Some sharing here...

Sorry for being away for so many days... I was so busy with marking, planning lessons, keying in PE grades and results, height and weight taking, preparing different administrative work... I guess I can take this chance and share my life as a teacher. Exactly how is it like to be a school teacher?

Well, a lot of my friends agree with me that teaching can be pretty daunting for many...

Life as a teacher has so much more installed... It is NOT just going into a class for that 30 minutes and teach from the textbook straight. Planning has to go into how we can best deliver that concept to students.

Next would be planning activities and practice for them to really apply and test whether they have learnt anything. After that would be marking, and looking at horrendous handwritings of many pupils... Not forgetting the careless mistakes they would make... Sometimes you can laugh over these mistakes, but sometimes you can feel so frustrated, so upset as to why they are always repeating the same mistakes despite being reminded, told and warned not to do so...

It seemed almost impossible to change some people...

Well, that is the challenge here...

As teachers, we got to find the right keys to these locks... To unlock the locks which stopped the potential in them from flowing freely, so that they will truly shine as diamonds... That is our belief...

So, what do we teachers do within 24 hours?

Markings are always coming in piles... Each pupil do one set of homework, and teachers have 40 sets to mark, to go through, to check corrections, and to re-teach different concepts...

The administrative work which comes after are truly time consuming... Keying in results, subject remarks, general remarks, and attendance. Collecting money, giving consent forms, remedials, supplementary classes, design examination papers, set more worksheets etc... The list can go on and on...

BUT...

I STILL LOVE MY JOB... It is more than a job...

I must not forget why I choose to take up teaching in the first place... I must not forget the purpose that I seek to impact every single pupil I have come across...

Sometimes I do feel like giving up... Yet, these beliefs kept me going, kept me believing that miracles come from persistency and sincerity to guide and teach them properly...

Their smiles, laughters, improvements, the joy and laughters, the tears and all; these are priceless moments and things that money can never buy...

I love my kids... Really... So, never mind all the tiring days, and the lack of sleep... I am willing...

What are your beliefs in life my dear children? What do you believe in? Who do you want to be someday? Work for it... I did not started out believing I will be a teacher someday. I grew up thinking about being an army officer, an astronaut, scientist, doctors, lawyers even...

It was through my growing up and life experience that I realised I would like to touch lives, and guide young ones to make the right choices in life, to live a life they will be proud of...

Life is all about choices; we make right ones as well as wrong ones... but we must never give up on ourselves, to believe in life, as long as there is hope, there are always U-turns...

So children, keep on believing... Believe in yourself...

Solar Eclipse...

Hello dearest 5.7s...

Fret not even though it was rainy on our side, and also the fact that we were in school having our lessons when this eclipse went on.

Anyway, the next eclipse, as predicted and calculated by scientists would be on 11 July 2010. Stay tune then...

Meanwhile hope this picture helps to ease off some disappointment you all may have...

Mulan Musical 2009

It was a night where pupils and teachers put up a great show together... They rehearsed so many times, gave so much of their time, heart and soul into this... Here's a tribute to the cast and all involved...

Truly, they have put in their best from all in all...

NE Show with 5.7s

Surviving a stormy NE Show

Saturday started very early for me in school. The teachers were gathered in the school hall for our Musical rehearsal. Being the backstage management committee member, we were required to be there throughout the whole show since 7.30 a.m. It was no joke considering that many teachers were also involved in the NE Show happening in the afternoon then.

The rehearsal ended around 12.15 p.m, and some of us went over to Lot 1 Sakae for our lunch. Once again, unable to curb my insatiable hunger for Chawamushi and Donburi, I wolfed down 2 Chawamushis, 1 bowl of Chicken Katsu Don, topped with 2 bottles of Esprit Lime Lemonade. We had such a hearty meal!

Back in school, Mr Yap and I were paired to accompany my own form class for NE Show, and we set off from school around 3.15 p.m. it seemed like a nice cool Saturday afternoon... yet, little did we knew that it was not to be later...

We alighted at Connaught Drive and walked to the floating platform, forming a huge human crowd all the way through Esplanade. A lot of primary schools were invited to grace the event as well. So, you could imagine the crowd we had that day!

It was apparent that the day could be a stormy one since dark clouds were all over the sky in that region. It would be just a matter of time that the gates of heaven would open and pour down on us... The teachers were well aware of this and repeatedly reminded our children to keep their ponchos within reach and not to thrown them away... Alas, children being children, they like to test whether your instructions are credible or not... Some of them threw away their ponchos at the fact that they were lazy to fold them back.

After some time of waiting, the show kicked off with hosts with the likes of Michelle, Mark Lee, and Vernetta Lopez breaking the ice with the crowd. What was some interesting features for this year's NDP would be the change in the sequence of how they allow the whole show to proceed.

We used to start off everything with a display of forces from Army, Navy, Airforce, Singapore Police Force and Civil Defence. This year, everything were arranged to flow like a story. This year's focus is on Terrorism and how capable Singapore would be to handle such emergency situation.

The flop side of it would be the massive amount of bad English used by Mark Lee. We are trying to teach our pupils to converse in proper English, and yet there he was, blabbering Singlish with every single line he spoke..

The stage has a giant 'eye' in the middle which would be the screen for the audience. One highlight for this year's show would be its heavy reliance on IT, henceforth the need for the big screen.

On the sides of that gigantic 'eye' would be window panels which doubled as a screen and a display window for performers to take their place during the show. The whole design would reflect the high rise buildings we have in Singapore, from office buildings to HDB flats.

During the show, there were occasions where it drizzled and stopped repeatedly. When it was nightfall, the scene of the whole platform was simply breathtaking where the torches functioned well to illuminate the area with its vibrant tinges of red and white. It seemed like a massive sea of stars across...

Here and there, I would never forget to play along and just have fun with my own pupils. They are an interesting lot, somewhat different from the previous P3s I had taken... They are growing up, and they come with different problems, emotions and personalities. I find it a joy to really journey with them as they grow up,even for just a year...

Above would be a picture I had taken way before the storm set in and poured down heavily on us. We were caught in the heavy downpour when it was the grand finale of the show - fireworks!!! I could have taken video of the whole firework had it not been for the heavy rain...

It was a crazy time of accounting for everyone from my class and to get everyone safely on the bus. I feared for my dear 5.7s, whether they would be sick, be lost, or be too cold under this shivering chilly storm... Everyone was rushing back to their buses, and the downpour was so great that staircases were like waterfalls with water gushing down. All of us were holding on to the railing as we took each step cautiously.

We walked as fast as we could to the flyover near Esplanade and took shelter there to link up with Mr Yap. I was really glad that throughout this whole 'ordeal' none of my pupils were lost in the mess. Imagine how serious it could have been if I were to have anyone missing along the way?

I have been to a couple of NE shows through the years, but this one is bound to stay in my memory for a long time to come. I am proud to have survived a stormy NE Show with my class... It was quite an eventful Saturday, although it was a tiring one... I pray that none of my pupils would fall sick from yesterday's rain... Please... Stay healthy everyone..

All the 'Maybe's in life...

From Mr Yeoh:

Hi people! I thought this is quite thought provoking, and inspiring... It is worth your thoughts... I got this from an email and thought it will be good to share this with all of you.

If there are so many 'maybe's in this world, perhaps we should stop thinking 'maybe', but put all our 'maybe's into actions, and live each life, each day to the fullest.

Life is not just about the future, it is important for us to live the present, live each day for itself.

There are no rehearsals in life, everyday is live telecast!

The MAYBEs in LIFE:

Maybe . . .

we were supposed to meet the

wrong people before meeting the right

one so that when we finally meet the

right person, we will know how to be

grateful for that gift.

Maybe . . .

when the door of happiness

closes, another opens; but, often

times, we look so long at the closed

door that we don't even see the new

one which has been opened for us.

Maybe . . .

it is true that we don't

know what we have until we lose it,

but it is also true that we don't know

what we have been missing until it

arrives.

Maybe . . .

the happiest of people

don't necessarily have the best of

everything; they just make the most of

everything that comes along their way.

Maybe . . .

the brightest future will

always be based on a forgotten past;

after all, you can't go on

successfully in life until you let go

of your past mistakes, failures and

heartaches.

Maybe . . .

you should dream what you

want to dream; go where you want to

go, be what you want to be, because

you have only one life and one chance

to do all the things you dream of, and

want to do.

Maybe . . .

there are moments in life

when you miss someone -- a parent, a

spouse, a friend, a child -- so much

that you just want to pick them from

your dreams and hug them for real, so

that once they are around you

appreciate them more.

Maybe . . .

the best kind of friend is

the kind you can sit on a porch and

swing with, never say a word, and then

walk away feeling like it was the best

conversation you've ever had.

Maybe. . .

you should always try to put

yourself in others' shoes. If you feel

that something could hurt you, it

probably will hurt the other person,

too.

Maybe. . .

you should do something nice

for someone every single day, even if

it is simply to leave them alone.

Maybe. . .

giving someone all your love

is never an assurance that they will

love you back. Don't expect love in

return; just wait for it to grow in

their heart; but, if it doesn't, be

content that it grew in yours.

Maybe . . .

happiness waits for all

those who cry, all those who hurt, all

those who have searched, and all those

who have tried, for only they can

appreciate the importance of ll the

people who have touched their lves.

Maybe . . .

you shouldn't go for

looks; they can deceive; don't go for

wealth; even that fades away. Go for

someone who makes you smile, because

it takes only a smile to make a dark

day seem bright. Find the one that

makes your heart smile.

Maybe. . .

you should hope for enough

happiness to make you sweet, enough

trials to make you strong, enough

sorrow to keep you human, and enough

hope to make you happy

Maybe . . .

you should try to live

your life to the fullest because when

you were born, you were crying and

everyone around you was smiling but

when you die, you can be the one who

is smiling and everyone around you

crying.

Maybe . . .

you could send this message

to those people who mean something to

you, to those who have touched your

life, to those who can and do make you

smile when you really need it, to

those who make you see the brighter

side of things when you are really

down, and to all those whom you want

to know that you appreciate them and

their friendship.

Pictures for Innochef!

Dear all,

I have uploaded pictures of Innochef on this webpage. Please click on "Photographs for Innochef 03 July 2009" below to access the photographs. Browse the web site and use right clicks to save pictures if you want them.

Photographs for Innochef 03 July 2009

Thank you!

Special thanks to parents of Adelphia, Hoon Hwee and Jiawei!

Dear 5.7s!

I would like to thank parents of Adelphia, Hoon Hwee and Jiawei for volunteering their help and services for our Innochef session today!

Thank you so much parents! Without you, it would not have been possible. Thank you for making this day so very special for many other pupils of 5.7!

Special thanks goes out to Mrs Chan and the team as well for teaching the pupils to make such delicious dish of Chicken Rice and beverage of Bandung Ice Blended!

Pictures will be uploaded on the blog soon for viewing pleasures. You can also save the pictures by performing 'right clicks' and 'save as...' with the click of the mouse. Alternatives includes logging on to Facebook and view pictures from my profile.

Cheers!

Mr Yeoh

3 Jul 2009

You have to be thankful!!!

Sometimes I do not just understand why I have to be really mean to make all of you work hard.

I have to threaten to cancel the Innochef session before anyone of you can take it seriously and ask your parents about it... Why must you all be so passive and defiant?

Can't you all be obedient and diligent pupils for your own good?

You have to be thankful to Adelphia and Hoon Hwee's parents for being so readily available to offer their help tomorrow for your Innochef lessons! Make sure you really show your appreciation when you see them tomorrow!

As such, the Innochef lesson will continue as per normal.

PLEASE BRING ALONG ALL THE ITEMS BELOW:

1. Fork and spoon

2. Plate

3. Container

4. Cup

I hope you will learn and grow to be people who are responsible, active and enthusiastic about learning!