my 24th birthday was a very sweet day indeed =)))

i had remedial for 4N1 and 4N2 on that day which was a rather depressing thing, i mean, who wants to work on their birthdays? ~_~ however, my form class boys and darling made the day very sweet for me =)

i may whine alot about the boys in my school, but i know that many of them are really good boys deep down inside, just lazy and rude at times. the guys in my my form class are especially nice, angel and jason will not hesitate to agree with me on that.

so my chairman planned a surprise for me on my birthday, which involved him getting a cake from rive (located at plaza singapura, their chocolate cakes are quite heavenly) and another boy writing a card for me.


the wordings on the cake made it exceptionally sweet =)


some of my form class boys. technically speaking, i cant allow them to enter my classroom if they're not properly dressed in school shirts and pants, but it means that i'll have to kick half of them out. sighs. last day of remedial, close one eye >.<


close-up of my birthday card

this is one of the many little gestures that keep teachers going. a boy coming up to me and apologising for his wrong-doings, another who thanks me for helping him solve a particular nasty problem, or even one who tries his best do well in a test.. i appreciate my boys alot, and hope that some will apreciate me too.


***

next up, darling's birthday surprise for me =)

2nd friend's wedding of the year.. and this time it's kershin's turn. shin's husband looks young, though he's supposed to be way older than shin. lucky chap to marry such a pretty wife hehe. they are both pe teachers, so i guess there were quite a few teacher guests in the crowd. me including! :P

i had fun catching up with my primary school friends, and some of them were people whom i haven't seen in like 12 years. liqin is now ray, though he still behaves in the old cheekyliqin manner, sheena is happening sheena now, grace is still the same classy grace from primary school, though slimmer and more graceful now.


the wedding dinner venue was meritus mandarin grand ballroom and shin had many many tables. i wouldn't be able to afford so many! >.<


on one side of the table - lloyd, kokwai, gerard, liqin, xiwen, sheena; all grown-up now!


the other side of the table - cindy, me, grace and pohchoonhow whom i honestly have no recollections of >.<


with the pretty bride =)

my school boasts of spacious working cubicles which include U-shaped desks so there's lots of room. a pretty waste of space actually, because many teachers are holed up in their homerooms most of the time.


my pile of marking. 5 classes of geog and 3 classes of el compo. disgusting.

i've managed to tie my darling down.. (at least i think so!)


our little love nest =)))

after darling's mummy helped us with the fengshui of the available flats, we realised that we could only choose like 1/5 of the units. my mum classfied some of the not suitable units as "凶兆" units too. apparently a unit won't be good if it faces a sharp corner. so in the end we took this fifth floor unit. it'll take about 3 plus years for damai grove to be built, then i'll be neighbours with angeline, who has applied for punggol spring which is located just next to damai grove. happy happy =)))

practicum is almost over, hope darling gets a little bit of rest before the mad term 3 rush. love you, darling!

这张 blogpost 要用华文来写，因为我校的男生是华文白痴。

今天，我负责监考一个很可怕的班。监考时，当我看着那班的学生，我不禁联想起一些不友善的形容词。身为教师的我是不应因该用有色的目光来对待学生们，但是如果你在街上看到这几名学生，我相信你也一定会有同感。

社会的人渣， 社会的败类。我真的是这样觉得。

我还算是蛮幸运的，我只负责教这班上的两名<>好学生。

他们更本不应该在读普通学术课程，他们其实应该到能够让他们学习一门技术的学院求学。他们对学术的科目根本没有兴趣，所以讨厌上学，并在课堂上捣乱，让教课的教师真拿他们没办法。

我国的教育制度真的是有问题啦。要不然问题学生就不会越来越多。

我当教师当得非常难过。

i will go insane one day and i can feel it nearing.

already i'm so haggard from the late nights i've put in trying to prepare better lessons. i even go back to school on saturdays to work. have i not tried hard enough?

my lessons are super boring now. can't think of creative ways to teach when half of the time i'm trying to get the class to just sit down quietly to listen. they seriously have very short attention spans. i'm really very tired shouting at them.

i have ideas to engage, but after all the fun, my students are too weak to know what are the points needed for examinations. drilling is still necessary. the students cannot just read notes and textbooks, they don't understand at all. if they say students are becoming smarter nowadays, i don't see it.

i will have to find a way to make the next chapter more interesting. luckily its rivers and coast, my favourite. God, please give the strength and the ability to endure what comes to me. i still want to become the good teacher that i thought i was in bowen and hope i will be in this new environment.

it's been so depressing at work.

but thank God i've made new friends in school =)
plus there isn't really anybody who breathes down my neck or arrows me to do things.
very blessed already!

***


angel's gotten married! =)

when will it be my turn? *wistful

a plaque sits on my table, remnant of the previous teacher who used to occupy my seat. it is an inspiring one, being a teacher's day present from the yesteryears.

it reads, "Teachers, Live Forever in the Hearts they Touch."

i don't think i have touched any hearts here yet.

the amount of effort put in to simplify what is in the textbook, to make information concise yet substantial, to illustrate using images and videos for deeper understanding, everything becomes nothing.

i despair.

a happy day with nie friends..


teachers' investiture ceremony was held at the nanyang auditorium..


pretty geographers =)))


missing nie!


bumping into dr ivy tan at nie


at hsse with miss lian and dr chang


durian time


we are teachers: me, minghui, caroline, derek, josh, yijun, georgie, yinjern, xiaohui

i've officially graduated from nie!
but i do wish i was back in school, boohoo >.<