Another Tutoring Job

Recently I took up another tutoring job. The one I took up last month is still ongoing, and the mother of the child has commented the boy has improved. This new job is for a kindergarten girl whose parents are from Russia, so my job is to teach her how to speak and read in English.

I realise she did not quite know her ABCs, so I spent the session revising the alphabet and reading her books to her. From what I can see, her parents are quite supportive. It is good to have supportive parents as that makes the job easier. On the other hand it also makes the job harder because the parents will then pick on the little things more.

Today's session was rather fruitful. At least the girl got to know her ABCs and pronunciation. I only hope she can remember all these when I go over again next week!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A Teachers' Day Gift

I have not received any Teacher's Day gift for a long time now. Today I was pleasantly surprised when one of my Cathechism kids greeted me with a big chocolate chip cookie, wrapped up like a lollipop, with the words "Happy Teachers' Day", the moment I stepped into the class.

That really made my day. It makes me feel that all the scolding, frustration and losing of patience were worth it because at the end of the day, the kids (and their parents) do appreciate the time and effort we put in.

At the end of the lesson, another kid came up to me and gave me a packet of small cookies. Then some of the other kids said they would give us the gift next week, to which we said no need.

At least we did not face the class week after week in vain! Teachers' Day is on 1st September, and I must remind myself to greet all my friends who are still in the education sector!

First Tuition Class

I just finished my first tuition class. The class consists of only four Primary One kids, ie. about six to eight years of age, three boys and one girl. The tuition centre actually had lessons prepared and I just needed to go according to the lesson plan. There is even a reward system - the kids will get a stamp on every good behaviour and work.

Today's lesson was on a word scramble, which I played "Hangman" with the kids with in order to unscramble the words. There were also fill-in-the-blanks, a cloze passage consisting of two choices each and a comprehension.

I must say, for Primary One, the worksheet seems a bit too high standard. Or maybe the kids I used to teach were too low standard. I have had kids who when they went to school, did not even know how to write their names, their ABCs or speak any English, let alone recognise English words! But in the class I just tutored, the kids even know the difference between singular and plural, and past tense and present tense. Impressive!

These are the kids who can recognise words like "scientist" and "enclosures", and know the difference between "fortunately" and "unfortunately" at the young age of six! Really impressive! I think some adults may not even know these words! You can be surprised the kind of people I have met who think my English is too "high-class" for them when I do not even use bombastic language!

Still, it was a really enjoyable class. Maybe it was the first lesson so the kids were relatively well-behaved. Perhaps one month down the road, I would be screaming my head off at them already. But this lesson made me realise I miss bring around children. It is really such a joy being able to impart knowledge and help children this way!

Tutoring Again ....

Yesterday, I received a call asking if I would be keen to take up an assignment at a tuition centre starting this Sunday (tomorrow). Ever since I was a student, I had been tutoring and giving music lessons to supplement myself since I did not wish to take any pocket money from my parents. It started with three assignments, then two, then a brother and brother team, then a brother and sister team, then one, and finally there was none.

Still, I have never given up the thought of tutoring because I still want to work with children. Ever since I left the education industry, somehow my marketability as a tutor went down as parents prefer those who are still currently in the industry. However, if I am to tutor again, I can still command rather attractive rates because of my qualifications and experience.

I have applied to various tuition agencies and centres, but never had any assignments. So when the call came earlier, I was surprised but also glad. The timing is on Sunday early afternoon, which suits me pretty well since it is late enough to go after church, but still early enough to be able to do things after the class. Best thing is that the tuition centre is very near my place!

After the agent called me, the guy from the tuition centre called me. He asked me to go for an interview this morning to assess my qualifications and experience. When I went there in the morning, I was put through a job interview, asking about my specialisation, course of study, and the photocopying of my certificates. After that, he said I could start tomorrow, and will be paying me the rate which I commanded the last time round!

I am so happy I got this job! At least I can now do something more meaningful with my time, and can earn extra income to be able to save up more at a faster rate! I hope everything goes well tomorrow!

Planning A Lesson

I am not sure if it is the New Year rush but for some reason I have been feeling so lethargic for the whole week that I actually missed all my lessons! Now I have to be even more disciplined and do my own readings to catch up.

I guess part of the reason I am so tired can be because this Sunday will be my turn to prepare and conduct lessons for the Cathechism class and I have yet to come up with any lesson plans!

I have not done any lesson plans for a long time. All those lesson plans which I needed to do when I was undergoing training and studies did not count much because when you actually graduate and go out to teach, you find that no lesson plans are needed as everyone just go according to what they feel most needed to cover during the lesson. Lesson plans became something redundant.

Hence I am not sure if I can still do a proper lesson plan. Besides the topic is on the Forty Days of Lent. I myself do not even know what Lent means to me, how am I to pass the knowledge on?

All I know about Lent is that it was a period of fasting which Jesus did for forty days and nights. Hence during Lent, Catholics are supposed to sacrifice something too.

Every year I just live as normal. This year I have resolved to give up my favourite food for Lent like chocolates, fried chicken wings. However my own resolve was already broken the second day itself!

If I am to guide the kids I ought to lead by example, and right now I do not think I make a fine example! :-p

So now it is back to the drawing board again. I need to start thinking what kind of lesson to conduct this weekend. Talk about doing things at the eleventh hour!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Officially A Cathechist!

Today happened to be Cathechical Sunday and the day of induction of Cathechists. This morning there was an Annual General Meeting for Cathechists, followed by the induction mass and a buffet lunch after that.

When the call came asking for Cathechists last year, something inside me told me to go ahead. I did not know what it was then. Perhaps it was a calling to improve my faith, or go to church more often. After all, one cannot teach fully if one does not lead by example, right?

I had no idea why, but I pulled along a good friend (now my boyfriend) to see if he was interested. Before we knew it, I would be taking on Primary Five Level and he Confirmation Level.

So today, the new Cathechists were asked to sit at the front pew, just behind the wardens. When the priest called out our names to receive the badges, we had to go on stage in front of the whole congregation, where the priest told the parents to look carefully as we would be the ones to teach their children.

After the induction mass, I felt somewhat excited and honoured. But this is the start of a heavy commitment. As I have learnt in my years in the education industry, anything to do with kids is a heavy responsibility.

It is our job to guide them, nurture them, be a facilitator, someone they look up to and respect, someone they trust and their parents trust and be assured they are in good hands with.

It is never easy handling kids, but since I have made the commitment, I will just try my best to make everything work out for the best.

The term officially starts next week. I am sure looking forward to meeting the kids! Primary Five topics focus on Sacraments.

I must confess, I myself am not that sure what Sacraments are. But that is why we learn. We learn from the kids just like they learn from us. And I believe anyone who has handled kids in any way would agree that we actually gain more from them than they from us!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Still At The Age Of Innocence ....

I was talking to a teacher friend a few days back, and all I can say is thank goodness I got out of the industry! Not to mention getting a bit worried that if this is the kind of person educating the kids, no wonder the younger generation is getting to this state!

Oh, there is nothing wrong with him. He is every bit the icon of a model teacher - studious, caring, kind, passionate about his job. But because he has been teaching for a while, he does nothing but spending days in the classroom, talking down to kids, talking to colleagues, and no time for anything else save marking and preparing lessons. Yes, teachers really have no time to socialise because the work is never-ending and they are tied up even during weekends.

Because he does not really go out much, coupled with the fact that his parents are very simple and not that educated people, he has a rather simplistic view of things. And the things he say, I can hardly believe someone of this age is so naive! The questions he asked me would be more believable if it came from the mouth of a fifteen-year-old, but not from someone more than twice the age! A lot of things are so commonsensical, one need not be a university graduate to know! Even when I was a teacher, I believe I am not that naive as well.

Anyway he happened to catch me at the right time, since I was stuck on the bus which happened to take a very long time to reach my place that day. So we started talking. I was just lamenting that the bus would take at least another hour or so to reach my place, and the first question he said was, "Wow you must really love your job! Otherwise why would you choose a place so far from your home?"

Erh... everywhere is the same actually. Every job is the same. No matter where you work, there will be frustrations. I told him when I was teaching, I was also posted quite far away from my home, but he does not seem to believe it, because he happened to be those lucky ones who managed to get a posting near his place. Of course, if I work in the business district, it will be much better, because I take only twenty minutes to work, but at the end of the day, one just have to see which company one prefers to work in.

So he said he did not know it is so troublesome to look for a job nowadays. Of course! Does he think everything is so simple? It is like choosing a partner - at times you like, but you were not chosen, othertimes it is your second choice but you were chosen. So just have to either take it or leave it. Although in a job it is not much of a choice but for a partner, there is still a choice.

Somehow we went on to talk about housing renovation. I wonder which shell he crept out of, because he never know a house needs renovation! Granted maybe his place does not need any renovation, the most just a re-painting of the block, but if my house was not renovated, it would have crumbled already.

With that he asked if our house was not strong in the first place, why stay in there? Erh... I said a house, no matter how strong and sturdy it is, will still need to be patched up every now and then, because cracks will start showing on the walls, bricks will start to have cracks, etc. Even those stone castles of medieval times need to be patched up a bit here and there, despite being so sturdy, let alone a brick wall!

Then we went on to talk about my aunt's new apartment, about my disappointment over how small the rooms are, and I feel bad for them that they cannot even put a decent bed in the room. I compared that to those flats in the north east area, but he was bewildered that flats are actually that small nowadays. Seriously, I wonder where he has lived all his life?

For some reason, we got on to talking about some house parties my mum and I organised for friends and relatives at our home. It was as if he had never been to a party before, he was so surprised that there was no need for much preparation! He thought it would need three days and nights to prepare!

Well... we were not preparing a big feast! Each time we had a house party, it would be mostly pot luck, buffet or steamboat, so there was hardly any need for preparation. And the house cleaning and setting of table can be done within a couple of hours. So there was no need for any big massive preparation at all! Why would he think as if a house party would be like a restaurant or something?

What really amused me was that my dad called in the middle of the conversation. He wanted to find out if I was still at work, as he thought he could swing by my office once he picked up my mum, so I said I was reaching home. When I told my friend what my dad said, he was so amazed. What is there to be amazed about? It just so happened my dad offered me a lift. That happened to be one of those rare chances, not like he did that all the time!

He said his parents do not drive, so it is very nice of my dad to call and offer to pick me up. Erh... my dad had access to the car, he was going to my mum's office to pick her up, and my office was nearby, so of course he offered to pick me up! Is there anything out of the ordinary for that?

I am not deliberately putting him down, but I am just amused that there are such cute and innocent people around. As I said, if our newer generation is under the care of such people, then it is a cause for worry indeed, because teachers have to be all-encompassing in order to keep up with the times and the kids who are getting smarter and smarter nowadays. It would be a real embarrassment if the kids ask or tell you something and you have no idea what it is.

Deliberation ....

Here comes another Easter. The second anniversary of my baptism. Actually, if I count the days, it is not exactly two years yet, but if I count the occasion, it has been two years, depending on when Lent occurs for the year.

I am not exactly the type that gives a lot to the church, unlike my friend, who spends all his free time and off days taking part in church activities. But his commitment is worth it, because he feels really good that his first batch of elects are finally getting baptised after about a year of journey.

I feel happy for him too, as I have seen how committed he has been to his group of elects, counselling them, taking care of them, clearing their doubts. And now at the end of their journey, it is a gratifying feeling, similar to what I felt in the past when my students improved on their grades after a year of scolding and sweating.

Seeing this is enough to renew my passion in teaching, in guiding others. Perhaps once I am done with my course, I may want to teach again, or lecture. It is much more satisfying and fulfilling to be able to guide and facilitate others, and seeing how they learn and blossom under one's care. It is more blessed to give than to receive after all!

Happy Easter everyone!

Being Stood Up ....

It had been another busy, tedious, stressful, fast-paced week. Why is it when major transactions start, they all start coming in at the same time? Just when I thought I could finally wrap up one matter, two or three more start coming concurrently, so one could barely take a break from the first one before having to deal with the rest. *Sigh* Such is working life, slaving away all the time!

Firstly, I would like to wish all teachers a happy belated Teacher's Day! Saturday, 1st September, I received quite a few messages wishing me a happy Teacher's Day, but I should not be included anymore considering it has been more than three years since I left the service.

In the interim, the school I was teaching in has had a new Principal, the students I taught have since graduated, my close friend there had married and moved to England, and some of my peers have left the service.

Teachers are getting more and more overworked, underpaid, under-recognised and under-appreciated. No wonder the turnover rate is getting higher and higher, as no matter how much passion one had, it just fizzles out after a while and all one feels is drained and despair.

Anyway, I went to SIM University to submit all my documents that day. At least that is a load off my mind! Now I can just sit back, relax and hopefully the news will come soon whether I am able to go back into my course.

I went there for another purpose. A friend of mine wanted to attend the Open House as she is interested in some of the courses offered. So she asked me to go along and sort of show her around. Since I had a rather tight Saturday, attending the church performance in the evening and helping the guy with his preparation of his upcoming piano examination during the day, I told her I could only meet her in the morning.

So we settled for eleven. I was already a bit late in reaching the place. I sent her a message, apologising that I would be about ten minutes' late. There was no reply from her. When I reached the entrance of the campus, she was nowhere in sight. So I called her and she did not pick up the phone.

I went to the Administration Office and did the necessary, then wandered around the campus. I called her a few more times, but still my calls were unanswered. I waited until noon, then decided to go off. Knowing her, she was probably either still asleep or she forgot to bring her phone out.

I received a message from her around two, apologising profusely that she had indeed overslept. Just as I expected! But come to think of it, in the past, I would have really just waited there like an idiot, even if I got so frustrated waiting and wondering when if the other person would arrive.

But this time, I went off. I figured that if the other person is not going to be responsible enough to keep to the timing and what he / she promised, and did not even have the courtesy to inform me in advance whether the appointment is still on or off, why should I waste my day waiting around? I have better things to do with my time!

What Is Wrong With Students Lately?

What is happening to the younger generation nowadays, that there are students who have no qualms physically hurting their teacher? Long gone were those days when teachers were revered, respected and feared. Just a word or look from them would make the students cower in fear and behave themselves properly. Nowadays, students can argue and quarrel with the teachers, showing no respect whatsoever.

I just heard a true case from a teacher. The student was reprimanded by his form teacher for not handing in his homework for a week. He is already in the final year and his national examinations are due end of the year. When the teacher turned her back, he took up a chair and threw at her. The edge of the chair scratched against the side of her face and her glasses got distorted. She was so angry that she walked out of the classroom and asked for help from the teacher in the next classroom.

As teachers, no matter how angry, they are not allowed to show their anger in class in front of the students. The reasoning is that as adults, they are supposed to have more self-control. But when a student started turning violent, is it not justifiable to be angry? Anyway, when the teacher went out, the student followed and chased after her, intending to push her. He succeeded and she fell down, crashing into the teacher in the next class. The second teacher then called through the intercom for help, and the discipline master and another male teacher went up to stop the student.

Now when a teacher or principal so much as even lay hands on a student, our local media blew up the entire story and the teacher or principal was then forced to step down. But why is it that when a student injure a teacher that she had to go to the hospital for stitches, nobody did anything? The school requested not to blow up the matter as they did not wish to ruin the reputation of the school.

What is this?! Why are the students so much more priviledged that a teacher or principal can lose their jobs by enforcing punishement, but when the student injured a teacher, he / she can get away scot free? Are teachers not humans? Do they have to take this kind of treatment from students? The student in question not only affects the teacher's mood but also the entire class, as because of one trouble-maker, the teacher could not carry on the lesson effectively and the rest of the class suffers as a result.

The worst are the parents. They always defend their children, saying that it was the teacher's fault for reprimanding the kid. But who is going to defend the teacher? Certainly not the Principal or the school board because they only listen to the parents and the teacher will then get away with a warning or forced to apologise when it was not even her fault in the first place. Who wants a job like that? Certainly not me, which is why I left.

Freedom Writers

This was supposed to be updated two weeks back, as that was when I watched the movie. But too many things happened. Anyway I better start writing about this before it slips my mind completely. Freedom Writers is a moving show about how an idealistic teacher gave her all to her students, always believing in them, never giving up.

I can relate this show to our local education system. How problematic students are always labelled as "not interested" and "rebellious", never as good as those students from the best class or honour rolls. Thus, the best class always gets the best teachers, and those from the tail-end classes will be given the most inexperienced teachers.

The show tugs at my heartstrings because it reminded me of my teaching days. Sometimes I wish this show was shown a few years back, then I could have taken some tips from the teacher and been better to my students, better as a teacher. It is true no matter how "bad" the students are, they are only rebellious because they are unhappy.

Some could be unhappy because their parents were too busy working to take care of them. Some were from broken homes and shuttled between foster parent to foster parent. Some had even more complicating backgrounds, like a few fathers and a few mothers. Come to think of it, for any kid growing up in a dysfunctional family, it is no wonder he / she had so much hatred and bitterness in his / her young mind.

The show always mentions about the inflexibility of the education system. I thought only our local schools are like that, sticking with syllabus, and caring more on results instead on the real learning and enriching of the students. Just because the students are weak in their results, they get written off as "bad" students, and the school or education board will not bother to spend money for activities outside the classroom, or on resources, as these normally go to the better students.

Honestly, every student is teachable. It all depends on whether they are given a chance. If one treats students as such - disinterested, rebellious scum, then they will behave as such. I guess as teachers, one has to try the best to bring out the best in the students, and parents have to understand and give support too.

Shine On You

Currently I am hooked on the Hong Kong series "Shine On You". It is a show on teachers and the education system. Come to think of it, our lives are rather similar to those in Hong Kong. Wonder if it is because the two countries used to be under the same ruler?

The show appeals to me because it is on the relationship between teachers and students. I can really relate to that! Students are just as difficult, parents are just as demanding, the principal and management is just as uncooperative, teachers are just as overworked and underpaid. These are the reasons why I chose to leave.

However, come to think of it, by moulding someone's life, and the kid later comes to you and says you have created an impact in his / her life, this is a real fulfilling reward, something which no money can ever buy, no matter how much. Just like the former student I met on the bus the other day. He still recognises me, and he still tells me the things in school, although he is now out of the school and at a higher level.

That is essentially what a teacher hopes for. No matter how troublesome kids can be, a teacher will hope to make a difference in their lives, and see them going on the right track and not turn bad. So in a way, I feel rather happy I managed to achieve a little of this, even though I only taught him for half a year.

In Memorium

My close friend from secondary school just informed me that our Phys Ed Departmental Head passed away earlier on. This is the second time I heard news of a former teacher of mine passing away. The first was a decade ago, when my former Home Economics teacher passed away. I had just left school then.

Our Phys Ed Head, whom we affectionately call "Cikgu", was a bubbly but strict Malay lady. She was a sportsperson in her youth, but by the time I entered secondary school, she was suffering from a glandular problem triggered about by chidbirth, and grew bigger and bigger until she could not even run around or exercise anymore.

Nevertheless, she used her loudspeaker of a voice to bark orders at everyone. Students would cower whenever they heard she would be taking their Phys Ed classes. Every year, I crossed my fingers and prayed she would not be taking us.

Come every Physical Fitness test, we always hoped to pass, as her regulation was that as long as we failed one item, we failed the whole test. Re-tests training would be exclusively under her. As a result, no one dared to fail, and all tried their bests to pass every item, be it sit-ups, standing broad jumps, shuttle runs, flex arm-hangs and the dreaded 2.4 km run.

The first two years went by, and by the time I reached upper secondary, we got her as our Phys Ed teacher for the remaining two years, and Phys Ed lessons then became hell for me. Every lesson was like an Outward Bound School activity; we had obstacle courses, long-distance running, gymnastics.

She expected us to keep up to her timing, and anyone who slowed down would be screamd at and made to do more vigorous exercises. I dreaded Phys Ed classes during those times. But whatever she was doing was effective, as for the first time in my life, I achieved a Gold for Physical Fitness test during the two years we were under her.

And for that period of time, my body had never looked better! My legs were so toned and shapely, my waist was twenty-three inches, my weight was an all-time low of 44 kg. So in a way, I was really grateful to her because she was one lady who really knew what she was doing.

And even though I was never close to her, I want to thank her from the bottom of my heart for everything she taught us. Farewell and rest in peace. You will always be remembered in your own special way.

Do Job Professions Matter?

I always find it amusing when I was registering at this dating website just for fun a few years back, the guys who came talk to me did so because I stated my profession as a “teacher”. Interesting people I came across.

Some said their fantasy is to make love to a teacher, some said they want a girlfriend or wife who is a teacher as teachers love children so will not mind giving birth to a lot, some said teachers are reserved and dowdy people, so to get a teacher to be wild is something exciting and challenging.

Needless to say, I stopped replying to all these. Sometimes I wonder if guys think girls who register on these dating websites are only out for flings? I really envy my friends who are able to find true love through cyberspace, since I only seem to meet the wrong kind of people.

I registered on the website just to expand my horizons as I just got out of a relationship and it was during the school holidays. My best friend met one of her exs through this website, so I decided to just give it a go. How was I to know this seemed to be a breeding ground for pests? Despite that, I did meet a few nice guys who are now my close friends, like K.

What I am amused about is that most of those guys who reply did so based on my profession. My photo, personality and hobbies are all stated, yet they did not bother reading the rest, and just started contacting me because I was a teacher. Is the type of job a girl is in one of the factors a guy looks for?

And why teachers anyway? I have guys who tell me teachers make the perfect girlfriend and wife. Is that so? How can teachers make the perfect partner if they are so busy with their work that they have practically no time for anything else?

When I tell them that teachers need a partner who is very understanding and not too demanding on his / her time, they were all taken aback. People always assume that teachers are very free. Not true! I actually have more of a life now that I am no longer teaching.

The thing is that not many people can understand that teachers are very busy and highly-stressed professionals. They are doing so much more work than most other normal professions, yet face more problems and paid much lesser. Which is why there is a high number of teachers who are single and never found partners. There simply is no time to go socialize around.

Those teachers who were attached before they entered the profession, in a lot of cases their relationship ended soon after, as the partner could not understand why he / she always had no time for her / him. Of course, some broke up for other reasons, but in most cases, they broke up due to time constraints.

Those who were not attached when they entered the profession, most of them remained unattached for life. A sad thing. And those who managed to get married ended up spending more time with other’s kids and families than their own. Another sad thing.

Thus, most teachers ended up marrying other teachers. Most of them met during their teacher training days, some met through school functions. But more often than not, it takes someone from the same profession to really understand each other, which is why teachers are each other’s perfect matches.

But teachers are not the only ones high up on a guy’s preferential girlfriend list. Nurses come close too. These guys are of the opinion that since these two professions are very “caring” in nature, so the girls who are in these lines normally make good girlfriends.

It is just stereotyping. A profession or a job is just that – a job. Some people take their jobs as their lives, but in most cases, most of us are separate from our jobs and ourselves. How I behaved towards my students was what was required in my job. I definitely do not behave the same way outside of school.

In fact, I do believe some teachers look for a guy who can take care of them, since they spend almost all their waking hours being care-givers to others. So when they go home or meet people, they will like to be the ones being taken care of at times, and who can blame them?

Girls have their own preference too. A lot of my friends want a guy who is a doctor or a lawyer or an engineer or an architect. Why? Because these people will be able to earn enough to give them a comfortable life. Perhaps, but then I always maintain that money is not everything.

But is profession such a big deal anyway? So does that mean that if I remain as a teacher, I can get more guys? But judging from the type of guys, I thank my lucky stars that I do not get to meet any more of them. And nowadays whenever I meet new guys, the first question my friends will ask is about his profession. What is the big deal?

It does not matter to me as long as both parties are in a decent job making an honest living. Does it mean that someone who is an engineer is any less qualified than someone who is a lawyer or a doctor? Or someone who is a business manager is less qualified than someone who is an architect?

Of course not. What matters is whether the person is a good and nice enough person to be with, and not just someone who only asks for flings. That is what most of the guys I meet nowadays do not understand.

About Teachers ....

I attended my first lecture on Thursday evening. First time I sat for a three-hour lecture. The longest lecture I ever attended was two hours straight. The topic was on Art Appreciation, and the lecturer gave us some ideas on how to observe paintings and how to differentiate the different angles of the painting.

Since my supervisor was busy on Thursday, I had to attend a meeting on her behalf. The meeting ended about 4:30pm in town, and by the time I went back to office, it would be knocking off time. Besides, my lecture was at 7:30pm.

So since I had some time free I went to watch “Match Point”. I am not that familiar with the other Woody Allen’s shows, but this movie is good. It is a show of passion, lust, extramarital affair, typical problems between married couples, being at the right place at the right time, and how one’s luck can change just by meeting the right people.

It is essentially a movie on how one’s life is determined by luck and chance and it is up to oneself to seize the opportunity. How one’s actions can be determined by luck whether it turns out good or bad.

The main character of the movie brought up a very good point, on how most of our lives are determined by luck and chance, because sometimes even if we can do all the right things, but luck is not on our side, we will still end up being in the wrong. Similarly, if we do all the wrong things but luck is on our side, we can still get off scot-free.

I met a few of my teaching peers in the course. Anyway this course is mainly for teachers who want to upgrade their qualifications and vying for increment and be placed on a higher scale. If I am not mistaken, besides me, everyone else is a teacher. I see a lot of familiar marking actions while the lecture was going on.

I am rather disappointed that all of a sudden there seems to be a communication gap between my teaching peers and myself. It got me reflecting just how closed-up a teacher’s world can be, since they just go in and out of classrooms and face kids day in day out, thus a lot of them are naïve over what really goes on outside of school.

They ask me that since I am no longer teaching, why take up this course? Why not? Taking up a course need not necessary mean one have to be in a certain line. Courses can be taken up for interest, for upgrading, for the sheer pleasure of learning more things. Not everything one does need to be beneficial to one’s career, and in any case, having more knowledge and higher qualifications is always beneficial no matter what job you are in.

I just find that when I talk to them, they seem quite narrow-minded as everything goes to results and career. There is always a bigger picture out there. They complain that doing “useless” topics like art appreciation, music and philosophy is not going to help them in their work.

What makes them think so? One of these days, the kids may ask a question relating to issues like these, and it will be so embarrassing if the teacher does not know how to answer. They rather go right into the core of English Language and Literature, which is what they sign up for, rather than going through a year of broad humanities. Why do people not take it from the point of view of enriching their knowledge?

This reminded me of what my dad once told me. He was a junior college lecturer / tutor for a number of years before he left. He was teaching General Paper, Geography and Economics. Now why did I not inherit these traits from him, then perhaps I could have done much better, especially in Economics. My dad was actually teaching in the same junior college where local author Catherine Lim was teaching General Paper and English Literature in before she became a full-time writer.

I asked my dad once why he left the service. He said that firstly, he had dedicated a part of his life grooming the younger generation (which, in those days, were probably much easier to handle, not like the kids now) and he felt himself stagnating.

There were many more opportunities outside for an Economics honours graduate, and later a Master graduate in Business Administration. And for a man, he needed a better career prospect in order to feed the family.

Secondly, he heard a senior teacher saying some very childish things. That teacher spent his entire life teaching, yet was so naïve about what went on in the world. My dad started to see himself in that teacher, and determined that he did not want to stay in a job that would make him lose touch with the ever-changing society. He wanted to broaden his horizons.

Those were the exact few of many reasons why I chose to leave too. I cannot deny that I miss my teaching days. I miss those kids, I miss being around children, I miss my choir, I miss inculcating knowledge and values, and, believe it or not, I even miss the marking.

But the bigger picture is that if I continue to stay on, I will miss out on even more things and opportunities that only the big world out there can provide. I will have missed out on being exposed to the society, opening up my mind and learning so many more things.

There are really so many more things to life than just education, book learning and grooming the younger generation. I need to live my own life, a life of what I like to do, a life of broadening my mind, a life of learning more things, instead of living other’s lives by catering to all their whims and fancies and getting nothing out of my own life.

Having said that, not every teacher is like that. It depends on how you want to lead your life. I admire my friend ThamPs that she is able to juggle teaching and so many other activities together. I could not. Teaching was my life and nothing else since there was no time to do anything else.

And I also salute all those teachers who dedicate their whole lives to education. Despite all the stress, demands, rigidity and problems, they still have a passion in such a thankless, super overworked and super underpaid career. I know I cannot. So I really want to applaud all those teachers who are so noble and self-sacrificing enough to be able to do that.

Corporal Punishment And Discipline In Schools

The show “I Not Stupid 2” gave me the inspiration for a few more posts. For a long time, I have wanted to mention on corporal punishment and discipline in schools, but thought it was a rather sensitive issue. Since that is allowed on big screen cinemas, I believe it should be allowed on my blog too.

When I became a teacher, it was with the full understanding that we were not allowed to hit the kids or dish out corporal punishment in any way. Kids nowadays are of a different generation where they have become so “soft” that even simple remarks like “You are so lazy” or “Why do you not understand what I say” are not allowed, let alone hitting the kid in any way.

I remember when I was in school, I was often insulted by my primary school teachers. My primary school teachers had a habit of asking students to demonstrate problems on the board in front of the whole class.

So each time I could not solve a Mathematics problem in upper primary, my teacher would taunt me in front of the class by saying that I was blind since I could not see the figures in front of me and everyone would laugh. I used to hate that as it was not as if I did not have enough insults back home.

My secondary school teachers are not that bad actually, probably because I was in a girl’s school and caning in any form was not allowed for girls, thus never got to witness public caning. Still my school students never gave any form of real trouble, although there were a few wild girls. There were no such things like gang fights or triads or shoplifting.

But as a teacher, sometimes it is hard to do one’s job properly if your hands are tied so to speak. I am not against corporal punishment provided it is done in moderation. Some of those kids really needed a smacking before they can learn their lessons.

I caned a kid before in front of my Principal, but it was not a public caning, just behind closed doors in the Principal’s office. And it was caning on the hand, not the behind. This kid stole my mobile phone and sold it to a second-hand handphone dealer, yet lied about it, and it was his friend who felt guilty and spilled everything to my Discipline Master who retrieved the phone for me.

I was not there when the parents were called in, but they gave their permissions for the caning, although they requested for a private caning even though the school rules stated that students would be caned in public for serious offences like theft.

And since parents disagreed, there would be no public caning. Such is the system now that schools all have to bow down to the parents’ wishes, which is why some parents think they can “run” the school and control the teachers in their own ways.

My parents and the other teachers were in favour of the public caning and felt that the principal should adhere to the school rules, otherwise the other students in the know would do the same thing. But for me, I know how it was like to be caned, and since the kid had apologized to me and the offence was never repeated, I let it go.

In the show “I Not Stupid 2”, the student was so shamed after the public caning that he felt he had died. To top it off, his classmates played mean jokes by re-enacting his caning scene. Sometimes kids can be the most merciless people in the world. They thought they knew everything but actually all they wanted were to have fun and never cared how others’ felt.

Some time back, a teacher was filmed by a student’s camera phone for scolding a China student and tearing his assignment to shreds. I cannot say that the teacher was not in the wrong as she should not tear anyone’s assignment in the first place.

I never tore my students’ homework no matter how badly they did. The most I ever did was to throw their books or worksheets in front of the students, and actually even that was not allowed. I would get into a lot of trouble if anyone ever found out but since I am already out of the industry I can say it with no worries.

Anyway the teacher was teaching in one of the top junior colleges, and for even a local student who manages to enter the school, it is already quite something, let alone a China student. It is the school that caters exclusively to the cream of the cream of the crop. So must the teacher tear the assignment to shreds just because it was not up to her expectations?

But the student who took the clip and later uploaded to the Net was even more at fault. In the first place, what was he trying to do? Get others into trouble? And in the second place, the classroom is supposed to be the teacher’s haven, so she has some liberty on how to handle the students.

No matter how at fault she was, being her student, he had no right to take the clip of her doing that then uploading to the Net. Then why did he not take her clip when she was teaching effectively? It was a downright disrespect to the teacher and indirectly implying that schools nowadays teach kids to be so bold.

But the thing was that no one focused on the kid who uploaded the clip. Everyone just focused on the teacher tearing the student’s assignment and started an uproar on why teachers could do this and got away with it, how could teachers do this to students, etc. Are kids made of cotton wool nowadays that anything could not be done to them or any of their property at all?

So because of this, the teacher was given a warning and made to apologise to the student, and the student who took the clip got away with it. Due to that, other kids may just become equally bold and take a video of their teacher scolding or reprimanding the student in any way and upload to the Net and create another big uproar.

There was another incident on a principal giving a student a whack on the head with a book. That created another uproar and the principal was forced to resign and now he was transferred to the Ministry where there would be no kids around for him to handle.

This indirectly tells people that anytime anyone felt their kid or any student got insulted be it by a mere hit or words or tearing up assignments, anyone could just complain or sue. Thus parents and students would become more arrogant and create trouble over the littlest thing. Bad news for all educators around.

The thing was that he was a good principal. My friend who had been in his school was full of praises for him, saying how effectively he ran the school. And for such an experienced principal to lose his cool at a student, I believe the student must have been really incorrigible and made him totally pissed off in the first place.

This incident became rather big as lots of controversy arose. Some people said that the principal was wrong to even hit the kid. Why, are kids not allowed to be hit nowadays no matter how out of hand they are?

Some people said the principal did the right thing since they were brought up on corporal punishment as well. The feedback from students and parents were that the principal should be sued on abusing the kid.

What abuse was that?! If they call a whack on the head with a book abuse, then what about beating another person till one bleeds? If that is abuse, then I can sue my parents for abuse and malpractice many times over. And just because of this one incident, everyone forgot how good a principal he was and the school lost a good principal and the Ministry a good educator just like that.

Having been a teacher, I know how hard it is to teach a class of fourty students, with every student coming from different family backgrounds. Some are angels at home but devils in school, some come from families where the mother sleeps around and they do not even know who their real father was.

Some come from families where the parents are so busy working that they do not even have time to discuss about their kids’ problems. Some come from broken families where they were shuttled from relative to relative as both parents refused to take custody of the kid.

Kids from messed-up families normally create the most problems in school, and if these kids’ parents genuinely could not be bothered and let the kid run amok all the time, it is then the teacher’s and the school’s job to help in educating.

And by education, I do not mean just book learning. It also includes inculcating values like discipline, kindness, consideration and showing respect to others. And if it takes a whacking to make the kid learn, then I am all for it.

But ultimately, it lies with parents. Kids look up to the parents more than anything else, so if being parents and they do not want to take care of their kid, how can they expect anyone else to help them take care of their kid?

If they want teachers and schools to take care of their kid, then they should allow the educators to dish out whatever punishment and discipline deem fit as long as the kid learns and become better, and not turn around and blame the school if the kid got punished when all along they have no time to discuss their kids’ problems.

True, public caning and corporal punishment may not work on every kid. There are other methods like counselling and positive reinforcement. But I still think that at times, corporal punishment is inevitable and teachers and schools should be given more liberty on how to discipline the kid as part and parcel of education. I am speaking this not from an educator’s (or an ex-educator) point of view, but as a member of the general public.

How Shall Teachers Behave?

For the past few years, there would be reports once in a while on a certain teacher and her parents harassing their neighbours. Recently, there seem to be reports again, because my colleague’s son just entered the school where that teacher is teaching, and there were reporters interviewing the students.

If the teacher had been creating all these negative publicity to herself, why did her school tolerate it and she can still be retained? There are teachers who have had their services terminated for lesser reasons, as minor as not being able to manage a classroom and letting the students creating trouble all over (as if teachers are supposed to be twenty-four hours baby-sitters).

How shall teachers behave exactly? Parents and the general public still maintain the stand that teachers are supposed to be role models and set good examples for students. As a result, people have the impression that teachers are dowdy and boring.

The Ministry of Education still has a set of dress code for teachers. There cannot be any camisole tops, tank tops, jeans or T-shirts (unless it is Saturday), no slippers (anything without a strap is considered slippers, even for a pair of classy thongs), no colouring of hair.

However, schools nowadays are more relaxed over the dress code. It all depends on the Principal the extent he / she allows. There are teachers who highlight their hair, and wear thongs to school, and even tank tops or spaghetti tops on Saturdays or Sports Days.

But should being a role model includes the type of clothes worn as long as their behaviour is right? Judging from the type of clothes kids wear nowadays and the hairstyle they sport, teachers actually have no control or much influence over them. A teacher can wear the stuffiest and most dowdy clothes, and the students will laugh at her / him for being too “geeky” and “old-fashioned”.

Kids nowadays have a mind of their own. They look up to rock stars and idols, rather than parents or teachers. Still, teachers should try to behave in the best way to show the students what good behaviour is all about. Teachers should inculcate values like respect to elders and peers, courtesy and being considerate to each other. These can be taught in the classroom through various activities and actions.

What constitutes good conduct then? There are teachers who go clubbing, who drink, who smoke, who buy numbers, who gamble, who got involved in extra-marital affairs, who sleep around. I have teaching friends who do all these, and say that teaching is just a job, they are also humans who like to do things other people do.

Teaching may be just a job, but it also happens to be a job where the younger generation look up to you, so if teachers are to smoke or gamble or have affairs or sleep around, what are they teaching their students? That it is good to do all these too?

Then it will be contradictory what the schools are teaching – that it is bad to your health if you smoke, get into trouble if you gamble, and it is wrong to have affairs or sleep around. Clubbing, drinking and buying numbers is still alright provided it is done in moderation and they are of age.

But teachers can only do so much because kids see their parents and peers more. So if the kid comes from a messed-up family and mixes around with messed-up friends, chances are he may get equally messed-up. Which is very sad because to witness a good kid turning delinquent and you feel so helpless about it.

I was always fed up by those parents who dump their kids in school and expect teachers to perform miracles but they themselves do not want to monitor their own kids. If two parents cannot handle one or two kids, how can they expect one teacher to handle forty kids all at once?

But whatever it is, teachers should still uphold themselves in the best behaviour. No matter how little students they influence, it is still a satisfaction that they have influenced a few kids. Thus if the teacher is to go around creating negative publicity, I wonder how her students will feel and behave?

Troublesome Parents....

The school holidays (for Primary schools) have finally started. Primary school teachers all over can breathe a sigh of relief for enduring yet another year. My friend is also finally free to meet up with me. So I met up with her a few days back. Being a scholar, she has two more years of bond to go, and she is fast counting down to the days when she can be finally free and can leave anytime she likes.

She asked me how is life after teaching? I said really great! I can finally do whatever I like at whatever time I like, instead of working 7:00 am to 7:00 pm on weekdays, 7:00 am to 3:00 pm on Saturdays, and yet with more work to bring home, thus burning away all days.

I told her at least I no longer have to worry about marking deadlines, or report deadlines, or thinking of ways and strategies (with mostly futile attempts) at increasing students’ results, struggling with the many books and worksheets to bring home and mugging away through the night.

She asked me if that was the real reason I left. I told her actually the marking and administration part was not too bad because at least I enjoyed it and they are all for the students. I left because firstly, I developed a slight nodule in my throat and could not sustain teaching for long without losing my voice almost everyday; secondly, I was getting sick so often; thirdly, I could not get the support from the management as they wanted to do what MOE wanted instead of really doing the best for the students; and fourthly, nasty parents who got me into all sorts of trouble.

And my friend fully agreed as she also experienced some of the things I went through. But I told her what really triggered everything off were the parents. If they have let me do my job, things would be smoother. A lot of things went wrong not because I did not do as instructed by my Principal, but because parents wanted to interfere and insisted on things being done their ways. And my former Principal was the type who catered to parents, so she would change her mind on things to do whenever there was any complaint (or in her words, “feedback”) from the parents.

For instance, during the SARS epidemic, parents were not allowed into schools as we wanted the students to come into lesser contact with suspected carriers of the virus. Any visitor to the school had to have his / her temperature taken. When some parents complained that it was such a troublesome process just to pick up their kids, this practice was abolished and only non-parents and other types of visitors had to have their temperatures taken.

As a result, some parents thought they could do anything they liked and gave the poor teachers untold suffering. There was a student in one of the best classes who could not cope with her work, and her parents complained about the teacher going too fast. If the student was in the best class, of course there would be more homework and all learning would be accelerated as only the best students of the school were able to be in the class.

Anyway the student was then transferred to the second best class after that. There was also another parent who complained about the teacher in her child’s class, and the child was transferred to another class as a result. Sometimes I wonder why did my Principal entertained requests like these?

I came across a lot of nasty parents too, not just in school but also during my tutoring years. I remember the very first class I taught, there was a pair of twins. There was a period of time some of the students got into so much trouble by fighting among themselves during PE lessons, thus I kept a group of them back during recess. I wanted to teach them a lesson, but in this time and age, no child could go hungry so they must eat during recess time, so I had to let them eat something first before keeping them in.

The next thing I knew, the mother of the twins called and accused me of “starving” her two kids by keeping them in during recess. The Principal personally came down and asked what happened, to which my class said that I did let them eat something first. When the mother asked what her kids ate since I only allowed them ten minutes to eat (which was already half their recess time), they answered that they ate a sandwich each, to which the mother then said her children must have full meals otherwise they would starve.

Honestly, no one will starve to death just because he / she did not eat anything during recess. When I was teaching, I often had to go without breakfast and lunch as I was often in the middle of so many things that I had practically no time to even grab a bite. So I normally went the whole day without any food until dinner. Did those @$^&*@#$ parents ever asked if I had eaten anything?! And I was on the front end of stupid kids with even stupider parents.

There was another incident in another class I was teaching. I kept this boy from going on a class trip because he used the F-word at me. He was not the only one anyway. I kept about four of them from going to the excursion because they were downright rude and disrespectful. Only this kid’s mother came and talked to me, with his elder sister in tow.

The mother screamed at me for blowing up over such a small matter, and even the sister said it was so unfair that her brother could not go. To which I really lost my cool, and told the sister off that she should just keep her big mouth shut and not interrupt as I was talking to the mother (not in the exact same words of course, but in a more polite way). That family really ought to learn some manners!

Another incident was this girl who was so standoffish, proud, arrogant and a complete show-off, with an equally arrogant mum. The girl always thought she could get away from not doing her homework, and her mother always wrote some excuse for her on why her homework was not done. So one day I told her off that it was one month before the final examinations, if she was not going to buck up, she could jolly well stop dreaming about ending up in the best class again.

She told her mum I insulted her, and her father went to see my Principal who told me I had to write a letter of apology to the girl. Why must I apologise to the girl when she was my student and it was my job to advice and make her learn? My Principal said her parents were upset over what I said to the girl, so even if I did not wish to submit a written apology, I should at least verbally apologise to the parents. So I had to call her parents up and apologised, and explained to them that I was just worried for her as she had not been submitting her homework.

I had three more brushes with parents before I left the service. One was when this parent wanted to sue me just because I sent his kid to the discipline master for punishment as he wrote the F-word and drew the middle finger on his classmate’s worksheet in pen. The discipline master had to talk to the parent not to press charges against me, but in the end the kid was let off with just a warning not to repeat the same thing.

Another was when I was giving intensive revision to my class before the mid-year examinations, and there was this kid who had a reputation for lying who did not submit a single piece of homework. He claimed he lost the worksheets, so I gave him the exact duplicate pieces, to which he did not submit again. He kept all his books and files under his desk, and then the mother came and accused me of giving him so much homework at one shot and not giving him back the files to revise, when I had given everything back the week before.

The worse thing was that the mother claimed his tutor did not wish to teach him anymore as he was always too busy doing the school’s homework that he neglected the tuition assignments. Do schoolwork not take priority over any other work? So the mother told my Vice-Principal that I should give lesser work then the kid would not be too stressed up.

Fourty kids in my class and he was the only one who was “stressed”. Other parents welcomed the work as it was a good class, and some parents even said I should give more as the kid finished the work rather quickly so wanted more work to keep the kid occupied. Who do I please then? Either way I lose out.

The worst incident was when I kept a few kids back for playing a fool in class and not finishing their work on time. As a rule, those who took school buses were not allowed to be kept back as if they missed the bus, I had to bring the kid home myself. I did not mind bringing the kids home as I did escort kids back before, but I did not wish for their family members to worry if the bus came and gone without dropping the kid off.

So I only kept back all those who either walked home or took public transport. There was this girl who cried just because I kept her back. But I told her I already warned them a few times but they still chose to play a fool, so now it was their punishment as if I did not show them that I was serious, they would play a fool even more. The other kids (some Chinese, a few Indians and she a Malay) all quickly finished their work and submitted to me as they at least knew they were being punished.

This Malay girl (okay, I am not being racist here. The other incidences above all happened to Chinese kids and parents) kept crying and refused to do her work, said that her mother was downstairs waiting for her. So I told her to go ask her mother to come up and see me and I would explain the situation to her mother. When the girl came back, she told me that her mother could not speak English, so called her father to come down.

When her father came down, he started screaming at me on why I could not get an interpreter and made him come all the way down. I tried to tell him calmly that I did not expect him to come down as I only wanted to talk to the mother and said the girl would stay a bit longer. He kept accusing me of keeping the girl back just because she was of another race. That was really too much! My blood really boiled and I really felt like telling him off for creating a scene in my classroom.

He said if the girl was in any way naughty, let him know in a letter and state everything in black and white. Just telling would not do as it might not be the truth without any letter. Besides my job was just to teach, what gave me the right to discipline in any way? Does teaching and educating not encompass discipline as well?! Finally he said he would sue and go to MOE and complain why there was not a single Malay interpreter in schools.

I told him that if I had known beforehand that his wife could not speak English, I would gladly arrange a Malay teacher to help interpret, but everything happened so unexpectedly that my colleagues might be anywhere, too late to notify them. Then he said perhaps I should go learn Malay and communicate with the parents. In that case, do I have to learn Tamil too? I felt like telling him why not his wife learn to speak English? So much easier as well.

I also had a couple of tuition kids whose parents were really nasty. One of the mothers insisted on sitting next to me while I tutored her kid, and then kept giving me comments on what I should do and what I should not do, and insisted on giving him the type of homework she wanted. In my mind, I was thinking if she thought herself so much better, why hire a tutor? Teach the kid herself!

The other parent kept insisting I show my certificates as proof of my qualifications. So many kids I tutored, that was the first time I came across a parent who wanted to see all my certificates. When I supplied my certificates, she then asked to see my identity card and my civil service card, and my NIE pass as well before she could finally believe that I was a trained, qualified teacher. Then when I needed to go for a seminar once and had to postpone the session, she blew up at me, saying that I disrupted her kid's schedule. Did she think I did not have other things to do other than tutoring her kid?

But when one comes across nasty parents for tuition jobs, at least I can choose whether to continue on the tuition assignment. However in school, the class and students have been arranged, so I had to bear with nasty parents for the whole year.

But I guess troublesome parents would equate to how the child will be like. So if the parents shelter or take care of the child too much, the child may grow up to be just as troublesome and unappreciative.

Just like the recent case of the man suing his parents for not giving him enough money. In the first place, he is almost fourty years old, can he not work for his own living instead of depending on his old parents? In the second place, his parents worked almost their entire lives and now the money is their own savings for their old age. He does not even have the right to ask them for it.

Honestly, I wonder how his lawyer felt when he took the case. If I am the lawyer, I will throw the case out immediately. And what the judge said was very true - the greatest mistake the parents made was to take care of him and shelter him too much. But there are more and more parents like these, which makes me afraid for the younger generation.

Times like these made me examine why I started teaching in the first place. No matter how much I enjoy it or how much I want to contribute in grooming the younger generation, but sometimes enough is enough. What is the use of trying your best when you have to work your life away only to be so unappreciated and there are more frustrations and misery than joy?

My Tutoring Days Of Olde ....

I was in such a crummy mood this week due to the aura of bad luck which has not disintegrated that I got my friend out even though he just had an operation two weeks back and will be on medical leave until the end of the year. Anyway he said he was going crazy staying at home and I was getting depressed staying at home, so we met up for lunch and two movies, "Sky High" (a cross between "X-Men" and "The Incredibles") and "Just Like Heaven" (which was so heartwarming that it really made me cry). Sometimes I wish I have super powers to save the world from evil and wars.

I also managed to get advanced tickets for "Harry Potter" this Saturday, which I will be watching with my cousins. The first real all-cousins outing (although not a complete one as some of them are overseas) without our parents. There will be seven of us watching the show - me, my brother, the two cheeky girls, their eldest sister, our eldest cousin and her husband. Really looking forward to it!

I bumped into a former tuition kid of mine today. Actually he was the one who recognised me because the last time I saw him he was a small-sized, shy Primary Six kid, and now he is already in the army. Wow….. I am old….. I am surprised he recognised me though because it had been almost eight years since we last saw each other.

Both of us were students then and now both of us have grown in our own ways. This is one of those heart-warming times where teaching pays off, as no matter how hard the work you put in, your students do remember you after so many years and appreciate you for all the things you have done.

He was the first kid I tutored, way back when I had just finished secondary school. I wanted to earn some extra pocket money for myself as I could hardly survive on what my parents gave me. I registered with an agency (which for some reason seemed to have closed down) and I got this kid.

I was surprised that I got the job because I also advertised in one of the papers for students, but when the parents called up and realised I did not have ‘A’ levels or a degree, they promptly hung up the phone.

Parents who called for tuition would normally be parents of primary school kids, so I was feeling a little down at being “looked down upon” just because they thought I would not have the ability to teach their kids due to lack of certain qualifications.

Anyway this kid’s mother is a very nice lady. No doubt her kid was mischievous and lazy, but she was always nice to me. Once in a while she would even cook lunch or serve me food or tidbits when I went over. The kid was downright lazy and just refused to do any work, but the mum gave me carte blanche to do whatever was required. And even when he did not score well, she never once blamed me as she knew her kid was lazy.

My parents disapproved in the beginning as they wanted me to concentrate on my studies without any distractions. But I told them I needed extra cash as what they gave me was only enough for transport, class fund and lunch. There were no extras if I wanted to stay out for dinner or go out during the weekends. My mum always claimed what she gave me was enough, so if it was not enough, I should cut down on my lifestyle.

Cut down what?! I had to turn down everytime my classmates went out for a big meal just because I was not able to afford. I did not even go out during weekends unless I needed to go to school. I could not even go for movies with my friends as I did not have the money to pay for myself! And I still needed to cut down more?!

Ironically my friends stay in flats and I am the one who stay on a landed property, yet their pocket moneys are at least twice what I was getting. Which is why right now I relish the freedom of being financially independent! You do not need to be accountable on what you spend your money on and what type of lifestyle you lead, nor do you have to put up with people giving you a sour look just because you asked for a little extra for the month.

So I continued with my tuition assignment. I taught him from Primary Four all the way until he completed his PSLE. I was not paid much, but at least I managed to earn enough to tide me over. When I did not do well in my studies my parents wanted me to give up the assignment, but the kid was in upper primary then, so I wanted to chart his progress. Besides I scored badly not because of the tuition assignment, but because of other factors.

After him, I was recommended a few other tuition assignments. By then, I had higher qualifications so was able to charge a little more. When I entered NIE, I got even more jobs with higher rates, but due to my heavy workload, I was not able to tutor much, thus I only stuck to those who were taking their final year in school.

One of my kids later went to the top school and her mother was so appreciative and still calls me every now and then. But she has a good attitude. She is the type who can wake up at 6:00 am just to study, so she definitely has no problems. In the first place, she did not even need tuition, as she was already in a pretty good school, but just because her grades dropped from above 90 to 80, she panicked and wanted extra help. From academic tutoring, I went on to teach her music too until she passed her Grade 8.

Why did none of my real school students ever have that attitude? They thought that as long as they could score well enough to remain in the best class, even if they averaged 80%, they were satisfied already. I always told them why stick to just 80% when they could have 100%? Perhaps there really is a difference between students from premier schools and students from just normal schools.

Luckily most of my tuition parents are very nice people. They really respect tutors and let me do my job. I even brought some of my kids out before, when I brought them to the library to borrow some books to start them on reading, or just a walk around a park (if they are staying near a park) to observe the flora and fauna, or even to an ice-cream parlour when they improved or did well and I wanted to reward them.

I really miss those days. If I could go into full-time tutoring I would, just that it is not a secure job and I prefer to do something more secure. I feel more at ease to know that I will have fixed income coming in every month at least.

Tribute To A Great Teacher

I was on the train on my way to my friend's place this afternoon when I saw a group of students chattering among themselves. They were discussing school work, teachers and classmates in general. I felt a sense of familiarity wash over me as I observed these kids. This scenario really brought me back to those days when I was still a young convent girl.

Being in the best class since primary school, I was always taught by the best teachers. I never really liked my primary school teachers (ironic, as that was what I ultimately became) as they always seemed to draw a line between teachers and students. I do not see anything wrong with being close to your students. I was close to my students too, would talk and chatter to them like a friend, bring them out sometimes when they stayed back to help me out after school then bringing all of them home, treating them to goodies during Children's Day or special occasions, giving them candy and stationery whenever they do well for their tests and exams. My secondary school teachers were better. Although they were still strict with us whenever we got out of hand, but they treated us as friends and equals, and that was what I liked.

There was this teacher whom I particularly remember. She used to be the Head of Department (HOD) for Mathematics when I was there, but last I heard, she had since been promoted to the Discipline Mistress. A very good choice in my opinion. I still remember her name - Mrs Sng Wan Ying. She was my Elementary and Additional Mathematics teacher from Secondary Three to Secondary Four.

She was really dedicated to her work, giving her students extra guidance whenever she feared they would fail. I was on the verge of failing and dropping Additional Mathematics for my GCE 'O' Level examinations, but she was the one who pulled me through. She explained her concepts in ways which others could never explain. She was the one who actually made me appreciate Mathematics, when in the past I used to hate the subject.

It was entirely her effort that I managed to score As for both my Mathematics subjects for my 'O' Levels. I felt like I let her down when I chose not to take any Mathematics when I entered junior college, but my love for Humanities is just too strong. I could only choose a maximum of four subjects, so needless to say I chose all Humanities subjects, leaving no more space to take up more subjects even if I wanted to.

I have such a deep respect to her that I yearned to be like her in the future. That was what made me want to enter teaching. I wanted to be like the teacher I love and respect the most - do my utmost for my students, giving all my dedication to them and making a difference in their lives. I hope that through the years my students would remember me like how I remember some of my best teachers.

Years back when I was still in NIE, I used to volunteer for the orientation program and asked the new trainees : "Why do you want to come here?" Honestly if you want to teach because of money or long holidays, then I will ask you to seriously consider. One does not teach because of money, as honestly speaking, the amount of money teachers are being paid is nothing much compared to the work they have to do. It is practically a seven day job, so if you break down the salary with the hours put in, it is essentially an average of only $2.50 or less per hour. Really pathetic.

Secondly, teachers do not have that many holidays in the first place as the holidays are spent doing and catching up on stuff which they have no time to do during normal school days. In the end, if you average it out, the number of real holidays probably amount to just two to three weeks or so. I used to tell the new trainees that if you really want to teach, it must be due to a passion and willingness to dedicate your life nurturing the future generation. It is a real thankless and unrewarding job sometimes, but what is important is the love of moulding young minds. The satisfaction you gain is far greater than any monetary reward.