Merry X'Mas

mErRy ChRiStMaS !

Life Transformers is back

The lovely show is back for a re run on every Sunday at 1.30p.m on Channel 8.

(I would advertise this show when I was teaching and would discuss the show with my kids on the following day. Don't worry, it has English subtitles.)

Are you trying to do an advertisment for MOE?

Perhaps you are wondering....



Why is this blog so chirpy....proclaiming on all the positive things on teaching.....



You must either be

1) A new teacher looking through rose tinted glasses

2) Doing an advertisment for MOE



Truth be told, I was so burnt out and frustrated with teaching within the 1st year that I wanted to break my bond and leave. Work was piling up, I kept falling sick, and I didn't exactly adore the kids in my class. My colleagues would complain about how rowdy they are, how they bullied the relief teacher, even the other teacher teaching them did not enjoy teaching them . I was getting pissed with the fact that it was so hard to discipline them and that they would keep rebutting what I taught them.



The fact that I was rushing through the syllabus yet their results leave little to be desired did not help either.



Then, during the holidays, I met a wonderful teacher who shared alot on not only teaching but how to live life.

So far,at least many went to better classes. They are easier to teach and the other subject teacher told me he was sad to see them go.

Yes, its true. Teaching can be really tiring and frustrating. But I'm sure many of you already know that.

I want to share another side of teaching as well. One that is fufilling and happy and perhaps in the process share how we can achieve it.

Misconceptions About Teaching (II)

Was tempted to blog on some personal progress and a side track to how I did a short personality analysis after reading ah quan's blog....but nah....let's get back to what this blog is about.

It was after exams, a girl from my class handed me some science information.




Huh? Whats this?



On the second day, she handed me a second stack....


What is she trying to do???


More science information....


Finally on the last day, she gave me a card telling me that she collected all those information so that I can use them for next year and not be so tired trying to prepare all those teaching resources...when she saw me in the canteen, she even kept reminding me to rest well during the hols..


*touched*


Some other cards...




Good... the moral stories are working! haha


Very sweet of her ...actually I was also the teacher who taught her when she got bad results in SA1....haha sweet kid




So kids nowadays are not really that ungrateful and teaching is not that a thankless job.



Sometimes, people might think....of course, you are teaching little children, wait till you teach the older ones....



Actually , I have older kids who see me outside and came down from afar to walk and talk with me even though I'm no longer teaching them...



Then there are others who think that , kids eventually forget their primary school teachers, its the secondary ones that make the impact.



Actually , my CT has a student who visit her every year...only exception was last year because he was serving his NS but he asked his mother to send her a cake on his behalf...



I think I did wonder whether I should have applied to teach secondary school kids but I think kids need a good teacher at every stage of their lives. Primary school teachers to build up a good foundation for their characters and Secondary school teachers to guide them during the turbulent years.




But really, if the parents refuse to cooperate, there's little we can do. We need parents to discipline the kids and teach them how to respect their teachers. Similarly, parents need the teachers to teach the kids how to respect their parents.




I once met a vice principal in China who told me that some parents in the villagers showed respect to teachers simply because the teachers are more educated than them.




True respect doesn't come from the fact that the person is more educated, have more moolah to flaunt or a to die for face or physique. The world would be in big trouble if it functions in this way...you don't want your kids to respect you simple because you have the moolah do you?

Don't trash people with no passion

Was reading a comment from a person thrashing and urging "passionless"people not to teach....

Looking at me now, I don’t think anyone would have guessed that I joined teaching just to “try it out” .

In fact , one of my friends even commented that her friend with REAL PASSION did not get accepted when I got accepted into teaching.

A good teacher does not guarantee the ability to mould a student simply because of a crucial factor call “chemistry” or “affinity” or whatever you may choose to call it. The person who you are thrashing and termed “not fit to be a teacher” might be one who have enough “chemistry” with the “rascal” that no one is able to touch.

Similarly, someone who joined teaching not because it is his or her calling does not indicate that he or she will not teach in the future with a passion.

I'm writing this because I do not want people who may have the ability to help others to be discouraged from teaching. We may be prejudiced and look down on these people but really that's just our own shortsightedness and prejudice.

Please don’t discourage others from joining .If you are still interested , read on. If not, this is the end of the post.


I guess on and off, teaching was on my mind esp during the history lessons in secondary school. By uni, i just put it off. For some reasons, I just decided to give it a try after grad, I got accepted and thought hey I could just try it for contract. During my contract days, admist the unpleasant encounters and heavy load, I find myself enjoying teaching.

Go Watch This

I seldom rave about films and few make an impression on me (There's this show which has garnered numerous nominations in the recent goldern horse award...and guess what I only vaguely remember it).

But....I really feel the need to advertise for this film "Merry Christmas" (or "Joyeux Noel")...so enamoured was I with this film that I bought the vcd once it was released. My friends have raved about my recommendations in movies so please trust me on this.

Ignore the review below if it makes the movie seems boring(what with the seemingly dull history background to those who dislike history) because the movie is anything but that.

I think I first watched this film in 2005 and now its showing in Aillance Francaise Theatre. (Its at 1 Sarkies Road) Tickets are selling at $7.20 from Sistic.

A review from http://www.ericdsnider.com/movies/merry-christmas/

In "Merry Christmas" (or "Joyeux Noel" as it's known in its native France), German, Scottish and French soldiers lay down their arms in the middle of World War I to celebrate Christmas together. It's a stunning act of pacifism and humanity, made all the more moving because it really happened, on a battlefield in France in 1914.

The Indescribable

As I was trying to sort out the teaching resources I came across this

Small miracles

Damon Pang and agencies Thursday, May 15, 2008

"In Peichuan, one of the worst hit counties, three-year-old Song Xinyi was rescued after being trapped for more than 40 hours. She survived because her parents had used their bodies to shield her. "

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=65816&sid=18932895&con_type=3 The Standard - Hong Kong's First FREE English Newspaper Small miraclesAs the China earthquake toll soars to 40,000 dead, missing or buried, stories are emerging from the rubble of miracle escapes and selfless acts of heroism.

Reminded me of a dialouge spoken by one of the characters from the show "Six Feet Under" Goes something like this

We call someone who has lost her husband a widow

We call someone who has lost his wife a widower

We call someone who has lost his or her parents an orphan

But there's no term for a parent who has lost his or her child

Because it is too tragic

Can you imagine how much your parents love you?

Misconceptions About Teaching

Some misconceptions people may have about teachers, parents and students nowadays.

1.Parents nowadays are more stuck up because they are more educated/earn higher salary.


Not true! Two dads taking their PhDs actually thanked me for my wonderful teaching. Actually, I'm not that fantastic a teacher but just to prove the point that not all parents are stuck up.

Like I said, I'm not a fantastic teacher but just in case you missed the point...

Just in case you really can't read the blurred pictures

Dear Miss Tan,

Thank you for teaching me so much. I get more interested in learning when you are teaching the class. Sometimes, the class fun but sometimes the class is boring.

Just in case, you still don't get the point.

but sometimes the class is boring.

Like I said, I'm just not one of those legendary teachers who makes EVERY lesson INTERESTING. (not that I couldn't care less , I have even worked past midnights and I need to wake up at 5 plus in the morning...but sorry I feel tired, I need to rest too ,I just have limited abilities)

2. Children nowadays are so self-centred. Teaching is really a thankless job.

To be continued....

I'm not trying to whet your appetite and be funny....the truth is I still have deadlines to rush...just taking a short break...which brings me to one of the misconceptions that teachers have really long holidays...

Work is still ongoing

The school holidays are here but not for the teachers, at least for me....

Work is still ongoing and I'm finding it difficult to just slack haha

So... would not be blogging till I have more time