When I watched Coach Carter a few months back, I was struck by this quote. I was inspired to push myself to take the leap to do things I feared. Once again, a few weeks back, I was reminded of what I was meant to do. At the school's graduation ceremony, one of the teachers pulled out this quote. It has since sealed and engraved the message in my mind and heart, of the challenges that face me, and how and why I should take that leap. I hope it inspires you too, as much as it has inspired me...
Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some; it is in everyone.
And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
- Nelson Mandela, 1994 Inaugural Speech
23 October 2005
17 October 2005
MARKING
Task: To mark the following -
80 compositons about 300 words in length each.
40 compositions about 400 words in length each.
80 formal letters of suggestion, about 300 words in length each.
40 informal letters of persuasion, about 350 words in length each.
80 sec 2 comprehension papers, complete with summary and cloze passage.
40 sec 3 comprehension papers, complete with summary.
Obstacles Faced:
Bad English
Sleep deprivation
Chocolate bars
Runny nose
Forgot to bring red pen home!
Support system:
Music
Camomile Tea
Chocolate Bars/Chocolate Ice-cream/Chocolate Chip Cookies/Chocolate Muffin... (You get the idea)
Starbucks
Changi Airport
United Square
Popular Bookshop
Other teachers marking (and are way behind schedule ... ahem..)
Side effects:
Eye Bags
Lack of sleep
Nightmares
Stress
Runny Nose!!
Chocolate addiction
Lack of a life outside the red pen and paper
Obsession with marking - clearly evident when being seen without fail with a pile of papers and a red pen.
How you know when you've had it
When you give all your students As
When you give all your students Fs
When you only carry a red pen and a pile of papers wherever you go
When you refuse to name your son Mark - or hate anyone who's named that
Ah yes - and who said marking was fun?
I remember when I was a child, I admired how teachers could just sit at their desks while they tasked us with work in the classroom. It seemed so easy that all they had to do was tick, tick, tick. The child in me thought it was all so easy and perhaps, it was then that I started to nurture the thought of teaching. Some twenty plus years on, I don't envy my teachers anynore. Now that I am in their shoes, I finally understood why they never liked marking.
And like a burden lifted from my shoulders, I heaved a sigh of relief as I penned the last grade on the last script. Tabulating marks was never half as enjoyable as when you know this will be the last of the marking for the rest of the year.
Tomorrow, I will release the marks and papers to my anxious students, who are probably enjoying themselves right now. I hope they did well for the rest of the subjects too.
As for me, the sleepless nights has gotten into me, and I am down with a cold. Surrounded by tissue paper, I seek solace in blogging - a luxury I have not been able to afford for a while. I shall savour this moment for a while before new challenges face me tomorrow. For now, peace.
:)
80 compositons about 300 words in length each.
40 compositions about 400 words in length each.
80 formal letters of suggestion, about 300 words in length each.
40 informal letters of persuasion, about 350 words in length each.
80 sec 2 comprehension papers, complete with summary and cloze passage.
40 sec 3 comprehension papers, complete with summary.
Obstacles Faced:
Bad English
Sleep deprivation
Chocolate bars
Runny nose
Forgot to bring red pen home!
Support system:
Music
Camomile Tea
Chocolate Bars/Chocolate Ice-cream/Chocolate Chip Cookies/Chocolate Muffin... (You get the idea)
Starbucks
Changi Airport
United Square
Popular Bookshop
Other teachers marking (and are way behind schedule ... ahem..)
Side effects:
Eye Bags
Lack of sleep
Nightmares
Stress
Runny Nose!!
Chocolate addiction
Lack of a life outside the red pen and paper
Obsession with marking - clearly evident when being seen without fail with a pile of papers and a red pen.
How you know when you've had it
When you give all your students As
When you give all your students Fs
When you only carry a red pen and a pile of papers wherever you go
When you refuse to name your son Mark - or hate anyone who's named that
Ah yes - and who said marking was fun?
I remember when I was a child, I admired how teachers could just sit at their desks while they tasked us with work in the classroom. It seemed so easy that all they had to do was tick, tick, tick. The child in me thought it was all so easy and perhaps, it was then that I started to nurture the thought of teaching. Some twenty plus years on, I don't envy my teachers anynore. Now that I am in their shoes, I finally understood why they never liked marking.
And like a burden lifted from my shoulders, I heaved a sigh of relief as I penned the last grade on the last script. Tabulating marks was never half as enjoyable as when you know this will be the last of the marking for the rest of the year.
Tomorrow, I will release the marks and papers to my anxious students, who are probably enjoying themselves right now. I hope they did well for the rest of the subjects too.
As for me, the sleepless nights has gotten into me, and I am down with a cold. Surrounded by tissue paper, I seek solace in blogging - a luxury I have not been able to afford for a while. I shall savour this moment for a while before new challenges face me tomorrow. For now, peace.
:)
08 October 2005
A new trend
I thought that when I started marking at one of the many Starbucks in Singapore last year, I was one of the only teachers in Singapore doing so. And so, when the pile of marking came in on Thursday, I planned yet again on plonking myself in one of the Starbucks to mark. And I thought I'd be the only one doing so. I guess I was wrong!
Today, I met up with a friend of mine who wanted some company as she planned for her coursework for the coming semester in the polytechnic. We decided to meet at United Square. After all, another friend of mine commented they had a nice Starbucks there. And so, with some 60 scripts and my i-book tucked in my bag, I ventured up north, armed with a thick sweater, just in case it got too cold.
Surely enough, the Starbucks there was trendier than most I've been. Yes, the lush couch seats were there, but they were mostly occupied by students. We ordered drinks and food, and I pulled out my pile of marking and my trusty red pen whilst my friend pulled out her textbooks and blank sheets of paper to plan her lessons. As time went by, we realised I wasn't the only teacher around. Tucked in another corner was a girl, armed with a red pen - marking. Beside me, two other ladies in yoga-like gear and earphones plugged into their ears had a pile of paper and a red pen in their hands - marking. Behind us, a couple had another pile of paper. Again, red pens - marking. Yet another couple sat near us. The boy was reading a book while his partner marked. Maths, Literature, English, Physics...
I was amazed. It seems it has become a trend not only to see students mugging at the airport or at cafes. Teachers are doing the same, but marking. The lady in the yoga-llike gear walked past me as she refilled her mug with yet more hot water. "You're marking too, I see?" "Yes, I am. You too?" "Yup. Lit and English. I've been clearing about 100 scripts a day, and more's coming next week!" "Same here!"
Well, it seemed as though Starbucks was incubating a cult of teachers marking in their premises. As we each sat in our little corners slashing marks of red on the scripts, we looked up once in a while, and when our eyes met, we smiled a smile of empathy, as though saying "Yes, we're all in the same boat." We all hate it, but we have to do it. It is after all what we've been preparing our students for. It's a love-hate thing hard to explain.
My friend and I analysed the new trend, and concluded that teachers these days are going out to mark because they are the very group of people who went out to study when they were younger. It seems we find comfort and strength amongst those of us in the same boat. Each of us venture out for various reasons, but it all boils down to the home not being a conducive place for work.
Whatever the reason, I think Starbucks is having a swell time seeing their cakes, pastries and beverages being consumed as they provide fodder for the teachers and students whilst they mark and mug.
Today, I met up with a friend of mine who wanted some company as she planned for her coursework for the coming semester in the polytechnic. We decided to meet at United Square. After all, another friend of mine commented they had a nice Starbucks there. And so, with some 60 scripts and my i-book tucked in my bag, I ventured up north, armed with a thick sweater, just in case it got too cold.
Surely enough, the Starbucks there was trendier than most I've been. Yes, the lush couch seats were there, but they were mostly occupied by students. We ordered drinks and food, and I pulled out my pile of marking and my trusty red pen whilst my friend pulled out her textbooks and blank sheets of paper to plan her lessons. As time went by, we realised I wasn't the only teacher around. Tucked in another corner was a girl, armed with a red pen - marking. Beside me, two other ladies in yoga-like gear and earphones plugged into their ears had a pile of paper and a red pen in their hands - marking. Behind us, a couple had another pile of paper. Again, red pens - marking. Yet another couple sat near us. The boy was reading a book while his partner marked. Maths, Literature, English, Physics...
I was amazed. It seems it has become a trend not only to see students mugging at the airport or at cafes. Teachers are doing the same, but marking. The lady in the yoga-llike gear walked past me as she refilled her mug with yet more hot water. "You're marking too, I see?" "Yes, I am. You too?" "Yup. Lit and English. I've been clearing about 100 scripts a day, and more's coming next week!" "Same here!"
Well, it seemed as though Starbucks was incubating a cult of teachers marking in their premises. As we each sat in our little corners slashing marks of red on the scripts, we looked up once in a while, and when our eyes met, we smiled a smile of empathy, as though saying "Yes, we're all in the same boat." We all hate it, but we have to do it. It is after all what we've been preparing our students for. It's a love-hate thing hard to explain.
My friend and I analysed the new trend, and concluded that teachers these days are going out to mark because they are the very group of people who went out to study when they were younger. It seems we find comfort and strength amongst those of us in the same boat. Each of us venture out for various reasons, but it all boils down to the home not being a conducive place for work.
Whatever the reason, I think Starbucks is having a swell time seeing their cakes, pastries and beverages being consumed as they provide fodder for the teachers and students whilst they mark and mug.
01 October 2005
Prefixes and Suffixes
I was going through with my Sec 3 Diligence class the notions of prefixes and suffixes to better help them with the vocabulary section of the comprehension paper as preparation for the coming end of year exam. I explained that prefixes and suffixes have defined meanings which give a hint to the meaning of the word.
For example, "auto" means "self" - so you have "auto+matic" or "auto+biography". As I went down the list with them, I asked my class to give me examples for the different prefixes and suffixes.
Here's a few examples of what they came up with -
"Pre-" (as in to come before) : Pretty, Prefect
"In-" (as in not) : Indian, Indonesia
"Bi-" (as in two) : Biology
Well, at least I know they knew how to find non-examples. Which to me meant they knew what the examples were. So there you have it. Learning has taken place.
It was a lesson that made me smile even after class, though. I guess they've learnt one of the Habits of Mind - Finding humour.
Way to go 3 Dil! Don't let me and more importantly, don't let yourselves down! Study hard!!
For example, "auto" means "self" - so you have "auto+matic" or "auto+biography". As I went down the list with them, I asked my class to give me examples for the different prefixes and suffixes.
Here's a few examples of what they came up with -
"Pre-" (as in to come before) : Pretty, Prefect
"In-" (as in not) : Indian, Indonesia
"Bi-" (as in two) : Biology
Well, at least I know they knew how to find non-examples. Which to me meant they knew what the examples were. So there you have it. Learning has taken place.
It was a lesson that made me smile even after class, though. I guess they've learnt one of the Habits of Mind - Finding humour.
Way to go 3 Dil! Don't let me and more importantly, don't let yourselves down! Study hard!!