the dream lives on

"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires." - William Ward

the end of a short era.

i was speaking to one of my classes today and something came out spontaneously when they exclaimed that the student was much better than i am. and it was pure spontaneity and not about jealousy or jurisdiction of my existence.
"a good teacher is one whose students progress far beyond him in time to come".

i can still remember my scholarship interview with the principal of tjc, vice principal of dunman high and the perm sec of education one year on. i remember one of them telling me not to expect miracles to happen everyday and/or to look forward to it especially when it just happened. again, my smooth reply without even thinking was: if there's such a teacher, he is not qualified to be one. a teacher believes in all that they can do it.
i do

one year on. i still do.


ms lim was very nice, chatting with me when i gave her a chocs for my last day. she told me about how one should find the path he feels is right even in the wrong environment. i guess she does make sense there. she's one of the few teachers i feel really who can illuminate the teaching spirit despite being in a stifling environment who is also able to move with time. :p somehow, she has become one of those i respect in school unknowingly.
of course, she left me with these quotes to share.

Hope, hope, fear, faith - these make humanity.
These are its sign and note and character. (Robert Browning)
I am a man; and nothing human is foreign to me.
Let us take men as they are, not as they ought to be. (Franz Schubert)
I love mankind, it's people I can't stand. (Charles Monroe Schulz)

she asked me to take my pick. im still picking.

i guess this will be the end of a fruitful 7 months in this place i used to call home for the past 2 years. once again, this beautiful (once a reject) place has crafted yet another memory in store for me. no it hasn't dampered any niggling thoughts of coming back to teach anytime in the future. no it hasn't saddened me to see i made such a decision 1 month back to give up the teaching scholarship. it has taught me and allowed me to see the teaching world and to experience it, i hope, thoroughly. it has enabled to me to be ready for an even greater challenge that i seek with no regrets. it has made me even want to see the outside world with much eagerness and anticipation that i relish right now. in the end, this memory will still live down in my mind should the day dawn that i never want to return again.
beautiful history.

2408 - my form class (:





2708 with their cute cute elmo. k, cute la.

half of their class