MEMORIES FROM WEEK 8

The students from 1F were really awesome! They were all excited when I wanted to take a photo with them.. HAHA!



Josephine and Samson, my dearest RTs that I spend most of my time with! I'll miss you guys...



Mdm Lim! She was one of those guiding me on how to teach English as a subject :)



Ari and Hidayat.. Part of the gang which I hang out with after school usually.. These boys rock, seriously...



BEVERLY! She insisted on this pose when I wanted a nice formal shot.. Don't ask me why! =p



This picture doesnt do me justice.. Sobs, would you be able to tell who the teacher is if I weren't wearing a different outfit? LOL!



Malay Sec 1 boys! They're really nice boys whom I love chatting with!



Anthony from 3C! He shares music with me...



Vivian! She is such a chirpy girl who greets me with a smile every single morning..



The 2E students.. The funny, hilarious, cheeky ones =P

One week left, and this week is goinna pass by really fast

The countdown just got to a smaller number...

11 days to NS, and I'm down to my final 5 days of teaching next week...

THE VIRTUAL CONNECTION

Ahaha well to my dear friends and students out there who are wondering about my life as a teacher, yes I do chat with my students and the above is a concrete proof of me doing so =) One more thing, I do play games with my students too, especially English related games like Anagrammatic right Joey? =P

This entire weekend, I've been busy coaching students. First and foremost, my secondary two students asked me out to teach them summary writing skills and newspaper article reviews. Spent a total of 2 hours with them, plus nice me decided to treat them to drinks and we spent quite some time talking about life and studies in general, though we did deviate sometimes to topics like Disney and music.. =P

Next up was an online coaching project with a few of my 3B students, and so far I have been enjoying coaching them cause they are so determined to learn! Take one of my students Joey for example, this weekend he spent both Saturday and Sunday online with me as I coached him for English and Social Studies. He's a great boy to coach, he has got a matured mindset, he's fun loving and most importantly, he knows what he wants out of life and I am sure he's goinna succeed in life eventually.. He also has this passion for english writing and that's something we both share in common!

No no, I don't encourage my students to stay too much online and waste their time by doing this. In fact, believe it or not, I do teach my students online via MSN. HAHA!

So far, I've taught my students English, Social Studies and Maths via MSN and all have turned out fine! Now all that remains to be seen is whether they have actually benefitted from all these teachings I've conducted over the course of 7 weeks.

I just realized something... Look at Joey's nickname..

Who says teachers cannot be fun and educating at the same time?

I agree with that! Teachers CAN be fun and educative at the same time.. Mr Goh, my secondary 2 literature teacher would be a really good example. It was he who reenforced my love towards English and Literature and up till today, I remember him as a passionate teacher who really made me love these 2 subjects. I remember the day he told us that he was going to leave teaching for another career, which resulted in me really being unable to compose myself as tears began to well up in my eyes. Well, I'm a guy, but don't mistake me for a crybaby. It just goes to show how much he managed to impact my life...

The kind of teacher I'm aiming to become alright...

And before I leave, the common tests start tomorrow so dear students of mine, All the best and go all out alright? I know you guys can do it and i BELIEVE you guys will succeed given the hard work all of you have put in =D

FORT SILOSO TRIP WITH 2A/2D

I swear I had fun with these 2 classes earlier this week as we went to fort Siloso. I was in charge of bringing peace and order to the 2 classes and ensure they behave but knowing these 2 classes, they wont wreck havoc or cause problems for us teachers. They're nice students alright :)

I ended up taking many photos with the students and I am pretty sure these photos will serve as wonderful memories for me in the times to come..
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Hidayat and Ting Quan.. or was it Tian Qin? Hmm... 2 enthusiastic and cheerful boys who never fail to put a smile across my face whenever I see them.. =)

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Fatin and Hazreena! These 2 girls never fail to surround me with countless belanja attempts as well as favours.. tsk tsk, students nowadays. LOL! okay kidding, they're a pleasure to have in class of course! :)

A random group I took a photo with from 2A! They were having their project work.. hahaha!
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Song Ning! I always chat with this girl online.. She's one lovely girl to talk to :)
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Haikal! The small cute one of 2A! HAHA! I talk to this guy online too, and I always share with him nice shows to watch online. I know, distraction, but hey, kids too need time off from studies right? =)
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Ashraf! Listen to this boy speak and he'll leave you in awe. He speaks really fluently and his ideas are really well thought and matured. Really wonderful for a 14 year old boy.. A pleasure to speak to this boy, and we only started speaking to each other during the trip... LOL! He's from ELDDS and he promises me when I leave I won't see the last of him cause he'll be famous! HAHA! =)
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That's all for now... Lets hope I get to take pictures with more of these kids..
Afterall, last 12 working days with them...

Its 19 days and HELLO NS! =X

OVERRATED

And Saturday was what people called Valentine's Day.

I just used it as a means of reenforcing the love I felt for my friends and family around me. No cheesy roses, dates or spending a bomb on presents and all.

Opinions may differ, but I seriously do not get why people are so hyped up about Valentine's Day. Why must you wait for Valentine's to show your love and care and concert to those around you? Why can't you do it throughout the rest of the 364 days?

This makes it very hypocritical. Love should be expressed all year round in every means possible, not on a seemingly special day like this.

Don't get me wrong, I aint saying all these cause I am jealous or so, but it is really cause I don't get the reason behind why people choose to make a big issue of this day.

Sorry but yea, I feel Valentine's Day is seriously overrated
Anyone with me?

FOLIE A DEUX

At last, something else to update on apart from teaching.

Last tuesday, right after teaching my class, I went to meet Sahira cause that girl was so kind to bring me to the Fallout Boy concert! She was a lucky lucky girl this week, cause out of 7 contests she entered, she won a few of em resulting in her having lots of free tickets! =) Now that's my friend alright! HAHA!

The very first time she won a pair of tickets, she immediately SMSed me to tell me the good news. I could still remember myself when I received that message. I was teaching one of my Sec 2 classes CME and although I was super excited and elated that she won and that I was going to follow her to the gig, I had to contain all my excitement and Hurrays till after the lesson which I immediately SMSed her and went crazy! Hah, had to be a professional teacher. Did you know how hard containing my excitement was? Imagine if I had screamed and jumped out during class lessons. What would the kids think man? =)

Right after lessons I rushed off without my bag and laptop cause I wanted to be free of them during the concert. Along the way I met some of my students at the interchange and they questioned me so as to why I was leaving so early. Once they knew I was going for the FOB concert, the kids immediately got excited and me, being lovely me, decided to rub it into them, telling them to happily do their homework whilst I enjoy the gig and tell them all about it the next day. Evil I know, but hey the kids still thought I was cool nonetheless... =) LOL! How many teachers do u know go for concerts? HAHA!

Before going to the concert, I have got to thank Hidayah for sharing with me all the concert goer tips for an ameteur like me. She told me many stuff I needed to know and informed me of what type of attire to wear, what to expect and all that so I won't get a shock

Met Sahira at Dhoby Ghaut and we bussed to the Indoor stadium together. I decided to give her a Mcdonalds Dinner treat with a bonus favourite drink of hers from Starbucks





Alright, on directly to the concert proper.. The concert was due to start at 8 and well, it did start at 8, except that the performance started off with a 30 minute opening act by... HEY MONDAY!



Hey Monday is a band just like fallout boy rising fast, and we were all so pleasantly surprised that they made a special appearance in Singapore!! For one, I am not a fan of bands with girls as the lead singers, which explains why I am not really a fan of bands like Paramore, but when I caught this band in action, GOSH I was blown away by the awesome stage antics of the band as well as the female lead. She's perhaps the first female lead that grew on me almost immediately as I watched them perform.



Isnt she great? hahah.. She's sweet, pretty, but mostly why I like her is cause of the fact that she's really a wonderful singer and stage performer!



This was when the band sang "Candles" It was really very well done and awesomely brought, up to the point even those who did not know the lyrics to the song swayed along to the rhythm of the song, which was pretty much touching...



This was when the band sang their other songs from the album. Weirdly enough, although I never heard of the band before, some of their songs such as "Homecoming" seemed awkwardly familiar and I was told that this song was their first single. Could it be that I actually have listened to this band before?

Hahah.. whatever it is, the opening act was surely a BLAST, and although it lasted for 30 minutes, we all didnt complain. We were having way too much fun with Hey Monday, and I think I found myself a new band to check out!

Alright, and as expected as what Hidayah forewarned me, Fallout Boy started their gig at 9 pm... HAHA! Hidayah you were right!

Sahira and I were trying to outwit each other into guessing what the starting song would be by fallout boy. Both of us predicted that it would be a song from their new album, but we both had different songs in mind. Sahira expected them to start with America's Suitehearts whilst me, being a fan of 27, expected them to start off with that high song. Sahira did tell me that there was a possibility that they would start off with an old song, but I shrugged off that thought as it was supposed to be a concert promoting their new album, Folie A Deux..

Well, I was wrong, they started off with... None other than THANKS FR TH MMRS!



The energy was simply amazing as the audience was sent into a frenzy, just jumping up and down singing along with the band. I must say, they picked their gig songs really well, cause almost all of the songs were very fast paced and left the audience desiring for more...



That's Pete Wentz, the apparent 'hot' guy that most of the girls were swooning after... He was the one doing most of the talking to the audience.. He's quite hilarious and does know how to engage a concert audience!



This was taken when they were performing "I Don't Care" Pete was driving the audience into euphoria when he kept shouting "Say it with me, I... Don't...Care!" as he screamed it repeatedly into the mike before the entire song started. This was followed by Fallout Boy singing "Beat it" .. Now I totally did not expect them to sing that song, but I was GLAD they did cause "Beat It" was probably one of the most upbeat moments of the entire concert!!



And this was when they sang "This Aint A Scene Its an Arms Race" AH DANG THIS IS MY FAVOURITE SONG! haha... I was telling Sahira a Fallout Boy concert would NEVER be complete without this song, and I was so happy when they played this song! The crowd just responded so enthusiastically and this was personally my favourite moment of the entire concert!

Actually come to think of it, the concert was filled with songs from their past albums like A Little Less 16 Candles, Where Is Your Boy, I slept with Someone from fallout Boy, Dance Dance and LOTS more! Although it was a Folie A Deux tour, they only sang about 4 songs from their new album, which was kinda sad cause I really really wanted them to sing some of the new songs from their new album.

They sang I Don't Care, America's Suitehearts, Headfirst Slide into Coopestown and Disloyal Order Of Water Buffalos.

Ahh, my favourite song from the album was 27, and I was kinda disappointed they did not play it, but never mind, I hope that the next time round they come back here, they will be able to play that song!

Speaking of which, here's a video I took of them singing Disloyal Order of Water Buffalos, which is also one of my favourite songs from their album



The crowd was pretty well behaved actually. There was no obscene pants ripping, body surfing or whatsoever. I kept myself to the back so I wouldnt be packed in between people like a can of sardines, and well it was a rather wise choice as I could still see the concert and take photos with my own space at the back. The view was great, I enjoyed the concert and I didnt have to be stationed in the mosh pit with so many people pushing just to get to the front...

All in all I must say, my very first concert going experience was a sweet one. It was really enjoyable and I do HOPE that I get to go for more of such concerts. Its more than just hearing bands sing, I like observing people and get awed by the spirit of togetherness showed by music lovers...

Now that's truly a sight to behold...

Once again, THANK YOU SAHIRA (and Seri And Azu) for making this first one a memorable one for me :)

BIRTHDAY DESCRIPTION

Very true... Based on a Facebook description of my birthday

You always follow the good and the right instead of listening to your heart. Another word, you are a perfectionist. You care for every word people say about you. You often seen isolated while you are, by nature, curious and a dreamer who is ready to get over the edge to make your dream comes true. Your Love, You often fall in love with a person who is much different from you, in age and other aspects. Your relationship grows on friendship. Love at fist sight is not your style.


And how apt. I currently have a problem which I totally do not feel is my fault, but I guess I have to give in since the other party isnt compromising. How sad, but for the greater good, fine I will... I will not listen to my heart

IT JUST HAD TO...

Just as I thought I was doing fine and settling down well, it just HAD to occur

My worst experience so far

CHAIN OF THOUGHTS

Hello all!

Sorry I have been abandoning my blog for a while. Have been busy with my teaching stuff to do, sometimes I feel so exhausted to do anything else.

My teaching term has been extended and I'll be teaching English Language till the 6th of March tentative. Now that gives me some time to rest and brace myself mentally for civil defence on the 10th. Dang! That thought still gives me cold shivers...

Classes have been pretty good to me, so far no extreme cases, yet...

My relief classes are all filled with nice kids, most of them at least, and the class I'm taking for english, they are really lovely and receptive people whom I really enjoy teaching. I'm taking Normal Technical english by the way..

Some questions I have been asking myself throughout my entire period working as a teacher.. Now where does a teacher draw the line between being nice and fierce? A teacher has to be strict in order to maintain discipline and orderliness in the class, yet at the same time, he has to be nice in order for his students to respect and like him as a teacher.

Let's face it. No student would like a fierce teacher, and when students dislike a teacher, they do not feel motivated to learn. How about when a teacher really has to be fierce as his students are not paying attention or are not doing their work as expected? Now how fierce should he be then?

There was once I got really mad at my class for not handing in to me my assignment when it was due. Another time I got really mad was when a girl cursed and insulted me in malay, calling me something unpleasant in front of her classmates thinking I was a Chinese and blissfully unaware that she was hurling those words to me. That student got a whole load of hardship from me afterwards inclusive a bad scolding, which taught her that perhaps that I am not one to be trifled with.

I can be nice, but mess with me and you're asking for it

I've been very nice on my classes, too nice in fact, and I have yet to learn how to take the bold move and really scold and put on a frowning face when my students refuse to pay attention or text in my class. So far I have scolded classes really bad for not handing in homework, but that seems to be the only reason why I scold. Now I must learn to be fierce in making sure they listen to me and do not drift away during my own lessons. I know I can do it, sometimes I feel like doing it, but I just do not have the heart to.

So what is the proper way then?

These are my chains of thoughts so far as I move on with my job as a teacher. There are many others which I need answers to, yet I know they do not come instantaneously. I'll find my answers as time passes by.

Somehow I will...

On the bright side, students have been really sweet to me. Some came to meet up with me, telling me that I did a great job reliefing their class for English lesson, up to the point their English teacher was singing praises to my other relief teacher and I for doing our jobs well. They even asked me to relief them again given the chance.

Another class enjoyed my English lesson alot, up to the point they asked their English HOD to attach me to their class to teach them English, and this is the Sec 3 Normal technical class I am currently teaching for the next month.

And finally, my Sec 2 Malay students have been really nice on me, coming to me to say hi or even approaching me to ask me to teach them how to write proper compositions and newspaper reviews.

The fact that they treat me as a senior whom they can look up to when they had problems with their studies showed me that I have somehow succeeded in my mission thus far. I wanted to be not only a teacher in class, but their friend outside class, one whom they could turn to when they need help. They are doing just that to me, a random outsider, and that just goes to show that I have built a relationship with my students, something so meaningful to me.

Perhaps it is this close bond I have with them that makes it so hard for me to scold them. Sometimes I am afraid that after scolding them, they will hate me forever and just shut down during my class. I have my own fears, and I am trying hard to overcome them.

Sometimes taking a bold risky move would be the best option