My Report Book

I did something strange today. I pulled out my report book from my secondary school days, and flipped through the pages, one by one. I vaguely remembered that I was strong in Geography and perhaps Biology, but I never quite remembered the rest of my subjects - except for A Maths of course, where I had an F9 right down to the O Level prelims.

Something struck me as I was flipping through the pages. The results I had back then were not very far from some of my students right now. I looked at the remarks my teacher wrote of me. "Shows great potential", "Responsible", "Conscientious", "Independent". As far as I could recall, I didn't think so highly of myself back then. All I remember was mugging at the last minute - just one day before the test. Somehow or other, I managed to pass quite OK - well, at least I got A1s to show for some subjects. Surprisingly, I did quite well for A Maths in Sec 3!

In any case, I wasn't too concerned about the marks. As I put my report book back on the shelf, I asked myself - what would my teacher think, say or feel if they meet me now. How would they feel if they knew what they had written, or what they had said to me affected me and moulded me into the person I am today. I reflect on my character right now, and yes, in a way they are right. They could see these qualities in me back then when I couldn't even see it for myself.

It brought me to wonder how and what I say to my students will affect their lives in the future. Will they look back one day when they are all grown up and successful, and say, yes, I got this far because my teacher believed in me?

And so, in reflection, sometimes, I feel as teachers, we should really watch what we say to our students. I subscribe fully to the labelling theory. Call a kid a trouble maker and he will be. Tell him he's good, and he will be. Of course, there are a few exceptions, but maybe we're not trying hard enough?

Yes, teaching is tough. As I sat with my NIE mates on Friday over dinner, we all agree that it's not easy to teach. It's not just teaching. It's the responsibility of so many lives that you're affecting every day. It's dealing with the stress and pressure of discipline, of classroom management, of administrative details, of planning, of marking, of dealing with parents, of meeting school expectations. And sometimes, we wonder how much thanks do we get in return.

An article appeared on Thursday's forum page. Someone wrote in to elaborate on the pressures of teaching. Yes, we all agree. It's a heavy burden to bear. It's a noble profession. It's tough. But some of us stick around anyway because we find fulfilment in moulding young minds and hearts.

As I start Term 2, I renew my objective and mission of why I came into teaching - to touch the lives of as many students as I can. It's a mammoth task, I know. But if like the boy who threw the starfishes back to sea, if I can do it one by one, bit by bit, I know I've made that difference.