Tribute to a Teacher's Life

A repost.

Having my ex-students tagging my blog, makes me think back about the past, when I was still a teacher. Those times really bring back fond memories...

I spent about 2 months at Xinmin Secondary, I was in no way related to that school in the 1st place. However I must say that I was a really committed relief teacher, I usually stayed till 6-8pm, even later than most full-time teachers. I taught a whole range of classes over there: 1E3, 1E5, 1T1, 2N, almost the whole sec 3 level, particularly 3E1, and 4E3. Interesting to see how different each class was, especially between levels and streams.
The sec ones were really adorable(at least most of them), even 1T1, though they were quite noisy and hyper-active. 1E3 and 1E5 even gave me farewell presents! :)
3E1, my scholar-class, with 1/2 the class filled with foreigners, always bombarding me with math olympiad questions(not easy, have to apply A-level math!), which I recalled that my fellow colleagues rejected attempting them and I solved them myself in the end. (Shows that teachers are generally only proficient at the syllabus which they teach, even if it's the same subject.)
I even remembered 1 of my student leaders then, BGR with a guy in another of my class. They were caught by a PE teacher and were punished.(Not for BGR, but they came into school with the guy's hand around the girl.) Recalled giving her some chocolate biscuits from the staff lounge while she was clearing some cabinets as punishment.(Yes, I care for my students. =p) They broke up in the end.
I enjoyed class 3E4 the most among all the sec 3 classes, though only taught them for 2 weeks. The competitive atmosphere there is less tense, yet they are keen to learn. The students there were also great.
4E3, air-conditioned classroom, shoes have to be removed before entering their classroom. Sleeping corner attached, superb place to slack.
Beyond lesson time, I also went around to look at their CCAs and help some with their homework. I realised that marking is not easy and I come to understand why teachers make mistakes and why they so often get students to peer mark. Setting tests were also part of the jobscope, though I overestimated 3E1 and gave them a really hard one. hahaz
Just one regret that I could not stay longer to impact my students' lives to a deeper level.

Then there was my really brief stint at St Nicholas and my own Anderson Junior College.
I realised that girls in an all girls school are either real quiet or super rowdy. I'll think twice about sending my daughters there, if I do have any.
Standing as a teacher in AJC during morning assembly was really very different. Weird too I might say. Easy job, showed the JC1s videos, chat with them abit. Thats about it. Met many of my juniors, JC2s that I know, hearing them address me as "Mr Chan" for the fun of it. Conversed with my teachers as a teacher. :)

All in all, I must say that I relished the time when I was a relief teacher. Xinmin secondary clinched the School Excellence Award recently.(I remembered that we, the staff, were preparing the school for it while I was there. =p) I would really like to return when I finish my NS to teach at xinmin again. My sec 3s may have graduated, but my cute little sec 1s will be grown up sec 3s by then, it will be great to see them again. Hopefully I can...

However if you ask me if I would be a teacher in the future, my answer is no. I just feel that teaching the same syllabus over and over again will get dry and monotonous. 5 years maybe, but not a lifetime career.
Having such large classes also hinders the personal touch. It is not just about teaching, but educating youths holistically, something that I find quite impossible with large classes and a packed schedule.
Well, but I'll never know where God will bring me to. Who knows after my degree, the Holy Spirit may just make this my calling.