Just received an email from one of my former students that made me a little sad and disappointed. I've lost one of my best writers for the Media Club. Reading through the email, which such punchy lines and nicely crafted words, I feel the pain even more as she rationalised that she felt that she wasn't growing as part of the club and hence her decision to resign from the club.
I guess it's not a time to point fingers right now, but she's found another platform to write for. I wonder if I will be losing more of my writers to that other platform since I know I have a few more writers crossing over to write there. Placing all my cards down, it seems a little unfair that I'm being slapped with this. I haven't had the chance to develop a full programme for the club and suddenly, I feel judged. I'm trying to work within my constraints, yet meeting higher order objectives and balancing the interest of the students. It's not an easy task, considering now I'm faced with another more exciting media spearheaded by someone else.
I saw overlaps right from day one and I suggested putting it all under the umbrella of the media club, but I guess it wasn't possible somehow. Maybe I was too slow. After all, it's the same pool of students we're tapping on.
And so, feeling a little defeated, I wonder about my next course of action. Afterall, I don't have much time. But looking on the brigher side, maybe it is a blessing. Now at least I know who to turn to for continuity of the club some time later.
What a start to day one of the year of the pig.
18 February 2007
02 February 2007
Proud of myself this week
I was totally stressed out on Sunday. Looking at the week ahead of me, I felt I wasn't up to it to face it. Plus, I had barely recovered from my bad bout of throat infection/flu/bronchitis that got me on medical leave for an entire week. I felt totally stressed out and when I couldn't take it anymore, I called my close friend up, and I was glad she was there to lighten the load - just by listening.
It was ironical that I was planning a lesson on Stress Management for my Sec 2 students. Through the research I did to plan for the lesson, I came to realise that I was highly stressed out. It was no wonder I kept having those nightmares at night, dreaming about my students sitting for exams when I haven't taught them enough! I literally cried!
Then a song that my friend taught me some time back came to mind, and suddenly things were more manageable. It helped me so much I wanted to share the song with my students. It had a simple but powerful message. The problem is, I had to sing it to them.
As though my stress list wasn't long enough, I courageously learnt it, and psyched myself to sing it to my students. I practised it a few times, but it didn't help that my throat hadn't quite recovered. But I did it anyway. My kind students gave me a round of applause and some cheers. I did an encore a second time in response to my form class' request. They said I sounded better the second time... I guess practice makes perfect! :)
Besides that nerve-wrecking session, planning for the lessons this week, setting quizes for my Sec 1 CPA class, preparing the notes for the comprehension skills to be taught to the Sec 2 EL kids, I had a big presentation on my teacher work attachment experience in Vietnam. The organisers were making a fuss about it and so they enforced meetings and dry runs just to get it right. After all, the two ambassadors from Vietnam and Cambodia would be there.
So since Saturday, I've been amending the Powerpoint presentation, editing the pictures and doing up the structure of the presentation. I was really tired after yesterday's full day of lessons following a long afternoon the previous day at RELC ensuring the presentation was OK. And so, after the presentation today, I heaved a deep sigh of relief.
We were told at the end of the event that the Director at Teachers Network said our presentation was the best - to the point, succinct and rounded up everything else everyone was trying to say but didn't quite. Lots came up to me and my co-presenter to say we did a good job and that was encouraging. All the hard work paid off!
I was especially thankful to my 5 colleagues who turned up to support me. They were wishing I'd be presenting first so they could leave by tea break. Unfortunately for them, I was scheduled to present last and as such they had to stay back. Thanks guys! :)
I went out dinner with my team mates from the teacher work attachment after the presentation, and reflected back at what I've acheived this week. I must say I AM proud of myself - taking the courage to face it with a brave heart despite my fear - the fear to fail, to fall below my own expectations.
I sang to my kids, and although I know it wasn't perfect, and it isn't up to my standard of what I would call "good singing", I take pride in the fact that I plucked up the courage to do so. Now, the song is still in my head and I'm leaving it here on the blog so my dear students can remind themselves to take it one step at a time should the going get tough...
ONE BY ONE
Sometimes my life is like a ball
Of mixed up coloured strings
So full of knots and tangles
I just can do a thing
And when I try to sort it out
I realise that I
Gonna have to do it
One string at a time
One by one
Each knot each coloured thread
Blue by blue
Green by green and red by red
Til the colours come untangled
And the knots are all undone
One by one
One by one
The songs I haven't written
The words I haven't found
They lie here on my piano
Just waiting to be born
And when I try to sort it out
I realise that I
Gonna have to do it one note at a time...
Taking it one step at a time, I feel more comforted facing yet another hectic week. But for now, I'm giving myself a pat on my back for what I've achieved this week.
:)
It was ironical that I was planning a lesson on Stress Management for my Sec 2 students. Through the research I did to plan for the lesson, I came to realise that I was highly stressed out. It was no wonder I kept having those nightmares at night, dreaming about my students sitting for exams when I haven't taught them enough! I literally cried!
Then a song that my friend taught me some time back came to mind, and suddenly things were more manageable. It helped me so much I wanted to share the song with my students. It had a simple but powerful message. The problem is, I had to sing it to them.
As though my stress list wasn't long enough, I courageously learnt it, and psyched myself to sing it to my students. I practised it a few times, but it didn't help that my throat hadn't quite recovered. But I did it anyway. My kind students gave me a round of applause and some cheers. I did an encore a second time in response to my form class' request. They said I sounded better the second time... I guess practice makes perfect! :)
Besides that nerve-wrecking session, planning for the lessons this week, setting quizes for my Sec 1 CPA class, preparing the notes for the comprehension skills to be taught to the Sec 2 EL kids, I had a big presentation on my teacher work attachment experience in Vietnam. The organisers were making a fuss about it and so they enforced meetings and dry runs just to get it right. After all, the two ambassadors from Vietnam and Cambodia would be there.
So since Saturday, I've been amending the Powerpoint presentation, editing the pictures and doing up the structure of the presentation. I was really tired after yesterday's full day of lessons following a long afternoon the previous day at RELC ensuring the presentation was OK. And so, after the presentation today, I heaved a deep sigh of relief.
We were told at the end of the event that the Director at Teachers Network said our presentation was the best - to the point, succinct and rounded up everything else everyone was trying to say but didn't quite. Lots came up to me and my co-presenter to say we did a good job and that was encouraging. All the hard work paid off!
I was especially thankful to my 5 colleagues who turned up to support me. They were wishing I'd be presenting first so they could leave by tea break. Unfortunately for them, I was scheduled to present last and as such they had to stay back. Thanks guys! :)
I went out dinner with my team mates from the teacher work attachment after the presentation, and reflected back at what I've acheived this week. I must say I AM proud of myself - taking the courage to face it with a brave heart despite my fear - the fear to fail, to fall below my own expectations.
I sang to my kids, and although I know it wasn't perfect, and it isn't up to my standard of what I would call "good singing", I take pride in the fact that I plucked up the courage to do so. Now, the song is still in my head and I'm leaving it here on the blog so my dear students can remind themselves to take it one step at a time should the going get tough...
ONE BY ONE
Sometimes my life is like a ball
Of mixed up coloured strings
So full of knots and tangles
I just can do a thing
And when I try to sort it out
I realise that I
Gonna have to do it
One string at a time
One by one
Each knot each coloured thread
Blue by blue
Green by green and red by red
Til the colours come untangled
And the knots are all undone
One by one
One by one
The songs I haven't written
The words I haven't found
They lie here on my piano
Just waiting to be born
And when I try to sort it out
I realise that I
Gonna have to do it one note at a time...
Taking it one step at a time, I feel more comforted facing yet another hectic week. But for now, I'm giving myself a pat on my back for what I've achieved this week.
:)