Stories of me and myself

What are the little things that make your day?

Talking about cheap thrills... I am very easily satisfied one.
My day can be made by students just greeting me happily...
Or waving to me when they see me around school...
Or when they ask me enthusiastically with longing eyes, "Miss S, today riot is it?" Hahaha!
Or when they dun greet you properly and you greet them again... they get your idea and they greet you LOUDLY in chorus, with smiling faces. And then I'll just pretend to be blown away by their voices to make them grin. Totally makes my day!
Or when there is a fire drill, and they groan cos it eats into your period... and they grumble, "Why not Maths period or Chinese period?!" (At least indirectly I take it that they like my lesson! Haha! Cheapskate? I dun care! Hee.)
Or when it's their recess and they dun rush off for their break, but stay back just to pester you. And of course sometimes we have to act-act ya? Act as if we dun really care about the attention (though sometimes I do, sometimes I dun. Hee). But in any case, cun be too dao lah. Must entertain a bit. Haha!
Etc...

And of course lots more cheap thrills which I wun go into detail... as if you all dunno how cheapskate and easily satisfied I am! *grin* Not paiseh somemore... write so much. Haha!

But seriously lah... we need to look out for such stuff to brighten our otherwise stressful, draining, tirring, nerdy, un-happening day.

Though there are of course ALWAYS important things to do and to learn and to contend with.
Like how to preach good values to our students...
How to not only teach a concept well but to make it interesting as well...
How to make lessons fun and meaningful though you are on a tight schedule...
How to ensure that the kids know their stuff well when you run the risk of not finishing the syllabus...
How to counsel kids who are too distracted in class...
How to win notorious students (and class) over to your side...
How to manage your time well...
Etc...

There are also ALWAYS little things that can make your day. It's all a matter of perception and how observant we are.

God made us to enjoy each day. But it's us dumbo humans who continue to regret the past and worry about the future, causing us to lose precious joy in each day. Let's just concentrate on the little things that are all around us, and we will realise that there's actually plenty of joy around.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice in the Lord!

Haven’t written for a prolonged period.
Not avoiding the blog just cos of the not-so-recent issue of teachers blogging. Heh. I will still continue blogging… when I have enough energy to do so. =)

Anyway, I just had some thanksgiving, so I made blogging one of my priorities today!

I had an observation for my Sec 2 class today. I planned for the class to role-play the Hock Lee Bus Riots in 1955. But there was a problem… I was wondering how I was gonna role-play the entire lesson, which of course involves a riot, in a classroom crowded with tables and chairs and wires and bags! Then a thought entered my head… Use the drama room! Drama room cos it’s spacious enough, has no furniture, and has aircon! *grin*

But it wasn’t easy, cos we run the homeroom system here. So I had to check if the room was in use and whether I could borrow it. So it was a tense period waiting for the teacher to finish her lesson so that I could ask her, just before my lesson. And guess what? Thanks to God’s grace, she was free that period and I could use her room! =)

And once I got her approval, it was a mad rush getting my Apple to work in her room, learning the rules and essential details of the room so that I could carry out my lesson efficiently, informing my ct about the change of venue, checking out where my class was having their previous lesson so that I could catch them and inform them to get their little butts to the drama room, etc. All in 15 minutes. Without God, I would have never had such a smooth transition! Cos everything turned out perfect! And they weren’t even late! *grin*

So I showed them a video to trigger their thoughts and knowledge of the riot first. Then I split them into groups and had them discuss their role-plays, with little snippets of the scenario for respective characters. Then I role-played as the reporter, in which I could control and direct the entire class role-play. And I can only thank God that they were such a spontaneous and un-shy bunch! We had a whole lot of fun, laughter and action! Haha! With pillows flying here and there, with little pieces of paper as stones, brooms and sticks as guns, paper coloured with ink as blood, etc. But I had to praise them cos I was seriously impressed when they cleared up after themselves! Spick and span and neater than before! Right after the riot!

But I had finished the lesson 20 minutes before time! So I decided to reward them by promising them another riot, if they paid attention to me as I revised the previous lesson. (Though I ould have gotten them to reflect on the lesson… the homework which I had planned to give them. But I didn’t want the adrenalin rush to disappear that fast. Hee.) And so they guai guai listened to me. Not total angels, of course… but good enough.

Heh. I’m happy cos of the rapport we have built up and the success of the lesson. I wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without God…(all the timing issues, the uncertainty of the location, my confidence, etc) but “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.”

Yep, and that’s my version of the lesson, which doesn’t do much justice to reality. Hee. But I did capture some snippets of it, cos I filmed it. Kill 3 birds with 1 stone. Observation, assignment and fulfill students’ wish. *satisfied*

I pray that God will continue to watch over all of us in all that we do, and that we will place our faith and trust in Him to lead and guide us.

Was totally bummed on Sunday cos i couldn't play badminton. I mean, how rare is it that I'll give up badminton for WORK?! Craziness. But I did. Haii... the retributions of a procastinator. Yes, I was totally stressed out.

Though I had to prepare for Sunday School and even supposed to lead a game... I thank God that everything worked out fine and I didn't die from all the stress. It's like there were so many possible directions that my mind could have gone to and work on, but it couldn't make up its mind. Hence, it had to wait for time to decide for it. I think that's where the procastination originated from.

As for school, there were to be observations this week, from cts and NIE supervisor. However, my sup decided to ignore me and go on a retreat or something, and I was left panicking. Not knowing when he was coming to visit, I didn't know how to plan the subsequent lessons, cos they are all in running order. And as a result, I didn't know when to place my ct's observation as well. So I basically stressed out, but couldn't do much about it. All the sleepless hours and stressed out moments even on the bus! All the way till Monday.

All the while, I was of the impression that it was even week. But guess what? When I had comfortably settled down, preparing for the lesson later in the afternoon, my Sec 1 came knocking on the door, announcing that it was my lesson already! Oh my God! I was totally unprepared! With no printing materials, whatsoever... and the lesson plan unrevised! I panicked. But calmed down when I saw my ct in the class. Apparently, he had also forgotten that it was even week! Cos we ended on a odd week before the March hols, but apparently, the school calendar restarts itself for the new term. Hmm.

So we fumbled, and he suggested showing a video. But the projector had crashed. The IT person was in there and all. So I rushed up to the room, grabbed their maps on mahjong paper, some random worksheet and rushed down to occupy time. And as they were entertaining themselves with the worksheet, I went around giving them comments on their graphs, which I actually no time at all to do intially. So I do thank God for the opportunity. And also for the wait time for me to think of what impromptu thingy I could do with the next immediate class, cos I hadn't expected it!

I was of course late for my Sec 2 class, cos I had to rush to get their workbooks and all. But it was a good thing cos they were so guai! Such angels... all because the VP was doing his rounds and punishing students who were making a fool of themselves when mocing in between classes. And when I rushed down, we discovered that my ct had forgotten to unlock the door! So it was another mad rush to look for her, and more tense wait time for the kids! Hee. When I finally opened the door, they rushed in with a sense of relief! Hahahah! I couldn't help teasing their behaviour.

And so I started my impromptu lesson of revision and reliability skills. Got students to make statements and then et the class to debate how reliable it is, based on the conditions. It was rather fun. But I feel like I owe them mroe. Nevermind, will make it up to them when I have the time!

So yeah, I really thank God for these 2 rather easy lessons for me to tie up the loose ends and start anew properly. I settled the observation timing with my supervisor and my cts too. So now it's just planning when things are more in order. I worked continuously and finished only when they threatened to lock the school gates! Haha! PP thinks I should have climbed it. You know I would, and would have loved to! Haha! But not when I'm a teacher here, and the alarm works by motion-sensor! heh.

Anyway, I got home and crashed from 7pm to 330am. A teacher's life. Never free. Only have time to spare here and there, now and then. But I still think it's worth it, cos it's the little things! Let me see/receive/experience more little things today please!! =)

Back to NIE today, for an SS presentation. It was great meeting my fellow Geog-Hist classmates... Wes Peipei, Jo, P-in-P and of cos, Mich - the one whom Wes claims is apparently buoyant and can balance a dragon boat, due to some assets. Hahaha! And of cos, most importantly, Tutor K! I dunno why, but I really missed him. I guess cos at last we are left to fend for ourselves in our respective schools, and bits and pieces of what he has ever said, taught or advised are present here and there and everywhere? At least that's what I feel.

Anyway, before that.... let me point out the difference between CS1 Hist ppl and CS2 Hist ppl. CS1 Hist ppl are siao 'on', intelligent and very meticulous and detailed in their work. CS2 Hist ppl like us are just mere procastinators who prefer fun and less work... though we also do work our asses off.... Heh. (Though our bums are not as trim and defined as the CS1s, cos apparently they will always work harder than us! Haha!) And NIE seemed to have psychic powers too... cos they dedicated the serious, meticulous tutor to the CS1s... and kinda shoved a 'anything also can" tutor who loves her LOUD funky hp ringtone so much she leaves it on even in class, to us! Oh well, might as well lah... we wouldn't have survived in the former class, nor have enjoyed ourselves so much in Sem 1! Thank God for the perfect placements... so much so that NIE was so fun it's memorable!

I'm sincerely thankful that I, and of cos the rest of my Geog class (the slacker bunch) are under him, and not Tutor Y, whom which ALL of S'pore's Geog teachers have been under! I wonder what God was thinking when he placed us, the slackers and procastinators and of cos the FUN people, under Tutor K. And of course, the hardworking, meticulous bees under Tutor Y, where they sing songs and recite poems about Geography. Haha! Just shows that God knows best... and he really does have a sense of humour! Haha!

I feel somewhat secure cos like there's him as backing? Like a big gorgor whom I can turn to when in need. And I know that he will do his best to help. I thank God for letting out paths meet. And although we won't find ourselves in another classroom setting again, I pray that his future students will learn to appreciate him for who he is, and the extent that he goes to, in preparing them for their future in teaching. And of cos, that they will be more zhen1 qi4 than us bunch... us who were too lazy to embark on the the next new wave of podcasting, to establish ourselves. We did establish ourselves though... not as podcasters, but as procastinators! *Grin*

Oh well, Geog class would never have been so fun and memorable without tutor K and his microteaching ideas.
How he egged us on in the beginning to go havock.
How Papa Ken and myself dramatically tore up the mahjong paper in CY's first tourism class.... and things were never the same again. Still remember my pet rock fish in Jo's class! Hahaha!
How tutor K has an obsession with Apple and technology...
How he needs to warm up before starting and will start rambling till he has settled down... Hee.
How he stands in the middle to indicate to us that whatever he is saying is of utmost importance...
How he goes to the extent of explaining certain things to us... for us to "write it down when we have internalised it"...
How he closes his eyes and verbalises his thoughts cos he is a true blue audio learner...
How he gives us the freedom to express our thoughts and "jump in" when appropriate....
How he is so smart and sharp that he can catch even the micro-est of things, intellectually....
How he likes to sing praises of himself (cos he really does live up to it!) but goes all red in the face cos he is pai-seh! Hahah!
How he is like a little boy at times...
How he doesn't know how to say goodbye to us, although we know he will miss us....
etc etc etc....
Oh, and not to forget his funky socks! Haha!

He has become so familiar to us that I know I will surely continue to miss him. *sigh*
I remember that a long time ago in the beginning, he told us that though we might not understand his teaching style, or what he might be doing... to just trust him cos he does know what he was doing, though he didn't seem like it! Heh. At that time, something struck me and I had already trusted him, even though some didn't. But not that I care. As long as they didn't go overboard. And I'm proud to say that even now, I still trust him. "Someday, the dots will connect."

Ok, enuff of history. Heh. How reliable am I as a source? Hmmm... All these are a mix of facts, feelings and opinions... and just a little exaggeration to top it off for the fun of it all. So yeah, consider the issues of typicality, tone and purpose before making your final judgment! Hee.

You scored as Garnet. Fired-up, full of energy and rearing to go, garnet-girls (or guys :-P) are blessed with inner passion and strength. They would rather not give up on what they want and are generally very exciting people :-). Also, tell me if Im wrong, but the garnet-type personality is often accompanied with good health, as which the gems themselves promote. See All Results/Comment Garnet 86% Aquamarine 77% Athemyst 77% Ruby 77% Topaz 73% Peridot 70% Emerald 63% Celestite 57% Which Mystic Gem Stone Relates To You? created with QuizFarm.com

Guess what I did yesterday?

I went cable skiing with pure fren! Woohoo!!
Been wanting to try it out lah... so I was elated when I had the opportunity to go play! I was actually expecting them to give long lengthy theory lessons on the wakeboard technique and all, but apparently not! Chop chop goreng pisang and we were out there playing! =)

Sat on the bench, slipped my feet into the wakeboard, got into position with my body leaning backwards and my right leg lifted up like a frog ready to leap, hung on to the cable and waited for the cable to pull me along. *SPLASH* And I found myself in the water! How uncool! Hahahah! The more uncool thing is when your pants is not too tight and it falls off! Lucky it's underwater! Hahaha!

The expert advice was to keep the cable close to our waist as close as possible. And slowly lift it outward once we've stabilized ourself on the water. So ok, try again... into cool froggie position. And *SPLASH* Got dumped into the water again. Nevermind, swim back with board and try again. Froggie takes another plunge. *SPLASH* AGAIN! And again and again and again. Imagine how much gross dirty salty water we gobbled... Hahaha! But we never gave up. Die die must try. But pure fren was much better than me... she was like a pro! *Grin*

But you know what? I managed to do it at last too! And I could hear the cheering from the cable guy and the crowd. Buay paiseh rite? Got people watching still paiseh so many times, failing so many times! Hee. But anyway, I managed to ski the whole round! There were times when the cable went faster and there were times when it slowed down. But I kept praying... God please stay with me. God please give me courage and guide me. And guess what? I completed the entire round and more! Until I couldn't really control my direction and I saw myself going for the ramp. So bobian, I let go before I got myself into more trouble than just *SPLASH*! Hee. But it was satisfying. Thank you God! =)

To fall at the far side was not a good idea, cos you'll need to swim to the side, climb out, and walk back the entire distance with the board. Think that's even more tiring than going *SPLASH*! Heh. So yeah, it was fun lah.... even though afterward there were of cos more *SPLASH* than skiing! Hee. For 2 whole hours. *grin*

There were cool professionals who leapt off the bench at the start, instead of the froggie position that beginners assumed. They did the froggie position in the air. Hee. And they would jump and do stunts all along the way. Man... it was awesome!

Anyway, if anyone wants to try out the real wakeboarding, jio me!! At least we wouldn't have to swim to the die, climb out of the water and walk back with the board! Hee. That is, if you dun mind a froggie going *SPLASH* most of the time! I am determined to master it! It's actually more difficult than snowboarding, I think. And falling on snow is less tiring than going *SPLASH* into the water and swimming and walking back to the start! Hee.

While pure fren and myself were aching all over, we climbed out and had to sign out. It was hilarious cos we couldn't even hold the pen properly! Lest sign properly! Haha! Luckily out yummy ice-cream din wobble afterward! Yeps, thanks pure fren for playing with me! Looking forward to more si gin na times! *grin*

Happy and tired as can be...

Why? Cos I finally got to do camp again!!! Woohoooo! Badminton and camp... *happy sigh* what more can i ask for? Hee.
Haven't done camps for more than a year liao... since I entered NIE. Which also makes me an 'old bird' amongst the young new-born instructors!

So, it was a pri sch camp I did for an old friend of mine. A partner whom I trust and respect very much. The undertaking of this camp was due to a motivation to play and also to lend him a hand. Kids were very guai, nothing too much to handle, no problems at all.... Wonderful. A simple camp.

Very fun cos the kids were spontaneous. So I got to go as crazy as I could! Yay!!! I named my group "Goondu" and we were the most outstanding group with trademark 'yum sengs', 'Superman' cheer, 'Bak Kut Teh' cheer and silly durian/Macho/Sexy/'gu-niang'/sotong claps. And we would go around kachiao-ing and traumatising all the other groups and walking away smugly. Hahaha! And of course with the energy level so high, we also won most of the games! Woohoo! =)

But I was burnt. Roasted. Now with a new mark other than the fire trademark (which indicates 'perfect for roasting'). Now there's a sunglass mark. So imagine drawing 2 big circles round ya eyes, and painting the rest of your face red. That's me now. But I had an awesome time belaying the kids and getting them to step out of their comfort zone, confront their fear of heights and see them overcoming the obstacles. That's just a few of the best things i like about high elements. Gave me a good workout too! Hee.

Barney the purple dinosaur.
"I hate you. You hate me. Let's go out and kill Barney. With a shot gun 'bang bang' Barney on the ground. No more purple dinosaur." (sang to the Barney tune)
Why did this come up? Cos the PE teacher in charge wore a bright PURPLE trackpants! Which was tight! So that was the immediate image that came to mind. The safety officers at the high elements also took an indirect dig saying, "So kids... imagine Barney walking along the tight rope...." It was hilarious. I wonder if he got the hint. Anyway, there was a purple door in the school, which he enters. So yeah. Perfect. Heh.

Outdoor cooking. Learnt a new way of improvising the setting of fire using the grills above the drains. Encouraging and teaching primary school kids to cook outdoors is always an interesting experience. You need to handhold them all the way... Heh. From setting the fire for them and hearing them go, "Wow! So brave!" (amusing huh?) to telling them how much water to put in a mess tin to heating the cans up beside the fire and hearing them go, "Wow! So clever!" They make your day with their innocence! Hee.

Instructors' outdoor cooking. We, the more experienced ones, resorted to grilling our food. We only lacked the stingray, lobster and prawns. But we did have otah, chicken wings, and the normal canned food and maggi mee. So yeah, we had authentic Singapore BBBQ food and Pasta Mania. With LOTS of papaya. Imagine a whole red plastic bag filled with papaya. That's how much there was.

Oh before I forget, there was this little gal who impressed me through and through. Why? She was a pri 5 kid, small-sized, moon-shaped hairstyle, like a sweet little doll. Quiet gal, seldom opens her mouth. But man, brave beyong words! She conquered all the elements... despite the difficulties. But when faced with a difficulty, she would reveal some form of funny expression on her face which tickled me so much, especially when she was on a high element and there was nothing much you could do except balance (with nothing to hold on to) on a tight rope. Imagine a little gal up there (around 2-3 storeys high) all alone. She conquered all 6 elements like a professional, when all her peers were still deliberating whether or not to confront their fears. What's more,part of her hair got entangled in the rope while abseiling, and so she got rope-burnt on her cheek. But no, she didn't cry, she didn't even wince. But I was worried, so I attended to her. Only when I applied antiseptic to her burn did she wince a little and grab me. I'm so proud of her, cos a normal kid's reaction would be to bawl! On the face somemore! And during outdoor cooking, she was the ONLY one who dared to grab the mess tins when it was over the fire. All the other kids just whined. My favourite camper. Best camper. Just like me. Hahaha! =)

So yeah. Good all in all. Satisfied with the professionalism in which the entire camp was carried out with. Working with partner Jus is still the best. Heh.

That's it for camps for me in a long while. Bo bian. Haii...

It's the weekend!! Yay!! Holidays!! Hmm, actually I'm glad for the hols, but I know that I will still be super squeezed for time cos there are so much to do and I have too many commitments. Anyway....

Saturday was fun. Played badminton with Meow Meow, Emay jiejie and my fellow xiao kia "Blubbering Nonsense" (she wouldn't like this... Hee.) Fun round robin matches.

Afterward was dinner hang-out at Meow's place with Chien and Becky. Initially it was supposed to be a picnic at Botanical Gardens I think. But yesterday we were more in a nua-ing mood. So we got food... cheese sausages, BBQ chicken from Clementi (yummy!), 4 cheeses pizza, rice, gummy bears, tomatoes (the high crass ones), bananas, guava, etc. Quite chapalang... but very filling! We hung out in Meow's attic where we entertained ourselves with "In her shoes".... I love Dora from that movie! "Manipulative nincompoop".

Then Becky had to leave, so they sang me a silent Happy Birthday song for me... with a slice of mango cake and a tiny knife to cut it with. It was cute. Haha! Guess what? I even got a whole bunch of gigantic bananas, a bright yellow NIKE blouse, a pretty candle holder and the best of all.... CHEESE! Babybel and Brie cheese! Hahah! I thought it was a hilarious idea! But apparently it just proves how much my friends know me... Hee. Thank you God for putting these trustworthy friends in my life, who have been there during my high and low points in my life. though we hang out significantly less now, they will forever occupy a precious portion in my heart. I pray that God will bless this friendship of ours forever.

Then it was movie marathon with "The Pianist"... totally my kind of movie! I loved it! Heh. But it's depressing lah... all the atrocities of the Nazi soldiers against the Jews.

Sunday. Sunday school. I like teaching Sunday School. It's fun. Heh.
Went for a cell group lunch at Mac's. No wonder Emay jiejie so adamnatly told us NOT to wait for her, even though it was just 5 minutes. She came down with pressies for both Huifen and myself! I must say it's awesome! They were survival packs!
So this is what my dear cell got me...

1) Pipa kao (to soothe the throat)
2) Clorets (to freshen the breath especially during counselling of students)
3) Red pens (chosen based on experts' advice somemore!)
4) Oreo cookies (for energy)
5) Milo sweets (for energy)
6) Bookmark
7) Postcard which states, "Your future is not in the hands of your teachers. Your future is in your hands." (to tell students that they have responsibility for themselves. Teachers can only do that much.)
8) Packet of chrysanthemum flowers (to keep us alive? Heh.)
9) The best of all... BOUNCY the yellow ball! A stress ball which bounces and superb to squeeze!
10) A card from my loving cell. With quotes from them in a classroom... with daffy duck(ling) as the teacher. Duckling cos Daffy duck's in diapers. Apparently to symbolize me as the 'cannot grow up' kid. Hee.
Merf the dreamer: "Cher always knows when I'm dreamin!"
Emay jiejie the not so intellectual one: "Whoa! Cher so cweber one!"
Elaine the WISE one: "I know the answer to that."
Eliza the non-punctual one: "Sorry cher! I missed my bus!"

Hahaha! I thought it was really amusing! Thank you dearest cell for the survival kit!! I love you! Heh. Thank you God for blessing me with this cell...

Ohoh! Before I forget... I also received this really cute and cool bottle of teeny weeny (perfect) shells from Emay jiejie! Shells which were collected from the beach during her birthday, the day we played with Hermie the hermit crab. They are such miniatures I think they are fit for earrings! =) The entire bottle with the shells, I mean. Heh.

Then it was another session of badminton. It's so heartening to see Meow, Huifen and Emay improving! By leaps! Soon we can play proper competitions, I think.... Heh. They'll be able to thrash me in no time! Cos I suck. Haha! Oh well.... qing1 chu1 yu2 lan2, shen4 yu2 lan2....

Alritey, time to log off for dinner.
Doing a camp tmr... it's kind of a tradition to be in camp on my birthday? Haha! It has been since Secondary school! Hee.

It's been a long while since I last blogged. But since there's a breather now, I shall take the opportunity to do some updates.

I still stick to the philosophy that kids need and want to know that you sincerely care for them. And I think that is key to winning them over to your side and getting them to cooperate with you.

I tested this again with my Sec Ones. Bunch of animals, I tell ya. It's like walking into a zoo! (Just that you dun have to fork out $20!) Teachers are also animal trainers, I would say... =) Especially when the whole class is chaotic during groupwork. But at least they completed their jobs... so I was nice. Anyway my patience was really tested by a pair of very distracted, heck-care kids. I used the soft approach, but they climbed over me. So I resorted to threatening.

Eg. "If you don't see me after school today, you will hear your name over the PA system."
Reason: They were incorrigible. Supposed to see me for remedial on Monday... but they didn't turn up the whole week till I resorted to this on Thursday.

Eg. "If you don't finish your work, you can stay back and accompany me after school."
Reason: ALL the groups had finished drawing their maps, but theirs was blank. And in a group of 4, only the 2 poor little boys were working. The 'tai-tais' were gossipping away as if they had hired the boys to work for them! Gets on my nerves! When their behaviour continued even after school, I sent the 2 boys home and left the tai-tais to fend for themselves. When they still took their own sweet time, I resorted to their Netball teacher, who had a good talk with them. And miraculously, the map was drawn in less than 10 minutes! And I got one of them into the staff room for a 1-on-1 rememdial. I was nice to her. Seriously. No blood was involved. Heh. And she even thanked me and said bye afterward! Hah! I score!

An another girl who was kachiao-ing her fren during my remedial... I made her do my worksheet even though she din need to. She was super pissed off. I din care. C'mon... if you have the time to kachiao your fren, you might as well join your fren for remedial. She cursed and swear and threw tantrum. I was calm. I told her firmly. "You can curse and swear all you like, but I don't care, you'll still have to do my worksheet." In the end, I made her do 1-on-1 with me too. When she was in the staffroom, I told her nicely that I just needed to know if she knew how to do it. Once she proved it to me, she could leave. She failed. So I taught her, and I think she appreciated it. So I win. Hah!

But I must say I was really quite furious with them. But all I did was crush the paper and throw it into the bin. That had a nice calming effect I must say. Heh. But on hindsight, I'm glad I was firm and didn't compromise my values. Thank you God for giving me the courage and the conviction.

Anyway, so that was school.

I have discovered that kids are like donkeys. Wave the carrot in front of them and you might get them to comply. Some 'donkeys' can take the whip. But more often than not, they either retaliate, remain obstinate or they run away and you lose them completely. But usually, they are just monkeys. That's why bananas rule! Woohoo! =)

I have also discovered that I am high in demand! What with the need for geography, history and SS teachers. I am here! I am here!!! But I am not for sale! I think due to laziness, being spoilt for choice, indecisiveness and uncertainty, I shall leave it to God to dictate which school I should go to. He knows best. Anyway, like my ct said, you can go into screen saver mode. Haha! Then ask for transfer after 2 years. Hmm...

I have discovered that teaching is a very draining and stressful job. It's a constant battle with the voice and the brain cells and the energy level. I have no energy whatsoever when I return home. I drag myself to complete lesson plans and worksheets and notes and resources. I find myself thinking of the next step ALL the time. How to better explain this, how to make it fun, how to babystep it, how to.... etc. Even in my sleep! And so it's a very disturbed sleep, and I wake up almost un-rested.

But one thing is for sure, I do enjoy planning for my lessons. And I get a sense of achievement when the lessons are being carried out. And I have lots of fun. Even though there are always times when some monkey decides to irritate you, either on purpose or just cos they are such. But they are part and puzzle, just trial and error. Carrot or whip or ignore? Heh.

Specially for my dear skinny wormie.

It got promoted!! In fact, it's been proving itself to be so accurate since I met it that I had no reason to reject it as a permanent resident in my tummy. So in order to give it a sense of belonging, sense of place, sense of space and of course, honour... a pledge has been created. Here goes...

"I, the permanent resident of Daffy's tummy, pledge myself as the one and only worm, regardless of physical, emotional or mental hiccups, to read Daffy's mind without her stating it, based on intuition and smart genes, so as to achieve efficiency, accuracy and progress for our friendship."

And you know what? We came up with it together! And individually, we came up with the "one and only worm" part! Hahaha! Another fulfilment of the pledge. Awesome. Heh.

Praise God!

My Sec 3 class was awesome! I think I made one step forward! Woohoo!

Strategy: Logical negotiation. Coupled with sincerity and genuine concern to try to win them over to my side. To make them cooperate with me.

I did a survey with them as to what they desired and disliked in a classroom environment and class activities. I took their suggestions and comments seriously, compiled them and did some changes to the pedagogy. I told them upfront that I was willing to take a step back and give in to some of their 'demands' (sound ones), if they honoured their side of the promise.

Eg. They din want to spend the whole lesson copying notes. (This was implemented cos they were just too distracted.) But I didn't agree with this pedagogy, so I was actually quite thankful that they didn't like it too. So I resorted to printing notes with blanks for them to fill in. They were thrilled.

Eg. They din want a noisy classroom, the teacher to shout and scold them, and to waste time waiting for the class to settle down. I told them that this was not part of my jurisdiction, but theirs. If they would cooperate and lower their volumes and not get too distracted, the teacher won't waste time. And I came out and told them upfront that I really didn't like lashing at them. And I also wanted to have fun! (Which is true what!)

Eg. They didn't want homework or tests. I told them that I wouldn't issue homework assignments, unless absolutely necessary, cos I don't want to mark either! Moreover it'll be a chore chasing them for work. So do class work lor! And tests, I can't help it, cos it's already in the SOW. But I promised them I wouldn't spring surprise tests on them.

Eg. They want fun activities. I told them I had several up my sleeves, and would conduct them only if they were cooperative, cos it's pointless to conduct something fun for them if they were gonna disrupt it and miss the objective.

So yeah, I started anew on that note.
And boy... it was a breeze and real fun teaching them! You get motivated when you know your students genuinely want to learn, and participate in your class. I even had time to show them funny pictures, cos my silly video wouldn't load! But it's a huge step from just 2 ppt slides and unhappy moments lashing at them! But also cos the "Big Boss" played truant too, so the rest didn't act up to impress him. I wish he was there though, I'll have to reach out to him too. Wish me luck.

Thank you God! =)

So what happened today?

All the prep and hype for my Sec 3s came to naught today when my ct walked in just before the supposed lesson and asked me which class I was teaching today. To my horror/surprise, I wasn't supposed to teach the sec 3s today! There was something wrong with the timetable! Haha! So now I have significantly less lessons with them. Happy or sad, you ask me? I dunno. I mean, they are a tough class to handle. Part of me is thankful I dun have to grow any older and get drained any further, but part of me really wants to take up the challenge and learn to emerge the winner in this battle. In any case, I thank God for the reduced workload, yet the opportunity to learn.

Sec 2s. I tried role-playing with them today. Quite a spontaneous bunch, thank God! They absolutely LURRRVE groupwork! And some of the role-plays were quite rib-tickling! Like a doctor operating on a patient without anesthesia, a lady selling char-shao bao (imagine 2 hands lifted up in a "i'm gonna grab you" manner, yet happily twisting), a family member dying yet the brother goes "Eh ok. He die already. Next scene." etc. *Grin* How emotional....
The class activities I carry out with them are fun-filled. But I think I need to reach out to them more... I so want to connect with them. Is all I need time? And patience? Hmmm...

Sec 1s. Lovely bunch. They never fail to make my day. It doesn't matter if I din get to follow through my LP. I think I'm really committed to drilling them, making them professionals in their own right. It's strange how dedicated I find myself, especially with this class. Maybe cos it's basic skills, and it's important. I also realised that being sincere about teaching and feeling confident are essential. Students can tell.

I pray I keep this zest. Not only for particular classes. But for all classes. I had a good day. And I love teaching.

There was a bonus at the end of the day too. When I was walking home from school, I met a group of my Sec 1s. And so we walked all the way back home together, with them just entertaining me all the way. I thought the whole idea of it was super cool. How often do we get to walk home with students?! I feel like I live at a kampong, or a little village! Haha! Cos the neighbourhood feel was so strong! And to top it all off, one of them told me. "Miss Seow, you don't look like a teacher leh. So innocent." Hahaha! THAT coming from a Sec ONE! *peng* Oh well... I AM innocent! =)

Know the naggy feeling of feeling anxious, yet too busy to sit down and 'attend' to it? Coupled with the desire to produce results by striving for the very best yet tied down to the emptiness of your treasure bag of ideas? It makes my heart beat faster. It makes my brain work overtime, even when I'm sleeping. It makes my tummy empty. (Is my tummy linked to my treasure bag of ideas??)

It's a period of experimentation with the different pedagogies, and a continuous battle of wits. Me? Witty? NO! I am SILLY! (As stated in Johari window... Heh.)

A brief update about the situation.
Sec 1s: Very fun. I have the freedom to try out anything and anything with them. (As ridiculous as can be...) And they are with me. So it's just awesome! =)

Sec 2s: I have had but 1 lesson with them. But here, I have the freedom to try out anything and anything with them as well. I hope to continuously interest them and have loads of fun. But it's tough filling the shoes of a popular and capable ct.

Sec 3s: I had only 1 class with them as well. But unfortunately, I allowed it to ruin my day yesterday. I went in with the intention of befriending them, by having fun with them, by inspiring them, by making them interested. But they kinda tested me till I found it off-limits. So I was kinda upset with them, cos I had to resort to unhappy methods. I dislike this. Why can't we just have a fun, fulfilling time together?

Anyway, the task at hand now is to experiment with ways to interest the latter group. It's tough cos the system that is in place for them is there for a reason, yet it isn't the most sound pedagogy ever. And I don't fancy it myself. I'll have to tread on thin ice to find my own pedagogy that will possibly work. And classroom management! Man... I think that is a scale up for me! Micro-management is probably the way to go. I'll figure it out... somehow... hopefully before March!

K enuff whining. I am not about to sink. I'm gonna fight! "Hai-ya!!"

Things to reflect on:
1) Ever felt bad for the rest of the class who want to concentrate, yet it's impossible cos of several cartoon-ey figures acting up?

2) Ever felt your heart sinking when you are marking a test and marks just fly out of the window unnecessarily?

3) Teaching is like watering a plant. You need to water it, fertilize it, transplant it, prune it and in the process, weed it. If we look into the future, we will have hope. Be optimistic and enthusiastic over each class.

4) Persevere even when the going gets tough. Only through trials and tribulations will we be toughen and grow. All things happen for a reason. Only by persevering through the toughest times can we say that we have succeeded.

5) How do we want to make an impact? Character development? Pedagogy? Whatever.... focus on it and make an effort. We can make an impact even though it's just 10 weeks. This is a challenge I need and want to take up myself. How will we know we have made an impact? When the kids miss you when you are gone, I guess. But not just in the popularity arena, the short-term effect. I'm referring to us being pleasantly etched in their memory. I think that is one thing that motivates me.

6) When things go wrong in the class, it's not us. It's the kids. And they are not problem kids. They are kids with problems. They are kids, but we are adults. We should be the more rational ones. Don't be afraid of them. They are just kids.

Okie, enuff said. Good luck to all!