Wish List

Presenting my wish list (in random order)

1) Bringing back of non air-conditioned buses. I was marvelling at the beautiful greenery on the bus today when *bam* the only air I breathed in were cold air and not fresh air.

2) Pace of living will be slower. I like more time to just chill out and have some quiet time of reflection. No more checking of emails and smses to check for any new work and deadlines.

3) Less work for children and more time for real play and learning. I pity those children who have to stay back for remedials AND go for their own tuition classes.

4) Its ok to wear the same old clothes and accessories. Do we really need so many clothes, bags and watches??? So what if the face of the watch is a bit scratched or the handle of the bag is a bit frayed. Its still usable, I'm OK with it.

5) More vegan options in restaurants. Not able to accomodate to halal options/any options due to religious reasons is insensitive but being a vegan is picky??? Hello do I sense a double standard here?

6) Talk to me and not sms or play with your iphone. Hello real person sitting in front of you. LOOK AT ME , TALK TO ME!

7) Less emphasis on profit and loss. Taking care of your parents regardless of how competent they were as parents. Its sickening to see people care for others with a condition stamped on it. What happened to unconditional love? Do you check out the moral standards of those in need before you donate to charity? No right? You give because there is a need. Your parents need you. Care.

8) Religion harmony. If you delve deep enough into your own religion and take the time to read deeply and objectively into other religion, you will find them to be equal. Stop thinking your way is THE WAY and force them into others' throat.

9) See the good in others.

10) Parents spending more time with their kids.

Happy Holidays!

Loving Hut

Went to this restaurant (Bukit Merah Branch) today for lunch with my parents.
http://www.lovinghut.com.sg

Great food at an affordable price with a cozy ambience to boot. The service was great too, the waiter upon seeing that I didn't stir my drink came up to me and told me that I should stir it as it would make the drink taste better. Even my dad who is not a vegetarian kept praising about the food.

I think the restaurant is a vegan one, which means it not only doesn't serve meat but eggs and dairy products as well. I'm quite keen to try the milkless ice-cream if I have a chance to dine there again.

Do drop by if you have a chance too!

The Concentration game

With the exposure to a variety of provoking stimulants , its harder and harder to get the concentration of students. It becomes a vicious cycle. The more interesting you make the lesson, the harder it is for the students to learn to quiten down.

I feel worried and sorry for this generation of students. The jobs that matter most are going to require intense concentration. How is the next generation going to take up the job of running the country if they are constantly needing exciting stimulants?

Television and the Young Child
Kim Preston, Northen Subhurbs Waldorf Playgroup, Western Australia

Check out page 13-15 on the article of Television and the Young Child.
www.freshwatercreeksteinerschool.com.au/documents/Prep%20Handbook%202008.pdf

Saying I'm sorry

I came back to Singapore on the night of Fathers' Day so I did not get to see my father. The following morning, I greeted and apologised to my father, for being an unfilial daughter.

I could not help but feel that if I had apologised earlier ,my father would have been less lonely for the past years.

Family ties is something that will endure the test of time, harsh words and behaviours. Unfortunately, friendships are more fragile. Sometimes, an unintentional word or behaviour can cause irreversible damage. I wished that I have known this earlier.

Being a scatterbrain, I forget harsh words said to me easily and can be friendly to the person easily. I have naively believed that others would forgive me easily too. This is not so. Sometimes, I don't even realise or care enough on the hurt that I inflicted on others.

Be kind and treasure those around you and never take them for granted.

Teacher Parents Session

It seems like a long time since I last posted an entry (so long that I forgot what email and password to type in) but after checking the date, it doesn't seem that long after all.(ok so my memory is bad)

Will do a quick post before I go overseas.

It seems pretty common for ladies nowadays to continue working after the birth of their child. Some will leave the care of their child to either their parents or to a child care centre. Some points to ponder on:

1. The parents are basically doing double duty. After the arduous duty of raising their own child, they are faced with another round of raising their own grandchildren.

2. This is something which I find quite interesting , it was raised by another teacher. If the child is raised by the grandparents, what happens when the child starts a new generation? Will the mother of the child (who was raised by the grandparents) be equipped and prepared to raise her grandchild like what her parents have done for her?

For me, I like to take a peek at the profiles of the parents of my students. Students who have stay at home mothers tend to be better behaved which then translate to better academic results.


During the recent Teacher Parents meeting session (which I kind of enjoyed, both parents and me will learn something new about the child), one of the mothers told me that her son has become better behaved and less rebellious after she became a stay at home mum. Of course, life is not easy with a minus-one income but its definitely worth all the sacrifices.

Unresolved issue

Slowly(ok maybe not that slow) but surely, my bond is coming to an end. Some of my colleagues are advising me to stay but I really don't know. Its not a case of seeking greener pasture but rather how much more I can contribute.

Story of Toys

Last week (at the place where I do volunteer teaching) , I was doing a lesson on the relationship between excessive consumerism and global warming. This week, I was asking the students on what they had done for our earth for the past week. One student (4 years old) replied that she didn't buy any toys this week. Cute and sweet. =)

Its not the end but simply the catalyst to a bigger goal.

±2℃ part II

I showed parts of the show to the class of students where I am doing volunteering teaching. Considering the young age of the students, I was surprised that they seemed to be engaged in it. One of the parents came forward to ask where the video can be obtained. Next week, I will be doing follow-up to the video.

When I did an environmental lesson with my students about 2 years ago, their reaction was positive and encouraging. Right after the lesson, many of them wanted to continue the lessons without the fans.

However, the lesson itself is only a catalyst, igniting awareness and hopefully further action .
Effort is needed by both the teacher and most importantly, the parents to ensure that the initial enthusiasm can be sustained.

±2℃

Just a preview, the whole episode is simply sobering.

Really cute video.

Personal opinion: Really feel that the Hong Kongers really did a good job in promoting awareness.

Earth Hour 2010

Earth Hour 2010 will occur on 27th March 2010.

To quote loosely ,it's set to be the best yet but only works best when all of us are involved.

Little ones with a big heart

A milipede at the Butterfly Park in Sentosa. Frankly speaking, being a faint hearted girl, I did not dare hold the milipede.

However, after seeing my little girl hold it, it doesn't seem that bad after all. I decided to pluck up the courage to hold it.

Actually, I have a phobia of butterflies since young. But...after seeing the little ones hold those fragile creatures in their hands, they don't seem so scary after all.

When we were inside the enclosure, the little ones saw a piece of broken wing and were clearly sadden by what they saw. The end of a fragile life.

I am lucky and grateful to have this class.

It seems like a nice way to end my bond.

After all, the graduating batch that I am teaching now were my first batch of students. I am now getting to teach them a bit of what I didn't teach them when I first took them.

弟子规

Caught this performance on the recent charity show.

I tried to upload my copy from the dvd but I still haven't found a way to do it. This copy is extracted from Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khl4Y7UFRO0


My "moral education" lessons in class are actually based on 弟子规, one can imagine my excitement when I caught this on television. I wonder if 弟子规 is now taught in Shuqun Primary School?

Some miscellaneous information:

1.The students performing are from Shuqun Primary School, the alma mater of a Nus Wushu Alumni.

2. I mentioned 弟子规 briefly to her when we were attending another wushu girl's wedding (the school which she is teaching at is teaching 弟子规though) although I wonder if she still remembers the conversation or if she had caught the show.

A letter

Most of my students from last year are now in the care of another teacher. She did a lesson on the recent Haiti earthquake and showed me the letter that "orange"

wrote.

By the way, I really need to clarify the misconception that I'm a good teacher. I wish it was true but sad to say , even though my 3 year bond in teaching is almost up, I am still sadly lacking in many areas.

The Road Ahead

My bond is ending soon.
To stay or to leave?

I have finally done the deed

I am taking the other extreme end in my school

P6.

True, I am only taking them for health education but it can be quite nerve racking.

For one, they seemed to tower over me when they stand up.

Second, the first topic is on puberty.

I could have skim through the topic and go through what was in the activity book.

But

• Last year, there were 12,222 cases of abortion.
• Most of it were done on umarried adult women.
• Teenage abortion accounted for 1,289 of last year's total 12,222.
• Children reaching puberty at an earlier age (not normal, not good, it simply means aging is hasten)
• More children engaging in sex at an earlier age and getting pregnant (not normal, not good)

It was definitely awkward for me. I could feel my heart beating faster when its time for the P6 lessons. But as a teacher, I definitely feel that they must be exposed to the right information and values, rather than stumbling upon wrong information online that could potentially ruined their life in time to come.

I got many valuable information through this physician's talk and book.
http://www.pengposhi.blog.hexun.com/

No wonder my friend used to say having too much sex is damaging to one's health, turns out he was right after all -_-

Happy New Year

Haha ok I know its a bit late, but better late than never.

I have opted to take P2 this year(Actually my first choice was P1 but they gave me my second choice ). Some people might think it sounds like downgrading but I seriously think it can be very meaningful teaching the little ones. They are young and impressionable, the best time to build a good and solid foundation. It's hard to kick the bad habits once they are formed and it can be tiring not to mention potentially frustrating for the teachers doing the fire fighting for the older children.

Admittedly, it was a culture shock for me in the beginning. Questions were met with blank faces and doubts on how to interact with them linger constantly on my mind. But I realise that they can be quite cute.

An extract on what happened yesterday.

Me: Those who have finished your work can go to the reading corner.
Some students then grudgingly stopped talking and went to the reading corner.

Me: You can take out the stools and mats.

Student: Really??

Me: Yes

The students then started to lay out the mats and a stool. One of them became the "principal" , sat on the stool and held a big book in her hands. The rest of them took off their shoes and sat on the mats in front of the "principal". Other students seemed to take an interest in the reading corner and started asking for permission to go to the corner. The "principal" even commanded approaching students to take off their shoes before entering the corner.

Cute.

I am thinking of how to dress up the reading corner to make it even more fun for the little ones.