Cherish what you have

Another week passed, my white hair count is up.  On Friday, as I watched up with some of my students in 1A,  one sentence actually caught my attention. “It’s the boring things which we will remember for life.”

I guess there are things which I really hold dear to my heart. It isn’t the excitement, the woo and wows in life that formulate the way I am today. Rather, it was the mundane things which actually shaped and moulded me through the Potter’s hands.

I guess like at home, the chores, the squabbles, the disagreement, the need to watch out for my grandma and sister, the constant sarcastic war with my uncle, etc.  Though at times it seems routine, these were the things that happen to shape my character and personality. Also through all these, I guess I learn to appreciate really my family more, though we do have some personality crashes at times.

In school and tuition, the regular lessons and remedial with my students, especially 1A, are the things which really make me love the calling I am placed into. It wasn’t so much on the pay, holidays, etc. Really, it’s just the love for all my students and colleagues that really made teaching in MFSS something that I cannot forget for my life. Even though I may forget names, etc, but I will remember and cherish the friendship.

Guess in church, with brothers and sisters who went through thick and thin through the several projects, guess God through all these make us realize we cannot be island on our own.

At the end of the day, we have to really cherish what we have before us and not regret when the things or people are no longer there.

Sign off

His Little Sheep

Just a bit of reflections on my career as a teacher

One week has passed in NIE. Yes, there were many lessons that I picked up along the way but one I guess the statement that struck me most was on Thursday, when Mr Woo, our ICT instructor, mentioned that as we get to know the students we are dealing with better, the more upset we get. I totally agree with that statement.

Sometimes, we brand and judge people because what we see on the surface. Let’s be honest, we all do. But as we learn to pause and understand the people and as they open up their lives, we find ourselves in a different dimension altogether, a dimension of emptiness, sadness and hopelessness. Take for instance a student who keeps fighting, defending himself, etc. On the first look, we will condemn him or her for being violent and flaunting the school rules. But when we stop and look into his or her life, we find him or her may be a victim of a far worse thing than what he or she committed. Sometimes, I really feel helpless. I wish I could help but always at times, the things that I see and know as I teach is beyond what we could ever support. The least I guess as a teacher I could do is the give a ear and pray about my students.

Yes, I heard of Jie Min’s case and really it does upset myself, as it does the the MFSS family. We will pray for you Jie Min and hope you recover soon.

Sign off

His little sheep

Updates

Hi people

Just a quick update.

Yup, two weeks ago closed a chapter of my life as a contract teacher. I put up some of the photos I took on my final day in MFSS. Now from a caterpillar, I will go into cacoon.

As some has heard, because of some unpleasant thing that happened, I will no longer be teacher music. I will have computer application and math as two of my teaching subjects. I did fight with this matter for a while but at the end I gave in as I know if I do continue on, I may lose my career and bring more harm than good, especially to those I hold dearly.

NIE, how I put it, is rather like a time for me to rest than anything else. Think I really needed it after that bad experience. At least got time to do things like play new songs (haha trying on Tears on my guitar), learn the clarinet, etc.  Alright, it’s just a short update, better get back to work or else it will be long night. See all of you

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His Little sheep