Dinner at Tung Lok Seafood

Had an ala-carte buffet dinner at Tung Lok Seafood restaurant in East Coast, thanks to generous Ah Gim and Ah Guang. Upon reaching, my family and I were immediately greeted by a loud round of applause and laughter from our relatives, because we were the latest to arrive. I did feel like a VIP.

Our kiddie table had only 7 of us: me, Wee, Ah Sir, Hao Ling, Henglip, Kar Cheng and Ah Xian. After they were done with the salmon sashimi (despite the older folks' nagging them not to eat raw food), we were then served a slew of ambrosial Cantonese dishes like roast meats, fried marble goby, sharks' fin soup (seemed more like corn soup), roast chicken, sambal stingray, hot and sour soup, fried calamari (the best dish, acclaimed by us), raw oysters (yuck), steamed garoupa, prawns fried with cereal, stir-fried vegetables with scallops and squid (we quickly snatched the scallops and squid, leaving the celery for Henglip and Kar Cheng), steamed prawns (which was a big wastage because everyone had their fill of the cereal prawns) etc.

Halfway through the course, we took pictures. Kar Cheng concocted a smelly and bitter cocktail of Martell and 7-up, the two adorable Brandon and Gordon (with much neater hairstyles now) came over to our table to disturb us (or more likely the other way round), and stupid Kar Cheng made special instructions to the servers to send whatever dishes that contained vegetables to the other table where the older folks sat, but not before picking out the seafood or meats and giving them to him. I could not believe the servers were amused by him!

Stupid Kar Cheng left me out of the picture deliberately

Ah Sir, what's up with your thumbs-up hand gestures!

Group shot with Brandon and Gordon, and a spastic Kar Cheng

Then came the main attraction: chilli crab, and we tucked into this satisfying dish earnestly, together with the fried buns. The fried mian xian was a total wastage, because by the time we finished the crab (actually, it was by the time we finished the roast chicken), we were so full and bloated that we only had enough stomach space for some desserts. Desserts included ice-cream puffs, glutinous flour balls with red bean and peanut pastes, and my favourite mango puree with pomelo sacs and sago balls. YUM.

The best entertainment of the night was when we cheekily gathered around 1st Aunt and sang her a loud Happy Birthday song in English, Mandarin and Hokkien. I wondered if she felt overwhelmed, like what I usually feel whenever I have at least 8 students surrounding me from all sides.

Looking forward to such dinners again!

Sweet Memories from Practicum

Just cannot forget the fun and memorable times the 10 of us (4 ESE trainees and 6 NIE trainees) had during the first 4 weeks of our Practicum, in our messy but cosy private workroom. The ESE trainees were a great support in listening to us gripe about the students and school, and were a great joy to have around us, before they entered NIE after the 4 weeks.

Ai Kit, Xiao Fen, Marie, Haida, Gavin, me, Adeline and Paolo

Us showing our wild and zany side

Relief duties came in the form of these blue slips (much to our irritation)

Enjoying the pizza we ordered to celebrate the ESE trainees' entry to NIE

Gavin with a sleazy look

Me, Adeline and Marie posing with various objects

Pasted on the locker doors were the APT forms and countdown calendars

Gavin taking a nap in between classes, haha!

Two Ah Lian teachers

Washing hands at the school fountain

I wonder if I can have such genuine and supportive people as colleagues in future.

Post-Practicum Reflections

Now that Practicum is over, I couldn't be more relieved.

The past 10 weeks were hell - facing those chatty and rowdy students, giving them assignments and having to mark them, chasing after them for anything from homework to journals, preparing for the next day's lessons, and most importantly, being on my guard against the school staff. School holidays like Youth Day and National Day offered only mere temporary respite from the teaching and marking, and even then, the invisible hands of the piles of essays would be beckoning me over to look at them when I should be watching the National Day fireworks in peace. Monday blues would set in on Sunday mornings instead, and last till Thursday evenings. And then, the politicking.

I came to a realisation that, actually, I love teaching. I love interacting with the cheeky and genuine students. I love imparting my knowledge to them. I love creating interesting lessons and seeing them enjoy them. I love telling them stories and global issues and watching their shocked or incredulous expressions. I love to see them apply what they have learnt from me into their work. I love to see my fruits of labour through their results. I love counselling them and seeing them take my advice and change their behavior. I love making a difference in their lives.

It is the institution and the system that I hate.

The school had been preventing me from enjoying my teaching experience fully. Something is wrong with that school. I have been unfortunate enough to work under a principal who detested me for some unknown reason and even accused me of walking out of a class earlier than I should. She did not verify it with me, but I was sure I would not do such a thing. When I finally came to know about it, it was 4 weeks later and she had already complained to my CTs, mentor and worse, my NIE supervisor (and probably all around the school). A prejudiced and backstabbing principal sure is an unprofessional principal, isn't it?

And there is something weird about the EL department too. The looks of the EL teachers there made me feel so unsettled, and I was very wary of them. In fact, I was just wary of everyone. I believe kind appearances are deceiving. Some of them just could not wait to catch me in my most inappropriate moments, like SMSing during staff meetings and turning up for hall assemblies late. Don't these people have anything better to do, like creating more meaningful lessons and marking more assignments? Oh, speaking of having better things to do, apparently, some teachers do not have any. I often saw them sipping coffee in the canteen and gossipping about other people (according to the drinks stall auntie who sometimes shared such gossip fodder with me, her loyal patron for her iced Milo). See, a good reason to be wary of them.

And one irritating fact about the school is its high absenteeism rate, not for the students, but for the teachers. Some ridiculous teachers were taking MCs twice every week, and on any given day, 8 teachers could be absent, creating numerous relief duties, which would be borne by us, the having-no-rights-to-reject-any-shit-work-given-to-us NIE trainees.

Overall, the education system, although lauded by many countries as a world-class education system and an ideal model, is far from being friendly to teachers. The work portfolio now includes teaching, marking, remedials, CCAs, school duties, committee duties, school meetings, going on fieldtrips, attending 100 hours of compulsory workshop training and coming up with new initiatives. Gone were the days where teachers used to leave at 1.40pm promptly everyday (and get a meagre $900 in those days). Although the pay and perks have improved, the work to be done is much more than what the pay commands. Work-life balance can only be achieved when you master the art of cooking and marking simultaneously, or you get your Girl Guides to babysit your kids while you oversee them practising their drills.

It's back to NIE next week. At last, I can catch my breath. Now I am wondering if I can last through the next three uncertain years.

I miss Hong Kong. I need to go trekking in the wilderness to rediscover myself.

Teacher's Day 2008

It is the annual Teacher's Day, and my second one at that. Although it was not at DSS where my heart truly belongs, still, it was a special day which marked the end of my enjoyable yet busy and traumatic practicum.

It was presents galore: everyone was dumping their cards and presents into my arms, and overwhelming me by surrounding me, chatting incessantly and asking me when I would be coming back to teach them. Just as I was feeling so touched and about to promise them that I would be back, I suddenly remembered the unhappiness between me and the school, and I just replied my students a lame "See where fate takes me to".

Class photos with my playful and adorable students:

2/1 - They are really sweet students who created a Teacher's Day video for their form teacher and me (am really honoured). The girls were tugging at my heartstrings with their presents of homemade cookies, farewell hugs and their pestering me to promise to come back and teach them English again. I guess the most touching part was when this girl Lindsay claimed that I made her like English again.

With 2/1

With some of the 2/1 girls

2/2 - The class which I see the most often, because I teach them both English and Geography, hence cannot deny that they are closer to me than the other classes. They totally surprised me when they created a huge photo album for me, containing their 2007 class photos and their baby photos, in the hope that I will never forget them. I sure never will, with such a lovely and sentimental present from this class.

With 2/2

With some of the 2/2 girls

This is one sweet memory that is going to last me a lifetime

2/3 - Stayed at the other classes for too long, so by the time I got to them, most of them had already left. Took photos at the canteen with whoever was left from the class. They are a noisy but dynamic and cheerful class.

With some of the 2/3 students

2/4 - When I was gathering them to take a group photo, the students started whipping out their cameras and handphones to take pictures of me instead. Weird.

With 2/4 along the corridor

After the school celebrations had ended, the 6 of us (NIE trainees) had our own celebration in our Workroom, feasting on pizza and reminiscing the good and bad times we had for the past 10 weeks. If there was one thing about this school that I am going to miss the most, it would be these supportive and caring friends that were posted to this school with me.

I seriously wonder how I was going to finish all those cupcakes, cookies, chocolates and candies.

These students really remind me of the reason why I am in this profession.