The Zoom Room

Equable

2010-08-12T09:22:00.001+08:00

This writing illustrates how "equable" is used.

She was equable, walking through conversations calm, cheerful and fair. Not
once was her face red or her fists clenched.

It didn't come easy - she said. She used to be impetuous. Equability was
about remaining objective – remembering that little things don't matter but
goals do.

"Don't let emotions cloud the bigger picture! Let what you strive for guide
you instead."

Mindfulness

2010-07-01T12:01:00.002+08:00

It certainly is amazing what we can do in life. One such incident that
strikes me is how people can control their health using their minds. One
book that I read calls it "mindfulness".

While it may seem incredible and perhaps even frivolous to suggest that we
can control our health and other issues with our minds, it is actually a
very logical process.

For example, if you are aware you have an ailment e.g. migraine. Rather
than subscribing to the "it is a lifelong incurable condition" belief,
think instead that your migraine is likely to have slight variations from
other people's migraines, in terms of how it's triggered. With this in
mind, be very mindful about your lifestyle and on what or how you do
things. With such mindfulness, it increases your sensitivity towards your
daily life routines and makes you more aware of how you can control your
ailment from coming on.

I think mindfulness can be applied to many other aspects of our lives as
well.

Isn't it interesting for example, that we may not notice cars much, until
we have an intention of buying one and thus inevitably become mindful about
the cars around us? Rather than wait till situations happen to be mindful,
it pays to be more observant and clear about things around us.

By being mindful, we thus would not be easily "surprised" when we encounter
relationship or work challenges, because these finer points have already
been emerging in some form of pattern/trend way. In fact, we might even be
able to address these issues before they explode.

Of course, I think mindfulness goes beyond just looking and seeing.
Mindfulness requires you to observe, analyse and synthesise various
information. Armed with the knowledge, it increases one's confidence and
perspective of not just one's health, but also one's insights about the
world around us.

Perceive more, know more, remember more.

2010-06-08T15:01:00.000+08:00

Read this in a book and I think it is very meaningful. When we try to learn anything, or for that matter, improve ourselves, we ought to remember to:

Perceive more – look at things from many different layers and in context. See beyond just what’s appearing at the surface, and try and get the undertones.

Know more – build up your skills and knowledge for different levels of your job. So that you don’t just become good in one very narrow area, but actually become all encompassing in several areas of your sphere of expertise.

Remember more – it’s good to commit to memory the lessons you’ve learnt. Otherwise, how can you ever improve? So with each learning experience, there’s a need to make an effort to put it into long term memory.

Pursue Your Dreams

2010-04-11T11:36:00.002+08:00

We all have dreams to some extent, and I think we need to be brave and pursue them.

There are naysayers and there are obstacles. Sometimes you'll even wonder if you are of sufficient quality to make the cut to enter the areas in which your dreams lie.

But how would you know if you never try? If at least you tried, but failed, you could consider why you didn't make it the first time and then try again.

Life is a journey of challenges, and living life in a fulfilling manner means that the roads leading to our destinations will usually be covered with sharp stones and sticks, trying to deter us from even taking the path. But if we remain steadfast and take each step at a time, the problems become smaller rather than overwhelming. With each incremental success we experience, we become stronger and surer of ourselves.

Striking that delicate balance in life

2009-12-26T16:21:00.003+08:00

Do we usually stop thinking at a particular time in life? After all, life becomes a constant, and the usual hum-drum of go to work, work work work, and go home to work, seems to continue day after day.

Yet, how can life be so? It's so...unnatural, so boring, so not worth living. I have a habit of planning milestones in my life - things I wish to accomplish: big things to me. It seems unnecessary and extra to people I speak to, but these are achievements that can make me feel that the learning curve has not reached a plateau, and more importantly, that I haven't stopped thinking.

But one wonders...when work piles up, and time is limited, how much affordances of strength and vitality does one have to keep this going?

There is a need to know how much to stretch one's self, without over-stretching. While a life without milestones is probably not worth living, this fruitfulness of life needs to be balanced out for personal sanity.

No such thing as 'no choice'

2009-09-21T10:39:00.004+08:00

Today I talk about choices. I find it very strange that people talk about how victimised they are, when in truth, they have control over their lives. If they hate their jobs, they have the freedom to leave. If they feel disgruntled, they are able to voice out. Nobody is forcing them - they can decide. Of course, every decision comes with consequences. If you quit your job, you may need to take a pay cut, or you may find greener pastures. If you voice out, you may risk offending your boss or you might impress him if you come up with a counter-proposal. What are your smart choices? How do you choose what to do?

There's no point in feeling upset about your life when everything is really within your control. Of course, life would be better if more things could go our way, but the truth is: there's no smooth sailing in life. We should make the best of what we have, and be optimistic. Whatever doesn't work out, we make choices. Whatever works out, we make further choices.

There's no such thing as 'no choice'. We are consciously making choices everyday. When we say 'no choice', we're effectively surrendering ourselves to life's circumstances. It takes courage to say, "I have a choice" and to do the necessary.

Plain Water

2009-09-20T10:58:00.005+08:00

How does it feel to be plain water - clean, clear and...neutral? You don't feel overly excited, neither do you feel overly upset. You're not acidic; you're not alkaline. You feel...in the middle. Neutral.

Let's not get into the details of chemistry, of what pH plain water is at. I refuse to liken myself to distilled water.

Is it Zen-like to feel mild like water, transcending life in some way or another? Yet, is it human to feel ever so neutral?

I see things deeper. I am calm. I get into flow when doing work. Yet, I am neutral, like water.

Is it age? Is it environment? Is it me - evolving?

Music Connection

2009-06-20T21:49:00.005+08:00

Ever since this year started, I got a bit scared. I started wondering whether I had lost my feel for music. For once, I was not playing the piano and singing with my students; I was not leading them in rhythmic musical creations; I was not standing in their midst to lead them to feel the power and beauty of music with me.

There I was, just practising my flute, guitar and piano as and when. And my singing...limited to my little tunes in the car while I drove, or the once-in-a-blue-moon meet-up with friends to sing at the karaoke. There seemed to be no more connection to music - I could not feel that familiar rush of music within me.

My job was mainly desk-bound. I was typing and writing lots, but not making music, singing or performing with my students. I thought I lost it - that connection with music. To me, losing the connection was fearful - more so, than cockroaches or lizards.

There were times I would sit in front of my piano, picking out a tune, and after a while, close the lid of the piano in sheer frustration, for the pieces I played felt dry and lifeless for some reason. Ditto for the music I played on the flute and the guitar. Then recently, I practised Canon in D on the piano for my good friend's wedding - she had asked me to play that piece for her march-in. I remembered the piece so well. It was one of my favourites. I had not only played it on the piano for my students before, I had loved it so dearly too when listening to James Galway gently push the notes out on his golden flute.

I placed my hands on the piano keys, in preparation for the first notes of Canon in D. Then, closing my eyes, I released my fingers, letting them run freely and feeling my heart fill up with the music as I played. It wasn't a short piece, but I felt it moving fast as it swished through every one of my life channels. I was in some kind of trance - neither imagining clouds nor beautiful scenery - just drifting freely into the music, and feeling.

My fingers stopped at the last note of the piece. I kept my eyes closed, still lost within what felt like the continuous ripples of the music.

I smiled. I had not lost it after all. Music was still with me. It had always been...regardless.

Attitude towards Living

2009-06-07T10:16:00.002+08:00

I think the feeling of excitement must remain. When we look at our lives everyday, we should not be looking on with dread and unhappiness; we should not be carrying heavy hearts and disappointment; we must not feel discounted or unappreciated. We must live our lives for ourselves.

It's easier said than done, of course. I never said it would be easy. In fact, I consider it a psychological game that one must play with one's self, for one's own good.

There can never be a profession out there where you face zero problems and zero frustrations. There can never be a life that is smooth like a red carpet. Yet, we can still bring our smiles to work and bring our cheer home to our families each and every day.

I believe it's all about reframing bad things to be good things, and focusing on what makes you strong and happy daily. We should never stop feeling excited about our lives, cos if we do, we are as good as the living dead - the people who are simply running through the motions everyday and not knowing where they're headed.

I'm not ready to be a zombie. I want to feel the breath of fresh air and the constant surge of wonder and happiness. I imagine myself as the street fighter in that video game with many combat battles ahead of me, such that I need to 'power up' my energy levels in preparation.

Why bother? Because I am not ready to settle for less than a fulfilling life.

Are We All Clones?

2009-05-31T10:34:00.004+08:00

We're all unique individuals - so we say. We pride ourselves in being different. We celebrate diversity.

Then, we find ourselves singing to the same tone as the masses. We call it mainstream. We are shocked with those who do not follow the norm.

I have nothing against norms. In fact, sometimes I find it comforting that we have norms or standard operating procedures, so we know what to do and what is expected.

However, at the same time, I question whether the norms limit us to become 'one of the many'? At work, in school or in society.

We should never be afraid to be creative. There's something wonderful in each and every one of us that makes us who we are, and certainly, that special element we have is vastly different from what any other person on the street has to offer.

We are different. We are not clones. Let us celebrate our individualities.

Are You Thinking?

2009-05-30T19:11:00.002+08:00

The world feels like a continuous whirlwind that is never stopping. The pace is ongoing. Time is moving fast.

Our brains become privy to more experiences around us. We soon become better able to manage deadlines and cope with stress.

Then comes a realisation...is being better able to manage/cope, the same as becoming a better thinker? Does better thinking come from life's experience or from conscious development?

I recall a time when I was guiding my students through a critical thinking process. One of them asked me, "Teacher, is this going to come out in the exams?" The others listened intently too.

This was a graduating class of students who had learnt to manage their work and deadlines well. Their brains had been exposed to experiences around them over the years. Were they thus better thinkers?

Relating this to the rest of society, does working hard and managing deadlines, and going through life's experiences make us better thinkers? Where does better thinking come from? What is "better" thinking?

Set in the right direction

2009-04-26T22:03:00.003+08:00

It's good to have a sense of direction and a feeling of focus in what you're doing.

You feel refreshed, energised and sure - probably cos you know what you're doing is set in a meaningful context.

Not good to be held in a mindless muddle of daily matters. It may mean we need to stop, and re-evaluate what's going on around us and what means most to us.

What is passion? Passion does not happen by chance. It happens when you find meaning in life.

Rather than leave that to chance, why not bring meaning to your life by knowing why you're doing what you're doing? Have a sense of direction and a feeling of focus.

That brings energy. That brings passion. That brings life.

Random Thoughts about Teaching

2009-04-17T17:17:00.005+08:00

I'm happy to read my students' blog posts and notice that they are doing fine in their Secondary schools. It brings me back to the past when I was in university. I saw those screaming kids running around the shopping centre with their parents yelling at them. I remembered accompanying my little cousins and not knowing how what to say to them. I recall feeling helpless with children, and being unsure if I would ever want to spend extended time with them.

After all, the statement, "I love children", that is characteristic of what many teachers would say, felt like a motherhood statement to me. A little too much of a motherhood statement. Something a single, young lady back then did not quite feel up to...as yet.

Fast forward to my teaching years where I learnt much about education through daily interactions with my students, and developed an innate sort of intuition when I spoke to them or read what they wrote. I enjoyed challenging their thoughts in class and engaging in open debates with them. I felt the thrill when I ganged up with a particular Primary one Art class I was teaching, to help spring their aged form teacher a pleasant surprise.

Early this year, when I made a trip to visit my cousins in Malaysia, they were amazed at how my little nephew was sticking to me, even though I had only met him for the first time, attributing it to my "teacher's touch". Similar remarks came from other people when they saw me teaching some children and teenagers at Karate class. Those days of feeling helpless with children now seems like a long walk back into history.

It simply proves that we humans are capable of things that we may never have envisioned before. Without trying, we'd never really know, right?

I've never known whether being a teacher was 'the right path'. It was a path that I simply trod on because I followed my heart. I wouldn't say that I discovered teaching. Rather, it was teaching that discovered me.

I don't know if I was ever 'called' into this profession. But I know I eventually fell in love with education.

Without Learning, Life is Not Worth Living

2009-02-08T20:37:00.002+08:00

I am a self-professed bookworm. I love reading. I just can’t stop reading.

At times when I can do without play, I can’t do without knowledge. My brain needs constant nutrition to ensure it feels alive. And books give me insight, while insight sets me thinking.

Which makes me wonder how some people can go about their lives without ever embracing the vast amounts of knowledge available out there? Why forgo wonderful chances to learn from what’s going on around you? Why stay in the mill?

There needs to be constant movement out of your comfort zone. The moment you’re too comfortable, it means you’ve got the hang of things, and your learning curve is starting to taper off.

Perhaps, it seems masochistic to keep subjecting one’s self to the torturous path of beginning baby steps at learning a new thing, but it is precisely these baby steps that set us down the path of greater adventures!

One needs to uphold a passion for the unknown - and a capacity to absorb the open-ended. Without learning, living becomes a sheer drone of the neverending story.

Corporate Blogging is not the same as Blogging

2009-01-28T21:48:00.003+08:00

It's been a long while since I last blogged. And rather queer too, because in my new job, I now engage a lot more in Corporate Blogging.

I've always believed in open conversations and the value of candour. That has been my guiding philosophy, hence this blog where I blog with my real name, and my accompanying homepage which has always been the landing page for various people to come and get to know me better.

Thus, when I was to embrace Corporate Blogging at long last, I thought it wouldn't be too much of a problem. After all, I had been blogging with my real name for a long while, hadn't I?

Turns out that Corporate Blogging is quite a different ball game altogether. It's really not about Corporate speak or making yourself out to be a totally person. I think it's the feeling of a sense of added responsibility - that one now speaks not for one's self, but as one of the voices representative of the organisation.

Content becomes another issue too. On a personal blog, you basically control what type of content you wish to write - unless you're really sticky about the number of repeat visitors to your blog. Corporate blogging on the other hand, really requires you to consider your readership carefully. After all, it's about making the posts count for the many busy people out there.

Probably some of you might disagree. After all, you might just be running your personal blogs in a similar way that one might run a Corporate blog. If so, you're likely to be quite an authority figure in blogging out there. I salute you, for many people out there are benefitting greatly from reading your daily posts.

As for the rest of us, blogging plays a different part in our lives. We blog not so much to inform but more so to express.

Always a Teacher at Heart

2008-12-19T17:39:00.003+08:00

It's funny how I miss teaching already when I haven't actually left it yet.

I saw a student care class in operation when I was out today, and as I watched the students yelling, screaming and shoving each other around in play with one passer-by remarking, "No manners!!" whilst the student care teacher gingerly and placidly tried to get the kids back into the centre... I started imagining me walking briskly into the classroom with my students in line behind me, armed with my book bag and markers, ready to greet the children with great energy and push through the school year with immense vigour...To move through the various events in the school year with zest and guide the children along - forming a close bond with them and enjoying the learning process with all of them.

Oh God. I miss teaching already!

Then as I entered Popular Bookshop where for the past few years, I was inclined to spend hundreds of dollars at yearly, buying resources for my teaching...I suddenly realised with a great sense of loss that I had nothing to buy! For once, stationary would be provided at my new workplace. For once, no need for me to browse through all the newly published assessment books. No need for school supplies...

I miss teaching.

Then there were all those friends and acquaintances who would ask me for advice on their school-going kids...I realised I was going to really leave teaching for a good while!

Then again, change is such. I am excited about my new job, but at the same time, my bond with teaching will always be there. And I can't help but feel that I will always be a teacher at heart. Thankfully, there will always be opportunities to teach and to learn - not just in the classroom - but everywhere we go, in whatever we do.

The Beginning of the End

2008-11-28T09:17:00.004+08:00

I was reviewing over my last few posts and realised how solemn and sombre some of these posts were getting. I do suppose it's a sign that change is necessary.

I have finally packed my workstation and cleared it 100%. I handed over the keys, my laptop and radio to the school. I filled my car with box after box of my personal items, in amazement at how many resources I had amassed over my years of being a teacher.

I'm glad that I have reached these crossroads at long last. Change is difficult but it can be an immensely rewarding process as well.

Challenges lie ahead of me, but I'm feeling the excitement at having to meet them head-on already. There's nothing like moving ahead into new territory.

I've always believed the toughest of anything is the start and the end. Thus, I am ready to take on the learning curve and the new environment with much humility and peseverance, while gracefully making an exit from where I used to come from.

Onwards to HQ! :-)

My Last Guitar Concert

2008-11-15T08:09:00.002+08:00

I told them I was leaving the school, and I wouldn't be here with them in guitar club the next year.

They looked at me - silent and not sure what much to say. They were really good children and some were very young, still looking confused.

"Teacher, why you need to go to the head..head...headquarters to work?" one of them asked.

I smiled and explained why.

It was a nostalgic moment for me. I had set up the guitar club with another colleague of mine last year. We were there from its beginnings. We build its structures and recruited its students, and saw it through till today.

My founding colleague left mid-way through this year. Now it was my turn...

I felt a little sad inside, but urged the pupils to put on their best performance ever - in a couple of hours when we were all to go up on stage to perform in our school's Annual Prize-Giving Ceremony Concert.

Most of the kids performing that day had only entered our club this year - so they were relatively new and this was their first big performance and hence, their first acquaintance with stage fright. Even the veteran performers showed hints of nervousness on their faces.

The time soon came. We went up on stage. I bowed to the audience and gestured for the ensemble to take their seats.

Then, I conducted the first beat, and we entered the music together.

For the first time since tons of practices (even compared to when the veteran performers had their concerts), I heard the best playing ever.

The melody section was strong and steady, but not harsh. The harmony and bass were rhythmic and harmonious. The performers were concentrating, but remembered to retain the happiness of the two songs we were performing, and the expressiveness came out from the music. The dynamics of the piece bowled me over - how they managed to negotiate the gradual soft and loud of the piece.

At the end of the second piece, I conducted my final four beats, and signalled a 'cut' for performers to stop the strings of their guitars from further sounding.

As I turned to face the audience, and led the guitar ensemble in bowing to the audience, I heard thunderous applause and cheers from the audience. Although my guitar students were standing behind me, I could feel the pride in each and every one of them that their hard work and efforts in performance had paid off greatly.

Now, as I finger a piece of rock that some of my guitar students had quickly decorated and given to me as a farewell gift, I think about the past - about how the club started. It seemed so long ago, yet so recent. Yet the memories (both sweet and bitter) will always linger in my mind.

The Swan Song

2008-10-30T22:30:00.003+08:00

I did the Swan Song with my students today.

We were in music class, and I told them that since today's music lesson would be the last music lesson they would be having with me forever (they're graduating students), everyone was to use one rhythmic instrument each and play their swan song with it.

If you're wondering what's this about 'swan songs', a swan song refers to the final or last word you have to say about something.

I played my swan song too, and felt it within me as I expressed it on my rhythmic instrument to my students in class. I shall not describe my swan song to you, though my heart felt heavy and reflective as I tapped the beats out to my class.

Then, one by one, my students took the stage - declaring to their classmates that they were about to play their swan song. And they played. Regardless of who played, everyone clapped and cheered loudly to show their support for that person after each presentation.

For that moment, fixed in time this year, I shall remember how my class stood in a circle, each and every person in solidarity regardless of their differences and squabbles, clapping and cheering loudly for a fellow classmate taking the stage for the last time in his/her primary school life to play his/her swan song.

It was to be after all, the final song we would play together in Miss Jeanie Lee's music class, and a song that Miss Jeanie Lee will remember even after she leaves on her next adventure...

Goodbye students...

2008-10-29T16:22:00.004+08:00

My official blogged 'goodbye' to my graduating class of students.

As I told my students, I too have reached my crossroads in life and will be moving out of my current job into another adventure after this year.

Read my farewell note here.

Excerpt from farewell note...
Remember that nothing should ever be a hurdle to you. Don't let disappointments, evil people or road blocks prevent you from achieving your life goals and becoming successful. You control your own lives and you should never short-change yourselves.

The Rule of Relativity

2008-10-29T15:52:00.004+08:00

Everything is relative in this world, isn't it?

If you say you're smart, that's simply because you're just relatively smarter than the people around you.

Even traits like being fat, slim, hardworking, slack etc - they're all just relative.

So why should we ever get hung up on these terms? After all, if people insult or praise you, it's because you're relatively different from them, but just put you in another group of people who are similar to you - you really wouldn't be all that different.

It depends on who you're being compared to.

Maybe that's why some Gifted children can be labelled as 'oddballs' by their peers in mainstream education, but become seen as 'normal' in a class with other Gifted children.

Then again, what is Gifted? Isn't that term relative too?

Still, it hurts when people use some relative terms abusively against us. It can also make our day when people use these terms to encourage us.

Rule of thumb: We are human beings, aren't we? So, please be kind.

Ohmmm

2008-09-15T21:44:00.003+08:00

Just saw this forwarded email thing with Stephen Covey's 10/90 idea. It says that 10% of the things in life - we can't control. But we can control the other 90% of things in life - through self-control (i.e. how we react to the situation).

Many people probably think it's common sense. Of course you're supposed to have self-control!

Though how can we as feeling and thinking human beings ever maintain a perpetually calm state? No matter how ZEN one is, so long as one is human, one will fume from time to time. It is unavoidable.

Guess everytime we feel upset, we really need to look at the big picture. Ask ourselves what really matters in life to us. Do we let the small things in life get us down? Or wrestle them off to battle the bigger things that matter?

Once again, you're probably thinking this is common sense. Though if it is indeed common sense, our bodies should commonly do it, shouldn't it?

But do they?

[*strikes a yoga pose and goes 'Ohmmm' in meditation]

Lessons from Burn-Out

2008-09-09T18:18:00.004+08:00

Burn-out is bad. Maybe you'd feel I'm stating the obvious, but when I read the Teachers' discussion forum, my hunch tells me that many people feel jaded about teaching because of burn-out.

True. There have been other reasons cited e.g. bosses from hell, unreasonable parents etc. But what isn't manageable?

I guess one tends to start viewing things really negatively once you're too tired and in dire need of a long break from work. That's when the once manageable boss, parents or even students start getting on your nerves.

I feel in such a case, there is a need for a change. Am not advocating that one should quit teaching. What I mean here is a change of environment or job scope. That can be achieved either by switching schools or even transferring to another department. The alternative is to be promoted into a new role where it doesn't become just another dead-end job with no work-life balance, but rather a new position where one can really learn in.

Ultimately, there is a serious need for us to pace ourselves. Too much of anything is health-harming. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes Jane a mindless girl??

Our Minister just spoke about the importance of a work-life balance for Singaporeans. While it is true that companies have a strong part to play in this, it is the workers too who need to learn to manage their lives better and get sufficient rest away from work, though still working seriously.

Calm in life

2008-07-30T21:09:00.001+08:00

Perhaps, I've reached some point of Zen. I feel unusually calm.

The frenzies of life are still around. Deadlines are still looming at me from every corner. Expectations are still mounting.

Yet, I feel calm.

I'm not indifferent, neither am I lack-lustre. I just feel that even if a hurricane crashes down on us, it'll be manageable. True, daily challenges demand that we invest time, effort or money into it. These demands bring us stress.

But when too many things are happening at the same time, it is necessary to step into the centre of things (just like standing at the eye of a tornado), and let calm come over you.

Life will still go on. Plants will still grow and people will still live. Life must go on.

Why let it stop just because of 'incidents'?

I love teaching

2008-07-17T20:45:00.001+08:00

I love teaching.
I love being with students
To make them question!
To see them blossom!

I love teaching.
They make my day, I make theirs.
Not authority, not supremacy.
Just care! Just respect!

I love teaching.
It's them.
Because of them.
Only because of them.

Messed Up

2008-07-08T08:44:00.001+08:00

I think when people say they feel 'messed up' inside of them, what they really mean is that they are utterly confused, and can't seem to get their thoughts in order.

When you consider how 'messed up' folks eventually resort to cutting themselves to feel less 'messy', the main thing that results from it is that other people will continue to label them as being 'messed up', and these 'messed up' folks will continually believe that they are indeed 'messed up'. This results in the cycle of confusion-self-mutilation-labelling persisting.

What really is 'messed up'?

We can actually feel 'messed up' without going to such extremes of dying or self-mutilation. We may not feel so despondent to the extent that we would actually hurt ourselves, but sometimes, within us, we feel lots of tension and unresolved conflict because...we have tough decisions to make:

What school should we go to? What job should we choose? Is he/she the right life partner to settle down with for life? And the list goes on...

With lots of questions come the need for answers. But truth be told: there can't possibly be answers for everything. We can't foretell every single event that is to happen in the future. We can only predict. Even then, predictions can sometimes be highly inaccurate as well.

Whereupon, we start feeling 'messed up'.

Ultimately, to avoid feeling 'messed up', we need to sort out our feelings and priorities. No matter how astute or objective a person you are, for a person stuck within this confusion, it is always tough to figure things out solo. It helps to bring in third-parties who can see you and your problems more clearly than you. Or it helps to make yourself a third-party by creating a technical pen-and-paper decision making process to bring an unbiased approach to resolving your internal conflicts.

Even then, we still can't be 100% sure what we're doing or where we're going is right. So we may still wallow in confusion.

Only remember this: There can never be a wrong decision. There can only be consequences. Whatever path you choose or whichever choice you make, there will be consequences - be it positive or negative. Be brave and be ready to live by your life's decisions.

How dreams come true

2008-07-07T13:26:00.001+08:00

"If all dreams come true, then this isn't reality," some might say.

What are dreams anyway? They're those things that we wish for, we hope for and we pray for. The kind of solutions we envision would come to us when we next wake up from bed. The ideal world or situation we all hope to be working or living in some day.

Some people wait for dreams to happen. And then become cynical or despondent when these dreams don't materialise. They bemoan the world for being unfair to them. They screech at the Heavens for not taking care of them. They criticise people around them for preventing them from achieving their dreams.

But consider this: Your life is in your hands, and so are your dreams. How hard you want something will determine how much nearer you get to it. Dreams do not happen just like that. We do not have Fairy Godmothers to wave their wands at us - so we need to cast our own spells and work at making things happen.

If you wait for things to happen, things don't happen. If you make things happen, they will eventually happen - some day in the future, after a long and hard road filled with painful stones that can cut your feet. That's how dreams happen.

Dreamers need to get up and start moving - for better or worse. Pursuing one's dreams requires persistence, perseverance and passion.

How hard do you want to fulfil your dreams? It's time to get moving now.

Now who's rebelling?

2008-07-01T18:06:00.001+08:00

It seems like everyone is into rebellion these days. Pupils are rebelling, workers are rebelling, even support staff are rebelling!

Ask why and people say it's stress. Ask further and stories of being under-valued and undermined start emerging.

Then ask the bosses and teachers why subject these people to low valuation. They'll tell you it's not that they want to, but they are 'compelled by circumstances'...

Yes, you'd probably stifle a laugh and spot a cynical expression at this conjuncture, if you're already rebelling or planning a rebellion. Though ask yourself, "How would you fare in their shoes?"

To the bosses and teachers alike, the answer doesn't beg much thinking: Don't forget who's driving the force of your company/class. It's not you.

The Big Picture

2008-06-21T16:11:00.003+08:00

There shouldn't be a reason for any of us to easily feel angry or sad, because life is about the big picture, not the small.

We feel affected by many things in life - when someone cuts into our lane, when we are side-stepped or simply when we're not in the limelight.

Insecurities are what results in office politics, petty quarrels and mutual distrust.

Yet what matters more?

What about the world as a whole or a nation on its own? Why gripe about individual students when education brings meaning to society? Why bother about winning titles if the learning isn't there?

If we believe in individual callings, we need to strive to find our own niches in society where we can contribute the greatest - to which we have been endowed the talents for - and were meant to bring progress to.

Life is about the big picture, not the small.

Passion for learning

2008-05-11T16:55:00.005+08:00

What requires a passion for learning? Basically every skill or body of knowledge - if you really want to be good at it.

Initially, you kind of get the gist of things and start mulling over things. You do lots of trial and error, and you make a couple of mistakes, or you hit on a few successes.

Then, you reflect over what has happened, wonder how things could have been improved, then dig up literature or information on how to do so...thereupon lies the passion for learning.

If there isn't a thirst to find out more about something, there probably isn't a fire somewhere within you to want to learn more about it.

Yet, just because you're temporarily not interested in something, does that mean you would infinitely not be interested in it at all?

Sometimes, it's how the skill/knowledge was presented to you initially that gave you those first impressions about it. Other times, you could simply be too bogged down with other affairs in your daily life to ponder long enough over the skill/knowledge to start appreciating it.

In other words, you have not given sufficient time to allow yourself to feel your passion for that skill/knowledge.

What is passion? Can passion point you to a correct career? Is passion within us or cultivated?

Can these questions ever be answered?

What is a good teacher?

2008-05-06T18:38:00.008+08:00

When we say someone is a 'good teacher', what do we mean?

Do we mean the teacher:
- explains things clearly to students?
- has good rapport/ strong emotional bonding with the class?
- pays attention and is kind to the children?
- marks homework?
- gives lots of homework?
- teaches students to be exam smart?
- educates students to be street smart?
- imbues students with values?
- gets students to think deeper and grow in maturity?
- is intelligent/well-educated?
- is a position-holder in school?
- manages multiple school roles very well?
- wins awards for the school?

Everyone has a different view of what a good teacher is. Just ask teachers, students, parents or the school management. Even amongst these stakeholders, opinions differ.

Yet ultimately, what matters most? Must one feel validated as 'a good teacher' to be motivated to continue forging ahead?

If the answer is 'Yes', who has the mandate to decide on the benchmarks for validation?

If the answer is 'No', then what motivates the teacher to keep on going? Something must surely be responsible for the self-motivation - even if it isn't some sort of validation.

Life is Transient

2008-05-04T11:38:00.006+08:00

If life is transient, why bother so much about everything?

After all, life is short. Whatever we do, whatever feuds we face, whatever rewards in life we get - these are all but short-lived and would soon be a thing of the past.

In that retrospect, why get hung up on the little things in life?

When a person has only a few more months to live and is aware of it, the transience of life suddenly becomes apparent. All at once, nothing else matters - because life is short. Yet, what matters most at this point of no return is no less than the quality of what remains of one's life.

That's when people start to value time with their family, friends, and consider personal regrets in life.

Yet, the transience of life has always been there. So why wait till the end before we admit that life was indeed transient?

Squabbling over small issues - to always be the winner in arguments, are these really important to us? Backstabbing other people, putting others down, bullying, being mean - do these really matter?

What really matters to us? What do we value in life? Our aspirations? Our families? Those we hold close to our hearts?

Some may argue, "If life is transient, why bother so much about everything - including what really matters to you?"

Then argue why you are living. What makes human beings live on in this everlasting transience of life, without a hint of meaning, motivation or sense of belonging to make us feel whole?

Without feeling what we feel, would we then be human?

Why not call us 'the living dead'...?

Teaching is Public Speaking

2008-04-20T10:56:00.004+08:00

Someone once told me that teaching in class is different from public speaking: teaching is not public speaking.

I would agree with this person if I wanted to be a boring teacher that nobody would willingly listen to.

Just picture 40 students sitting down there in a hot classroom. The school hours feel long. The table space is constraining their leg movements. The heat is making them dream of other things. And there goes the teacher yakking and yakking in a monotonous drone - to the whiteboard, to the open space, to the visualiser, but not to the children.

It's hard to remember how bored you can feel as a student, if you haven't been one for a long time. But I'm sure we've encountered situations where we sit as a member of the audience listening to someone drone on in his/her speech about something you don't really find important or don't quite comprehend. You fidget uncomfortably in your seat. The heat gets to you making you wish that the speaker would stop talking so that you can get up and stretch your legs.

The students feel that way too. They need material delivered to them effectively and the speaker needs to be able to do that - with or without the help of technology.

An effective public speaker does vocal variety. He/she dramatises the content of the speech, and breaks the message of the speech into easily digestible little parts. He/she is concerned about the audience's comfort and their attention span. The audience stays engaged with such a public speaker.

People who remark that teaching in a classroom is different from doing public speaking probably imagine that children are robots who will just input whatever data you would have them input, and consequently output what you desire them to output. This is far-fetched and idealistic.

An effective teacher needs to be an effective public speaker - someone who is attuned to the audience's needs and knows how to get that message across effectively and succintly. We're not talking about making teachers into actors or circus clowns, but simply having teachers realise that teaching is a form of public speaking, and that the audience is key.

The Grasslands (A Random Poem)

2008-03-18T22:12:00.006+08:00

A strange sense overcomes,
I look.
The grasslands once luscious,
Now dry.

I call out - no response.
All dead?

Then sunlight blares down,
Answering the question.
Heat drains the land,
Energy gone. Who survives?

A strange sense overcomes,
I look.
The grasslands no longer luscious,
Now dry.

My vision - has it blurred?

Students mistaken or mistakes?

2008-02-06T11:09:00.000+08:00

When we look at little children jumping around happily or coming to us excitedly, we remark how cute they all look, and how adorable!

Then, these children enter school. They become Primary school students, Secondary School students and Tertiary students. Their jumping around all the time becomes noticed as hyperactive behaviour. Their 'cute' looks are perceived as lack of seriousness when we're trying to lecture them into good behaviour.

Then, students make mistakes - or worse, they commit serious mistakes.

Why do they make these mistakes? What's happening to them? How did they go astray?
How did someone so cute become someone so naughty?
How did sheer activeness lead to bad activities?

What's going on here?

We can jump to many conclusions. But really what we ought to do is separate our anger from the issue, and try to see things from the child's point of view. Things are never just black or white. The grey areas are the ones that require investigation and takes more trying to unravel and resolve.

Problem is: Do we have this patience? Do we have this time affordance? Do we have this support?

Yet, what is our purpose of being teachers?

Leadership

2008-01-24T21:34:00.000+08:00

It's interesting what books tell you about inspiring leaders.

The key trait that really rang with me was how inspiring leaders communicate regularly with their subordinates. They make their subordinates feel their care and concern for their existence, rather than just giving instructions. They keep their subordinates regularly updated of what's going on, so subordinates feel a sense of belonging to the team. They ask their subordinates for opinions in a big way - by allowing their subordinates to take ownership of projects and run them independently. In a nutshell, they trust their subordinates and the subordinates know that they are being trusted.

Teaching is all about leadership. Teachers cannot just instruct. Human beings are much more complex than information processors.

There are lessons that teachers can learn about being inspiring leaders.

Questions from an educator

2008-01-17T19:33:00.000+08:00

Why teach if not to teach well?
Why educate if not to educate sincerely?
Why influence if not to be positive?

What makes good teachers, good teachers?
What makes better teachers, better teachers?
What makes excellent teachers want to be superhuman teachers?

Why discuss education matters?
Why not discuss education matters?
Why structure schools this way?
Why teachers structure classrooms that way?

Why serve here to serve others?
Why serve others when we can serve here?
Why the teacher does not teach?
Why the educator is not educated?

When is reflection going to happen?

Call it Teacher's Instinct

2008-01-13T09:37:00.000+08:00

If you sit in a classroom facing 40 children, and you spend 5 days a week with them, are you likely to be able to predict which vocations these children might eventually go into when they grow up? Would you be able to hint at what future directions these children seem to be headed towards?

I can't say 'yes' for sure, because I've not lived long enough to see my students grow up to become working adults. Neither am I certain that once they're working, they'd actually make contact with me for me to see what has happened in their lives.

But somehow...call it teacher's instinct, or the fact that I've long been fascinated by personality profile typing methodologies such as the famous Myer-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). I somehow seem to be able to suss out where these pupils are headed for.

There's a student in my class who's likely to go into psychology one day, and I have a feeling she'll even consider post-graduate studies one day. There's another few who will successfully work in government service after securing government scholarships. There are 2 or 3 potential engineers and another 2 or 3 others who would probably settle down early and choose to become full-time home-makers.

It's not stereotyping. Rather, it's about having an awareness about these students' motivations; their strengths and weaknesses; their thoughts and feelings; their aspirations and interests...these somehow culminate into possible hypotheses of these children's future vocations.

Wondering my thoughts aloud, I engaged in lunch-time conversation with some colleagues. We happened to talk about one student whom we all had the experience of teaching before. I mentioned that I was certain that the student in concern would enter the service line, and would do fabulously there - perhaps even getting some good service award and accolades from customers. To my surprise, all my colleagues present agreed with me, and said that they too had the same feeling and similar theories about that student!

Looks like I wasn't the only one having all these hypotheses...

People talk about identifying the talents of children whilst they are young, and to nurture these talents. And somehow, these 'talents' always seem to end up being those 'talents' that are outrightly visible or tangible - e.g. talent in art, talent in music, talent in maths, talent in writing etc.

Yet, that always seem too simplistic for me. Human beings are complex and multi-faceted. Our feelings, thoughts and motivations are never so simplistic as to be identified on a linear fashion - it's more of a multiple construct. And while not all teachers are research scientists capable of verbalising profound theories about their students, most of us are feeling beings with an innate detector that allows us to sense something about them.

This innate detector guides us to be able to help the children on a deeper level to motivate them accordingly. It warns us too to never be biased or prejudiced against certain students just because they behave the way they do.

Call it gut feeling. Call it intuition. Call it a teacher's instinct.

Whatever the case, it's necessary if we are ever to teach well.

Talking about Change

2008-01-05T21:57:00.000+08:00

If change is the only constant in this world, why do all other things stay inconsistent?

Plans never seem to keep on track - they just keep getting modified. People seem to be inconsistent in their feelings and goals - they say one thing and do another.

Or doesn't that simply prove that change is indeed the only constant in this world? After all, plans don't keep on track because they keep changing. People are inconsistent in their feelings because they keep changing/evolving. Our goals never stay the same because we keep changing them when new opportunities present themselves.

What's certain is that our core values as human beings tend not to change so easily. People tend to be inherently stubborn in their beliefs and choose not to change their beliefs to fit this changing world. Yet will people ever be constant with the world if they steadfastly choose not to change? Are those who choose to surrender their beliefs in favour of the changing world cowards, or simply pragmatic people?

We can't escape change. Even if we chose to be hermits and block ourselves out from society by living in solitude in the mountains, we'd never escape change. The weather elements would change, whether due to seasonal changes or global environmental changes. The eco-system around us would change too, affecting our sources of nutrition. If we do not change the way we do things, these changes in our world could affect us adversely.

How can we ever keep up with changes and this changing world? Why can't this world change to fit our changing needs? Could we change our actions without changing our beliefs? Or would changing our actions subtly influence us to change our beliefs?

Why are we talking about all this if change is the only constant in this world? After all, our ideas today will probably change tomorrow too, right?

The Joy of Teaching (with familiarity)

2008-01-04T21:43:00.001+08:00

I really see the difference following-up a class you have taught before, as compared to starting off the year with an entirely new class. Once students feel secure with their teacher's way of educating them (due to one year already being spent with them), they readily respond to your wish to educate them. They start to listen to you from Day One.

I feel extremely proud of my students to see them cooperating with each other, behaving with good manners, and being hard at work with a positive attitude and pride in their work. Yes, perhaps it's only the 3rd day of school, some might say - somewhat a bit too early in the year for one to set judgements already, but nonetheless, I can't help feeling greatly heartened.

What can I say, but that it really brings joy to a teacher every single day to see such pleasantries happening before her eyes, and just makes her want to work even harder for her students?

And whatever else that's dreary no longer seems to matter. Whatever tasks and duties that were once tiresome now seem to feel insignificant in comparison with the immense satisfaction that is experienced from getting the class properly educated.

What is teaching? And what is it about being a teacher?
It's about lives. It's about human lives. It's about people.

The joy of teaching must be experienced. It cannot be felt. It cannot be imagined.

My New Year's Resolutions for 2008

2007-12-31T16:48:00.001+08:00

Today's the last day of 2007 and it's also the period of time in which I have been reflecting deeply on the year and what feels meaningful and important to me. It is the result of daily reflections throughout the year, that have led me to better understand myself and to be able to verbalise many of my innermost thoughts and feelings.

I am someone who loves to learn, especially if the learning is a challenge. That's why I willingly study new things from scratch, or further specialise in theoretical or application aspects of education.

Whatever I choose to endeavour in, I do so with the knowledge that I will be one depth wiser than the year before - simply because I subject myself to internalising more knowledge and training my thinking skills on a regular basis.

One needs to constantly move ahead and consistently learn. Once you stop wanting to learn, you can't get any better at your job. You get stuck in a rut, and can contribute no further. That's very sad because we're in the education business, and it is not products we're dealing with, but people's lives.

Education is evolving. We need to evolve too.

In this upcoming year of 2008, I strive to continue learning and reflecting daily, and to pursue opportunities that will stretch me analytically and creatively. I hope to bring positive influence and benefits to those who have been placed in my care to be educated, and to others whom I can help along my path as well.

2008 is going to be a busy year, and I am sure it'll be a fulfilling one as well.

To conform or not to conform?

2007-12-26T18:19:00.000+08:00

Is conformity bad? I mean, is it right to pressure someone to do things in the way that everyone is doing it, just so that they can 'belong'?

Many people would say the answer is obvious: conformity kills creativity; conformity stifles learning; conformity is EVIL!!!

But wait a minute...Don't we conform when we queue up at the cashier's? Don't we conform when we stand up to greet the teacher daily? Don't we conform by the fact that we even go to school for a formal education?

So, educators are kind of told that we should encourage students to 'think out of the box', and that we should allow them room to develop as unique individuals, yet we tell them at the same time to follow school rules and societal rules; we tell them respect is important; we tell them they must get a formal education of some sort, if they want to get somewhere in the future.

In other words, we're saying nonconformity is a no-go if you wish to survive in this society (or at least so that your next-door neighbour won't be raging at you for littering all over his doorstep).

But...we advocate nonconformity - we say it's necessary for creativity...

So what's our stand now? Creativity within boundaries? Safe nonconformity?

Can the relevant authorities please step out with appropriate yardsticks for us?
- Oops! That would be rather conformist, wouldn't it?

Jeanie Lee's Homepage (2008 version)

2007-12-25T21:20:00.000+08:00

I have revamped my homepage at www.jeanielee.per.sg to be more personal and informative.

This is an excerpt from the welcome page:

The Nature of Adventure

2007-12-21T17:29:00.000+08:00

Adventure encompasses many things. It forms images of adventure-seeking down in the outback, or anywhere else rugged. Otherwise, it brings to mind scenes of bungee jumping and thrill rides like go-karting down a steep slope.

Yet, adventure to me is much more than that. It means attempting something that makes your heart race - creating ripples within you - causing tension within your body, but not that queasy feeling associated with butterflies in the stomach. It has a 'feel good' sensation, coupled with a hint of challenge which when overcome, brings immense satisfaction to the person concerned.

The nicest thing about adventure, is how we sometimes don't necessarily need to seek it out - we find it foraging its way to our doorsteps, inviting us to jump on the bandwagon to proceed to mark another milestone in our lives.

Adventure need not be physically constrained. It doesn't have to happen just in rainforests or jungles. It can happen even in urban areas or in the usually most boring places to be in.

That's the nature of adventure - while one may actively seek it, it usually comes by in the most passive and unexpected manner. That's how it creates that element of surprise, to stir the emotions within us to a climax, and positively thrilling us for the better.

A Fair(y) Use Tale

2007-12-20T12:18:00.000+08:00

If you've ever wondered about copyright law, you've got to watch this video! It's an extremely well-pieced and hilarious video on what copyright law is. The video uses Disney cartoon characters to piece the story together, in a fairytale format.

It's a product from Stanford Law School. :)

Looks good, but don't hold out well

2007-12-19T22:53:00.000+08:00

Do we look good, but don't hold out well? No, I'm not referring to a 'Miss Universe' pageant where we select for both brains and beauty. I'm talking about us - ordinary folks - being able to look good in daily performances, but still come out shining like steel under rigorous testings.

This may sound like some kind of science experiment, but seriously, what looks good may not always hold out well - I think this is a well known fact, regardless of which profession you're in. Some educators will instantly quib policies that seemed well envisioned, but flunked the implementation process. Others will talk about classrooms that are equipped with the various educational programmes possible, from writing workshop to science wizardry, but somehow did not quite make the cut when students' actual abilities were evaluated.

This is the situation that's happening world-wide, in almost every country that cares about education. It certainly is not a local phenomenon.

The next question that comes up then is whether we've been trying hard enough. Have the educational researchers been contributing to sufficient research material? Did the policy makers consider implementation issues? Do the teachers implement?

I think it would be too presumptous to jump and blame any level. There are too many factors to consider, though certainly, we all have an important part to play in ensuring that good things do get carried out.

I think the key factor lies in buy-in to the idea. We've got to feel something for what we're pushing for. 'Holding out well' requires some level of persistence, and persistence usually arises when we're interested. That's probably key to how we can ever look good and still hold out well.

About Studying Strategically

2007-12-14T15:56:00.000+08:00

It's funny how hard students study, when all they really need to look for are strategies. Most of us usually have to wait till we're much older before we realise that, and when we do, we figure that if we time travelled back to our foundation years, we'd probably have had a better shot at performing brilliantly beyond expectations.

Of course, some may say that maturity plays a great part in us starting to realise how to study smart, though I am partial to disagree. I disagree because I feel that aside from maturity, it's also more like how often you engage your senses in 'thinking things through' and figuring out academic material. The more you're immersed in academic material, the more likely that you will start seeing connections and as a result, come up with strategies to tackle the various topics.

In other words, it's experience. And experience in studying smart comes from constantly fighting study battles with your textbooks and papers.

Alas, I know of course that it's impossible for me to time travel back to my younger days and do all my exams over again, with my new-found wisdom and strategies. Thus, I do my time travelling differently - by returning to school grounds as the teacher - to impart these strategies to younger ones, with the hope that they won't be knocking their heads silly, trying to make sense of otherwise logical and common sense material.

Teachercise

2007-12-11T20:06:00.001+08:00

My arm aches from playing badminton today, but somehow I feel very satisfied that I got to exercise. It feels weird when I sit down for too long - I feel like some kind of dormant volcano, perhaps because I am so used to moving about as a teacher. Sometimes, I tend to wonder whether I would ever be able to get used to any desk-bound jobs as a result.

It makes me think back to when I first became a teacher - my legs ached so badly after the first day of lessons. I had no idea that I had been standing up for a good many hours! Add to that fact that I also had to keep climbing stairs throughout the day; it really proved to be a rigorous fitness programme for the unfit.

Teachers, in my opinion, don't have to take up martial arts to be tough. Just try hitting the back of our legs for example, and you would find that most of us have developed substantial leg muscles from all that daily exercise!

Education is Idealism

2007-12-07T15:10:00.000+08:00

Policies are a tricky business. The policy-makers craft them out with great pains - and sincerely create these policies with the best of intentions, with each policy holding the most commendable of visions that could help improve the quality of education in the country. Yet, success at ground-level becomes a seemingly uncontrollable variable, depending greatly on no less but the idealism and passion of its people.

Education is an idealistic business. It lives on ideals and works on idealism. It is only when we as educators hold an ideal for what is really 'quality teaching' that quality teaching will indeed happen. But if what we have in our minds is simply the notion of commercialised education - the idea of winning competition over winning the hearts and minds of students, then there comes a danger that we might end up unfocused and unwilling to move towards what drove the ideals behind the various education policies in the first place.

Many people like to say that the policy makers are in an ivory tower of their own. But how many people actually try to fathom whether they have created little ivory barricades around them, bashing away the idealism that once made all of them the good teachers that they inherently are?

What is our role as teachers ultimately? What is education about?

Do we all need to become policy-makers ourselves one day, before we can fully embrace the idealism of education?

The fact is: Facts don't matter (as much)

2007-12-05T10:16:00.000+08:00

It's a wonder how much information is available out there on the World Wide Web, to help us in various research and teaching.

These days we don't even need to remember how many bones there are in the human body. We just need to know how they work and what they do.

The focus today is on making sense of information rather than simply knowing facts. What's the point of remembering a date when the date is insignificant?

Perhaps that's why studying it seems, is getting 'tougher by the day'. Newspapers report yearly of upset parents who rant about PSLE application-level questions being too merciless on the average student. The introduction of calculators into P5 Maths next year to slant learning towards more application questions also made headlines on whether basic calculation skills would be compromised as a result.

The fact is: technology has invaded our world through and through. Everything we need to know is simply just a search and a mouse-click away.

Today, the smart-aleck kid, who can rattle off dates and statistics, is no longer the success story; but rather, it is the man-on-the-street who takes this information and does something with it, who can rock boats and raise eyebrows.

Food shortage

2007-12-04T23:33:00.000+08:00

A food shortage is happening worldwide, even as we speak - according to the news. Poorer nations are going to find it tougher than ever to survive. Some of these countries are currently facing famines - the situation's not going to get better for them; it's only going to get worse.

Yet, while we grimace at the prospect of rising food prices (and hence the pinch in our pockets), at least, unlike our counterparts in poor countries, we do not need to confront the possibility of ever going about on an empty stomach.

How fortunate we are...such that food can even be considered an abundance worth discarding at whim.

Consider food rationing exercises to give students the feel of war-time exigencies: these rations such as creamed biscuits or sweet potatoes are unfortunately frivolously dumped into trash bins. Reason: food item does not look appetising enough.

While people starve out there, we go picky on food. This world is indeed filled with inequalities.

Yet, how can we ever compare the living standards of people from different countries, different socio-economic environments and hence different upbringing?

What we can do though, is to possibly try to emphatise with the less fortunate, and be contented with being born in a developed nation with a strong economy.

More importantly, we need to remember that whatever we're taking for granted today, is probably what someone in another country is struggling to get for tomorrow.

Holiday Fervour

2007-12-03T22:51:00.000+08:00

I felt agitated for a moment - my mind awakening to sudden red alert; my body prepared to engage in yet another battle...I started delving into work with much fervour and concern...Just then, my eyes were distracted by the faint star-shaped lights shining from a distance - we had bought those for Christmas decorations.

Focussing on the lights had a calming effect on me - bizarre as it didn't feel scientific, though possible to be explained. My muscles relaxed, releasing me from the tension that I had felt just a moment ago. I started breathing with a long lasting appreciation of every whiff of air, as if what I was inhaling came from a fresh sea breeze, rather than indoors.

My mind entered meditation mode voluntarily as it momentarily blanked out all the noise within it. My eyes closed.

Then I sat there - now with a renewed sense of rejuvenation, and remembered that I was supposed to be on holiday.

Do Dreams Come True?

2007-11-24T21:48:00.000+08:00

Do Dreams Come True?

Perhaps in fairy tales, they do. But many people stop short at saying so for reality. They believe cynically that life is harsh and dreams never do come true. That is unless, you are the minority that the masses call 'naive'.

Yet, I hold an open-mind to this statement about dreams coming true.

I totally agree that in reality, just as much as money does not grow on trees, it is sure as certain that dreams do not automatically come true for us.

However, I would say that rather than complete dismissing the possibility of dreams ever being fulfilled, why not think of it as 'your fate lies in your hands'?

Rather than just dream to be rich, go forth and think of ways and means to achieve your goal. It's certainly tougher than having some fairy godmother grant all your wishes, but ultimately, the sense of satisfaction will be greater, and....your dreams will come true indeed - maybe not in the perfect manner you may have envisioned it to be like, but at least you'll get somewhere there.

To put it succintly, I think we are all fairy godmothers. We control our lives and determine our fates. Luck and environment may play a part in our lives, but ultimately, it's really up to us to be persistent in reaching our dreamed destinations.

So, do dreams come true? They do if you want it to.

What learning is (and isn't)

2007-11-22T09:33:00.000+08:00

There seems to be a strange understanding here in society - that everything you do in life, must most certainly be for career progression or for life's successes.

Such is so that people no longer believe in studying for the value of learning; or further training as a means of helping one to see things in more depth and more breadth.

The value and joy of learning have unfortunately been relegated to the back seat, with many people only believing in one key focus - and that is - to be successful.

Can we perhaps attribute this phenomenon to Singapore being a meritocratic system where people realise that in order to move up, you need to prove yourself to be more capable than others? Must we always engage in mindless competition that trivialises the whole process of self-discovery and exploration usually associated with learning?

Why do people simply not understand that there is more to life than just winning?

Indeed, our expectations shape our beliefs; while our beliefs influence our demands. That is why, people who only believe in learning for the sake of 'moving up' in social statuses, will inevitably perceive the value of learning to be limited to practical reasons.

How much we learn ultimately depends on how much we want to learn. A point to consider is: to what extent would people who only want to learn enough to graduate truly learn?

Furthermore, competition is good if it pushes you to move beyond your comfort zones to keep on learning, thus stretching you considerably in the process. Yet, in the process to achieve and become 'one above the rest', let's not forget that learning isn't all just about getting good grades, or putting you one foot ahead of your peers in your career.

More importantly, it is about getting you out of a knowledge rut, and constantly oiling the machineries in your mind to continue to be curious about life, and to always want to know why.

That is what learning is all about - to view it otherwise would be to derogate it.

The plus point is: the more you pursue knowledge for knowledge's sake; the more you constantly want to keep learning about things around you - it changes you for the better. You end up thinking deeper and you understand the rationale of things more.

What is a knowledge worker? What is 'helicopter view'? These come when a person has a considerable capacity of relevant knowledge and can analyse deeply. It comes from education.

Isn't that more effective than just studying because you need to graduate?

How children get hurt

2007-11-17T18:53:00.000+08:00

It was with much apprehension when I read a news article in the New Paper today. It was about a primary school girl (around 8 years old) who had been playfully swinging and throwing water bottles around with her friend when she herself ended up getting hit in the eye by a thrown water bottle.

Now, it is likely that she is going to go blind in one eye.

As what would always happen, the fingers would point in both directions, especially since this happened in school.

The parents blame the school for inadequate action. And the school defends itself, and details all the follow-up sensible actions that they did, noting the severity of the situation.

The school mentions to the press that considering the seriousness of the situation, the parents of the girl had brushed off the incident as minor, and only sent her grandmother to pick her up - and the girl wasn't sent to hospital till 4 hours later. But the parents assert that the school had not warned them (though the school claims it did).

Whoever is in the right or wrong is not the key issue I am taking to task here, but more so, the incidences of students throwing water bottles at each other.

This incident particularly strikes a chord with me because students throwing water bottles at each other can so commonly happen - hello! they are children! They like to play. And they like to play rough!

Which is why, it is necessary for ALL teachers and even the OFFICE staff, to pick up first-aid skills and observation skills for emergencies like this.

We may be hired to teach, but we've got to mind all these incidents as well.

I am constantly on red alert everytime I am sent out on 'guard duty' to watch over students playing with each other during recess.

The stressful moments come when students start to play rough or dangerously. You have to stand there and make your presence felt for half an hour! I totally emphatise with my colleagues who have been sent to watch over the children at the playground, or previously, even those who were made to stare focused at the table-tennis area to ensure that no bats hit any heads.

Yet, how many children actually internalise anything from the reasoning sessions and reprimands they get? Most times, they wait till they get hurt before they are 'once bitten, twice shy'.

And people wonder what are some of the stress areas that teachers face in their work everyday? Some people have also queried why I carry a mini first-aid kit in my bag whenever I go around to various classes. I think people should get a notion as to why now.

Furthermore, for every injury that occurs, things don't just rest at us having applied first-aid. There are Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to follow, personnel to contact, and accident reports to be written.

That all aside, injuries will still happen. That is a given. But more importantly, let's please do consider: We can teach and we can tell. But how will children internalise? This is certainly a point for the educators and the parents to consider.

Alternative Perspectives

2007-11-17T08:50:00.000+08:00

I wish there was an alternative way,
For people to see the world in its true light.
With its beautiful colours,
And what it offers,
There's more to it
Than meets the eye.

I wish there was an alternative way,
For people to see mankind.
Human beings may seem complex,
Yet they're all inherently alike.

Even if I do wish often,
There's no sure way that it will happen.
Seeing calls for the heart to consider
Other perspectives, be it bitter.

The world may be a better place.
Yet more tolerance would change the way it stays.
We need to progress, we need to learn,
That life isn't one way,
And there are turns.

As spoken from a teacher

2007-11-16T17:59:00.000+08:00

I had to emcee for our school's prize-giving ceremony today, and I was told to speak a little longer to buy some time at one point.

Usually, this is a challenge and it requires us emcees to consider what we can possibly say that is constructive enough, so that we do not lapse into mindless rambling and put the audience to sleep.

Having thought of that point, I decided that it would be better if I thought up of a proper speech instead - one that had some kind of central message to it; rather than just talking brainlessly without head or tail of where my speech would be headed!

So I spoke on having the passion for learning, and that it wasn't just as simple as having the enthusiasm for something, but that rather, it required us to be hardworking, engage in constant self-reflection, and to have a commitment to constant learning.

On hindsight, I think I tend to 'wear' my profession in no matter what I do. The speech did seem like what a concerned teacher might have ended up preaching to his/her students during class time!

Oh well...this is not the first time that people have said that I 'speak like a teacher'. I'm starting to think that this trait has become way too obvious in my interactions with other people! ;)

Cheers to Stress!

2007-11-13T23:42:00.001+08:00

Have you heard that the more stress a person can take, the more able he or she can become?

It's just like doing stretching exercises. We may not be able to stretch all the way to our legs initially, but if we are able to deal with the stress in stretching, we will slowly become flexible, and one day, we will indeed be able to stretch all the way to our legs.

I feel that this is similar to any type of work or play that requires a person to endure stress.

The more you can endure, the more able you are to handle a variety of tasks. It makes you on the whole, become a more resilient person.

So, cheers to stress?

Why teachers need to be self-sufficient

2007-11-08T21:23:00.000+08:00

I've always known it is vital to be self-sufficient. Never depend on anyone else for anything.

While this may seem like a very 'survivor-type' instinct, I feel it is a pertinent belief to possess if we are to progress.

Let's look at teaching, for example. We can give many reasons why we can't teach our pupils properly, but ultimately it is really up to us as to how much we want to get them taught to the best we can.

We need to find ways and means to get the best teaching done for our pupils. And if you can't seem to get any help offered from anyone, find the help yourself. Go walk in bookstores, go talk to people in the profession, go talk to students. Read widely, research, endeavour, think, and for goodness sake, figure things out - the whys and hows!

That's what teaching is about.

Singaporeans have been much criticised for having a highly spoon-fed education. We must break out of it and consider alternate ways that we can help our pupils.

I know it's tough considering our workload and the many constraints, but please...let us do try.

No End to being a Role Model

2007-11-04T16:23:00.000+08:00

There is no end to being a role model - if you choose to walk the career path of a teacher.

Most people prefer not to identify you as 'you'. They tend to label you by your vocation. They observe how you speak and how you conduct yourself. They look at your dressing. They evaluate your manners and your knowledge. They're even curious about who you go out with!

Just today, I happened to meet a family acquaintance with his wife and little son. After saying 'hi' to me, he introduced me to his family as 'the teacher'. After which, his wife and son intuitively started scrutinising me from head to toe as if I was some kind of special species. They only stopped when they noticed my knowing look on them.

What can I say? Even my Taekwondo instructor usually calls me 'lao shi' - a Chinese term for 'teacher', when in fact, he actually is my 'lao shi' in that class. And he certainly is not the only one who does that. To some extent, sometimes I am relegated to being a 'no-name' person - identified only by what else but my vocation!

Perhaps I should feel honoured that the general public seems to be treating the teaching profession with more respect these days, as compared to what we had to go through in the near past. It marks a paradigm shift in people's attitudes towards educators.

Though, with this respect comes along a feeling that one has to live one's vocation 24/7. Thankfully, this gets less uncomfortable with time - after all, to impart values and morals to students, teachers have to lead by example; and leading by example tends to make teachers mould themselves into people with morals, whether knowingly or unknowingly.

In that sense, there is truly no end to being a role model - if one so chooses to become a teacher. Yet along with this choice and these scrutinies, comes the satisfaction that one is sincerely able to make a difference in the lives of the many little ones who look to this role model for guidance and example.

Withdrawal symptoms of a teacher

2007-10-28T16:19:00.000+08:00

1. When 'leisure reading' for you means reading articles from educational research journals.

2. When your idea of shopping therapy is to enter a bookshop and start buying academic resources for the next year.

3. When you find yourself picking up a pen and paper to solve Maths problems just for entertainment.

4. When your brain is filled with thoughts on educational strategies to be implemented for next year's class.

5. When you actually feel strange without any marking to do.

This is probably what happens when you haven't had a life for a major part of the year and suddenly, you have some time to spare over the weekend.

*And yes, I know that most people rest over the weekend...

It is fun to smile

2007-10-24T21:36:00.000+08:00

Life is so stressful sometimes, that it is fun to smile.

There are so many things to exasperate us daily. How much energy should we use to feel exasperated?

If we use that much energy to feel exasperated, how happy does it make us feel?

If we can only feel that much happy by being exasperated, why not use that energy to smile instead?

Smiling makes us feel better. It makes those around us feel better too.

It is fun to smile. A simple truth indeed.

Cyberloafing

2007-10-07T18:42:00.001+08:00

Sumiko Tan wrote about the value of 'cyberloafing' in the Sunday Times newspaper. Cyberloafing is a process whereby you simply surf the net to wild away time. Sometimes, just mindlessly surfing the net can be quite therapeutic, and can serve to make one's emotions feel more positive. This is because these days, we depend quite a bit on the Internet, and the Internet in turn can help to entertain us and help us relax.

I can understand why people would cyberloaf. With email to check, online news to read, and blogs and book webs to check out, the Internet is somewhat like a perpetual shopping complex online where you can just walk around to unwind.

Cyberloafing may be a concern to bosses who worry about employees goofing off on their jobs. Yet, major loafers aside, I think the multitude of people simply need some mini breaks now and then from the intensity of their work to recharge, and when they use these 5 or 10 minutes of time-off to cyberloaf, it helps them greatly.

Furthermore, rather than spend time snacking or chit-chatting, sometimes these 5 or 10 minutes of cyberloafing may actually be productive time spent reading news or catching up on industry information. Thus, cyberloafing may in fact be valuable if done appropriately.

I guess the main issue here is how appropriate is appropriate? And to what extent is cyberloafing good? Ultimately, I think it's never possible to draw an absolute benchmark. It's simply all about being a responsible employee; to know when enough is enough - that is unless, we cyberloaf at home, of course.

The power of peer influence

2007-10-06T15:15:00.000+08:00

Peer influence can be much more powerful than what many people imagine, and hence, who your friends are, make a really big difference in what kind of person you turn out to be.

I have seen normally well-behaved students slowly evolve to become distracted and mildly rebellious, because the crowd that they mix with believe it is cool to be rebellious, violent or even disrespectful to the teacher.

There are also those boys who really love music, and who have nothing against singing. But because their male classmates would call them sissies if they were to sing, their mouths clamp up when the music teacher conducts sing-along sessions.

On the flipside, I have observed how a once loud-mouthed, hyperactive and verbally abusive kid became a protective 'big brother' and reliable leader because he was sorted into a class which happened to have a good mix of students with positive peer influence. The value of positive peer influence was also noted for other similar cases.

Two points need to be mentioned here:
1. The teacher would of course play a strong role here in influencing the type of peer culture that eventually emerges in the classroom. While we can't stamp out entirely what's emerging, we can try to gradually influence our children to move towards a more positive direction, so that peer influence becomes more positive too. But again, how successful this is depends a lot on the chemistry between teacher and students, as well as the particular batch of students and how well they react to such influence.

2. Many people imagine that good behaviour or positive peer influence only exist in academically able classes. This I beg to differ. There can be negative peer influences in academically able classes, and in fact positive peer influences in academically average or weak classes too. It really depends on the mix of students you get in each class. Sometimes when many smart but rebellious students happen to gather together, the negative peer influence can in fact grow rather rapidly!

Whatever the case, if you're a concerned parent or concerned teacher, it's always good to keep check of students' development on the values side, and regularly counsel them.

It's the case of the first-person blind spot. It's hard to ever see our faults clearly. It's better when there is someone to help us spot it, so we can endeavour to correct it. All humans are such - students too.

What is a Teacher?

2007-10-03T21:43:00.000+08:00

Many people have different ideas about what being a teacher means. I have always believed that it is about being an education professional.

A professional always considers the needs of his/her clientele. You make sure that your clientele feel comfortable doing business with you - in this retrospect, to learn from you. And you advise your clients and review processes with them regularly, thus helping to add value to them. Thus, you need to consider not just the knowledge and skills you are delivering to your clients, but the emotional needs you are helping to address as well (good presentation skills are a plus point to keep your clients' attention with you!).

A professional is a manager. There are tons of timelines and numerous deadlines. So, a professional has to ensure that he/she prioritises accordingly. Most importantly, in whatever we do, the focus must be on our clients' needs.

Finally, a professional always keeps up with industry developments. He/she reads regularly about latest related developments and research, and tries to apply it into his/her work to add further value to his/her clients. He/she makes regular recommendations to his/her bosses or clients based on latest research, to help the organisation and the clients' work processes progress further.

Thus, a teacher is not just someone who stands by the whiteboard and yaks for a few hours at bored students. A teacher is an education professional who does his/her best for the clients (i.e. our students), and does so by understanding students' needs, managing workflow well for both the school and the students, and keeping up with latest educational developments.

Do students learn better through worksheets or learning activities?

2007-10-01T10:03:00.000+08:00

The education system will never be free from criticisms. Two schools of thought seem to dominate amongst stakeholders.

One says, "Give lots and lots of worksheets! Teach to test!"

The other complains that students should not be taught for just the sake of exams, and instead should be given lots of learning activities in class - Engage them! Don't bore them! - so they say...

So, what can the school management ever reply to these people? Of course, the school has to say it has to strike a balance between the two extremes - which is what most schools try to do, really. And sincerely, that is what good teachers are trying to do too.

If you just give lots and lots of worksheets, students may do and do these worksheets, but they may just be going through the mill and never really improving. They need to reflect on the areas they are getting mistakes in, otherwise they will never progress. Worksheets are good when it comes to preparing students for exams and reinforcing concepts, however, quality doing is always more effective than quantity completion. Without reflection, the value of doing worksheets is greatly reduced. Too many worksheets can also result in an overkill - students become adverse towards worksheets.

How about learning activities? Of course it interests the students by making lessons feel less traditional and boring. You can do lots of hands-on and experiential learning outdoors. It can help make learning feel 'real'. Yet, at the same time, learning activities need to be treated with caution. The children may be engaged and playing, but are they really learning? We must be mindful about ensuring that every lesson is purposeful rather than frivolous. Hence, a lot depends on whether the learning goals have been carefully planned for each learning activity, to ensure that the value of the lesson is really there. Too many learning activities can also result in an overkill - students might actually start begging for traditional lessons!

It's really hard to please everybody. But the idea is not to make the whole world happy, and instead keep in mind what is most important for our students.

I think good teachers and good school management always bear that in mind. So we try our best to maintain the balance wherever possible. It is of course difficult to be perfect, considering constraints of time and resources, but we can try...

Research is...

2007-09-23T00:17:00.000+08:00

Have you ever experienced this sense of frustration where you have tons of questions which you just can't seem to answer no matter how much you read?

I find doing research to be such - especially when working on my Masters Thesis.

The more I read, the more questions I have in my mind, and the more possible pathways I can envision. Sometimes, this gives me quite a big headache - especially when one sees all the possible links and associations.

Yet, amidst this frustration, is also a sense of secret thrill - the feeling of adventure that somewhere down one of these paths...it possibly leads to what you're looking for, and more!

Ode to my students (a dedication)

2007-09-18T23:09:00.000+08:00

I got a bit poetic tonight, and decided to write 'an ode to my students'.

http://5a2007.blogspot.com/2007/09/ode-to-my-students-dedication.html

Theory and Practical

2007-09-16T21:41:00.000+08:00

Theory tends to be different from practical experience. We spend a greal deal of our lives studying, only to discover later that we have to re-learn many of the things that we once thought we knew.

We may study as trainee teachers how to manage a classroom, yet when we become full-fledged teachers, the multitude of students that come to us will never be identical case studies. Every student is different, and so is every class. Hence different teaching approaches and ways of reaching out to our pupils would apply. We use a lot of our intuition in the process.

Just-in-time crisis management, first aid, counselling services, parental helpdesk, admin support etc etc were never taught to us in the textbook. We learnt all these, over time.

Perhaps, as a result of how much we have had to learn on our own, some feel that educational theories are a waste of time. After all, isn't our reality simply about practical experience rather than theory?

Yet, theories are important. If education researchers did not do their work, there are many good teaching or learning methods or discoveries about students that we may never ever learn, even if we become more experienced teachers with time. Our scope of ever improving as teachers would then be limited to how much we bother to reflect daily, and how competent our colleagues are - not to mention how willing they are to share with us their teaching expertise.

Thus, if educational research is 'too theoretical for the classroom', what would happen to the progress of teaching without classroom theory? Are we then as teachers saying that studying doesn't help you much in 'the real world'? One can't help but wonder.

What it takes to get there

2007-09-06T14:32:00.001+08:00

When you look at someone who is smart, skilled or glamourous, do you envy them? Do you wish to be like them?

Yet, how many of us actually look beyond the glitz and glamour to investigate how much hard work went into making them the people they are today?

For example, it may feel impressive to be a professional musician. However, musicians need to practise around 8 hours a day, and some of them still don't make it past auditions to become employed professionals! It's a tough world out there.

The most brilliant researchers can spend many years just investigating the same topic, and still get no answers. However, they never give up and just keep persevering. Some still don't make it, and even those who do make it in their research, may or may not become famous.

That's why before learning or trying to achieve anything, you've got to ask yourself whether you are really ready to commit to it. Learning or achieving something takes a great deal of self-discipline. You've also got to constantly motivate yourself to push on because you will surely meet with many failures and disappointments.

Most importantly, you've got to have the passion for it. Because, one must remember that at the end of this very long road of learning or achieving, there may not be any riches or fame to speak of - just perhaps, sheer satisfaction that you have managed to complete the journey.

Why the Last Minute Route is Not Success

2007-08-29T23:20:00.000+08:00

Many people believe in last minute work - especially students who prefer to leave revision till the last minute.

Yet, it is like saying everyone can climb Mount Everest without having any constant mountain climbing practice, and just leaving things to fate, luck and the possibility of the last minute cramming providing sufficient stimulants for that big climb.

If a student is hardworking from day one, he/she will reap the rewards in the long run, even if he/she is slower than the rest of the class in the beginning.

Hard work somehow drives people to focus, and focus tends to alert us to pay attention to certain important things we're learning. That helps us learn better.

Want to succeed? Don't start tomorrow. Don't start next week. Start today.

When Teacher's Day Messages are really Feedback

2007-08-28T22:14:00.000+08:00

Schools perhaps believe in asking teachers to garner termly feedback from students about their teaching. Yet, the best time to ever understand where your strengths in teaching (for the year) lie in - I would say - tend to be reflected in what pupils write to thank you about in their Teacher's Day Messages.

When I was very into creative designing of lessons, messages that came in appreciated me for the different types of lessons that I had created, and for the fun that students got through these lessons.

When I put focus into caring for students' personal lives, students told me they appreciated that I was there when they needed me.

Or when I gave particular attention to intellectual development and knowledge acquisition, my students reflected these too in their Teacher's Day messages.

I always keep all these Teacher's Day Messages that I get, categorised according to the year I received them. I find these to be a good reflection of my teaching at various stages of my career, and of the focuses I had when handling different classes and discovering each class's unique mix of students.

As we reach the end of the year...

2007-08-20T19:28:00.000+08:00

Whenever a new year starts, everyone has to deal with changes of some sort. If it's not a new class, it's a new teacher. If it's not a new class or a new teacher, it's the fact that the work is more mind-boggling and there are more demands laid down as you are seen to be 'older'.

Changes are tough to cope with. If things have been good for us, we would like things to remain the way they are now, rather than for time to proceed on with what we fear in the unknown future.

Yet, change is good. It is what makes our lives different, rather than bland. It makes us resilient to dare to deal with other things that are constantly changing around us. We learn to adapt quickly and effectively.

One day in the future, we will look back to the past and laugh at how we struggled so hard to cope with changes then. We would feel a sense of nostalgia about the past, yet accomplishment at the same time - for having dealt so successfully with change as we grew up.

Change is a part of us. It is what makes us whole.

Martyrdom

2007-08-15T07:28:00.000+08:00

Many people think teachers are martyrs (saints).

At least that's the impression I tend to get when I read the newspapers on the sufferings of teachers or go out for gatherings where people say, "Oh....you're a teacher?? Being a teacher not easy ah..."

Yes, our daily actions do impact a lot of lives. Yet, doesn't every other job too impact lives? Even if you work as an admin clerk in logistics, if you mess up an order, quite a few people's jobs are at stake, aren't they?

Yes, our job is stressful. But so are most jobs out there. So long as you work, you got to face some work stress. Issues like unreasonable demands and various other stressors will always be there when you work. Ultimately, it depends on what stress you prefer - be it the stress of working shifts, dealing with clients etc - we're all just doing the jobs we can better put up with, if not fall in love with.

Martyrdom to me is just another way of saying "we're important". If so, everyone in this world who contributes to society should be worthy enough to be called martyrs. Because, without the important contributions of everybody, there would be no society!

Our role as teachers is definitely important, and this is one job which requires lots of responsibility, patience, and diligence to do a good job of - especially so, since we are dealing with impressionable minds. More so, since we are trying to mould the minds of the children of our country.

Still, let's not over-sensationalise it. Let's just do our job, and do it well.

Why the competitive spirit is important for progress

2007-08-02T08:35:00.000+08:00

I sincerely appreciate it greatly when I see my pupils taking their work seriously and I feel happy for them, in fact.

Sometimes, it is not about simply encouraging fierce competition between pupils, but more so to awaken the fighting spirit within them. When there isn't any competitive spirit lying within you for school work, chances are that you will naturally take a more laid-back attitude and hence your body will not be in the optimum (or best) mental and physical state to undertake more challenges and to focus.

We notice many students who are very lethargic when it comes to weekly practices, but once they are told they are to perform something on stage, they gear up within them all their focus and diligence because they suddenly feel very motivated to improve. The competitive spirit within them is at work - no way do they want to 'lose out' and appear like poor performers when performing in front of the school.

Similarly, why do private music teachers advocate that their music students e.g. piano students should go for exams at least once a year? It is to give them a goal to work towards, and somehow, each time when we try to achieve some sort of goal, there will be some progress (whether big or small). There is this fear of failure within one's competitive self - this pushes us to progress.

Of course, all these will only stand provided the student has not totally given up on himself/herself. In such a case, the teacher needs to find a way to make the students feel like winners once again, so that they can return to their competitive selves to further achieve what they can indeed achieve.

When Caring Leads to Frustration

2007-07-30T20:41:00.000+08:00

I think that the more you care about someone, the more easily frustrated you can get. At least, that's how I feel.

Recently, I've been feeling very irate. And I tend to feel this way because I find that my class is not pushing themselves sufficiently to what they could possibly achieve.

In terms of calibre and intelligence, no way do they lose to 'the others'. What totally gets me is that many of them simply refuse to try hard enough - though they claim that they want to do so. You can give them a full platter of knowledge and teach them in the most entertaining way that you can possibly do, but if they choose not to listen and work hard, they just don't reach the peak that they could possibly reach.

It's really their choice, ultimately. Perhaps, it's just me - I can't stand sitting there on the sidelines watching them sink further back in, when actually, there's more to their abilities than they could possibly imagine.

I like my class a lot. They are a wonderful lot of students who breathe some level of interesting perspectives into learning and they are caring as well. Sometimes though, what is needed would be more willpower and more belief within themselves that they can indeed achieve and do it.

Be Yourself Everyday

2007-07-27T23:05:00.000+08:00

I was reading an interesting blog post entitled 'Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teachers', and what particularly struck me was the point about how teachers should always strive to be themselves in front of students, rather than try to be hip or do something to fit in with the crowd.

I've always been a strong believer of being myself. Why be someone else when you just won't cut it to be like that person? Many times, it's about finding your comfort zone - in what manner do you feel most comfortable in? Then just forget about modelling too closely to the 'model answer' type of teacher, and instead, just be yourself!

I've always been a stickler when it comes to good manners, but many times, I just believe in a good laugh, and enjoying a dramatic moment now and then. This means I end up doing a lot of melodramatic scenes in the classroom and playing with words quite a bit. And I do see that students seem to enjoy that aspect of me, rather than someone who hardly smiles.

Of course, the classroom management and discipline must not be overlooked. But beyond that all, the teacher's personality is something that should shine through and touch the students in its own unique way. This is something that is irreplaceable, and really, it is this special tinge that will make the difference in the way a teacher teaches a class.

So don't be a phony. There's really no need for that!

What keeps teachers going

2007-07-20T22:49:00.000+08:00

I think the thing that keeps most of us teachers going in teaching, would be the students. I guess it's no surprise considering that all of us would probably prefer working with people whom we like to work with, right? And the nice thing about students is that: once you've built the rapport with them, they actually become very pleasant people to work with.

The good thing about students who are at the Primary level is that they are not tainted with life's political side. While some of them can be so straight-forward to the extent that they actually seem blunt, so long as you don't take every single remark to heart, you will actually find that they can be the most honest critiques! That certainly beats back-stabbers and liars, doesn't it?

Of course there will be those students out there who cause you much heartache, and in some cases, even cause you to dread coming to class. But I guess there must be a balance there. Everything happens for a cause - I always believe. There's always a reason why a particular student and you end up being in the same class together. There's some karma and some good that you were meant to do for each other, somehow in some way.

What I do realise is that: everytime I feel rather down and out for various reasons, it is my students who keep me going - with their impish smiles, quirky comments, and lovable actions - it does help make the day of a tired teacher!

That's why as far as possible, I too try to make the day of my students. Because to see their smiles of appreciation, or sad faces lit-up in brightness - these are all priceless presents that further makes me feel the reason for being in this profession.

How smart students keep themselves going...

2007-07-14T15:31:00.000+08:00

I think I can totally relate to some students who are bored with school. If you're a fast learner, you tend to get the grasp of things in half the time that your peers do, and when that happens, the enjoyment of learning starts to run out, unless you are able to find other areas to seek for more advancement and learning, be it in further exploration of one's school material, or in other activities.

Some of these students who prefer to 'remain focused', end up exploring what they have learnt in school to very great detail, such that they bury themselves in books and research. At times, when you do talk to such students, you find that they can really sound like little 'professors'.

Then, there are those other achieving students who seem to be in so many Co-curricular activities (CCAs) and leadership positions at the same time. When they know enough of schoolwork to do well enough in the exams, they turn to other activities to provide them with the continuous thrill to achieve further. They find that they have much energy to challenge themselves constantly.

While others may wonder how these students manage their time, the truth is, these students find that their lives would be otherwise so much emptier without these 'extra' research or activities. To quote one of them, "I feel I need to be in all my three CCAs."

The unfortunate side to this though is sometimes, these students may eventually face some burn-out especially if they are overly-committed to more activities than they can handle.

Nonetheless, if a suitable balance is struck between self-fulfillment and school work, the fact that such students can continue to find ways to challenge and interest themselves does do a great deal for their self-concept and equally importantly, their passion for learning.

After all, one can only progress if one keeps learning. And one can only keep learning if one continues to have a passion for learning.

Love is in the air

2007-07-08T16:30:00.000+08:00

Many of my students and others are now getting themselves into what they deem as 'necessary relationships'. Yes, at the age of 11, they now have their eyes out for their ideal boyfriend and girlfriend - some even proclaiming that they have 'gone steady' with someone.

While many students try to keep these relationships under wraps, the truth is: it is hard to ever keep things under wraps. People know these things: Students know. Teachers know. We all just don't say too much about it to each other, so it hence appears that we all don't know.

It must feel really romantic to 'fall in love' or to be loved by someone. We start feeling important because someone's eyes are constantly on us, and we get all the attention we want from that special someone. Our friends too, start to notice that we are dating and tell us how envious they are of our relationships.

Yet, are we really in love? Or are we in love with 'falling in love'?

After all, it is nice to be loved by someone: you get attention showered on you by that someone, and your friends start commenting and teasing you about being with that someone. However, do you really love that person inherently? Or are you merely finding a substitute for attention and love that you're not getting at home, or simply because you feel some sense of emptiness within you?

Ultimately, true relationships can withstand the trials and tests of time, and it should never be taken frivolously. It is human to love and want to be loved. Yet, love involves many sacrifices and true love is sacred. To say that we are loving someone, when we are simply filling a temporary image or self-esteem void within ourselves, poses an insult to those people who truly love each other, for better or worse.

My Former Students

2007-06-23T17:10:00.001+08:00

I see them around and sometimes they gather somewhere near me, trying to see what I'm doing or to listen in to what I have to say to my current form class students.

Unfortunately, at many of these chance meetings with my former students, I am too busy imparting instructions to students from my form class that I don't have much of an opportunity to stop and really chat with them.

Sometimes I wonder if they interpret this lack of attention towards them to mean that I don't care about them anymore.

Yet, they are so wrong.

Every student from my form class whom I've ever taught - I never forget. I still care and love all of them, but less chances of interaction mean I have less time to express my concern openly for them. Furthermore, as they grow up and progress, there comes a time when they too start distancing themselves from the teachers who once taught them, because they somehow find ways of becoming more independent themselves.

I still remember former students, even some of whom are in upper secondary.

Somehow, teaching is such. When you've invested your love and care towards certain people, a bond is there. It's not as easy as saying that we move on and forget each other.

It's just that sometimes, when we no longer meet and interact on a frequent basis, a communication gap appears. That's when we imagine that the other person has forgotten all about us.

The truth is: the bond is never easily gone. We just need to communicate a little more. :)

How to constantly have passion

2007-06-19T19:23:00.000+08:00

The best advice I can give to anyone who feels you have lost your passion for what you once loved is: Do more of it.

It's really weird, I must say. Sometimes, we can feel so disconnected - as if what had once tremendously fueled our passion for something has dissipated into thin air.

People might say, "Hey! It's stress. Take a holiday. Go for a sabbatical!" But the truth is: People can go on that holiday or that sabbatical, but still come back feeling dispassionate about their lives and about whatever they may be doing on a daily basis.

So how do we gain more passion or at least, gain back that passion for that thing that we once held so dearly?

The solution is to simply do more of it, persevere through the tough parts, and constantly notice what's making you feel good inside as you do more of that thing that you're doing. Somehow, the more you do that thing, the more you start to recall and remember fond and positive memories through it, and hence, the more you start loving to do it again.

Speaking of which, Donald Trump, the guy who fires all the apprentices on TV once said, "Without passion, you don't have energy. Without energy, you can't do business. You need passion to be successful in business."

Dale Carnegie, another guru in this area, also observed that many times when we come back from work feeling extremely fatigued, it is usually the boredom of what we're doing rather than the toil of work that has sapped our energy. Just think of those people who claim that they're so 'fatigued' from work, but who suddenly have bundles of energy when they're asked to go out shopping.

I suppose: When we say we have lost our passion for something, it basically means we have somehow got too much into the mill of doing whatever we're doing everyday, such that we start to forget what had made us want to start doing it in the first place.

It is thus that we only notice what's bad about what we're doing, and neglect the beautiful parts of what had once upon a time given us that immense energy and satisfaction to feel passionate about something.

How to constantly have passion? Simply keep feeling passionate about it!

What Education is About

2007-06-17T20:47:00.000+08:00

"Education is not just about learning 'the answer' but about learning how to learn". This quote stuck out in a particular article that I happened to read today, and I simply couldn't stop thinking about it.

To those of us who still hold that idealism within us for the hope of education, we would probably go, "Of course! That goes without saying!"

I suppose this treads delicately on the borders of pragmatism and idealism, where pragmatists would ask you to make that statement out to the examinations authority and see what the authorities would have to say about school rankings, reputations and answering to parents about students' grades. "Alas!" they might say, "We live in a meritocratic system."

Yet, learning how to learn is so important. The truth is: There can never be a model answer that can answer all questions. We need to learn more about the subject and want to learn more about it on our own. It's a matter of survival out there in the real world.

After all, since when has model answers served us well when we are working? We constantly need to struggle and figure things out. Without understanding the context in which we are working in, it is difficult for us to make sense and fully appreciate the 'model-ness' of any model answers that we have been given. To understand our context, we need to learn about it, and to learn about it would mean we would first have to learn how to learn.

Thus, this means that we will need to start asking questions - we need to become curious and enquire about things around us. We need to want to find out information. The more we ask, the more we find out, and the more we would be interested to learn even more in depth into the subject.

However, it is of course easier said than done. If you have never been interested in cars, for example, why would you bother yourself with information on how a car works mechanically? Just because there's an exam? Just because your teacher says so?

Many people say, "Just introduce activities! Let them play and have fun!" So, the students end up having a circus of a time during lessons where activities have been introduced. They enjoy those lessons, but would that amount to them becoming interested in the subject and ultimately wanting to find out more about it? It really depends...

In the end, it seems that nobody really has the absolute answers to the question on how to help students learn how to learn, although many of them out there may claim to do so. Eventually, it is up to the individual teacher's commitment to unlock the secret to that answer through constant probing, trying and upgrading.

After all, there can never be a model answer to anything, isn't that so? ;)

Thinking of Dad

2007-06-06T21:43:00.000+08:00

It's been a couple of months since my Dad passed away. I've got over the shock and all, but sometimes, I just tend to think about him.

While I sat down at this famous Prawn Noodles shop having my lunch today with my mother, I couldn't help but remember how he used to love food so much, and the way his face would brighten up immensely when I took both him and my mother out for meals when I could better afford the time over the holidays.

Then, there are those times when I feel so fortunate and happy, and I imagine myself going up to him and giving him a warm hug, only to be reminded that he wasn't going to sit there anymore. He always liked sitting in the kitchen where it was warm and where he could be near my mother. At times when I came home early, I would sit down for a cup of tea near him and update him on the latest happenings in my life. Now, this was no longer possible.

I can never forget the week after his death. I had smiled at my colleagues, brushed the pain aside to get back to work, and after that, focused on teaching my students properly.

Then, one of those evenings as I drove home from work and stopped at a traffic junction, I couldn't forget how we would go off together as a family on weekends - how my Dad could be so easily satisfied with just our company and a cup of coffee - tears soon misted my eyes.

Perhaps it's because June is the month of Father's Day and my father's birthday. It simply served to remind me that a loved one who was once part of my life, is now gone permanently - except from my memories.

When practice does not make perfect

2007-06-06T13:45:00.000+08:00

Much has been spoken about the marvels of perseverance. Much has not been mentioned about the must for analysis.

We can keep practising the same thing over and over again, perhaps over months, days and hours - we're being persistent and persevering. Yet, we can still end up months, days and hours later, exactly where we started at, or worst still, at a regressed stage from improper practice.

So, how can we improve? How can practice make perfect?

This only happens when we actively analyse what we're doing. When we're practising something and find that we're not getting the results that we wanted, we have to analyse and consider why we are not able to achieve what we had set out to do. Then, we carry out many tries and re-tries, modifying our methods each time, so that we can eventually improve.

This may seem like common sense. Yet, it boggles me why some people who say that they're all set to improve themselves, simply just keep doing the same thing over and over again, repeating the same mistakes each time they repeat their practices.

It's not quite working smartly, is it?

The way knowledge works

2007-06-01T22:50:00.000+08:00

I am now training hard at Karate once again - more than one year after obtaining my black belt. It seems like the further I go, the more I realise how much I don't know.

It seems the same in everything I am learning: be it the flute, guitar, or even in my work daily as a teacher.

The deeper I go, the less I realise I know.

Guess that's why learning should never stop. It is so easy for us to get cocky and think we know everything there is to something. But the truth is: We can't!

The world around us is constantly evolving. Everyday, things change; things progress. We can never catch up 100% to know everything. The only way to ever try to improve one's self is to humbly accept the fact that one can never be a know-it-all, and to conscientiously figure out ways to bring your standards a step further.

It's a tough and tiring journey, no doubt. But at the end of it? - It is those who bother to try, who reap the most.

Words of a Bookworm

2007-05-27T21:32:00.000+08:00

I really love reading. I can practically spend hours devouring fiction or non-fiction material with my eyes, scanning through and getting the main ideas.

When I was schooling, I used to enjoy reading more of fiction books, as these would lead me to a separate world where I could escape from the stress of daily life. It was fun to imagine myself as one of the magical characters with powers that allowed me to triumph over the evils and monstrosities that plagued me in my childhood days.

Then, as I grew up, I started to veer towards non-fiction materials. It wasn't that I began getting interested in reading materials about Mother Earth and her volcanoes and such. I simply got fascinated with reading what was real about life - people's life experiences and how men and women from other countries dealt with the challenges that faced them daily - things that sometimes we, in developed countries or in guarded societies, take for granted.

Perhaps that's why I can never stop reading, whether it be books, blogs or news. Reading tells me what is happening out there - the real deal. It broadens my mind and perspectives and gives me a bigger picture of the world out there. It makes me better appreciate the things I have around me, and understand why the world and its people behave in the way they do.

It's thus no surprise which is my all-time favourite shop in any shopping centre: the bookshop, of course!

As a child, I used to remain in the bookshop for 3 hours or so by myself, while my mother went shopping. Today, I am still consistently attracted to bookshops.

I'm a self-confessed bookworm. I love reading. Though sometimes, in my busy days, I tend to forget how much I have missed sitting down with a good book to read.

Communicating with students

2007-05-26T16:33:00.001+08:00

Teachers need to spend time communicating with students, in order for us to ever teach them better. This was something that I particularly remembered from the NE workshop yesterday.

If values need to be imparted, why would students want to listen to you preach to them, if they feel you don't even know the troubles of their world? If we want to be listened to by students, shouldn't we first listen to our students to better understand them?

Yet, the paradox of this situation was when we were asked how were we going to go about doing all of these?

We teachers questioned, "Do we even have time to really communicate with our pupils?"

Just look at a typical day of school. We have loads of work to complete, so the moment we enter the classroom, we dedicate almost all the time to getting the students up to speed with the syllabus and relevant work. There's hardly even time to breathe, needless to say stop to reflect and interact!

In the end, where is the heart-to-heart communication time? That usually leaves me to after-class time when I communicate with my pupils via journal writing.

Since that's my key communication slot with my pupils, I value journal writing a lot, and take pains to ensure that my responses in their journals are substantial and thoughtful. This helps me to get to know them better as individuals, and to bring us all closer together as one class.

Of course, journal writing will never beat heart-to-heart communication. But it's better than nothing.

In this mad rush to complete so many things in such limited time, it's not just students who wish that the pace would slow down a little; the teachers do too.

Why we write

2007-05-19T22:27:00.000+08:00

I picked up a book today that would supposedly shed light on why people feel motivated to write. According to that book, we write because we feel a need to communicate.

Perhaps that may seem quite obvious, doesn't it? Yet, how about the other side of the issue?

If we write because we feel a need to communicate, can we then take it to mean that when people choose not to write, they do so because they don't feel a need to communicate?

After all, if writing occurs when we are motivated to communicate, that would probably explain the slew of email that we send out daily, whether at work or on a personal basis.

How about the rest of the time then? Why don't we feel like writing?

Has it reached that particular point that we decide we just don't want to tell anything to the world? That perhaps, our lives have reached some kind of stale situation or we are too drained by the daily need to communicate such that we would rather not communicate, and instead gravitate towards silence?

After all, silence is golden, isn't it?

Yet at the same time, while we may relish the peace of silence, we would probably yearn for some kind of listening ears to patiently take in our mournful stories of troubles at work, strained relationships and other grouses.

Perhaps, that's when writing can give us an audience. It needn't necessarily be an actual audience. The audience could be just yourself.

After all, don't matters seem clearer and easier to understand when we see it from another person's perspective? Looking at what you've written down can give you a fresh understanding of what seems to be troubling or motivating you.

Having got something off your chest and onto paper or virtual document would also help relieve that tension that you may otherwise have been facing.

Maybe that's why we write: to communicate, to express, and to understand ourselves better.

How about you? Why do you write?

The importance of focus

2007-05-16T22:27:00.000+08:00

I think we all need to learn how to focus.

There are many distractions, unfortunately, in this world. Daily, we are confronted with things that need to be done (yet don't seem to add much value), temptations, and decisions to be made.

Our greatest enemy is laziness, as well as the wish to just be free of all burdens and work and toil.

Yet seriously, what do we really want from our lives? Are we satisfied with mediocrity?

Everytime I feel the urge to stop and get distracted, I have to remind myself of my chosen priorities.

It's the same with students. Have you ever wondered how a top student gets to where he/she is? Intelligence certainly is not the only factor.

In the end, it takes focus and lots of hard work!

Confessions of a classroom teacher

2007-04-27T22:57:00.000+08:00

I must confess. I really feel very happy with this class of mine this year.

Initially, everyone was withdrawn of course. Students didn't know each other well enough, having come from various classes the previous year. Cliques had formed unhealthily around the class, and people were keeping their distances from each other. Conversations, if any, were polite, and it was hard to draw the humour and life from within these children.

Now onwards to the middle of the year, the class practically feels like a family. The children cheer for each other without being asked. While still competitive with each other, the competition no longer manifests itself in an unhealthy manner. People help each other, because they want everyone to improve together.

Then, there are those conversations we have in class. We joke often, and have fun together.

The students poke fun at each other, whether directly, or through the writing of essays reflecting characters with very familiar names! And the best part? Nobody ever really gets offended with anyone else. Most people just laugh it off, and retort with their personal jokes.

At the beginning of the year, students sang the birthday song for each other, upon the command of the teacher. A few months down the road, students sing the birthday song for each other genuinely from their hearts, and after which, cheer loudly and warmly for that person, making that person break into happy smiles.

Frequently too, one notes how the students would pat each other on the back, and call the other 'brother/sister'.

With such spirit in the air, isn't it just like a family?

This is my class, this year. I confess. It's hard not to like them.

Maturity

2007-04-16T19:46:00.000+08:00

Many people believe that children are children, and hence they should be expected to only be able to think and reason at their maturity levels.

Hence, you hear people talking to Primary 1 pupils in a 'mama' type of voice, and practically doing nanny duties for them most of the time.

You see the same thing being repeated at Primary 3 and 4. They are expected to only be able to think at their maturity levels.

Even at Primary 5 and 6, sometimes children are not treated in ways that will stimulate their ability to think and reason maturely. Once again, because people still perceive them as 'children'.

Yet, are these kids really beyond reason? Are they unable to accept some level of intellectual cause-and-effect discussion?

Unless one is talking about the really simple-minded simpleton of a child, I personally reject the notion of 'treating kids as kids'. I always believe in talking to them about taking responsibility for their actions, and being proactive; about learning to work with each other, just as how we as adults need to find ways to solve our own problems and resolve our personal conflicts.

I remember persisting in speaking seriously to a class of 7-year olds about working out their childish differences. And they listened! They understood!

It's not that they can't do it. It's all about making it understandable and digestible for them! If the concept is too abstract for little kids, go down to their level and demystify for them!

But don't ever take responsibility to help them do everything. Take responsiblity instead to ensure you help them learn how to reason and socialise. Because, it is only this way that they will take away these skills for life and grow in maturity. That they will learn that 'teacher' or 'mummy/daddy' will not be able to be there for them all the time, and that one day, they would have to solve their own problems, and take charge of their own lives.

When that happens, then learning would have really happened. Because the teacher did not teach the student. The student chose to learn from the teacher. The student chose to grow in maturity.

Life is unexpected

2007-04-03T22:08:00.000+08:00

Sometimes I wished I had all the answers to everything. Yet, the truth is: I don't.

There are many reasons why what is happening today has happened, and why we are doing what we're doing at this moment. However, at the same time, there are many reasons that we can't quite fanthom.

The funny thing about life is that you never quite know where fate's hands will lead you towards. You may have laid a life-long plan of goals for every step and every hurdle you anticipate will come your way. Still, you'll always be surprised when something else turns up mid-way.

Perhaps, that too is the exciting bit about living a life - we can never know for sure what's going to happen next. We can plan, we can guess, but the rest is really yet another mysterious way that affirms the statement that "Life is unexpected".

To some, the unexpectedness of life can be uncomfortable.
To me, it's quite an adventure!

Writing Interests

2007-04-01T08:11:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, I chanced upon a book at the library which talked about how to write compelling fiction.

I am sure everyone would know we would tend to write what matters to us, or what really interests us. The book essentially advised us to look for a common theme amidst our many writings to discover what was it that we really seemed to care about or feel for.

Frankly speaking, it struck quite a chord with me lately, as I have been seemingly muted on my blog. There are of course many reasons for that mutedness, but essentially, the less I wrote, the more I was blocked - writer's block, that is. I started to wonder what exactly it was that mattered enough for me to talk about.

Thus, as inspired, I started browsing through some old blog posts of mine. No surprises that it was education and learning that seemed to be the common theme throughout. Many people would comment and say, "Of course! That's because you're a teacher!" But I would tend to disagree.

I realise on hindsight, that I have been very interested in this issue of learning and getting others to learn better ever since I started thinking thoughtfully. I used to enjoy analysing learning processes and still enjoy it, for many things.

The story of an acoustic guitar

2007-03-28T22:53:00.000+08:00

My sister's old acoustic guitar was finally retrieved from the store room, after years passed. It had kept my sister company when she had been overseas studying.

The guitar was red in colour - looked a bit like rosewood, and was rather squarish in shape. Aging was apparant in that guitar - all the strings were rusty and I was afraid to turn the tuning knobs as the strings looked like they were all ready to snap at the slightest turn!

Nonetheless, I took a moment, and sat down with that otherwise rather 'new-ish' looking guitar.

I heard shuffling sounds within the guitar.
"It's the dry powder bags," my sister remarked. My sister hadn't been much of a guitarist. Her spate of guitar playing only lasted as long as her sudden spark of interest in that instrument back then.

I brought the guitar down to my left thigh, and set poised to play. I plucked the strings, one-by-one. Though out of tune, the sound still resonated beautifully from the sound hole.

The guitar had indeed been kept well.

Noticing the hard suitcase-like casing that had enclosed the guitar, I commented, "Hey, isn't this the expensive type of casing?"

"Oh, is it?" my sister answered.

I rolled my eyes a little at my sister's answer, though rather pleased nevertheless that my classical instruments now had a new addition to its family.

Moving beyond Journal Blogging

2007-03-27T07:10:00.000+08:00

I haven't blogged for a long time. These days I ask myself why?

I guess one of the key things about expressing yourself on blogging is about getting a chance to vent. Yet, when there's nothing much worth venting about, there appears nothing much to say.

Furthermore, those things that I would really like to vent about, cannot be posted up here for all to see.

In the end, what happens? - Sheer silence.

I certainly haven't lost my passion for writing. I still love it very much. I guess I have simply reached this point in blogging where I ask myself:
Am I still a journal blogger? Or am I moving beyond this stage?

Have any of you ever experienced something similar before? Please do share your experiences with me.

Someone once asked me what blogging was all about. I mentioned that it was sometimes about writing down what happens in one's life journey; OR it could simply be the sharing of information - e.g. tips, educational material etc.

What happens when you don't feel like doing either? Hmm...

Whereupon, it makes me reflect further on the reasons why students may not necessarily take to writing on a public domain so easily. Do they face similar dilemmas?

Selective Perseverance

2007-03-10T22:57:00.000+08:00

Friday was declared 'Reflection Day' in school. We had to consider the school values when reflecting.

As part of the activity, I asked my pupils which of the 5 school values they felt was the most challenging? They told me it was 'perseverance'.

"What exactly is it about 'perseverance' that you feel is challenging?" I asked.

"Feel like giving up all the time..." said one of the boys wistfully.

I stopped for a moment. It's always hard when the going gets tough. Yet, how many of us can actually hang in there to be the 'tough gets going'?

Were my students not as rugged in character as they should be? Yet, this did not seem to be the case when it came to blogging. I started off by teaching them the rudiments of blogging - how one could set up one's personal website; have one's personal portal to express one's self and share with the world what one felt and thought!

You should see them when it comes to blogging. Their individual blogs can be quite impressive!

In fact, after I started reviewing their blogs and posting recommendations on our class blog to recommend whose blogs to visit, I was pleasantly surprised to find that many of my students were taking the initiative to update their blogs regularly, and if not write, at least ensure that something was being improved about the design!

Contrast this with other aspects of school life where they otherwise appeared highly uninitiated, or simply 'giving up' all the time....

Something's up with these kids. Perseverance has become selective for them. Somehow the stimulus of knowing that scoring bad results might result in negative consequences is no longer sharp enough a whip to keep them driving with energy.

Something else is needed - something else that I shall explore; something else that I must find out.

Reflections of a Teacher

2007-03-09T22:59:00.000+08:00

There are a few times I reach some point and ask myself what I am doing in this profession? This is especially so on those days when you hit a great negative, for all those reasons that I'm sure any teacher should be aware of.

Somehow though, I can't seem to bring myself to ever not like my job. Teaching is one vocation that brings you really close to children, such that you can't help but feel for and love each and every one of them. And as a result of that, you end up being all right with even those things that you wouldn't normally love or like in your job.

Many things we do as teachers may feel routine, but from this routine comes our drive to improve further in what we do, and much more, to inspire young minds.

Frankly speaking, when I look at those teachers who have spent a great 30-40 years in this profession, I have the utmost respect and admiration for them. It certainly takes a great deal in someone to spend practically half or more of your life trying to help other children grow and learn.

While I'm not sure if I can ever hit as many years as these veterans did, at least one thing I do share in common with them is my passion for teaching. While it is questionable whether we as teachers can indeed successfully 'mould the future of our nation', at least one thing's for sure: We tried.

The Power of Music

2007-02-27T18:10:00.000+08:00

There's something magical about music, and that is: it helps you escape from reality.

Whether you're feeling stressed up, worried or upset, the moment you pick up that instrument and start playing some music pieces - you forget.

For that brief period of time where only your instrument accompanies you on your journey, nothing else matters. Nor do you ever remember. You forget the pain you are suffering within. You only feel pleasure and happiness.

That is why I feel sad for those people who pick up instruments sheerly for the sake of passing music exams. That is such a waste, I feel!

Music offers so much healing power. It brings us beyond where we can ever imagine, and calms our souls in times of pressure. It can summon feelings and emotions of all kinds within ourselves, and in return offers us the power to influence the people around us in a positive manner, through the message that we play out to them.

Appreciate music if you can, for music is all around us. The next time you take a walk, take a moment to listen to your footsteps - relish and enjoy the rhythm emitted off the grounds. It's there for us to enjoy!

Never take music for granted.

Gratitude

2007-02-18T11:15:00.000+08:00

I've always felt that the best gift you can give to anyone is not so much money or materialistic goods, but gratitude itself.

It brings me to remember the many people who have helped my family and me along the way, during hard times and those times of need. They smile and shake their heads in refusal when you try to repay them for their help. Basically, the best gift you can give them is your gratitude - show and tell them how much you appreciate what they have done for you, either verbally or through writing.

Somehow, these words of thanks - intangible as they may seem - far surpass the value of money or materialistic goods. They reach beyond the surface of people, and enters and touches deep within one's heart.

This is the period of Chinese New Year - a time for family to get together and to reunite. Perhaps, it's also a time for us to express our gratitude and thanks to those of them who have made us who we are today. Giving red packets (money) may be a culture - but more importantly lies the heart behind the giving.