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Sep
02

And sometimes it’s worth it

I found this really interesting, because I’m about to step into teaching, and even after practicum, you get a glimpse that teaching life isn’t all that it’s purported to be. I mean, even when we were just in schools for the school experience, you already got the feeling that all the advertisements on the buses rang hollow. Practicum made me realise the amount of extra work a teacher could end up doing. So I’m just wondering — amidst all this, despite the fact that teaching takes a backseat, do you still enjoy it? Is it still the reason you went into it? 7 years is not a short time.

A comment I received many moons ago. I wonder how this person is doing in school now.

A student from my very first year of teaching came back to school yesterday and told me that I had made a huge difference in her life all those years ago. She asked me if I remembered how I paid attention to her in class and how I chose her to represent the class in a public speaking competition. It seemed that just by doing that, I made her feel like she was worth something. At that point in time, she was feeling bad about herself because she had just moved from N(T) stream to N(A) stream and by choosing her to enter the competition, I made her feel special.

Sometimes, you do so much for some students and they couldn’t care less. Then other times, your decisions and your actions affect them so deeply.

A lot of the time, I get the impulse to quit teaching. If it is not the insane hours during the school term, it’s the administrative work or the difficult students or simply the frustration that nothing you do works. And you start to think that maybe a job that isn’t teaching would be so much better. It doesn’t help when you see people around you getting burnt out and leaving the profession.

And then, once a year, teachers’ day comes around. For me at least, it reminds me why I’m still here – as a teacher and as a teacher in my school. It’s nice to think that you have played a part, no matter how small, in someone’s life – providing them with the  means to move on in life and the opportunity to succeed. Of course, not all my students go on to bigger and better things, but many do go on to have decent lives and when they come back to say hi, I’m happy to have seen them grow. And sometimes this overshadows all the pain and exhaustion the job brings.

That said, I wouldn’t mind being paid more.

Sep
02

Merlin

Dear people who make Merlin,

Merlin is supposed to make me happy. Please don’t write stories that will make me sad. The spoilers are not helping! :(

Piper

Sep
01

Dreamwidth Codes

I have dreamwidth codes. Anyone want one?

Aug
26

Sometimes it’s just not worth it

Students and social media – a horrible mix.

There’s been some conflict between a teacher and a class in school recently. Having heard the teacher’s side of the story, I’m more inclined to believe her because (a) I know the class and it does not surprise me that they act that way and (b) I trust the teacher isn’t lying, being a teacher myself. Of course, I could be wrong so I’m not going to talk about the conflict here. I will, however, talk about what has resulted from it.

I guess I should be thankful that the teacher in question is rarely active on facebook because one of the students has decided to put up status messages calling the teacher derogatory names and generally insulting the teacher. Although the teacher is not named in the posts, it is quite obvious to me and to the students of that level who the teacher is. And it upsets me that some of the students in my form class are “liking” those posts.

I never ever hated any of my teachers before. I might have found some of them boring. I might have found some of them naggy. But I’ve never hated them enough to go out of my way to hurt them. Yet a number of our students do. They take pride in getting the teacher to lose their temper or to break down in class. Then they mock the teacher in person, online, behind the teachers’ backs. And with things like facebook, one status message and you get the whole school dog-piling on the teacher.

Then when you tell them that teachers are humans and have feelings too, the standard response is to go pfft and say “I also have feelings what”.

Teaching sucks.

Aug
22

Crossroads

Maybe this is what people mean when they say mid-life crisis (although I maintain that 30 is too young for one).

It is true that I have generally been coasting along in life, allowing myself to be taken wherever life takes me – and frankly, it hasn’t been bad. I have a job I generally enjoy, I live a fairly comfortable life and am quite happy with how things are going.

And then, suddenly, I have to grow up.

Read the rest of this entry »

Aug
20

Bees in a Bell Jar

This is simultaneously somewhat fascinating and creepy. One of the insects that I am quite nervous about are bees so seeing so many of them, even in a picture, gives me the shudders. That being said, seeing the bees build a beehive is still quite awesome.

Aug
17

Teachers’ Day

I am representing my school at the Teachers’ Day reception at the Istana this year and I’m quite excited since I’ve never been to the Istana before. My squee is a little tempered by the fact that photography is not allowed inside! :sad face:

Still, I am hoping the food is good at the very least.

Aug
15

Football!

And the BPL has started again! Since I refused to get yet another set-top box in my house and am reluctant to relinquish my SCV channels, I have no way to watch the matches this year. It’s just as well since with the signings Arsenal has made, I don’t see how this season is going to be any better than the last one. I think I would be happy if it went as well as it did last year!

I think I will monitor Gamecast on Soccernet tonight.

Aug
14

Linkity Link

Just one link today but it’s incredibly hilarious. I can’t believe I didn’t find it sooner. Thanks to silly fandom sites on livejournal.

Hyperbole and a Half.

Just in case you were interested, I’m typing this with my cat’s butt in my face. :(

Aug
11

Conflict and Resolutions

This is going to sound really vague. Don’t ask. I probably don’t want to talk about it IRL.

I hate conflict, which is why I usually go out of my way to avoid it. Sometimes I play mediator, other times I simply refuse to get involved. When put in the middle, I often try to be as non-committal as possible. If I do take sides, then I probably feel that this is an issue I care about.

Now, in a certain social circle of mine, there has been a great deal of conflict recently. Although I am in no way directly involved, I find myself being in a position where I might be forced to choose a side. This is quite upsetting as I have friends on both sides – although admittedly, I’m not very close to these friends from either side. At the moment, I feel like removing myself from the group altogether despite all the positive experiences I have had with them.

I guess I just wanted to get this off my chest.

Because I hate ending my posts with me being angsty and all, here’s something that is making me happy.

HERSHEY’S CHOCOLATE WORLD

I can’t wait.

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