hi everyone

i know it's been a long time since i nagged here. my absence was intentional. in any case, am glad to see wanxin taking over. she's been doing great as a PW rep since term started so make sure you all continue to give her support.

after the rather intense 'civics' lesson on the last Friday of term 3, perhaps you're wondering why i chose to be in teaching despite knowing i'll over-invest myself emotionally. just to share a quote from Dr Ivan Fitzwater:

"I am a teacher! What I do and say is being absorbed by young minds who will echo these images across the ages. My lessons will be immortal, affecting people yet unborn, people I will never see or know. The future of the world is in my classroom today and this future has potential for both good and bad. The pliable minds of tomorrow's leaders will be molded either artistically or grotesquely by what I do.

Several future presidents are learning from me today; so are the great writers of the next decades and so are all the so called ordinary people who will make the decisions in a democracy. I must never forget these same young people could be the thieves and murderers of the future.

Just a teacher? Thank God I have a calling to the greatest profession of all! I must be vigilant every day lest I lose one fragile opportunity to improve tomorrow."

in some ways, that's how i feel.

so i've said right from the start when i first met you - be the class that teachers want to go to and when they are with you, they give their 110%. why shortchange yourself? you might argue that some teachers only give their 85% no matter how well-behaved you are. if that's the case, unfortunately, he/she is still your teacher. as a student in MY class, i expect nothing less than basic courtesy from you all for your teachers. that means controlling your urge to chat/sleep/roll eyes/sigh audibly/whatever other rude behaviour.

this is something i need to instil in all of you because i believe only then will you be respected/loved in time to come. remember, respect and affection needs to be earned.

so why do i want to teach? i might not have very lofty plans like Dr Fitzwater, but at the most basic, I do hope my students benefit in one way or another, be it in character development or in Geography. as a student, i love(d) geog. i chose to teach and i chose to teach geog because i wanted to share my fascination with the subject.

sometimes it does stress me out, when i've got insufficient time to prepare a better, more interesting lesson that will make you guys see why i love geog. there is nothing more frustrating than that. if i had my way, there would be no exams, because then i would probably be able to do away with drilling of DRQ skills.

but you see, nothing in life goes exactly the way you want it. so you just have to make do and make the best out of it. not enough time? too much work to do? prioritise and do what's most important to you, what seems the right thing to do. and sadly, that means not sitting around chatting during breaks/msn-ing/watching anime...

with just 2 weeks left to the promos, please study hard. give your best shot and live with the outcome of your input, without regret.

love,
miss h