First impressions count.
As I stood at attention for my first morning assembly, the music to our national anthem ushered in a strong chorus of voices. The students were not only singing the national anthem, they were singing it with gusto, and in harmony!
Something strange was amidst…
And then the music faltered. I lifted my eyes to the second floor, realizing it wasn’t a glitch in the PA system, but rather a chubby little baritone player that had slipped on a crucial note. To my surprise, the entire second-level corridor was lined with members of the school band, playing music to Majulah Singapura LIVE!
What has possessed these kids to wake up extra early on a Monday morning, set up their instruments, and provide live music to the national anthem?
Later, I discovered that the band was merely one piece of the morning’s two-piece special combo, providing musical accompaniment to the school’s choir, who had similarly gathered along the corridors facing the quadrangle to sing their national anthem. And this, they did every Monday morning!
Thus my first impression of CCKS was forged. Witnessing how students served the school with such dedication was real heart-warming. And my impression held till my last day of Practicum.
The students at this school are generally good-natured. Besides some being tardy in handing in homework, which various members of the staff are quick to point out, CCKSians are by and large respectful and well-behaved.
I really think the secret to their success is the school’s emphasis on character development, especially through CCAs. Students are encouraged to serve actively in school, both in and out of the classroom. As a result, there have not been many major disciplinary cases. The school doesn’t even have a DM! In place of this, there are a dedicated group of character development “heads” that counsel at-risk students, make home visits and generally invest much time and effort in ensuring students get adequate attention and support from the school.
T Is Cannibalism a Taboo Subject?
Once again, I was placed in charge of Secondary Two classes. For English Literature, I taught 3 classes for 3 periods each week; and for English Language, I was assigned only one class, which I taught for 9 periods a week.
Lesson planning was bittersweet. I enjoyed the process of working with material, researching for engaging stimulus, and finding creative and interesting ways to introduce students to different text types and features. But when it came down to drafting actual lesson plans, the experience was at times likened to pulling teeth. It was only much later that I realized my 5-7page long LPs were abnormally tedious in detail. Writing LPs was much more bearable once I put those summary skills into practice.
The workload was heavy at times. Up till this very moment, I’m still working through three classes of Literature projects to grade…
40 students * 3 classes * 3 individual assignments = no sleep for moi tonight.
But I must admit I enjoy going through my students’ work. It’s in their writing that I saw little imprints of their individual personalities, and that gave me the opportunity to understand them that much more.
It was during one of my creative writing classes that one student asked if cannibalism was an acceptable topic for her creative writing piece. I gave her the green light, and the result was a gripping little sci-fi short that was engaging due to its intricate descriptive detail. I intend to showcase her work in one of our tutorial sessions, so akan dating, folks.
T Lies and Betrayal
At the start of my teaching experience, I emphasized to students the importance of trust between everyone in the classroom in order to create a conducive environment for learning.
Two weeks ago, I had a group of students play truant for an EL remedial session. The very next day, I made the absentees write me a letter of apology for skipping class, making sure they detailed their whereabouts during their time of absence from my lesson.
One of the girls spun lie after lie about her reasons for missing my lesson. Eventually, I called her parents to clarify things but the results were disappointing, to say the least. I think one of the greatest lessons I learnt from this episode was the immense tact needed in approaching parents when it comes to their child’s misbehaviour. Catching a parent off guard, and not being able to account for their child’s whereabouts was a most difficult and awkward experience.
For all my sincere efforts to be accountable to these parents, the aftermath was ugly. The girls whose parents I had called came back to class sullen, and had forged an alliance of kindred, angry spirits.
In the end, I decided to settle the matter once and for all. Through education. I decided to share my own act of truancy as a student. My confession had the attention of the entire class, and they sat through my riveting account of escaping orientation day and its gamut of humiliating games. Rest assured, my intention for sharing this was made evident to the class. I told them that as a teacher, I had learnt how serious that little act was, with serious implications not only for myself, but also for the people who were placed in charge of my care. Most weren’t interested in the moral of the story, but I shared with them the importance of accountability anyway.
The reactions I received from the class after that were mixed. Some joked about the fact that I was a truant child, others opened up to me a little more. Of the three girls that played truant, I only managed to win over two with my daring account.
I guess my greatest lesson from this entire teaching experience is this: to take bigger risks, even personal ones. Because sometimes, the result of earning students’ trust is definitely worth it.
T Mentoring and Pastoral Care
I absolutely adore my EL CT. Right from the start, she gave me every indication of a good mentor. She provided constructive feedback after every lesson observation, and was prompt in her delivery of this feedback, which really helped me in my preparation for subsequent lessons and follow-up assignments. She even went as far as to console me after one of my lessons, which she observed along with my HOD, went disastrously wrong. Being my own worst critic, I kept harping on the mistakes I had made. My CT, however, pointed out that I had learnt to take bigger risks in varying activities and teaching strategies. I was really blessed to have her perspective on things, and she reminded me constantly of the power of encouragement and constructive feedback.
What did I do with all that kind care and attention? I paid it forward to my students, carrying on that pastoral care she had showered on me so generously. My students responded to their own work in much the same way I did – it was easier for them to spot their mistakes/weaknesses rather than their strengths. So I made an effort to use the “sandwich” method of commenting on their work, which is to sandwich “areas for improvement” between good points about their writing styles.
The reaction was immensely positive. Students would line up patiently, wanting further personal comments from me about their writing. At times, the attention was overwhelming, but at least the time was spent constructively towards improving their understanding of not only their work, but of themselves as writers as well.
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