Sunday, November 22
Of Floods & TrampoliningI heard that it's been flooding in Singapore (especially the Bukit Timah area) but guess what people, it's been similar all the way here in Cork. The abnormally heavy rains for the past weeks or so caused a a lot more water to be released by the dam and the River Lee running through Cork decided not to stay within it's boundaries. This was on Thursday night and parts of the city centre, college, western road and victoria cross (where I stay) were submerged in water. The water mains were turned off due to contamination and so half the city now has no water - including my apartment. I also have no internet. I only need 3 things - electricity, water AND INTERNETS. Oh but on the positive side, other than that my apartment is untouched by the flood. Lots of people living in student accommodations had to be evacuated as the waters were in their apartment.
Apparently, this is the worse flooding in Cork in 40 years. So college is closed till 30/11 and the trampoline intervarsities were cancelled as the sports arena where it was to be held was flooded too. In fact, I heard from friends that it was so badly flooded you could only see the top of the goalpost at the pitches.
So, you have to imagine the mindset I was in - no more intervarsities so I can relax, no school so I have more time to study for my coming exams. Then I received a call informing me that intervarsities were moved up to Trinity College Dublin and asking me if I was in. I was in. So the next morning, I braved the disgusting weather (got my jeans and shoes totally soaked in the process) to the meeting point and caught a ride up to Dublin.
It was my very first intervarsities so it was kind of interesting. It didn't feel as pressurising as it did when I competed back in Singapore though, which was both good and bad. Warm ups went pretty well for me but when I did my set routine, my bouncing was a bit unsteady and I started anyway so I ended up travelling forward for my back layout, I saved it but screwed up my tuck jump as I was off balance. My voluntary routine was better than my set one. But because of the screw up I jumped a little lower and I was more nervous so it wasn't bad but it wasn't good either. I was actually pretty depressed cos I've never really screwed up this badly in a competition before.
BUT, I won a team gold! FINALLY! And it felt reaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllly nice.
1 team consists of 4 people nominated by the college and they can send in multiple teams. The team will have people of different levels too (novice, intermediate, advanced, elite). 3 years of team silver with 0.05 - 0.1 points away from gold and 2 years of individual medals AND I FINALLY GET TEAM GOLD!!!! I must admit it didn't feel as awesome cos I didn't know who was in the team at first but STILL. :D AND even more awesome was that UCC won the Intervarsity Shield for the first time! We were flooded out but we still went up to Dublin and dominated the competition!!! WHOOOOOOOO!! We also won 6 individual medals (one of our largest hauls at intervarsities I believe) too!
I'm still pissed off with myself for screwing up my rouine but what's done is done, it had to happen sooner or later anyway. I got by 5 competitions without screwing up (or major screw ups) it had to happen sometime I guess. But UCC winning the Intervarsity Shield and the Team Gold made up for that. :D :D :D :D :D :D
So anyway, I'm here in Dublin, in Grace's living room where I bunked out last night, enjoying the internet and water. I'm probably heading back to Cork later today (or maybe tomorrow) to brave the floods. A really exciting, dramatic weekend.. I could actually live without it though. I WANT MY INTERNETS BACK.
thus saith seantzw 6:57 PM
Wednesday, October 28
UpdateAn update is probably long overdue but not many people read this blog so it's ok. I have no idea if my 3 or 4 regular readers/stalkers have been still following it since I've left for Cork but here's a shout out to them if they see this (eh jeremy? :D)
I had to stop myself from digressing when I began to write about how I thought blogging and narcissism were actually linked then I remembered that I wanted to do a post like that a while back. I also remembered that I said I'd do it in the 'next' post then, so it's overdue for approximately a year or so. OOPS.It's been almost 2 months since I've left and a bit more than a month since I've became a student again and I guess I've more or less settled down. I don't think I've fully adapted and acclimatised though as a few things still unsettle me. But I'll get it in time.
It's approaching winter now and the days are getting way shorter. It starts to get dark at around 4+pm which really throws off my sense of timing. I know why it's getting darker earlier and all that but I still can't get used to the fact that I'm seeing way less of the sun now. Oh and the whole daylight savings thing still amuses me quite a bit. Last Sunday at 2am, it magically became 1am again, giving all us weary souls an extra hour of sleep.
(So now Cork is 8 hours behind Singapore) It's quite amazing isn't it. They can just turn back the time. Just like that!
The workload is increasing exponentially and it's quite scary but I'm coping well I think. There's really a lot of information to take in, to understand and to memorise. And I don't even think it's peaked yet. Workload is probably misleading though. It isn't so much of the homework that we get, it's more of the 'assimilation' of the massive amounts of information and the self-learning you have to do to supplement your lectures and tutorials. Now, I really treasure my secondary school and junior college days. The teachers really spoon feed you then... Man. A point to note - Wikipedia and Google are realllllllllllllly good academic tools, especially when lecturers throw random terms at you without explaining them.
On the sporting front, I'm quite enjoying trampolining again. While the training isn't as tough as I'm used to, I quite enjoy the challenge of learning new moves and changing my style a little. I'm doing the advanced routine for inter-varsities in November. The routine is a tad boring (and weird) as I already know how to do the moves, even if the last time I did them properly was 3 years ago. For gymmers/trammpers reading this -> Back Somersault (Tucked) - Straddle Jump - Back Somersault (Straight) aka Layout - Seat Drop - Twist to Feet - Pike Jump - Barani (free shape) - Half Twist - Tuck Jump - Front Somersault (free shape I think). I hate doing the pike jump cos I usually lose balance and height after it. Anyway, I'm really looking forward to after the inter-varsities to learn new stuff! I did the prep for the double back somersault during 1 training session and it was wicked! Can't wait to learn new stuff!!! :D Oh oh and I'm going to the gym (the running, weights stuff not gymnastics) more regularly now than I was back home so to those doubters and naysayers - HAH! You'll NEVER see a fat Sean. NEVER!
Food wise, it's pretty much the same. I'm getting bored of marinades/sauces that revolve around dark soya sauce, white/black pepper, chilli powder, salt, ground oregano and ground basil. Unfortunately, there isn't much I can do about that. One key factor in cooking is time and I don't want to spend more than 1.5 hours preparing-cooking-eating-cleaning up. Yes I could probably cook like 2 - 3 meals ahead, but I only do that occasionally as I really dislike leftovers and reheating food to eat.
My life right now revovles around school, hosehold chores, studying, trampoline and the occasional party/night out. It isn't too bad I guess. I miss everyone back in Singapore terribly and while my busy schedule doesn't really give me time to wallow in self pity there are times where I reaaaaaaaalllllllly miss everyone back home. Times like this I guess. Chatting on skype, msn or facebook helps ease it a little but there's just something missing. I've missed so many birthdays, events and activities that it's just kind of... odd.
I miss those late night/early morning suppers with Andrew and YX, I miss CHC services (watching online is totally not the same), I miss the often last minute random meet ups with the 05S26 people + Justin, I miss giving tuition especially to my twins, I miss cell group with N436, I miss training my juniors especially my 2 soccer fanatics, I miss meals with my family (both extended and immediate), I miss badminton with Andrew, YX and Jeanette (it wasn't so much the badminton, more of the conversations while playing), I miss the 小
笼包 buffets at Holland V the guys went to every few weeks... I could go on and on and on and on and I haven't even started on things like food or weather or cost of living yet. SIGH.
Well, I'm off to bed now. School in the morning and all. Oh and MedHunt later on at night. This will probably get posted on facebook in an hour or so (I don't know how the synchronising thing works) so if anyone has any ideas for a costume that is 1. CHEAP 2. SIMPLE, keeping in mind that it's around 10-14C at night and the theme is the 7 deadly sins [or med(sins). yes pun was intended. and no, it isn't my pun.] PLEASE LEAVE A NOTE. THANKS.
thus saith seantzw 7:53 AM
Wednesday, October 7
AdjustmentSo it's the third week of school and I'm slowly getting back into the studying groove; though now I have to balance that with some household chores - cooking, cleaning, buying groceries etc. I guess now with so many things to do it's easy to get distracted from studying but I'm sure I'll find a balance soon. Honestly, I haven't been doing much studying but I've done my pre-lecture or pre-practical assignments and read up on stuff so I'm not lost and I'm keeping up. Hopefully, that will change soon and I will channel the NJ spirit of pure mugging. I was never able to do that in NJC though (I blame 05S26 for that). ;)
On other matters, I learnt some things about grocery shopping and food/cooking in general:
1. There are certain things you just can't save on and the list I've accumulated so far includes
a. Rice
(I bought the cheapest brand at Tesco and no it wasn't Tesco Value Brand and it wasn't even white. I thought that was alright, until I cooked it. And the rice wasn't fluffy or even resembled normal cooked white rice. The grains were still a bit hard and separate and they weren't even white!)b. Shampoo + Conditioner
(My head itched for several days before I decided to ditch them and get a proper brand)2. Expiration dates are more like recommendations.
3. Freezing is wonderful.
4. Pork floss can cover the taste of bland food! I'm rationing it out though. I'm only left with 3 packets.
5. Anything can be baked/roasted! Or any meat to be more precise. I've baked coley fillet, salmon fillet, chicken legs/fillets/wings and pork loins. I figure it's healthier than frying, less messy and therefore less cleaning up! I'm trying to figure out how to cut down on the aluminium foil usage though - there doesn't seem to be any plates or bowls in my apartment that are oven friendly.
The list will probably increase as I stay here longer, but so far all's good! :D I guess I'm eating a bit healthier here than I was back home. After all, we never cooked and I always ate till I'm really full. Over here, I just eat till I'm not really hungry as I don't want to spend too much on food. Oh and I had at least 2 suppers a week back home too. Only thing I forsee is that the rain is going to hamper by motivation to exercise. BLEARGH.
I better get to studying now (even if a certain Mr Chin is hampering my attempt with numerous youtube links). (:
thus saith seantzw 4:45 AM
Friday, September 25
UniversitySo, it's approximately 5pm here and I've completed the first week of university lectures. It's been quite an eventful week I guess. So far, the weather here has been perfect - it only drizzled a tiny bit one of the mornings, on all other days, it's been nice and sunny. A very rare occurrence in Ireland.
I've also been doing quite a fair bit of cooking lately. And yes I could cook even before I came here. I actually bake more than cook (last time) but cooking's not a huge issue for me. In fact today for lunch I panfried a chicken fillet which I rubbed down with salt, pepper and chilli powder, cooked some rice and heated up a can of baked beans. I've also cooked pasta (beef bolognese) and fried rice with bacon/salmon and varieties of the 2 over the past 2 weeks. I'm going to do some aglio e olio with bacon for dinner tonight. I'll experiment here and there for a while until nearing my exams when I'll probably cook a big batch of food and eat over a few days or just survive on microwave meals.
Studies wise it's been good. I can tell the lecturers are gradually picking up speed. Fortunately, I took A and O Level Biology and Chemistry so that helps a bit (even if it's been like 3 years). Basically I have 6 modules - FM1001, FM1002, FM 1003 (Foundations in Medicine), CP1002 (Clinical Science and Practice), BH1002 (Foundations in Behavioural Medicine) and EH1090 (Epidemiology Elective I). I learn anatomy, physiology, biochemistry of the different systems and histology in the FM modules; for example in FM1001 I'm currently learning about the anatomy of the upper limb, about body water/fluids and general physiology and I haven't had a biochemistry lecture yet so I'm not too sure. It seems as if anatomy will be the most intense though. I mean there are so many terms and names to remember. And you know all the features like the dents or protuberances of each bone has their own names too. But it's all rather interesting! :D I've been learning about things like the sternocleidomastoid muscle and the levator scapulae muscle... :D:D:D:D:D::D
I've also went for 1 or 2 medical society events for the first years to get to know my classmates better. It was really good fun. We went bowling one night (UV Lights!) and then clubbing after. I got to know many other people that night. Interestingly enough, there was even a bar at the bowling alley. Validates most of your stereotypes doesn't it. LOL. The next day we had some buddy thing at the student centre. Basically, we're paired up with a second year and that second year is supposed to help us. And there was Dominoe's pizza provided too! But the buddy thing is no biggie for me cos I've had a super lot of advice from the Singaporeans so it was all good.
There was society and clubs day too where the university showcases all the 'CCAs' as we know it. I have no idea what I joined but they're very relaxed about the whole thing so I can just try out everythign and not go if I don't like it. I'm thinking of going for this Surgeon Noonan thing where basically you do your 4th year electives in Africa where you help them out too and everything. But we'll see how it goes. I went to check out the Trampoline club and they're not too bad. I can learn lots of new stuff and I have to change my style a bit too so that's going to be interesting. Oh just an fyi, but yea they have 4 trampolines and all of them are 'competition style' ones. The trammpers will know what I'm talking about. I may or may not stay with them long term, it all depends. :D
Everything's been more or less fantastic so far and I'm enjoying myself over here in Ireland. Of course I miss everyone back home and I still have no idea if I'm going back this summer or not (not very likely). If anyone is coming over to Ireland for whatever reason, contact me!
thus saith seantzw 11:47 PM
Friday, September 18
Settling DownWell, it certainly took me a while but I'm finally getting it done. Updating my blog that is. It's been a rather hectic week of running/cycling around Cork doing my university registration, buying groceries/household essentials and having dinner with seniors.
Cork City is rather small and you can practically walk anywhere. Of course walking might take you 45 minutes to an hour or so but it is possible. The weather so far has been perfect for walking, sunny and cool. I've learnt that the nice and almost perfect weather for the past week was an aberration. It's usually wet and cold here in Cork. The houses here are quite quaint and they're all rather picturesque. I've been to the city centre several times already and there really isn't very many shops. You can probably visit all the shops within a day. There really isn't much else to know about Cork. Oh, the people here have a rather distinct accent that is quite different from the other people from around Ireland. I don't really have a problem catching what people are saying - I only have problems with those who speak super fast with a super strong accent.
My apartment is shared with 2 other guys. 1 of them is Singaporean and he just arrived today, the other lad is Irish and he's arriving on the 25th. It's en suite so I get my own bathroom which is nice. I've been busy making it liveable for the past week - getting bed stuff (duvet, bedsheets, pillow etc.), an additional clothes rack as my miniscule wardrobe doesn't quite cut it and other paraphernalia. I've also begun to stock up my pantry and fridge with food so I can begin cooking soon. You can see photographs of my room and apartment in the
photo album on facebook!
My college seems quite nice. It's approximately the size of the NUS campus at Buona Vista. There is a lot of greenery and stone-walled buildings so it's very 'castle-y'. You can tell that it is rich in tradition too. I've been there a couple of times already for registration and I'll be going back there this Sturday for Freshers' Festival where we have talks and all sorts of activities. I know I've said this many times before but I can't wait for lessons to begin. I'm itching to begin the mugging, though I know I'll be doing it in excess over the next 5 years. Medicine is a tough course everywhere after all. I've taken a look at my syllabus and I must say it seems quite a handful. Oh wells, I can't wait to become a student again. :D I think it's going to be pretty exciting.
That's all I can think of for now, if you want to know anything just drop me a message and I'll be glad to reply! :)
Just a point to note: Cork is 7hours behind Singapore from April - October and 8hours from October - April.
thus saith seantzw 5:51 AM
Monday, September 14
Ok, Andrew has given me some stick about not updating yet but I will! Eventually. :D You guys can enjoy the photographs first. I'll try to update about what's been going on tonight when I get back from my registration.
thus saith seantzw 8:20 PM
Thursday, September 10
ByeSo it's about 20hrs 40mins more till I'm flying off to Ireland and about a week and a half more till I become a student once more. The past 2 weeks have been crazy - packing and meeting friends and packing and packing and packing and packing and meeting friends. The farewell lunches and dinners were fun but all laced with a tinge of sadness. It's not like I'm definitely coming back during the 2010 summer holidays, so the next time anyone here in Singapore sees me could be 2011.
I'm not really getting cold feet now, just a slight reluctance to leave all my loved ones behind but I'm also looking forward to starting university life and to finally start studying again after a loooooooooooong 2.5 years hiatus. I guess if I weren't going to UCC, I also wouldn't have taught in KCPSS and met my wonderful colleagues and students, so that's one of the many silver linings.
I'm going to miss so many people that I can't possibly write down all their names here. But I'll try anyway. By the way, the list below is in no particular order.
1. My Family
We may not be very close or tight and I do think we're slightly dysfunctional but hey, most families nowadays are anyway. I'll miss mum, daddy and the twins. I'll also miss my awesome extended family; despite the size (20+ cousins!) we're all a rather tight bunch, especially on my maternal side. On my paternal side, I'll miss my grandma the most of all - I lived with her during my formative years so we're rather close. :(2. Andrew & Yun Xiao
Seriously, the 1+ years in that hell hole of an air base was all worth it because I met these 2. And come to think of it, we have rather different personalities but each of our differences complements one another perfectly and I still marvel at how close we've grown in the past 1+ years. It's really amazing and I thank God for those 2. They're everything I could ask for in a friend and I know that I'll miss them terribly. :(((((((((3. Jeremy, Josh, Jen Wei, Wei Ren, Justin
We may not have met up as frequently as before but these dudes still rock! We've known each other since JC and we've seen each other grow and mature rapidly especially during our NS. I'll miss all of them!4. N436, W309, CHC
I have never regretted changing churches and CHC has been my spiritual home for the past 6 years. I've grown so much in this church and I've met so many wonderful people that it's impossible to list them all. I'd obviously miss my current cell group N436, especially Chewy and Meiqi and my previous ones W309 and N109. Poor N436. Hahaha. Maurice and now me and soon, Neo. I'll continue watching services online as often as I can while finding a good church to attend in Ireland.5. SJI Gym Juniors
I'm reallllly going to miss all my juniors. My sec 2s, Clement, Gabriel, Scott and Kenny are all so adorable (LOL) and fun to talk to. Technically, I didn't train any sec 3s so none to miss here. The sec 4s, Jon Ho and Ezra - study hard for your Os! All the others - Ernest, Qinghuang, Nigel, Nat, Sam... Awwwww.6. Amoz
I'll miss my longtime good friend and the hours of stimulating conversations we've had over the many many many years. :D But the many patches of silence and inactivity on both our parts make it easier in a manner of speaking, cos I know we'll just pick up where we left off without any awkwardness and everything will be back to normal again. I'll still miss you moz!7. Chris
He's the only person that I met from Pre-U Sem that I am still in contact with after 3 years. We're like movie buddies and I'll totally miss watching all those movies and talking cock with you. Heh. Have fun in hall and remember to study!8. Tuition Students
Ok. Fine. I'll admit it. I'll miss my twins. They may be way more than a handful and 10% of my hair probably turned white after every lesson but they were MY twins. Our lessons were always rather unconventional and unorthodox and largely quite fun, so Tim and Mark, I'll miss you 2 monkeys, study hard k! I'll also miss Leroy and Joshua though I taught them for a much shorter period of time. Our lessons may have been more conventional but at least I get more results from these 2. LOL. K. Joking. I'm sure Tim and Mark will do very well too.9. KCPSS Collegaues
I've written a short tribute previously so there isn't much to say here. I'm really thankful for meeting this bunch of fantastic people who made the past 10 weeks amazing for me. So thanks Mr Tay TG, Jiatao, Karen, Sharon, Sarah, Zhong Chuan, Lynn, Mrs Lee TH, Cynthia, Debbie, Mr D.Lee, Leo, Mavis, Mrs Loh, Mrs Tay BS, Faye, Lena and every other teacher who I've chatted with!10. KCPSS Students
Ahaha. Ok lar. I'll miss you guys too. It's really been fun teaching all of you and technically, my going overseas allowed me to teach in KCPSS. I hope I've been of some help and have impacted you guys during the term, if you need any help with your studies, you can drop me a message or something ya?It's getting really late and I'm just too lazy to continue typing so for all the people I didn't mention, it's not that I forgot k. Haha. Anyway, please give me a call or text me or soemthing if you're going to the airport to see me off (though that isn't really necessary)!
<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3
thus saith seantzw 2:13 AM
Saturday, September 5
Pre-departure BustleIt's approximately 5 days more before I fly off to Ireland and my schedule is fully packed. For all those who still want to meet up, if you can find a slot, contact me and we'll arrange something!
5 - 6/9:1. JoBeth's Wedding
- whole of Saturday and early afternoon of Sunday
2. Paternal Side Dinner
- late afternoon - night of Sunday
7/9:1. Mom + Twins Lunch
- just late morning - early afternoon
2. Andrew & YX
- evening - possibly early morning
8/9:1. Amoz Lunch
- noon - early afternoon
2. SEXYZ Tea
- possibly, tbc
3. Andrew & YX
- evening - possibly early morning
9/9:1. KCPSS Colleagues Lunch
- noon - mid afternoon
2. Family Dinner
- evening - early night
10/9:1. LAST MINUTE PACKING
- morning - afternoon (depends really)
2. Family Dinner
- late evening
3. Departure
- Terminal 1 (British Airways)
- Flight is at 2255 so I'll be at the airport at about 2000 or so and entering the gates earliest at 2200So if you see any open slots (mainly breakfasts and teas) and you realllllly wanna meet me, just drop me a message! :D
thus saith seantzw 11:58 AM
Friday, September 4
'Cher, Sir, Mr TaySo today was officially my lasy day as a relief teacher in KCPSS. While I didn't have classes for the past 3 days (students at some camp) I did teacherly things like marking and invigilating. It was almost the same as ORD. I was completing short reports on the classes I've taught this term, detailing what I've taught them and the graded assignments and tests I've given along with their results for those assignments and tests. I was compiling the material I have photocopied but never had the chance to give with the marked scripts I haven't returned and all the other stuff and arranging them into classes. Feels like I'm doing up SOPs and stuff all over again.
Anyway, I've talked about my classes previously so now let me move on to other aspects of the school. Honestly, if I ever became a teacher and a secondary school one at that, I used to only consider SJI. Now I can add KCPSS to that very exclusive list. It has nothing to do with it being a Christian school but rather the environment and culture are very suitable for me. The students may not be very academically inclined which can be very frustrating at times, especially for one as impatient as I am, but the support network of the staff is so awesome that it smothers every bad thing out. The working environment in KCPSS is totally awesome. The teachers are all so friendly, helpful and encouraging that even after you've had a bad day in class, you can be sure that you'll be at least cheered when you return to the staff room. It's truly one of the most warm and friendly environments I have ever experienced. I mean, I was never really treated like just another temporary or relief teacher. In fact, I was treated like any other member of the permanent staff (considering my workload was very similar to a full-time teacher, it's almost expected I guess). I was involved in celebrations and events and even the photo-taking for the yearbook.
I really had a blast working for the past 10 weeks. It may have been excrutiatingly exhausting at times, but with such friendly colleagues, your burden feels lightened and it's easier to feel refreshed. I really feel very blessed for being able to work there, it has been a fantabulous experience I will treasure for a long time. :D
thus saith seantzw 7:25 PM
Monday, August 31
'Cher DayBefore I write about my experience in KCPSS let me wish all teachers out there a very HAPPY TEACHERS' DAY! Especially to my teachers who have impacted me in many ways. Also, here's a shout out to my sweet students: Thanks for all your generous and thoughtful gifts, cards and letters! I really appreciate it!I've been immensely busy the past 2 months with school, tuition, settling college stuff and meeting friends so I've hardly had the time to blog. School took up a majority of my time though, what with the setting of class tests and assignments and the humongous piles of markings that I had to do. Well, all in all, I've had an amazing experience in KCPSS (very unlike my previous relief teaching stint)and I must say the thought of changing my future profession did flit across my mind occasionally. It was a very brief thing though - so no worries there. :D
Anyway, I had 9 regular classes of which, I just taught 2 of them 'English Expression' only which is kind of like a reading period (a total waste of time in my opinion). So I taught 3 Secondary 1 Express Literature, 2 Secondary 1 Normal Academic Literature, 1 Secondary 3 Express English and 1 Secondary 3 Normal Academic (Through Train) English. Seriously, the marking was totally horrific. I'M NOT EVEN DONE MARKING YET. I also realised that I preferred marking essays to comprehensions. For essays I just need to read through each script once or twice and I'm done; comprehension on the other hand, requires me to constantly refer back to previously marked scripts. Oh and marking essays is way more interesting - you can read all the weird and hilarious things that students write. But overall, I really hated marking.
Other than the marking, there's classroom management and actual teaching too. When I only gave tuition last time, I always wondered why school teachers took so long to go through the syllabus. After all, I managed to complete the entire O Level A and E Maths syllabus with several students months before their schools manage to finish it. Now I realise that only about 40% - 60% of all the periods you get with your classes is spent teaching. And that's a conservative figure. The rest of the time is spent on general classroom management and discipline. I have no idea if I'm a good teacher at all, I'd obviously like to think so but I really don't know. I know I'm good at giving tuition but teaching a class is a whole different ball game. I think I can be quite impatient which makes it hard sometimes. I also think I can be quite mean at times too but I make no apologies for that. LOL. Ok, it's not entirely true, I do temper my meanness with my warmth and friendliness! AHAHA. If I'm asked to evaluate myself as a teacher, I'd really have no idea what to say. I can be a strict disciplinarian at times and I can be rather lenient and relaxed too. It really depends on the class I'm in. I always tell my classes the first time I meet them that if they meet or exceed my expectations (which I lowered by miles after teaching for a week or so) I'll give priviliges and be the nice, friendly 'cher. Of course if they don't, I'll be fierce and all. It's really a very logical thing - people are nice to people who are nice to them and vice versa. Most of my friends can't believe that I can be fierce though. Heh. I can k. It's the same as the MP thing - many said I smile too much to be a credible MP. Just ask some of my classes how fierce and evil I can be. (:
I don't really want to rank my classes but to be perfectly honest, I enjoyed teaching the upper secondary more than the lower one. I guess seeing them 5 - 6 periods a week as opposed to 2 periods a week for my secondary 1s was a major factor too. 3 Faith was fun and relatively easy to teach as they were self-motivated and I could do slightly higher level stuff with them. They also had a bunch of good writers in the class, so it was always a pleasure to mark those essays. Most of the others do try hard and I can see it in their writing so I didn't really feel like I'm wasting my time. 3 Grace was also rather fun to teach but they required some pushing and cajoling. I also had more discipline cases in this class so it was a bit annoying at times. They do have 1 or 2 good writers in the class so it wasn't too bad either. I'll be really frank here, of all my secondary 1 classes, I really hated teaching the normal academic ones. They have so many issues it's scary. I can confidently say that 80% of my time in class is spent shouting and disciplining. See, this is why I'll never be an excellent teacher - I'm just too impatient with people who are much slower than the average person. But it's not all bad, I do have a few good students in these classes and I feel so sorry for them sometimes. My secondary 1 express classes were all generally alright to teach. They are stil rather new to literature so they still have issues with the subject but most of them are quite diligent so they'll probably get it sooner or later. Several of them actually wrote to me to tell me that they're actually beginning to like literature and that really made my whole day! :D It's really fantastic!!
I also realised that generally, I don't like secondary school girls. A lot of them are really bizarre. Ok fine. It's just the
lians. I have this really strong prejudice against
lians and the
lians in this school have done nothing to make me rethink that prejudice; it has become stronger in fact. Some of them are actually quite pretty but once you hear them speak or see the way they behave, you're totally turned off. It's seriously disgusting. BLEARGH. It's just a thing I have k.
I'd talk about how wonderful the staff are but it isn't my last day in KCPSS yet and so I'll leave that to a later date when I officially leave the school. I'm still going back this week to settle the rest of my marking. SEE. IT'S NEVER COMPLETE. IT JUST KEEPS GROWING AND GROWING.
Despite the occasional hiccup, teaching in KCPSS has been a fantastic experience. And while I'm not very likely going to become a full-time teacher in the near future, you never know. I might go into the teaching aspect of medicine? HAHAHA. We'll see how it goes.
thus saith seantzw 11:15 PM
