Tomorrow will be a half day in school. YAY! :) We're celebrating Teachers' Day tomorrow, and next Monday will be a school holiday. Yippie long weekend! :)

It has been a 'tradition' that the newbies (new teachers) always put up an item of sorts during the celebration and this year is no different. We'll be doing a skit based on the RJC incident, however ours has a happy ending (of course). We're donning the school uniform too.... I don't think I kept mine from my student days. Even if I did, I doubt I'll still be able to wear it! *sniffle* Gone are the days of my 25" waistline... *sobsob*

So for 5 minutes or so I'm going to make a fool of myself on stage tomorrow morning. Well I guess things like that don't happen very often, and after all the more ridiculous and embarassing it is, the higher the entertainment value. I just hope I don't fall flat on my face whilst on stage, or trip and fall coming on/going off the stage. That would really be hilarious I'm sure. Sigh. :P Like I'm always telling my students, "Sigh... the things I do for you people..."

Apart from the prospect of total loss of face tomorrow, I'm really looking forward to the weekend ahead. It's just about the only time I get to be with my fiance. *sniff* It feels somewhat as if he's still serving his NS and we can only meet during the weekend. I wish he'd hurry up, graduate, get his butt out of Uni and move back home. And then I wish he'd hurry up and get a job which pays him big bucks (hahaha) so we can get married and get our own place. Then once my bond is up I can stay home and be a 'tai tai' (English translation: Rich housewife who passes time by spending money, going for facials, teas and gossiping). That would be a life full of luxury but devoid of personal fulfillment.

Back to the topic of Teachers' Day, I suppose it's nice but it's not what gives me - as a teacher - satisfaction. I think the best satisfaction that a teacher gets is when one interacts with one's students and are able to recognize what makes them unique. It isn't really about making sure they get good results or receiving presents from them. Perhaps I'm still new to the profession and speak idealistically but I feel that the joy in teaching comes from recognizing the raw potential that they possess and trying your best to nurture them. Perhaps I'm just lucky that I'm in a good institution where the students are mostly well behaved and sensible. It's a humbling and yet wonderful thing to be surrounded by so many distinctly different minds which are so full of potential.

It's very sad when a teacher merely wants students to do well just so their reputations as teachers (as well as the school ranking/reputation) is maintained/elevated. It's even worse when teachers are able to bear grudges against their students and remember them for their mistakes.

When I think back I wasn't even sure I really wanted to teach when I took up the scholarship. At that time all I knew was I wanted to read music at Uni and the teaching scholarship was the only way to go. I just sort of hoped that things would turn out fine in the end. While I can't claim myself to be a staunch Christian, time and again it's just amazing how things always somehow seem to fall into place. Even when the going is rough at first and I feel like I don't know why I have to go through it, at the end of it I think I'm a better person for it and realize how it has helped me. Truly things happen for a reason. And I feel really lucky that I'm starting to appreciate why I'm teaching. Happy Teachers' Day!

glittermissy @ 11:50 PM + + Permalink