Wednesday, March 30, 2005
One more obs down. :)
One more observation down today! I thought it didn't go well, especially when the class was unresponsive today. To my surprise, my CT said I'm more confident today. Seems that we always have different perspectives. ;p Anyway, she will speak to me more tomorrow, and hopefully, I can improve soon.
Many lessons have been interrupted recently due to health visits and the MobileKids organized by Mercedes Benz. It's some safety awareness exhibition, including simulation and games. On top of that, some students went for Learning Journeys where they go for excursions to the Dragon Kiln, Kampong Glam, etc. My P5 class was affected today because it is combined with another class. As such, we usually teach 《好公民》,the 'not so important' subject. I had a good time teaching only 10 students today! We even had time to play games and chat. As expected, they always ask about my age, whether I have a boyfriend, where I live, etc. It was fun but most importantly, I saw a different side of the 10 students. Realised that they don't feel comfortable speaking up when the other class is around. How nice if classes are smaller, where students learn better and teachers mark less!
Many lessons have been interrupted recently due to health visits and the MobileKids organized by Mercedes Benz. It's some safety awareness exhibition, including simulation and games. On top of that, some students went for Learning Journeys where they go for excursions to the Dragon Kiln, Kampong Glam, etc. My P5 class was affected today because it is combined with another class. As such, we usually teach 《好公民》,the 'not so important' subject. I had a good time teaching only 10 students today! We even had time to play games and chat. As expected, they always ask about my age, whether I have a boyfriend, where I live, etc. It was fun but most importantly, I saw a different side of the 10 students. Realised that they don't feel comfortable speaking up when the other class is around. How nice if classes are smaller, where students learn better and teachers mark less!
Saturday, March 26, 2005
Good Break!
Hi friends! I've gone into a disappearing act once again, this time due to the demands of Practicum, as expected right? Much to share about teaching but don't think I will say much here, don't want this to be some grievance channel. It's been generally a fruitful learning experience, and I thank God for the nice people around, especially my CTs and HOD. Of course, there were times when I felt a bit depressed, when I didn't communicate well with my students, and I felt tired out having to churn out lesson plans continuously. I've been looking forward to today ever since the week started. March holidays flew by so quickly and all my fellow trainee teachers actually looked depressed when I saw them on Mon. Heh.
It's a good break today, especially so when I could join other brothers and sisters in reminding ourselves of what God has done for us in Christ. The Good Friday service today was the largest I've ever attended, and it was good to see some friends. Michael Raiter gave a clear sermon on Zechariah 12:1-13:1, although I lost him at some juncture. Maybe I am slow..haha . Pastor Andrew says he is one of the most engaging speakers he has come across. Personally, I prefer John Chapman, who is able to simplify his message without diluting the Word. Maybe, like I've said, I am slow in understanding..haha. After the service, I had lunch with Isabel, Grace and Hui Kheng. We had a long lunch at Coffee Club, and got to know one another better. It was a gathering of women from three generations, ranging from 22 to 44. Age isn't a problem at all. :)
Quite slacked tonight, and for once, I've not done any work for a day. Think I need the rest. Will start working on all my lesson plans again tomorow. Practicum has not just gave me a glimpse of teaching, but made me reflect on the struggles that will come my way. The workload is already quite heavy now, what more for full-fledged teachers. My friend shared about her struggle reading the Bible, and everything else seems more appealing, even marking books. I felt the same way recently, when I just wanted time to rest my mind. What a great danger I am in! Edmund preached at BTPC last Sun on our Back to Basics series 'Listening to God', and I was really thankful to God for speaking to me through His Word, and pushing me back on track. I recognise once again that I should be thankful that God speaks to us each time we read His Word. What a personal God we have! Reading His Word shouldn't be a dreadful thing, instead, it is a privilege. How easy for us to go off track. It is always necessary for us to go back to the basics, isn't it? He shared a quote by D.A Carson, which some of you may already know. "Do not be masters of Scripture, but be mastered by it." Even as we read God's Word seriously, may our lives reflect Christ too!
It's a good break today, especially so when I could join other brothers and sisters in reminding ourselves of what God has done for us in Christ. The Good Friday service today was the largest I've ever attended, and it was good to see some friends. Michael Raiter gave a clear sermon on Zechariah 12:1-13:1, although I lost him at some juncture. Maybe I am slow..haha . Pastor Andrew says he is one of the most engaging speakers he has come across. Personally, I prefer John Chapman, who is able to simplify his message without diluting the Word. Maybe, like I've said, I am slow in understanding..haha. After the service, I had lunch with Isabel, Grace and Hui Kheng. We had a long lunch at Coffee Club, and got to know one another better. It was a gathering of women from three generations, ranging from 22 to 44. Age isn't a problem at all. :)
Quite slacked tonight, and for once, I've not done any work for a day. Think I need the rest. Will start working on all my lesson plans again tomorow. Practicum has not just gave me a glimpse of teaching, but made me reflect on the struggles that will come my way. The workload is already quite heavy now, what more for full-fledged teachers. My friend shared about her struggle reading the Bible, and everything else seems more appealing, even marking books. I felt the same way recently, when I just wanted time to rest my mind. What a great danger I am in! Edmund preached at BTPC last Sun on our Back to Basics series 'Listening to God', and I was really thankful to God for speaking to me through His Word, and pushing me back on track. I recognise once again that I should be thankful that God speaks to us each time we read His Word. What a personal God we have! Reading His Word shouldn't be a dreadful thing, instead, it is a privilege. How easy for us to go off track. It is always necessary for us to go back to the basics, isn't it? He shared a quote by D.A Carson, which some of you may already know. "Do not be masters of Scripture, but be mastered by it." Even as we read God's Word seriously, may our lives reflect Christ too!
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Facing the real world of teaching
What NIE teaches is sometimes..too idealisitc. Our lesson plans look terrifc, but in reality, we can fulfill possibly at most 70% of it? Seems that whichever subjects we teach, doing, marking and re-marking corrections can simply take up a period of lesson (even when there's two of us in class). Then, there's 听写，订正《新天地》etc.My CT kept asking me to rush, and I just feel like I'm throwing all the 生词 to the kids and that's the end of the lesson. All the preparation on critical thinking activities seem to go to waste. Guess it's the way my CT teaches. She's always worried that she can't finish teaching all the 生词。I think it's also due to the pressure of meeting the timeline set by the department. Oh well, will try my best to teach the way she prefers, and at the same time, adding in creativity. Appreciate your prayer too! The kids are too 乖，not very reponsive except a few. Not sure how things will turn out when my NIE supervisor observes them!
