This week is my second last week working here!! Next week, I'll be on leave for 4 days before reporting for my last day of work. That will mark the end of my six-month stint as a teacher. =D
For the past six months, I had the chance to experience school life anew, this time not as a student, but as a senior-turned-teacher. Haha, ok, not that I'm qualified to teach or conduct lessons. It will be fortunate if I hadn't corrupted and polluted the minds of my students. =P Honestly, it's not easy to adapt to the new mindset. In the past it used to be me on the receiving end. This time, I'm the one who has to give and impart, while praying that they get what I'm trying to drive at. It taught me the need to deal with different kinds of students with different approaches. It also taught me how to deal with uncooperative students. Using hard-handed tactics will almost always backfire, especially against hot-headed, stubborn young guys of this age. You've got to be patient and always always use the carrot instead of the stick. Dangle enough incentives before them and they'll work hard. Sounds like donkeys eh? Haha, oh well, I was one of them before. =D
Being only a few years older than them meant that they would often try to take advantage of me. Common tactics include coming late for lessons, giving me all kinds of excuse, and asking me lots of weird and politcally incorrect questions (like asking me about my boss when another teacher is around -_-). Well, the even more garang ones will pon my lessons, which will then require the intervention of higher authorities. Sometimes I wonder am I being too nice in class, but hey, didn't we yearn for that in the past? Didn't we dislike teachers who are overly domineering and strict? Didn't we prefer teachers who are slackier and more lenient? It seems like it's a choice between popularity and discipline. Haha, I see it as a perennial dilemma for all teachers. ^^
After spending six months here, I would say I've enjoyed this experience very much. I had the chance to work with a group of fun-loving, sporting, friendly and forever helpful colleagues. I was also fortunate to have very nice bosses, who have taught me a lot about work and life. But perhaps the most satisfying experience was to see my students grow up, even within the short span of six months, from where they were in January to where they are in June. To see the bond forming between once strangers to become close friends, to see them enjoy sabbaticals and fieldtrips, to see them fight through failures to strive for their first pass, they made me amaze and marvel at the wonders of youth, of learning and of growing up. Perhaps I have unknowingly seen these during my school years, but from the vintage point of a senior, it is really deeply satisfying to witness these.
I also had several weird experiences during my job stint here. For instance, I was made the facilitator of a balloon sculpturing course during last term's sabbatical. Haha, I didn't conduct the course!! There was an external professional handling that, but it was pure fun pumping and twisting balloons into all kinds of weird and cute shapes together with the sec one and two boys, =D During that sabbatical, somehow the boys got addicted to calling me 'David', simply because one boy said I looked like 'David' =.=". Total weirdness. Haha, sec one boys are just kids. =P
Then I was also made sorta the soccer manager for my consortium's soccer team, despite knowing nuts about soccer. Haha, emotional support is all I can give. =D
Kk, time to go back to work. Ciao.
For the past six months, I had the chance to experience school life anew, this time not as a student, but as a senior-turned-teacher. Haha, ok, not that I'm qualified to teach or conduct lessons. It will be fortunate if I hadn't corrupted and polluted the minds of my students. =P Honestly, it's not easy to adapt to the new mindset. In the past it used to be me on the receiving end. This time, I'm the one who has to give and impart, while praying that they get what I'm trying to drive at. It taught me the need to deal with different kinds of students with different approaches. It also taught me how to deal with uncooperative students. Using hard-handed tactics will almost always backfire, especially against hot-headed, stubborn young guys of this age. You've got to be patient and always always use the carrot instead of the stick. Dangle enough incentives before them and they'll work hard. Sounds like donkeys eh? Haha, oh well, I was one of them before. =D
Being only a few years older than them meant that they would often try to take advantage of me. Common tactics include coming late for lessons, giving me all kinds of excuse, and asking me lots of weird and politcally incorrect questions (like asking me about my boss when another teacher is around -_-). Well, the even more garang ones will pon my lessons, which will then require the intervention of higher authorities. Sometimes I wonder am I being too nice in class, but hey, didn't we yearn for that in the past? Didn't we dislike teachers who are overly domineering and strict? Didn't we prefer teachers who are slackier and more lenient? It seems like it's a choice between popularity and discipline. Haha, I see it as a perennial dilemma for all teachers. ^^
After spending six months here, I would say I've enjoyed this experience very much. I had the chance to work with a group of fun-loving, sporting, friendly and forever helpful colleagues. I was also fortunate to have very nice bosses, who have taught me a lot about work and life. But perhaps the most satisfying experience was to see my students grow up, even within the short span of six months, from where they were in January to where they are in June. To see the bond forming between once strangers to become close friends, to see them enjoy sabbaticals and fieldtrips, to see them fight through failures to strive for their first pass, they made me amaze and marvel at the wonders of youth, of learning and of growing up. Perhaps I have unknowingly seen these during my school years, but from the vintage point of a senior, it is really deeply satisfying to witness these.
I also had several weird experiences during my job stint here. For instance, I was made the facilitator of a balloon sculpturing course during last term's sabbatical. Haha, I didn't conduct the course!! There was an external professional handling that, but it was pure fun pumping and twisting balloons into all kinds of weird and cute shapes together with the sec one and two boys, =D During that sabbatical, somehow the boys got addicted to calling me 'David', simply because one boy said I looked like 'David' =.=". Total weirdness. Haha, sec one boys are just kids. =P
Then I was also made sorta the soccer manager for my consortium's soccer team, despite knowing nuts about soccer. Haha, emotional support is all I can give. =D
Kk, time to go back to work. Ciao.
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