. Therefore, I conveniently assumed that it was Junhong's mother cos the possibility was higher as he was in my EL class. Gosh, how can I make such a mistake? Luckily, I did not say too many bad things about Qinhong. Otherwise, it would do him an injustice.
Hence, after realising my boo-boo, I had to message Qinhong's mother to admit my mistake and assured her that he would be in good hands even though he will be in the last class. Moreover, CS will be taught by the HOD of IT, an experienced IT-savvy teacher. Moreover, I do not see Qinhong as a stupid student even if he is in the last class, in fact his English is better than his counterparts who are in 3E4 or 3E5. No one is born stupid, just that laziness got in the way. In Qinhong's case, it was not only laziness. it was his footballer's dream that got in the way as well.
Honestly, there is nothing wrong with playing soccer, but if you are looking further beyond that, and not to sound like a wet blanket, soccer can only be a hobby, it cannot be considered as a career. Even if he wants to be a footballer, he cannot neglect his studies too. Look at those SEA games competitors; even though they are good in the sports, say swimming or gymnastic, and represent the country, ultimately, they have to make sure they do well in their studies too. It is a matter of managing your time and priorities and handling both aspects. Just imagine, how many David Beckham or Ryan Giggs are there?
Not that I am destroying his dream, but we have to be realistic right? You cannot support your family if you do not have a good education or career. You cannot expect your family to survive on looking at football only to fill their stomachs. It is definitely more than just soccer balls.
Talking about 'in good hands', I got a good laugh from what Qinhong said. If Mr Heng is going to be his form teacher next year, other than he would be in good hands (if you know the real meaning of this phrase), he would also need a pair of good hands. That is because he would be asked to wash the recycling bins very often by Mr Heng, sounds sadist ar…like so poor thing (hurhur). But if he sees it more positively, Qinhong will do the school a service, without the CIP hours though. =)
Ok, enough about Qinhong and my big boo-boo. Please keep this within the four walls of this blog, it is so embarrassing.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let me share a conversation with you, names will not be mentioned to protect the image of the teachers involved. Haha. I know I should not have shared this but perhaps the conversation was definitely too dense for a person with low IQ like me to understand the message A was trying to convey. So let's share this and see if you can make sense of what A is trying to express.
This story was narrated to me by P when we had lunch together today, and the conversation took place in the staff room, about half an hour before we went for lunch. P was using the computer and A was sitting beside P. To make small talk, P asked A if she was going anyway during the holidays. Usually, a person with the usual IQ would either answer no or yes and state the name of the country that she would be holidaying in. But not in the case as mentioned below:
P: Are you going anywhere during the holidays?
A: Oh I would be swimming across the causeway to go to JB. (Duh!!)
P: A!! Do you know that there is such thing as a bus that can bring you to JB?
A: Oh my father does not even allow me to cycle to JB, so what makes you think that he would allow me to take the bus to JB?
Please take a minute to digest this...is A trying to (A) sound intelligent, (B) be lame or (C) be funny? No point trying to guess the right answer, cos I do not have the answer to that stupid question. But during the conversation, she did not laugh at all, so it ruled out the possibility that she was trying to be funny. Secondly, who in the right mind would allow her daughter to cycle to JB? Wouldn't taking a bus be the common or right thing to do? Thirdly, if her father did not allow her to cycle, does it make sense to allow her to swim across the causeway? Doesn't she look like any typical immigrant who is trying to smuggle into Malaysia?
Goodness, really can't fathom why A would give such extraordinary answers for a simple question? Hence, you cannot blame me if I catch no ball, as in could not understand what she was trying to convey. This is just one of the so many conversations with A that we could not comprehend. Hence, the best way to avoid looking and sounding stupid is to avoid such higher-order thinking skills small talk with her. Maybe our antennas are not tuning in to the same frequency as hers. Our brain cells are already so limited, not much is left after handling our students, if I have to waste so much brain cells trying to understand a one-minute conversation, I would rather preserve that little brain cells I have left so that I am able to outwit my students in their battle of childish conversation than 'chimology' conversation like hers...chim man!!
If the conversation is between two students, I would not read too much into it. But if it is between two teachers, then something is amiss right? In my context now, amiss has the same definition as 'funny, weird'. Haha
0 Comments:
Sunday, November 20, 2005
I don't really believe in personality test. But apparently, people claim that it is through these personality tests that you get to know more about yourself. But I'm skeptical about the accuracy of the findings of the personality test.
If you have some free time to spare, try this:
http://quizbox.com/personality/test82.aspx
Here's the assessment of the personality test that I have taken.
Your view on yourself:
You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.
(Personally, I don't think I'm a straightforward person, I would associate 'straightforward' with negative terms like 'blunt' or 'tactless'. Unless I'm very angry with arrogant and recalcitrant students, then i would be very straightforward with regards to pinpointing their flaws.)
The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:
You are a true romantic. When you are in love, you will do anything and everything to keep your love true.
(That has to wait till my Prince Charming appears before i can assess that point =P )
Your readiness to commit to a relationship:
You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you meet that person.
The seriousness of your love:
You desire a love that will last forever. You are quite serious about finding this type of love, and that's why you think carefully about the men that you meet before deciding whether you could really love them. You don't just develop a crush on someone overnight: you look at a person's personality and other aspects of their life before deciding to form an attachment. If a guy doesn't meet your expectations, you would rather be alone. Your love has to be perfect. Be careful though, you could be missing out on some worthy relationships because your standards are so high.
(This is very true...Bingo!!)
Your views on education:
Education is less important than the real world out there, away from the classroom. You feel that there are much more important things you can learn other than the textbook itself.
(As an educator myself, I believe education is very important. You will need to attain some form of proficiency before the real world out there is of benefit to you.)
The right job for you:
You have many goals and want to achieve as much as you can. The jobs you enjoy are those that let you make a difference to the lives of the people around you.
(This explains why I'm in the teaching profession...haha)
How do you view success:
You are afraid of failure and scared to have a go at the career you would like to have in case you don't succeed. Don't give up when you haven't yet even started! Be courageous.
(Oh, since I'm already stuck in this profession, it's impossible to give up now. Teaching definitely requires a lot of courage! )
What are you most afraid of:
You are afraid of having no one to rely on in times of trouble. You don't ever want to be unable to take care of yourself. Independence is important to you.
Who is your true self:
You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.
Based on what you know about me, how true is this assessment?
If you have some free time to spare, try this:
http://quizbox.com/personality/test82.aspx
Here's the assessment of the personality test that I have taken.
Your view on yourself:
You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.
(Personally, I don't think I'm a straightforward person, I would associate 'straightforward' with negative terms like 'blunt' or 'tactless'. Unless I'm very angry with arrogant and recalcitrant students, then i would be very straightforward with regards to pinpointing their flaws.)
The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:
You are a true romantic. When you are in love, you will do anything and everything to keep your love true.
(That has to wait till my Prince Charming appears before i can assess that point =P )
Your readiness to commit to a relationship:
You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you meet that person.
The seriousness of your love:
You desire a love that will last forever. You are quite serious about finding this type of love, and that's why you think carefully about the men that you meet before deciding whether you could really love them. You don't just develop a crush on someone overnight: you look at a person's personality and other aspects of their life before deciding to form an attachment. If a guy doesn't meet your expectations, you would rather be alone. Your love has to be perfect. Be careful though, you could be missing out on some worthy relationships because your standards are so high.
(This is very true...Bingo!!)
Your views on education:
Education is less important than the real world out there, away from the classroom. You feel that there are much more important things you can learn other than the textbook itself.
(As an educator myself, I believe education is very important. You will need to attain some form of proficiency before the real world out there is of benefit to you.)
The right job for you:
You have many goals and want to achieve as much as you can. The jobs you enjoy are those that let you make a difference to the lives of the people around you.
(This explains why I'm in the teaching profession...haha)
How do you view success:
You are afraid of failure and scared to have a go at the career you would like to have in case you don't succeed. Don't give up when you haven't yet even started! Be courageous.
(Oh, since I'm already stuck in this profession, it's impossible to give up now. Teaching definitely requires a lot of courage! )
What are you most afraid of:
You are afraid of having no one to rely on in times of trouble. You don't ever want to be unable to take care of yourself. Independence is important to you.
Who is your true self:
You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.
Based on what you know about me, how true is this assessment?
0 Comments:
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Just came back from West Coast Mac. Still could not take my mind off him as I was really surprised to see H there. He was just sitting at the table next to me and I did not realise that until I saw the message that he sent me. H was the first person that I like during my secondary school days. I have not seen him at all for the past 9 years. Hence, seeing him in the middle of the night at mac came as a pleasant shock for me, and sort of brought back the fond memories I had of those times that we spent together. Although I no longer had that kind of special feelings for him, my heart was definitely beating faster than its usual speed.
Chris said that I looked flustered when I was reading the message. Who wouldn't?Can u imagine receiving a message at 11 plus from the person u liked years ago asking if you were in mac too?
Besides exchanging greetings, we did not really talk, probably because he was with somebody else studying for his exams. Only when I left, we then communicated through SMS. Chris commented he looked like my student, haha, so can imagine how young he looked and she thought it was really weird that we did not talk to each other at all, behaving like strangers. Haha.
I stole a few glances at him, and thought of the times we spent together. We would sometimes go back together after school and he would send me home. He did a lot of things for me and I was really touched then. Hai...those were the days...He was very thoughtful and considerate. The only thing that was holding me back from developing the relationship further was probably his height. At that time, I was already 174cm and he was only 165cm. I couldn't overcome my psychological barrier that people would mistake him for my younger brother though i enjoyed the times that I spent with him. Humans are weird creatures, contradicating ourselves every time. We sort of drifted when we were in sec 4. After sitting for the O levels, I entered the junior college and he chose to go to a polytechnic. If my memories did not fail me, I only met him once during my JC days and that was the last time I met up with him.
Being a thoughtful friend, he would SMS me without fail on my birthday or called me on Christmas and Chinese New Year for the past 9 years. That's probably those few times when we would update each other on the changes in our lives. But I really appreciate the gesture, really thoughtful of him. Who would bother with such nitty gritty stuff for so many years? Those actions were never considered nitty gritty to me. That's for sure.
People have come and go in my life, but I guess, to be truthful and honest with myself, he would continue to occupy that special place in my heart with those fond memories.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to the present now, we had an annual dinner on Friday. Esther and I were really triggered by the song item presented by the new teachers. Some of them could sing quite well, Angela, Ms Tee and Kenneth.
The highlight of the dinner was probably the first prize of the lucky draw. Christina won the first prize - an iPod Nano. Gosh, it costs almost $438 for a 4 GB version. Lucky girl. Tan Huong claimed that he won an Ikea storage box which looked like the enlarged version of the Nano. He proudly announced that his was more powerful than Christina's (His was 30GB, as what he proclaimed) and he wouldn't mind exchanging it with Christina. Hahaha.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mrs Chan approached me the other day and asked me if I wanted to shift over to the other side of the staff room. Should I?
Just came back from West Coast Mac. Still could not take my mind off him as I was really surprised to see H there. He was just sitting at the table next to me and I did not realise that until I saw the message that he sent me. H was the first person that I like during my secondary school days. I have not seen him at all for the past 9 years. Hence, seeing him in the middle of the night at mac came as a pleasant shock for me, and sort of brought back the fond memories I had of those times that we spent together. Although I no longer had that kind of special feelings for him, my heart was definitely beating faster than its usual speed.
Chris said that I looked flustered when I was reading the message. Who wouldn't?Can u imagine receiving a message at 11 plus from the person u liked years ago asking if you were in mac too?
Besides exchanging greetings, we did not really talk, probably because he was with somebody else studying for his exams. Only when I left, we then communicated through SMS. Chris commented he looked like my student, haha, so can imagine how young he looked and she thought it was really weird that we did not talk to each other at all, behaving like strangers. Haha.
I stole a few glances at him, and thought of the times we spent together. We would sometimes go back together after school and he would send me home. He did a lot of things for me and I was really touched then. Hai...those were the days...He was very thoughtful and considerate. The only thing that was holding me back from developing the relationship further was probably his height. At that time, I was already 174cm and he was only 165cm. I couldn't overcome my psychological barrier that people would mistake him for my younger brother though i enjoyed the times that I spent with him. Humans are weird creatures, contradicating ourselves every time. We sort of drifted when we were in sec 4. After sitting for the O levels, I entered the junior college and he chose to go to a polytechnic. If my memories did not fail me, I only met him once during my JC days and that was the last time I met up with him.
Being a thoughtful friend, he would SMS me without fail on my birthday or called me on Christmas and Chinese New Year for the past 9 years. That's probably those few times when we would update each other on the changes in our lives. But I really appreciate the gesture, really thoughtful of him. Who would bother with such nitty gritty stuff for so many years? Those actions were never considered nitty gritty to me. That's for sure.
People have come and go in my life, but I guess, to be truthful and honest with myself, he would continue to occupy that special place in my heart with those fond memories.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to the present now, we had an annual dinner on Friday. Esther and I were really triggered by the song item presented by the new teachers. Some of them could sing quite well, Angela, Ms Tee and Kenneth.
The highlight of the dinner was probably the first prize of the lucky draw. Christina won the first prize - an iPod Nano. Gosh, it costs almost $438 for a 4 GB version. Lucky girl. Tan Huong claimed that he won an Ikea storage box which looked like the enlarged version of the Nano. He proudly announced that his was more powerful than Christina's (His was 30GB, as what he proclaimed) and he wouldn't mind exchanging it with Christina. Hahaha.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mrs Chan approached me the other day and asked me if I wanted to shift over to the other side of the staff room. Should I?
2 Comments:
nooo......
please dun move...
By 
Sharon, at
12/17/2005 4:28 am
Why not?
By Bee Lee, at
12/17/2005 12:30 pm
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Did not feel like doing the Grammar Module worksheets so I'm here to blog, or rather to bore people with my grumbling. I've just finished watching the Korean show "Stairway to Heavens". It was really a touching and sad drama. But in real life, would there be anyone who is so self-sacrificing to end his life so that he can donate his cornea for the person he loves so much? It's really a big sacrifice and i think it would only happen in such melodrama.
This morning, i invigilated one student again. This time round, it was a private candidate. There were supposed to be four students but only one turned up. Guess the other three chickened out, perhaps they have given up on the History paper and concentrated on other papers. I practically made myself comfortable sitting at a chair that was adjacent to the candidate, with the fan above me. I was literally staring at the student, cos there was no other things to do.
Invigilation is really a boring activity. In a class of 30 students, you will see the different reactions from different students. Some were busy scribbling their answers within the given time. I can't help it but think of the times when i was in their positions, struggling with the exams. But now, it's my turn to stand in front of them and observe them as they attempted the papers. What i cannot stand are students who dig their nose during the exam and stare at the 'black gold' and admired their treasured possessions. This is so gross...Yucks!!
I sat through the one and a half hour paper and thought about so many things at the same time...hai...One invigilator was supposed to relief me so that i can rest for 25 min but she did not turn up at all...MIAing...=) This lady was in her late forties and she has bright red permed hair...so havoc ah...I'm surprised the Principal did not say anything about her 'happening' hairstyle.
I had my work review with Grace today. Discussed with her my strengths and area of improvement. I'm amazed another year just passed by like that and I've been in the teaching professional for almost 2 years. Old le...Hmm...must ponder on the things that were discussed and decide on some matters.
I finally saw Firdhaus and his mum yesterday. He was chewing gum as he walked towards the general office. He greeted me good morning, that was probably the last time he would greet me. He spitted the gum into the dustbin at the canteen when he's told to do so and took off his ear stud as well. When I broke the news to him and told him how i felt, he was quiet. But i could see the disappointed look on his face. He seemed very unsure of his future too. I could emphatize with him. It's definitely not easy to leave a familiar environment and adapt to a new environment. It's like being kicked out of the school and forced to look for an alternative. He wasn't able to express himself properly with his mother and brother around, so i spoke to him personally after that.
He sounded very disappointed and dejected. He wasn't sure of the path he should take after that. I told him i would not want to see him giving up on himself and stood still at where he is now. I would want to see him moving on with his life and continue with the education at AVI. He can move on the the second year of AVI as he has completed his sec 3 education. He only needs to do 1 more year at AVI and he can accumulate enough credits to move on to ITE. I assure him that it's definitely not the end for him. If he learnt his mistake from this setback, he can still work hard.
It's really an irony. I see him as my greatest accomplishment and achievement as I really see the change in him, the motivated side of him. But he's now my greatest regret and disappointment, as i could not ensure his promotion to the next level. As his form teacher, i could not do anything to fight for his advancement. Maybe I have not done enough, I could have done more. Maybe God has something else in store for him? Is this the test that God would want him to go through before he can succed in life? I really have no answers to those questions and I really have no idea what is in store for him. Let's hope that God will be able to guide him to the right path.
I still can't forget the disappointment that was shown on his face. It's a look that speaks a thousand words. Am i getting too carried away or emotional with this? I can't help it either. It's ironic anyway, probably it's the first time i'm dealing with such a case, or probably I've put in a lot of effort on him? I have no answer to that question too...God will know.
This morning, i invigilated one student again. This time round, it was a private candidate. There were supposed to be four students but only one turned up. Guess the other three chickened out, perhaps they have given up on the History paper and concentrated on other papers. I practically made myself comfortable sitting at a chair that was adjacent to the candidate, with the fan above me. I was literally staring at the student, cos there was no other things to do.
Invigilation is really a boring activity. In a class of 30 students, you will see the different reactions from different students. Some were busy scribbling their answers within the given time. I can't help it but think of the times when i was in their positions, struggling with the exams. But now, it's my turn to stand in front of them and observe them as they attempted the papers. What i cannot stand are students who dig their nose during the exam and stare at the 'black gold' and admired their treasured possessions. This is so gross...Yucks!!
I sat through the one and a half hour paper and thought about so many things at the same time...hai...One invigilator was supposed to relief me so that i can rest for 25 min but she did not turn up at all...MIAing...=) This lady was in her late forties and she has bright red permed hair...so havoc ah...I'm surprised the Principal did not say anything about her 'happening' hairstyle.
I had my work review with Grace today. Discussed with her my strengths and area of improvement. I'm amazed another year just passed by like that and I've been in the teaching professional for almost 2 years. Old le...Hmm...must ponder on the things that were discussed and decide on some matters.
I finally saw Firdhaus and his mum yesterday. He was chewing gum as he walked towards the general office. He greeted me good morning, that was probably the last time he would greet me. He spitted the gum into the dustbin at the canteen when he's told to do so and took off his ear stud as well. When I broke the news to him and told him how i felt, he was quiet. But i could see the disappointed look on his face. He seemed very unsure of his future too. I could emphatize with him. It's definitely not easy to leave a familiar environment and adapt to a new environment. It's like being kicked out of the school and forced to look for an alternative. He wasn't able to express himself properly with his mother and brother around, so i spoke to him personally after that.
He sounded very disappointed and dejected. He wasn't sure of the path he should take after that. I told him i would not want to see him giving up on himself and stood still at where he is now. I would want to see him moving on with his life and continue with the education at AVI. He can move on the the second year of AVI as he has completed his sec 3 education. He only needs to do 1 more year at AVI and he can accumulate enough credits to move on to ITE. I assure him that it's definitely not the end for him. If he learnt his mistake from this setback, he can still work hard.
It's really an irony. I see him as my greatest accomplishment and achievement as I really see the change in him, the motivated side of him. But he's now my greatest regret and disappointment, as i could not ensure his promotion to the next level. As his form teacher, i could not do anything to fight for his advancement. Maybe I have not done enough, I could have done more. Maybe God has something else in store for him? Is this the test that God would want him to go through before he can succed in life? I really have no answers to those questions and I really have no idea what is in store for him. Let's hope that God will be able to guide him to the right path.
I still can't forget the disappointment that was shown on his face. It's a look that speaks a thousand words. Am i getting too carried away or emotional with this? I can't help it either. It's ironic anyway, probably it's the first time i'm dealing with such a case, or probably I've put in a lot of effort on him? I have no answer to that question too...God will know.
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Thursday, November 03, 2005
Second update of the day...
Finally, I've changed my old blog skin. It's 7 days to its one year anniversary. But the picture could not wait for a few days more and had disappeared. I've been searching for a suitable blog skin cos cartoon picture skins are not really suitable for old people like me =)
But being old and useless means that i took a long time to modify the codes with the limited knowledge that i have. But it's pointless anyway. Only managed to make it decent-looking, the more technical aspect was solved by Qinhong 10 minutes ago and Xinwei was giving it the final touch to enhance it.
Come to think of it, it was also a year ago when i struggled to set up my blog during the November holiday last year. Time really passes very quickly. Again, it was done with the help of Xinwei and Qinhong. We have changed our roles, they are the experts and i'm the novice here. It's only during the holidays that i can afford to spend my time doing such stuff. During term time, the precious time cannot be spent doing such higher-level thinking skills activities.
Hmm...it's so silly doing invigilation tomorrow at Dunearn Secondary School. Can you imagine an invigilator staring at only one candidate for 45 minutes? It's a Tamil Paper 2. The rest of the Chinese and Malays students had their Papers 1 and 2 on Monday, whereas this Tamil student is taking the Paper 2 on Friday. Not that I'm making racist remarks here, but why can't they stay for another one and a half hour more and get it over and done with before rushing home for their prayers. At least they can celebrate the festival without having to worry about their papers.
Well, at least i get to earn $25 for staring at just one student. It beats having to stare at 30 students and collecting 30 scripts just to earn the same sum of money. After that, I can do back to school and meet the students' parents and file those confidential files. Sounds like doing the job of a clerical staff.
Finally, I've changed my old blog skin. It's 7 days to its one year anniversary. But the picture could not wait for a few days more and had disappeared. I've been searching for a suitable blog skin cos cartoon picture skins are not really suitable for old people like me =)
But being old and useless means that i took a long time to modify the codes with the limited knowledge that i have. But it's pointless anyway. Only managed to make it decent-looking, the more technical aspect was solved by Qinhong 10 minutes ago and Xinwei was giving it the final touch to enhance it.
Come to think of it, it was also a year ago when i struggled to set up my blog during the November holiday last year. Time really passes very quickly. Again, it was done with the help of Xinwei and Qinhong. We have changed our roles, they are the experts and i'm the novice here. It's only during the holidays that i can afford to spend my time doing such stuff. During term time, the precious time cannot be spent doing such higher-level thinking skills activities.
Hmm...it's so silly doing invigilation tomorrow at Dunearn Secondary School. Can you imagine an invigilator staring at only one candidate for 45 minutes? It's a Tamil Paper 2. The rest of the Chinese and Malays students had their Papers 1 and 2 on Monday, whereas this Tamil student is taking the Paper 2 on Friday. Not that I'm making racist remarks here, but why can't they stay for another one and a half hour more and get it over and done with before rushing home for their prayers. At least they can celebrate the festival without having to worry about their papers.
Well, at least i get to earn $25 for staring at just one student. It beats having to stare at 30 students and collecting 30 scripts just to earn the same sum of money. After that, I can do back to school and meet the students' parents and file those confidential files. Sounds like doing the job of a clerical staff.
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Back to update after two months of hysterical and frantic exam marking, checking of scripts, keying in of results, moderation of marks and preparation of report books. I'm amazed that I managed to survive that torturous period of madness, after suffering under the hands of the sacred word 'teaching', and emerging as a survivor, or rather a victim of the education system. (getting nonsensical, haha)
Been trying to get over the blues resulting from Promotion Day. Felt that the world can be quite unfair and futures of many people are under the control of an inconsistent decision-maker, who tends to get too emotional / imbalanced over certain issues. Why is it that the futures of two boys can be so different when their averages are only a difference of less than 2%? Boy A with an average of 40.8% can be given a chance to be promoted but boy B with an average of 38% is channelled to the normal technical stream and not given a chance to be retained at the normal academic stream. Is this really fair? The future of Boy B is almost considered ruined in my opinion when he is channelled to the NT stream, being denied of a chance to do the O level. Teachers are not convinced of the rationale of such a decision, much less than the person involved in the unfair treatment. Should we feel sorry for the boy that his parents are not aggressive enough to contest such a decision, or should we feel undeserved for the boy just because he is not as irritating, violent and vulgar as boy A? Well, at least Boy B should be glad to know that Zan has spoken up for such injustice despite the chance of stepping onto a nuclear bomb. Felt that she has really done her part as his form teacher in defending against such an inapt decision.
That was not the only incident. Felt that I have failed in my role as a form teacher when I could not even ensure that Firdhaus could be promoted together with the rest of the class. I have managed to convince him to turn over a new leaf at the beginning of the year and motivate him to work hard for his future. He heeded the advice and I really see the effort that he has put in in his studies and responded positively to my comments. I felt really good and fulfilling when I saw the change in him and I thought I have really made a difference to his life. I was disappointed when I learnt that he was not promoted and not even given the chance to be advanced to the next level. I should have found out the promotion criteria earlier, right from the start so that I could make sure that he fulfils the criteria, the minimum at least. Why was he denied of the chance to be promoted when he really wanted to work hard? Why is it that the form teacher's comments and recommendation could not outweigh the comments of his English teacher and Science teacher who has barely taught him for half a year? Thought the Form teacher could have the final say and the form teacher is the one who knows the student best? Why then would such a scenario happen? All because of an inconsistent decision-maker?
Why did he then give up on himself without fighting for his own rights and future? Even if he is not promoted and has to go to the AVI, I would not want to be seen as dumping him aside without explaining the path that lies ahead of him. I want him to be sure of the future that he is heading and not have the impression that it is a dead end right in front of him? Is he feeling dejected or disheartened over the decision that will affect his future? I really have no idea because I could not contact him and his mother does not seem the least concern about his son's future. I will, or rather I must try to contact him to assure him that it's not the end of the world and that he is not a failure when he could not be promoted to the next level.
Let's not dwell too much on such issue in the wee morning when the emotional aspect conquers the rational aspect...
Next episode please...
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I've finally been to the much-acclaimed Aloha resort @ Loyang, the resort that caught my attention when I was setting Sec 2 EL P1. The size of the bungalow was incredulous. There's a large living room, dining room, kitchen, 4 bedrooms, each about the size of the Downtown East chalet, and a big balcony for bbq. Really value for money. It's about $322 for a 3-day-2-night stay during the peak period. The Downtown East resorts are nowhere comparable. It's definitely an ideal place for a class chalet. (resembled the answer for Section two of Paper 1?) A pity though that there's no more vacancy. If not, I can book it for 2E3 as their class chalet, definitely enough space to house 40 of them. Not that I'm biased and do not want to book for my own form class. But I'm worried that my 3T1 would get into trouble there and what is worse if they smoke right in front of me. I wouldn't want to see that. And after all, 2E3 was my 'dearest' form class last year.
It's like a farewell gathering for some of the teachers. Jacq is transferring to another school. Peck Chi is transferring to MOE HQ. Mrs Ngiam and Mrs Kartar are retiring. Yan Ling is leaving for Kuwait to join her husband. Then Kevin has asked for a transfer too and Charmane is taking 6-month no-pay leave to take care of her baby, not sure if Yeok Tee is coming back after the birth of her baby. Sigh...so many people are leaving. Heard that there will be some changes to the Discipline and PCCG committees. Is it a case of new broom sweep clean or is it a sign of the change in the management? We'll see in time to come. But anyone with eyes could see that the discipline of the school is really bad now.
About 13 of us were present for the bbq, not exactly a bbq I think, because most of the food was cooked. We only set up the fire to heat up the satay, otak, fish balls and barbecue some prawns. The trademark food for bbq such as chicken wings and hotdogs was MIA-ing. We had such a fun time eating and toasting with our red wine. (Yes, it's red wine, it's not a typo mistake. Something that is not common to eat with barbecued food.) After that, we had our mahjong session and 'gossiping' session till 3 plus in the morning. I didn't know that there's so much politics in the school too and there's so much that I have missed out. Patsy remarked that my radar was not as efficient as hers.
The activities that we had seemed quite 'auntie' ah...eating, playing mahjong and gossiping. The usual activities of cycling, roller-blading, going to theme park and Wild-Wild-Wet were missing. We perpetually spent our time comfortably in the big and cosy bungalow, something different from what we would do with our friends.
We ended the fun time with a buffet lunch at Meridien Hotel at Changi. Probably, the next time where we would have so much fun would be at the staff annual dinner at New Park Hotel.