.Merry.Christmas.
Time flies. It’s coming to the end of another year. A little late, but still would like to wish all friends of Nakazawa a wonderful holiday and a great year ahead. May 2007 be a year full of happiness and may all your efforts bear fruits.
.Gone.Were.The.Days.
I’m having a break in-between tuition lessons, and I suddenly thought of blogging. As I surfed my Friendster profile, I realised I have more than 200 people added me to their friend’s list, most of them are my students from Victoria School. That is since one of my students urged me to set up a Friendster account in 2003.
Well, good times come and go. I still remember vividly 2003 Teacher’s Day and Sec4 Graduation Day. I was still a green-horn teacher at that time, but I was the only teacher who received my teacher’s day present from my students in front of the whole school. I was one of the teachers most loudly cheered upon during the Sec4 graduation ceremony. I was also the only teacher who went for 2003 4I class chalet and 2004 4B class gathering. All these are good memories which I’d remember and am proud to tell to my children next time.
Well, all good times would eventually come to an end. Most people wouldn’t realise that they were actually having a good time until the time was over. That period teaching full-time in Victoria School was a hectic one. Besides classroom teaching, lesson preparation and marking stacks and stacks of work, there were also other administrative stuff and CCA activities, and most of all, dealing with notorious students. It was extremely stressful during certain periods, especially when rushing to finish marking exam scripts and during the time when I had to run an interschool charity concert. However, it was during the same time, I fostered friendships with my students. The lame jokes they cracked, the things they say to defend me in class and the sincere "Thank You" they said, all would make my day.
Sometimes, when I was feeling a loss of motivation, I would recall these events, or have a look at those cards and messages my students gave me. Most of them are no longer my students, and I no longer see them in school even though I go back to school often. As time passes, everyone would move on in their lives, and all the events that had taken place would become memories that everyone would treasure, or at least for me. Maybe one day I should really meet my ex-students again, and we shall sit down at some cafe, reminiscing the past.
Well, the past may contain nice memories, but if we work hard and continue to progress in life, the future will hold a series of events worth looking forward to.
.One.Week.Relief.
Last week was a super hectic one. I went back to VS to take over Mr Koh for one short week, but all my days throughout the week are super long days. Super long 12-hour working days.
Interestingly, one of the classes I took over this time is a class that I just left about two and a half months ago, then teaching Chemistry, this time teaching Physics. Just a short period not seeing them, some of them have changed their hairstyles, while some others have become more vain by not wearing spectacles. Haha. Another supposedly weaker class which I took over this time was fun to teach. Probably because the class is split into 2 groups, it’s easier to gain their attention. Never before I see a class so attentive during my lesson that everybody was so quiet until I wondered if they were very attentive or very lost. From the exercises they tried out, I knew they belonged to the former.
Well, somehow this year the school is not holding a concert for Teacher’s Day celebration, so my dance choreography will be not showcased to the school this time round. Nevertheless, surely there’ll be more chances for me to be involved with VS, be it teaching or choreographing.
.An.Online.Survey.
I’ve just created an online survey at surveymonkey.com. The survey is on online tuition service. It is relevant to all current students and their parents.
Pls kindly help to complete the survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=244642388370. It will not take you more than 10 minutes.
Many thanks for your time, effort and kindness.
.World.Cup.Finals.2006.
I’ve never been a huge soccer fan myself, but I did watch the World Cup Finals this time, partly because Italy is one of my old-time favourites besides England.
I was quite neutral during most of the match, as both teams showed remarkable skills. The French were more aggressive in their attacks, but the Italians were able to set up a strong defense. So I thought both teams were just about as strong, and I shall be contented with whichever team that would win.
A turn took place when an Italian player was suddenly found lying on the ground, with the commentators and the main referee did not see what had happened. The screen then showed a French player bang his head into the Italian player’s chest. I was shocked by the scene as nothing in particular has apparently happened that would give a reason for him to do so. So the French player was given a red card and he was out of the game. From that moment, I fully supported Italy, and indeed, Italy beat France during the penalty shootouts.
I guess watching the World Cup Finals this time taught us an important lesson too. All it takes is one player to commit a "disgraceful act" (quoting the commentator) to tarnish the reputation of a fine soccer team. Even some of the French supporters later said that the event becomes a "downturn" of support for the French team. It takes so much to build up the reputation of the team, and it takes so little to tarnish it.
During our daily lives, we may come across all kinds of incidents, some of which are pleasant to us, while some others are those which we do not wish they’d taken place. Whatever our action is, it is important to remember that our action does not only reflect our own character, it also reflects on our family, our school, our profession, our religion and whatever groups or organisation we are part of. So, always think of the consequences before taking any actions, and especially avoid doing things that you know that would later disappoint yourself and to other people around you.
Well, back to the World Cup, I must still say that both teams are about equal in terms of strength and skills, but Italy definitely deserves more to win due to their professionalism.
.Source.Of.Stress.
After this period of hectic schedule and long working hours, I’ve finally come to realise what actually makes me feel stressed. The reason is exactly one of the well-known cultures among Victorians: The last-minute culture.
During this period of doing relief teaching and giving tuition concurrently, a few unhappy incidents have occurred. Recently, when I thought over these incidents again, I realised almost all of them are due to one cause: last minute. And during a period in which everyday and every hour has to be carefully planned, making changes last minute will usually result in undesirable consequences.
Just take few examples:
1. 15 minutes before the scheduled lesson starts, you tell me that you’re going to be very late (say 45 minutes late). Am I supposed to make up the lost time for you?
2. 30 minutes before the lesson starts, you tell me that you are "suddenly" held back in school and couldn’t come for lesson. Am I supposed to schedule a make up lesson for you?
3. 1 hour before the lesson starts, you tell me that you’re quitting tuition, while the rest of the people in your group will come as usual. How are we going to look for a replacement for you?
When such cases happen, it simply means that I have no time to react and I would have to consider the case such that it had taken place as per normal. Of course, under such situation, it would mean that you would land yourself at a disadvantage. And after that, you would complain that you’re being short-changed in terms of fees or lesson time etc. So why allow such things to happen in the first place?
Actually, most of the cases that have happened could be avoided if early information has been given. This is especially important if you’re coming for lesson in a group, as your actions will not just affect me, but also your group members. If early information has been given, most of the things can be sorted out in a much better way.
So, students and future students of Nakazawa EduServ, please take note of this and avoid doing things last minute. I don’t believe that there are so many things which are "unavoidable".
End.Of.Relief.II.
Well, time flies. Could still remember in January, when I was called back to VS to do relief teaching, I was stressed over how to juggle between teaching and tuition. In the blink of the eye, 4 months have passed and my relief period is coming to an end. I must say that most of this period has been stressful and taxing, but it has been fulfilling as well.
I’ve taught 5 classes altogether this time, Class 3B, 3I, 2C, 2I and 2J. Of these classes, 3I, 2C and 2I are probably the classes that I could handover to Ms Tan with no big worries. The students of 3I are generally catching up well with the syllabus, and they are likely to perform well during their Mid Year Exam. Class 2C and 2I have some weaker students, but most of them are showing signs of improvement. More worrying is Class 3B and 2J. Despite I only take 10 students from 3B, the majority of them are either very weak or very unmotivated. As for 2J, there seems to be this "can’t be bothered" culture among a few students too, and that made the class famous for being rowdy and not studying.
As I’ve always been telling my students, they need not always stay at the top in terms of academic results, but they should not be too far away from the top. I hope students who have been working consistently will not be affected by the negative cultures among their classmates, while those who have not started doing any real work would wake up and start soon. Do not wait till when it’s too late to do anything anymore.
I’ll still be in school for another week, although the students will be having their exams and I’ll not be seeing them as a class. Well, during their Science and Chemistry papers, they’re sure to see me walking into their classes and glancing at their answers, just to make them feel stressed. Haha.
.I.Am.Tired.
It’s not that I don’t want to have make up lesson after school. It’s not that I don’t want to take in more students for tuition. Let me explain with my schedule for last Thursday and today.
Thursday, 20th April.
5:50 am, alarm clock rang. Slept another 10 minutes and woke up at 6:00 am.
6:55 am, left home for school. Reached school at around 7.15am.
Worked till around 2.00pm before I could leave school. Lucky to have had time to have lunch in school. Reached home at around 2.30pm. Lied on the bed for about 10 minutes while waiting for my tuition student to come but didn’t fall asleep.
3.00pm. Started tuition. Continued all the way to 7.00pm. Taught 2 lessons.
7.15pm. Went for dinner. Then came back home and showered.
8.30pm. Felt extremely tired. Wanted to take nap but couldn’t fall asleep. Was feeling stressed. Got out of bed just before 9.30pm. Marked a Sec2 class test. Managed to finish just before 10.00pm.
10.00pm. Watched Dae Jang Geum. My only 1 hour of leisure.
11.00pm. Went back to sleep but didn’t fall asleep immediately. Probably slept around 11.30pm.
Sunday (today). 23rd April. Off-day.
11.00am. The only day in the week that I could wake up naturally, not because of the alarm clock. Had a simple breakfast before unloading my laundary from the dryer, which I’ve done last night.
11.30am. Ironed my clothes. If you’ve not done ironing, you will not know how much time needed to iron your clothes properly. Finished with some 10 pieces by around 1.15pm. Folded the rest and put them in my wardrobe.
1.45pm. Went out for lunch at Parkway after taking shower. Did some shopping on the way. Bought some groceries.
4.00pm. Reached home. Started marking 2 sets of worksheets I brought home from school. Meanwhile, sent my bedsheet, pillow casing and blanket into the washing machine.
6.30pm. Finished with marking. Chatted with some friends on MSN.
7.30pm. Cooked dinner. Ate dinner while watching some variety show on TV. Made my bed then went to shower. Meanwhile cleaned the shower room and toilet.
10.00pm. Packed my briefcase. Decided to blog. About done. Will turn in after this.
So, that’s how uninteresting my life is. Weekdays and Saturdays spent on teaching and tuition, and Sundays spent on doing housework. I never really had my rest, despite today is my off day. Well, just a while more to go. Meanwhile, what I can do is to do my best to fulfill my responsibilities towards my students in school and in tuition. Jiayou-ba!
.Million.Dollar.Dream.
If I had a million dollars.. Haha. I guess lots of people would have thought of that before. Does having a million dollars means one will leave a luxurious life. Well, not necessarily. I’d just want my life to be simple yet comfortable.
My cash. A million dollars could last very long, or even forever, if you know how to plan your financial income and expenses. I’d probably invest the money into some regular-income unit trusts that could give me around 6 to 7 percent of dividend per year. That’s about 60 to 70 K dollars a year, or 5 to 6 K a month. Well, enough for me to live a very comfortable life. Of course, I’d have adequate insurance plans for medical expenses, just in case something untoward happens.
My home. My dream home in Singapore would be a high rise condo. I’d renovate my home into a modern high-tech hub. I’d like simple and cool design for my home. I’d swim twice a week in the swimming pool in my condo, and likewise for the gym. Then I could build a body which girls and guys alike would admire. Haha.
My career. Would I still work when I don’t actually need to? Well, I will. Not for the cash, but for the passion. I’d still do relief teaching in Victoria School when the school needs me. I’d probably continue with Nakazawa EduServ too, but it’d become a voluntary tuition service, where enthusiasted students could come for free tuition. But limited to only one lesson a day, five days a week. So, first come first serve!
My life. Wow! When there’s no more worries about money, there’re so many things that I’d like to do! Living a healthy lifestyle would be one of them, which I mentioned just now. And of cos, I’d want to see the world. China is probably my first destination, as I’d like to bring along my grandma to her hometown. Of course, I’d also bring my parents and sis along. Besides that, I’d also join a dance company to attend some lessons on salsa, street jazz and hip hop.
Hey, suddenly I feel this blog a bit redundant. Why talk about something imaginary and unrealistic. Better sleep early, or else I’d have problem waking up for school tomorrow. Haha.
.Emotionally.Disturbed.
The new term started busy as expected, as teachers have only about 4 to 5 weeks’ time to complete the syllabus for the mid-year exam. I’ve decided not to take in anymore new students for tuition for the time being, as my working hours have already stretching to abt 10 to 12 hours on weekdays, and about 8 hours on Saturdays. But luckily for this term, I have one less Sec2 class to teach compared to last term, and that lifted a significant portion of my working load, as I can use the time for lesson preparation and marking.
Recently, something which has caused unhappiness has taken place, which to a certain extend has affected my mood these two days. I realised only one thing can really affect my daily life: when a relationship turns sour. I’ve been through cases like losing a huge sum of money in tuition or investment, or falling terribly sick for a period of time, but nothing affects me more than my relationship with friends, colleagues or students turns sour.
Although I usually self-proclaim as a free thinker, but in terms of handling human relationships, I’m very much a Confucianist. Confucius mentioned about how various types of relationships between people should be treated, and he said, if everyone accepts and understands his or her roles and responsibilities in these relationships, the society will be a much better place to live in. Coupled with my personality of being a perfectionist towards myself, I’m always careful in handling relationships with other people, do my best to make others happy and be sensitive to others’ feelings. These are also the principles that I’ve been applying into my teaching career. That’s probably the reason why my relationship with other teachers is usually very professional, as I tend differentiate between friends and colleagues.
And exactly because managing relationships is something which can’t be clearly seen or described, some people may fail to see the efforts which I put in to keep things at the best for both parties. Therefore when a small problem arises and I felt that my efforts are not appreciated, I would voice out my feelings, the process during which may create even more unhappiness between both parties. I would then spend the rest of the day or even the next few days to ponder over what has gone wrong and am I the one at fault etc. It takes so much to build a good relationship, and so little to spoil it. Haiz.
Well, perhaps in the society where everyone is talking about individual rights and view monetary values on top of moral values, my Confucianist principles can no longer fit well. But still, I would like to believe that, if i treat others nicely, I’ll be treated nicely, too.
