The Importance of being SERENE

Exams are finally over!!! Im almost sounding like a student myself. But in case you don’t know by now, i actually not the Student, but the TEACHER. The kids have gone through a stressful week as well, judging by their outburst of craziness after the Science paper. Unrestrained jokes, crappy nonsense and funny antics. Anyway, they deserve a good break from going through revision papers and my constant nagging on ‘what is important for exams’. Actually i use this phrase so often that it must have seemed that everything is important. Poor kids.

But we had fun today! I believe what people always say that memories are created when they are least expected. In my desperation to get the kids to line up properly to go for their E-music lesson at the computer lab, i asked the boys how they can possibly do NS in the future. Told them that they will surely get tekan everytime they stand out of line and that if ever they are part of the NDP contingent, don’t ever tell anyone that i was their teacher. And i have this habit of walking and stopping to turn back and check whether the kids are in line. From my classroom to the computer lab, i’d probably stopped 4 times even though the comp lab was on the same floor. Anyway, when we were nearing the lab, i sent the girls to wait outside the comp lab while the boys had to stay put till they could line up properly. Dunno what came to me, i touched on the NS and tekan topic again and i got the boys to do 5 push ups in the middle of corridor! Of course, they were challenging me that they could do 5 push ups easily and so they did it!

And look at how happy they are being tekan. So cute!

Was packing stuff from my bedroom and i chanced upon an old edition of TCF newsletter. Remembered why i had kept this newletter instead of disposing them right away after reading it– it was this article that had reminded me how i wanted my teaching to be– one that is dedicated to God and not for my own glory. If teaching is my ministry, then logically the source of strength which i should draw from should not derive from the inner me but from His divine strength. Re-reading this article is certainly timely as school reopens tomorrow. Excited to meet a new batch of kids who will be in my care for the rest of the year for 2006, but yet apprehensive about the hard work that will start all over again tomorrow. Well, trust God and enjoy the opportunity to work with my new kids!

[Taken from March 2005 Teachers Christian Fellowship (TCF) newsletter] Mrs Ding-Khoo Seok Lin writes about the spiritual lessons gleaned from her years of teaching. May you be blessed by this article as much as i have.

Keys to Victorous Christian Teaching and Living

"…I have always believed that teachers hold a special place in Jesus heart: He considered Himself first and foremost as a teacher. Teaching was central to His ministry while on earth. He understands the joy that comes when they are hard of learning; the pain and disappointment when you are rejected.

But teachers in Singapore, including or maybe especially Christian teachers, are so very tired today—physically from so much work; emotionally from constant evaluation and many disappointments; intellectually from having to learn and unlearn new initiatives and techniques; spiritually from losing our sense of purpose and meaning as a teacher in the midst of constant changes.

I too have experienced such deep exhaustion, not once but twice. I went through two burnouts and depressions in my work life—first as a civil seravant and second as a trainer (training principals and teachers). During these periods, the Lord gave me Isaiah 30:15-18 as a guidepost out of the darkness.

“For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength; and ye would not. But ye said, No; for we shall flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee; and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift. One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on a hill. And therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.” Isaiah 30:15-18

… To me, the four keys to sustain a victorious Christian life in my work and living are found in these words—Repentance, Rest, Quietness and Trust:

1. Repentance from self-sufficiency to dependence on God
2. Resting from our own striving
3. Quietness—to be still and acknowledge Him as God in all situations
4. Trust in Him and His ability in me

It took me a long time to learn what God wanted to teach me—“I would have none of it” (v. 15)! I wanted to rely on myself, my abilities; I wanted to trust the “swift horses” in the world. The cost was two burnouts and I truly felt in those dark moments like a lonely flagstaff blowing on a hill.

Praise God for His compassion—He answered when in desperation I called to Him for help. I began to learn and apply what He wanted to teach me from these verses.

This is the story of my journey and what I learnt.

Repentance from self-sufficiency to dependence on God

Many Christian teachers suffer from delusion that ultimate responsibility for everything rests with me—when our children fail, we feel we fail; when a child we counsel goes astray, we take it personally.

I was the same in my work. When I first became a trainer, I had the wrong belief that I had to be good enough. Participants had to give an evaluation after my course and I shrunk at the thought. After a terrible 6 months of low self confidence, I finally learnt the truth: that by myself, I am NOT good enough but “I can do all things through Christ who strengthenth me.” Philippians 4:13

As teachers, we need to repent—turn away, reject from an overdeveloped sense of self-responsibility and self sufficiency. Let us remember that our teaching is a calling that God has given to us. He will not leave us nor forsake us to do this by ourselves.

“And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness…” 2 Corinthians 12:9

Rest

To me, rest has two dimensions:

(a) Refrain from own striving

This means to rest in our Lord and to depend on His provision. Ministry is not so much doing great things for God, but letting God do great things in and through us. I am always struck by the story of the boy who brought 2 loaves of bread and 5 fishes to our Lord Jesus. Jesus used this meager offering to feed thousands that day!

In the same way, I bring my limited talents and ability to the Lord and He will multiply them to serve the needs of those I teach. When things turn out well, it is clear to me that all glory goes to Him. The feeling is one of gratitude rather than pride. When things turn out not so well. I don’t lose much sleep over it—I did my best; God was present with me; He must have a reason why He allowed such an outcome.

(b) Doing God’s will, God’s way and not man’s ways

1 Chronicles 15: 12-13 records how the Israelites did their own way in bringing the ark back to Jerusalem. God’s judgment not blessings was upon them.

Similarly we often do things man’s way, not His way, even when we are doing His work. If we do things God’s way, we will not experience burnout because God renews, refreshes and re-creates. We may be tired physically, but emotionally and spiritually we are enlivened. This is because the Spirit is life-giving. It is the world, with its manipulations, evaluations and competition that drains and sucks the life out of us.

Quietness

“Be still, and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10

(a) “Then you will know that I am the Lord”

I am struck by how many times God said in this Old Testament. It seems that the one things that He wanted most to get out from Israelites was for them to acknowledge Him as God.

I used to be aghast by the Israelites—how could they be so faithless when God showed so clearly His presence and love for them? Nowadays I am not so judgemental. As I look at the way I live my life, I am afraid I am like them too. Today I have the testimony of God’s love through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Yet when I am faced with a crisis, I am hardly still, and I hardly acknowledge that He is God! I tend to find my answers in the world, and when I have exhausted all avenues, I turn to Him in desperation (sometimes not even then).

We don’t need to go out and change the world to delight God. All He wants really for us is to be still and to acknowledge Him as Lord and God in every situation in our lives. This quietness allows us to be humbly confident that we can go through any challenge, yet be humble because we know this confidence is not in ourselves but in Him who is our God and Provider.

(b) “Do you love me?”

“There is no fear in love; but love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18

Many teachers are not quiet and still today because we are experiencing a lot of fears—fears of failing, being evaluated and found lacking; fears of being irrelevant and incompetent, of not being able to catch up with the manifold changes in education.

Before Jesus commissioned Peter as a shepherd of His flock, He asked him 3 times “Do you love me?” Jesus did not ask what he was going to accomplish, or what people will think of him. He knew if Peter was anchored in His love, he will remain faithful to his calling.

He asks the same questions of all His children today: Do you love me? We need to nurture and build up that love. If our teaching comes out of that foundation of love for God and His children, we will accomplish what God intends in our calling as teachers. We will overcome our fears.

We can only love Him, if we know Him and know His heart. Read His Word, talk to Him, remember His great and unconditional love for each one of us.

Trust

“According to His divine power hath given unto us all things pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.  2 Peter 1:3

Trust is the integration of the other 3 keys of victory—repentance, rest and quietness. Truly trusting God means:

-         Acknowledging that apart from Him, I can accomplish nothing.

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing”. John 15:5

-         Not putting my trust in horses, chariots and man’s testimony

“Some trust in chariots, some trust in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Psalm 20:7 (if you are wondering what’s horses and chariots to do with this, they are the equivalent of fast cars of today)

-         My source of significance is in my identity as a child of God, not in the position, power, money I have in the world.

I sometimes kick myself for not having learn these precious lessons earlier. How much energy I lost in those years of manipulating and striving on my strength, in chasing after power, position and the praises of people. How humbling it is to know that I still have to re-learn these lessons in my life even today. Writing this testimony commits me to upholding these keys to victorious Christian living in my own life."

“For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.” Jeremiah 2:13.

Its a long time since i’ve last blogged.(Sorry, i know its so cliche but its true!) Well before writing this entry there were thousands of topics (ok, im exaggerating)tat ran thru my mind as i watch the world whizz by on bus trips to and from sch in the past week(s) or when i practise the art of "mind meandering". Yes, this is a technical term for the activity of the mind encouraged by practitioners in the realm of helping pple relax in the hustle and bustle of life. For those who are and were geography students probably would tink up of this chapter of landforms where interlocking spurs were created by meandering streams. Have the picture in your head now? If not, since you are online, do a google. For you to expand those grey mushy mess, i mean mass, beneath your crowning glory.

So wats with the mind meandering.. haha… ‘meandering’ is a nicer word to replace ‘wandering’. So one allows the mind to wander, and if i did not remember wrongly, according to sum DJ on NewsRadio 93.8 , its allowing your mind to wander where it wants to lead you. I guess i must be an expert in this ancient art of ‘mind meandering’. haha… yes, im quite a dreamer. I took to myself alot, especially on bus trips. Maybe theres a reason why im rather directionless, esp on the expressways at nite.. It frightens me to tell others the directions home when others are driving me home. I dont know all roads that lead to my home. I’ll prob land up at the causeway customs (with all the "please top up your petrol" signages along the road) or sum ‘ulu’ industrial park. All of which actually did happen. Oh, another time, after a church event (tink it was choir bbq) we took rides home from a church member and "oops, i did it again!". A wrong exit and we ended up along sum unfamiliar and then ‘ulu’ small street and voila, landed ourselves in front of my primary school which i was to report to the next day (which i had not yet checked from the street diectory). Was that part of God’s plan i wonder. Well, tat ‘ulu’ road then is now my most frequently travelled road. But please dont test me abt my knowledge abt that area. I guess i wld like to learn to drive. Previously gave excuses to delay walking into BBDC and pick up tat form to apply for my basic driving test. Excuses such as these:

1. i have no sense of direction. (which is true)

2. I dont have a family car. (which is true eversince i tink when i was in sec 2?)

3. I wont be buying a car just yet (not in the near future). I wana build up my financial security.

4. I like travelling in mercedes benz and volvo (look closely at the rear of SBS and Trans)

5. Ive got bad coordination. Im pretty blur… haha…

Well.. alright… if i drive, i promise not to endanger others on the roads. And i will fix a GPS in my car… seems idiot-proof. heehee.. and i wana get the volkswagon beetle.. a bright yellow one tat resembles a bright sun on the road. Especially in the early morning, Im sure my bright yellow car will bring some cheer to the white-collar pple crushed under their mean bosses or those stock players worried sick about the volatile ups and downs of stock prices or the lower-middle class families so burdened by the escalating living expenses (aircon bills, phone bills, internet bills, insurances, food expenditure, etc etc– yes, the ones tat the gov is very concerned abt now) or families rushing their spoilt-brat kids to sch (whose days were spolit right from the start of the day when these brats refuse to get up and refuse to get dressed and refused to pack their bags the night before and refuse to eat their organic multigrain cereals and refuse to eat their multi vit and drink their Brand’s essence of chicken and eat gingko biloba to maximise the absorbality of their brains for all things intellectual).

By now, you probably have some insight into my art of mind meandering…

Remembered one of the entries i wanted to write about was an entry title which goes like this: "Save Serene’s face campaign". Not sure exactly when but my face started to break out rather badly again! it came to a point where enuff is enuff.. if this is a battle to be won, i must win against this invisible, obnoxious enemy tat seem to have something (i dunno wat) against me all these years! And the first step i took was to go straight to the polyclinic (CCK) armed with a book and my O2 mini (of course, i never leave home without it) for shutting out baby cries or aunties’ loud banters and an ice milo from nearby Mc at CCK CC. Well, in case you have been to rich to enter a polyclinic, upon entering any polyclinic, u are always greeted with a moving message (dunno how to describe) tat the average wait to see a doc is abt 2 and a half hour! If you wont die from waiting to see the doc then by all means Wait! Ok, let my mind orientate itself after all that mind meandering… rite, save serene’s face campaign. Yes, by polyclinic? Surfed the net and found out tat Singaporeans are eligible to subsidies at the National Skin Centre! They must first prove their sincerity with their 2 and a half hours wait at the polyclinic to get a referral. If they pass the test without stomping off in frustration even after an hour’s wait when the numbers projected above the doc’s door is still has a hundred range difference with the number in your hand, they get to talk to THE specialist at National Skin Centre for only $21 every visit instead of the usual $50 or $60 plus! it was worth it!

My appt (arranged last sat) is 10 Nov. If my maths is not too bad, i tink its a month later from the time i got a referral at the polyclinic. Oh, and i have a few supporters for my Save Serene’s face campaign– Lydia, Caiying, etc.. (moral support though i had wished it was financial instead :))

Before my mind brings me sumwhere else again, i’d still like to dwell on the Save Serene’s face campaign. Another spin-off blog entry which i had wanted to write abt was: "The Vulgarities of Acne."

So wats so vulgar abt acne? well… everything!!! For one, the official term tat rolls off the tongue of doctors abt acne is Acne Vulgaris if u hadnt know. They come in, i tink, 4 grades (not the kind of grades where there is a competition to determine who’s the brainest kid in our schools). Here the higher grades you get means the greater the competition the face faces in defending its original territory from the encroaching and invading acne enemy. Within this competition lies a subtle form of vulgarity– the crudeness of this senseless battle waged upon the flawlessly innocent and defenseless skin of the face. Worse off, the war crime committed by the acne enemy in its inhumane treatment towards the ‘conquered’. They turn them barbaric and uncontrollable, causing them to flare up as and when they like and ripping off of their innocence and forcing a public parade of their wildest and ugliest side to the other pure and blemish-free (or rather non-territorial) skins. Its POW treatment is tantermount to humiliation of the highest degree!!! Of course acne is vulgar!

And now, to win the battle before uniting the allied forces on Nov 11 which promises strong ammunition of a strong dose of antibotics (which works, hopefully), the invaded country system needs lotsa rest to build up their energy levels before launching a fierce attack on the barbaric acne enemies!

4.16am (its PSLE marking day today at 11.30am so no worries abt this lark who runs the risk of waking up later than the sun rises) Novices like me will only record marks, not mark the PSLE papers, so no worries.

Btw, in case you are wondering wat happened to the Sam’s letters to Jennifer book… dont bother picking it up. Story’s very flat and there’s hardly any character in the characters themselves. Read Tony Parson’s "Man and Wife" and "Family Way." Tat was wat i did for the past two weeks. Its time for another visit to Woodlands lib.

(oh oh… so much for the chatters… actually ive more to tok abt the children’s day… another time then. )

Sweet dreams and bless-ted nite

Oh oh… and i will start a recipe blog soom. Wanted to share the recipe to the multi-grain porridge cooked with tong gui. Oki, another time.

Amphibious…Kinda strange to use a word like that.. well… its funny how a morn session teacher like me will be teaching my previous class (5F) which was in the afternoon session, tomorrow. Wat it means is tat an afternn teacher will take over my morn timetable and i will take over his afternn timetable. Confused? Anyway, tat teacher has to attend some meeting, tats why.

Why the word ‘amphibious’ ? Cos like frogs which live in both water and land, i function both in the morn and afternn sessions (though im officially taking over a teacher on maternity leave in the morn session). If you are confused by wat im saying by now… its ok, dun try figuring it out. My colleagues were confused as well. Well, its the second time tat im asked to switch timetable across the sessions. BUT Im not complaining cos waking up so early in the morn is really very tiring. Afternn sessions means i get to wake up slightly later at abt 8am and i get to perform my morn ritual of eating breakfast and reading newspapers and watching CNA and doing my quiet time. Feel satisfied whenever i have all these thgs done before i start the day.

Anyway, ive always considered myself a lark. But i tink larks don’t get up before the sun gets up rite? its a little tad too early. So funny… remembered reporting to the morn session on the first day of term 4 (the first time im reporting to the morn session since i was teaching in the afternn session the previous term), i actually reached sch at 6.45! I tink i was the second one to be seen around the staffroom. So proud of myself.

Well… maybe not that proud since i arrive sch in COMFORT. Haha… well, the story goes like this: I thought to take a bus at 6.35am would be too late so i nervously flagged for a cab at the bus stop. Mind you, at this 6.35am, the sky still looks like 4am (pitch dark and super chilling)… and here am i afraid tat i’d be late. We are to be in sch by 7.10am. And i realised upon reaching the sch tat all its takes to reach sch in cab at 6.35am is 10 min! Ok, i’ve tried taking cab at 6.45am. Its hard to get a cab and the roads can get pretty jammed up cos Bukit Panjang is a populous place with narrow roads. And so the moral of the story of cab taking is its not a gd option afterall. To take a cab at 6.35am is a waste of money cos its too early to be in sch yet its too late to take a bus. To take a cab ten minutes later does not guarantee tat i can reach in time.

Finally figured out wat works best for me who is trying to get use to the morn session. Sleep is so essential… Lotsa sleep especially after sch helps. I find tat im more efficient in the afternn session jus becos i wake up early (but not tat early like 5 plus) to prepare my lessons and do my marking. But morn session is really tiring. The recovery rate for waking up so early is very slow. The first day i was in the morn session (yup tat day when i was afraid tat i’ll be late for sch but ended up reaching sch too early in cab), i almost KO when i reached the last two periods. Cannot tahan. Sch ended at 12 plus… did some work and head straight home at 2 plus. By rite, morn session teachers have the rest of the day at their personal disposal, guess wat, i used the rest of the day (3plus till dinnertime) to recover from my great effort to wake up so early. After dinner, i did sum wk and slept at 10pm so i wldnt need to take cab the next morn.

I cannot resist saying how important sleep is to morn teachers. After trying to cope with CDAC tuitions and stuff and sch… its so… so.. important to assign one day a week just to do nothing in the afternns after sch but sleep. Did tat yesterday and voila… the results were amazing. I recovered from fatigue incurred over the weekend (made an impromptu trip to JB to get children’s day presents and had a long sunday plus cdac on tues, stayed back in sch till quite late on mon). My skin looked better than previous days, i was cheery and smiley throughout the day. My mind was clearer and sharper and i cld enjoy my lessons better with my kids. We had more humour in class and misbehaviour was easily thwarted with wit on the tongue rather than the lashing out of potential threats and punishments. And the sleep helped me get up earlier and more willingly than before. I hate all the rushing. My life has always been a rush already. And i had more peace to pause and pray and commit the day into God’s hands rather than worrying whether i can get to sch in time.

Oh, jus rem that the day i slept so much was actually Yesterday! Haha… seems a long time ago.. guess the sleep yesterday enabled me to accomplish alot of things today. Yup, had remedial lesson till abt 3, stayed till abt 530 to finish up marking, rushed hm to nap to catch half an hour’s nap before CDAC starts at 730. Came hm by 9 plus… surfed the net and am updating my blog now.. 1120pm now. Not too bad, i tink i shld have sum energy left to finish up a novel borrowed last fri at the Woodlands lib (exactly a week ago when i last exhanged timetable with an afternn teacher. Had the time stroll into the lib before going sch since Woodlands lib opens at 1030. I tink i reached sch at 1130, still had time to do sum wk before taking over the afternn’s class). Ok, the book im reading is James Patterson’s "Sam’s Letters to Jennifer"– i had thot it was Sam (as in a guy), got it wrong, haha… its Samantha and she’s Jennifer’s grandma. Anyway theres supposed to be sum romance in the story. The plot’s moving quite slowly and im losing sum patience reaching to the heart of the story. I tink its supposed to be tear-jerker but im still waiting with my tissue in hand…

Nites… And its back to my novel now.

p.s. and i can do all these things tonite in peace becos im i know im in the afternn session tomorrow.

What i’ve learnt after 10 weeks of teaching:

1. "Do everything without murmuring or complaining."  — A verse placed on Mr Ding’s table

2. A school is a system. I cannot expect to change the system even though it irks me. I’ll be happy if i can just fill up a gap in the system and make the system work better.

3. "A school with less of a system is good. You have greater freedom to exercise your creativity." –Daniel, 9 Sept 05

4. I do not own the class. The kids in my class are in my charge for the time being. My job is to help them nurture and grow in character for the time they are with me. — Inspired by Mdm Farina who shared her story of being the form teacher for a class for 5 years (P2 to P6). She literally watched them grow up. Guess we sometimes get emotionally attached to our kids. Well, at least for the first half a year of my teaching, i jus have to learn to adapt to a new class for each of the two terms. That’s 5F for the 3rd term that jus ended and 4G for the 4th term.

5. "Think on your feet. There will always be last min changes. It’s normal." — Eunice. Not sure when i started hating last min changes or the feelings of not informed adequately about a task im asked to perform. Well, take it easy. Im sure it must be tough for the pple planning these events.

6. Take time to enjoy, even if its the mid-week. — I took time to watch charlie and the chocolate factory with Jermaine on a wed nite. My colleagues thot i was crazy. I celebrated TGIF with two primary school frens after sch on a fri. It was an impromptu meeting. A few exchanges of smses, we met up for late dinner at Lot 1 and had a durian for supper at the void deck of a HDB flat near our pl. How cool was that? We just had our second mthly gathering at Bukit Panjang Plaza’s Jack’s Place yesterday afternoon.

7. "A turtle only moves forward when it sticks its head out." –Mr Nelson Chong- a quote he photographed on his pda while he was reading a book. I guess it means "don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone."

8. "Go out into the world and make a difference! Live the life you never thought possible! Remember that whatever you have, ur talents, ur achievements, ur successes, ur job, is a blessing from God. Don’t ever give pride a chance to eat into you."– Cher Cher wrote in a card she sent me from States along with 3 sexy tops. She says shes my wardrobe manager. Card dated 24 July 05.

Its unbelievable how ten weeks have gone by like that. I have just started to bond with my first class of 36 P5 kids, only to return this class back to their former teacher, Mr Nelson Chong (also the HOD of IT). My heart ached at first, naturally, since i have just learned to love them like my own. Yes, i love every single one of them.

Here’s some cute characters for you:

1. Silly Mathan who speaks perfect English with a lace of adorable Indian accent (ok, sometimes with an irritating tone)

He is the first student who made me show my fist (never thought i wld be capable of such brute actions). Its not like what you think. I showed my fist out of jest, more like disbelief at how Mathan could miss my instructions despite my countless repetitions. Especially since my pet phrase in class is "Listen… (pause) Listen…" and "I don’t want anyone asking me questions about this later on."

The cute thing about Mathan is that he sits all the way to the back left of the class. i recalled that day when i was very sure my instructions were so clear and i have repeated sufficient times for me and the class to get sick of hearing the same instructions, that no one in the class cld possibly miss it. 10 whole mins later, this cute Mathan, all smiley and displaying his full set of Darlie teeth, walked down the long aisle of the classroom rite to the front where i was teaching. He paused, seemingly like he had a very serious concern. He looked up at me and in his sweetest voice laced with Indian accent and animated big eyes…

"Miss Lee…"

And he dropped the bomb! The forbidden question! How dared he even ask me what i have said so many umpteem times. I was so so mad that i raised up my fist in front of his eyes and so stared hard into his eyes I was sure he could see the whole circumference of my eye balls. The class sucked in their breaths. I burst out laughing in disbelief. Mathan… mathan…

The really cute thing is the innocent look he displayed on his face. He really did want to ask me the question. (sorry, i cldnt rem what the instructions were) And the smile on his face… gosh. How could i scold him?

Oh, another cute incident. The first time when i collected homework. Remembered it was their journal books and during the June hols, the previous teacher, Mr Chong, had made them do a journal entry every single day of the hols. That amounts to at least 30 entries. Looking at the pile of less than 15 journal exercise books, i asked the class who were the guilty ones. Silly Mathan, again, came all the way to the front, with a nonchalant tone, "Miss Lee, i didn’t bring my journal book. How many tokens do you want?" So now i earn tokens for every undone homework? The school uses token cards as a reward and punishment system. Students get to exchange their tokens for prizes after amassing their fortune of tokens.

Unbelievable! Where is the shame of students who fail to bring or do their homework? I gave silly and naive Mathan a dressing down. The funny thing was that he still didnt know why i was so angry even after the scolding ended. Mathan.. mathan…

2. Matthew and his blue-coloured sandwich

No, im not creating a character from some whimsical fairytale like the Charlie and the chocolate factory or some enid blyton stories.

Someone had just lost a wallet in the class and so i did a spot check on all the kids’ bag. Wanted to find the culprit. All bags were painstakingly checked, pockets were turned out, drawers were cleared. Nothing in the first row, nothing in the second row, nothing in the thrid row. The atmosphere was tense. It has to be. Theres a thief in our midst. Then come final fourth row. When i came to Matthew, he looked so nervous when i checked his bag. "Cher, there’s nothing lah…" "really…" When i came to the front compartment of his bag, guess what i saw? A sandwich… a blue coloured sandwich! For the first time in my life ive never seen a one-week sandwich with this colour. Taking out the sandwich, i showed it to the class. I seriously did not know whether to laugh or to be mad at him. Kids are really so cute.

Will miss you all.

(I’ll be teaching a P4 class after the sept hols. It’ll be in the morn session. Need to get use to waking up before the sun gets up.)