Back To School Days

The days just passed so quickly in school. Even the hours flew by like lightning unlike my time at Fuji Xerox. I've started to teach even at the second day of work. I realized that standing in front to talk to 30 kids is really different from standing in front to do a presentation to 3 adults. I felt at ease talking to them and things were much easier. They just absorb whatever you are talking about, of cos must be correctly teachings la =P

Anyway, food in canteen may be super duper cheap but it's also super duper unpalatable. Yucky yucks really. For the past 2 weeks, I've only eaten the food there once. Despite walking up and down the canteen umpteen times, I just cannot bring myself to eat the food especially I'm such a picky eater. First, they sell cornflakes with milk for $0.50. Oh please, the cornflakes are all so mashy in the milk. Then I saw macaroni soup! It's really a plain soup with 2 mini fishballs and some uncooked lettuce (yes, lettuce!) in it that cost $0.70. The Chinese rice store sells sunny side up with soy sauce and rice. All these are really kids meal. So all these while, I've been enduring till I'm home to have a meal. I think I will say hi to gastric and bye to same fats soon lolx. To think that I thought I could save SOME money from food once I start school? I think I can save ALL money on food. My mum even tabao down for me! Crap.

Besides not eating, I've been running about, the most active job in my whole working career. Lolx. I have to go up and down the staircase a few times a day, bringing my students to different places in the school. Not to mention about the non-aircon rooms, I've been sweating out. I hope to lost that 3kg soon! haa..

So on the second day, I was asked to relief a class. Primary 3 students. As I was not equipped with all the necessary skills, I have problem managing the first class. Being a teacher, teaching is not difficult at all. It is the skill of managing 30 kids and making sure they pay attention. Kids these days are quite rude. Anyway, after the lesson learnt from the 1st class, the second class was so much easier to handle.

Now I'm officially taking over Primary 2 Maths and English and Primary 1 Arts! Yes, people like me who failed arts is taking arts! Anyway, I do not have to draw so it doesn't matter. They just have to take instructions from me. I've been attached to the most notorious primary 2 class. Usually each class has about 1 to 2 monkeys but in this class, I have about 6 monkeys to deal with and I really mean it. Each child is different and I actually made a boy cry on the same day. I realised that most of the children that have learning problems came from malfunctioned family. Their parents just simply do not care and expect teachers to discipline their kids when the most basic courtesy were not even taught to them to respect teachers. It's a vicious cycle. I realised that I am more easily accepted by the problematic kids and they opened up to me quickly.

I was talking to this girl whom the teachers were not able to make her talk for teh past 1 year. She only managed to mutter some words beginning of this year to 2 teachers. However when I took over the class, she started to react to me and now, she is talking to me =) I'm really glad because most of the other teachers were amazed by it. I realised that this girl has some psychological issues which is beyond our control. She has this fear for adults, for school, for strangers so she refuses to talk.

Next, this little boy with lots of disciplinary issues also talked to me and told me his parents are separated and the form teachers came to ask me how I did it. I did nothing really. I merely take the chance to talk to them gently about their family, about their recess etc and then they started to talk. Children are very sensitive people and being as innocent as they are, they genuinely know if you are true to them and tend to test you out to see what are your limits.

Seriously, I'm beginning to consider to go into counselling in school if this goes on. Haha... Convert to a counselor from a teacher, at least no books to mark, no lessons to plan! haa

Of cos, I have my bad times too. There are some whom I simply cannot control and despite the constant shoutings, sending them out of class, throwing worksheets, it just does not work. I have to simply ignore this group. Being a teacher, I began to understand the 101 theories on dealing with children, especially those problematic ones. I hear pitiful stories and there are only so much we can help. Many times, I was told to leave those who do not want to help themselves alone. Sooner or later, these kids will turn to be the last of the whole cohort but there's really nothing we can do about it. 1 teacher to 30 students, there are simply too many to care for. We have to go with the majority and those who are left behind, will have to fend themselves. This is the sad truth, this is life. I guess we do not get to see all these during the school days because we are oblivious to our surrounding friends who have poor results. Thinking back now, I wondered if they did survived eventually or are they the hooligans in today's society?

I still love what I'm going through for now. I hope that months after today, my interest in this job would still be as high as now. I'm so sick of finding what I want in my life, in my career. I'm so sick of searching endlessly for a job that I don't even know what my criteria are. I pray that this career crisis will end now otherwise, Ben is so gonna be disappointed in me.

Touching Moment

I happened to read this real life scenario from a blog and decided to post it here to share. Please... treasure the ones you have, treat each other right! =)

This guy went to his usual salon and saw the usual cheery boss sank into a dull mood upon entering her salon. She began to tell her staffs what had taken place prior to her arrival at her salon.

The salon boss went to Conrad Hotel for a birthday buffet lunch. Invitation came from her husband's customer. The buffet cost 150 bucks per pax, the invitation was extended to almost 200 people. Among the invitation list, were the wife’s family, friends and even long lost secondary school friends. The birthday “party” was all planned and organised by the husband, single handedly & behind the back of his wife. He sent out every sms, e-mails to all possible contacts, painstakingly took attendance weeks back, got everyone to attend, without breathing a single thing to the wife. On the day itself, he asked his wife if he could take her to a hotel restaurant for a simple birthday meal. Simply dressed, they went along to the hotel….
As she took the first step into the hotel ballroom, everyone wishes her happy birthday. She teared….

Sounds like a simple birthday plan? but read on….

The husband wanted the wife to have a most memorable birthday, because the wife hasn’t got much time to live. She was diagnosed with cancer few months back. She went for chemotherapy and hair started to fall. Both were living a tough time going thru the ordeal, but the husband didn’t want to spend the time left with his partner lament over the harsh fact.

Music filled the ballroom, the couple hugged each other and whispered to each other throughout the whole song. Thank you speech followed. Part of the speech by the wife was to thank her husband for the sweetest thing a man can do for the lady. She ended with, “Find a good lady, and carry on with life. Please let me go and continue to pursue your happiness for the next part of your life without me..” The husband immediately interrupted her speech ,”Both of us, together have taken the wedding vow in front of the Lord, pledged to take care of each other for as long as both shall live. I will do just that.”

Ballroom was solemn and teary.

Call me Miss Ho =)

For those of you whom I did not mention, I've quited Fuji Xerox and going into the teaching line. Been posted to Beacon Primary School which is just below my home =D Delighted cos I will save loads from transport and food! Guess my savings and contribution to my parents can finally go up! Keke... Cons: students are everywhere around me! Even going to market, I must take note of what I wear! Gosh!

Beacon is a new school, also known as the Future school as MOE is doing some testing on the students of this school. They are suppose to be very tech-savy as even the Primary 1 uses laptop during curriculum. In addition, gone are the days using markers or chalks to write, the teachers there writes on the tablet PC and it will appear on the special board (so they call it) and you can just touch the screen to go to the following page, just like iPhone. Since it's a new school, they only have up to Primary 3, so everything there is new and everything is a clean slate. I'm pretty glad it is.

I went for a meeting on 18 March (I'm suppose to start on 22 March) for some simple briefing sessions. I felt very excited over this career. Perhaps it's something new that I've not done. I'm not sure exactly why am I excited over it actually. Is it the environment? The people? The job itself?

I have a very short attention span. Usually in meetings, I will tend to switch my mind off after 20 to 30 minutes. But this time, I was so attentive throughout the 4 hours because everything discussed in the room seemed to be fun. I felt very welcomed into the school and teachers are not as strict and boring as I thought. In fact, perhaps they are primary school teachers, they all seemed very bubbly and playful, even to each other. They speak in all sorts of language, shouts across the staff room, answering HP in the midst of meeting while principal is talking... and I thought they are a strict and nerdy bunch. Lolx.. I guess I'm the sua ku one.

The principals and VPs are as nice and colleagues there are generally pretty young. Anyway, I really hope this will be my last switch for career wise. =p At least I feel happy and excited on the first day as compared to Fuji Xerox. =) Anyway, was told that the next term is going to be a hectic term as YOG is nearing, competitions are up, the school's official opening is coming... Despite all these, I'm pretty anxious to be involved in all these events.

Now that my working hours are from 7.30 to 1.15pm or 3.30pm. I guess meeting up with frens would not be easy since I have to wait for them to finish work and yet I have to turn in early. Thank God that Ben works on a flexible hour basis too.

Anyway, peeps! Call me Miss Ho!! :p

Long Overdue Chingay 2010

Been so lazy these days to type. Will just post the pictures... Afterall, a picture speaks a thousand words isn't it? I've got loads of pictures so it's more than a thousand =p