Picnic Basket

"…蓝天白云同我作证,以后无论发生咩事,环境有几恶劣,机会有几渺茫都好,我都会为咗你而生存.我永远都唔会放弃.因为我一生一世都会去爱你..去宠你.”

That’s it la. Thanks to this guy, no other guy can ever use this line again.

825am.

I’ve been up since 515am, and my spirit is still not in school yet.

It has just been one of those days when I just didn’t feel like going to work. Like I just wanted to curl up in a corner and not talk to anyone and just.to.be.alone.

Damn those hormones.

This brought a smile to my morning

*For Cantonese speakers - and especially if you know Leo Ku’s 劲歌金曲*

I teach 3 classes - my own form class (Literature and Geography), another Arts class (History class) and a science class (Physics/Chemistry).

I like to think that I treat them all equally (but not the same) and sometimes, it is amusing to see how their chosen subjects affect the way they work.

So on Tuesday and Wednesday, for the History class and the Science class respectively, I conducted this icebreaker game. Basically, we are starting on a new unit on Science and Technology, so I made about 25 flash cards, each containing either a scientific or technological breakthrough, and asked each group to arrange each card in chronological order.

Not that easy ok –> which came first - the Human Genome project or Dolly the Sheep? Did Einstein come up with eequalsmcsquared first or did they discover cell theory first?

So what the Science class did was this (both groups):

1. Categorise the cards into medicine/chemistry/physics, etc.

2. Each group to be split into different sub-groups.

3. Each sub-group to organise their assigned cards. In the meantime, you could see them consulting their physics/chem notes.

4. Come together.

What did the History class do? This is what one group did that cracked me up.

Leader-esque boy: "Okay, we’ll just divide up these cards into Pre-WWI, Between WWI and WWII, and After WWII.

T_T

And so that was what they did.

My own class? They just got together, and tried to use logical reasoning to arrange them "Eh must discover bacteria first then only can they discover *something else* what."

One of the best things about teaching is how unique each student is, though they are all fed the same stuff and all pushed through the same examination machine.

And one of the best things about teaching GP/English/other related subjects is that one gets to learn so much about the student through his/her writing. And I am not just talking about journal entries (which are ALWAYS featured in movies I don’t know why), but just their assignments, their *gasp* AQ responses. The kind of values they hold onto, the views they have - all these are just there for you to read and respond to in black and white.

It’s been a tough week so far but yes, can you tell that I still love my job, after one year (Yes, it has been a year! Just got confirmed!)

One of the many challenges I face as a teacher is - how do you help a student who is just not getting it?

He is a wonderful student - completely attentive in class, makes notes, actually studies for GP, and practises his work regularly.

I don’t know how to break it to him tomorrow that he is still not doing well.

More one-to-one sessions coming up I guess…

…ginseng chicken soup loaded with scallops and other goodness

…my dad bursting out in song with Sir Elton John

…my brother saying ‘good night’

…home 

Things have been good, thanks, you who cared.

I’ve also learnt recently, that when you are all well and happy, you are a nobody. Nobody cares to discuss you. People only want to know more about you when bad things (or so they think) happen to you. Suddenly, you are the most interesting person in the world.

But who cares when there are better people in the world standing up for you - behind your back.

On another note, I forget that I am a teacher when 90% of my work consists editing, meeting people, emailing and calling.

Until the lines of death on the pile of essays next to me start to form a sinister smile.