Commonly known is the fact that teachers, the engineers of human soul, are a most valued and noble profession. Their price? Neverending subtle work, as they have to mold not just the brain and heart of a youngster, but the future of the whole world. Teachers used to be authority figures in the past, respected by folk all around. About 45 years ago, if a kid or a teen told his/her parents that they've been punished by teachers, the parents would likely give them a beating before apologising to the teacher personally for their children's misbehaviour.
Now, teachers have been put to more of the same level of students. Students' behaviour has now changed drastically. Of course, the respect is still there, but it is more in the mutual sense now. Sudents now usually take to teachers at an early stage, then the relationship can evolved to be two-way, where both teacher and pupil can learn from, and teach, the other.
As with any relationship, if the one between student and teacher went wrong, it usually means that both can do domething to make it better. I know students are more prone to causing the damage, therefore I would like to urge students this - If you're not going on well with your teacher, find a way to like him/her, then make amends to the relationship. After all, teachers will only be with you for 1 year, morfe or less. So appreciate them. You'll never know when you'll thank them to the heavens for their tutoring.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
To a Tutor, With the Best Wishes...
Okay, I know this isn't my typical style of posting, but then, this isn't a normal post. Please at least allow me to pour my heart out, as this serves as a very, very personal background for my next post about the teachers:
Being a co-curricularlly active senior student at my school usually means you're very busy during "special times", including the start of the year. Well, during that time, I've been spending more time at school outside of classes rather than in. The subject that I skipped the most is National Language ( NL) classes. I probably skipped about 5 lessons out of six per week for at least 3 weeks.
And then She came. Miss Helen. She was...... really tiny. Even at below average height when compared to my classmates, I had to lower my sight if we're both standing and going eye-to-eye. You can try to immagine how she'll look beside most of my classmates. Suffice to say, they towered over her. She's a trainee teacher, fresh out of the lecture halls, ready to take a peep at this daunting world of education. Guess what she teaches? Precisely the subject I skipped the most.
My first occuring thought when she walked into the class and introduced herself, "Missy, you're in for a gigantic mess. Not many teacher's 'survive' their trainee period here, so...... (shrugs) Your life ain't gonna be easy. Good luck...... you'll need every bit of it. "
At about mid February, its widely known that she's easy-going enough that some are really tempted to push her to the limits. I had to admit, I was one of those few sometimes. So once, I cracked a joke on something she just said(You know which one, Miss - "leg-cross" is the word). She didn't even wince. That kind of made me raise my eyebrows, in a good way. Since then, I decided to stop myself from getting too far. No good playing this game if you respect someone, and I started to respect her.
And so, I began to start focusing in her class. It was a little late, as mid-March was just around the corner on that time, and she's leaving in late April. Still, her classes are amongst the few I did not skip or sleep in with impunity, to say for my somewhat "rebellious" acts. She was an excellent teacher, willing to both teach and learn from her students. Sometimes, she could inspire some and bring out the best in them. Her only flaw in teaching is her inexperience. She probably needs some time to develop her own "signature style".
Late-April - Her trainee period was over. She left our school at the 25th. For me, something did not feel alright. At the time, it was as if something was missing, or out of place, right...... thear. We still managed to get in contact, though I'm drowned in exam preparations.
Miss Helen left for her hometown at the 5th of May. I considered it my fault for didn't see her off at the airport, since her plane was scheduled to take off after my school hours, as well as the fact that my home was not far from the airport - 15 minutes drive at the most. But then and there, she's leaving, and I am definitely missing her. Undeniably, my original NL teacher teaches far better, yet I'm also irresistably sleeping in her classes, a sign my friend CJ (no, his number is not 7 and he's not blubbery and fluffy) didn't fail to notice. (Heck, I'm falling asleep in most of my classes - Biology, Physics, Moral Education - and I still feel pangs of guilt when I think about it.)
All in all, there's no doubt about me. I've grown to actually...... well, I don't know how to phrase it myself, though "care" seems to be a slightly suitable word for it. Yup, I care about her more than a normal student cares about an average teacher. She is becoming more to me than just a mentor, a tutor. Here's a verse I excerpted and translated from a song, 保佑我 , "Bless Me", for Miss Helen, with the lyrics changed:
Bless her, to be a most distinguished teacher,
Bless me, to be able to cross that horizon to meet her again.
Bless her, so that she'll recognize me when we see each other again,
Bless me, to know her small, lithe form everywhere.
Bless her, to lead a life far happier than mine,
Let her life be blissful and full of laughter and light.
Being a co-curricularlly active senior student at my school usually means you're very busy during "special times", including the start of the year. Well, during that time, I've been spending more time at school outside of classes rather than in. The subject that I skipped the most is National Language ( NL) classes. I probably skipped about 5 lessons out of six per week for at least 3 weeks.
And then She came. Miss Helen. She was...... really tiny. Even at below average height when compared to my classmates, I had to lower my sight if we're both standing and going eye-to-eye. You can try to immagine how she'll look beside most of my classmates. Suffice to say, they towered over her. She's a trainee teacher, fresh out of the lecture halls, ready to take a peep at this daunting world of education. Guess what she teaches? Precisely the subject I skipped the most.
My first occuring thought when she walked into the class and introduced herself, "Missy, you're in for a gigantic mess. Not many teacher's 'survive' their trainee period here, so...... (shrugs) Your life ain't gonna be easy. Good luck...... you'll need every bit of it. "
At about mid February, its widely known that she's easy-going enough that some are really tempted to push her to the limits. I had to admit, I was one of those few sometimes. So once, I cracked a joke on something she just said(You know which one, Miss - "leg-cross" is the word). She didn't even wince. That kind of made me raise my eyebrows, in a good way. Since then, I decided to stop myself from getting too far. No good playing this game if you respect someone, and I started to respect her.
And so, I began to start focusing in her class. It was a little late, as mid-March was just around the corner on that time, and she's leaving in late April. Still, her classes are amongst the few I did not skip or sleep in with impunity, to say for my somewhat "rebellious" acts. She was an excellent teacher, willing to both teach and learn from her students. Sometimes, she could inspire some and bring out the best in them. Her only flaw in teaching is her inexperience. She probably needs some time to develop her own "signature style".
Late-April - Her trainee period was over. She left our school at the 25th. For me, something did not feel alright. At the time, it was as if something was missing, or out of place, right...... thear. We still managed to get in contact, though I'm drowned in exam preparations.
Miss Helen left for her hometown at the 5th of May. I considered it my fault for didn't see her off at the airport, since her plane was scheduled to take off after my school hours, as well as the fact that my home was not far from the airport - 15 minutes drive at the most. But then and there, she's leaving, and I am definitely missing her. Undeniably, my original NL teacher teaches far better, yet I'm also irresistably sleeping in her classes, a sign my friend CJ (no, his number is not 7 and he's not blubbery and fluffy) didn't fail to notice. (Heck, I'm falling asleep in most of my classes - Biology, Physics, Moral Education - and I still feel pangs of guilt when I think about it.)
All in all, there's no doubt about me. I've grown to actually...... well, I don't know how to phrase it myself, though "care" seems to be a slightly suitable word for it. Yup, I care about her more than a normal student cares about an average teacher. She is becoming more to me than just a mentor, a tutor. Here's a verse I excerpted and translated from a song, 保佑我 , "Bless Me", for Miss Helen, with the lyrics changed:
Bless her, to be a most distinguished teacher,
Bless me, to be able to cross that horizon to meet her again.
Bless her, so that she'll recognize me when we see each other again,
Bless me, to know her small, lithe form everywhere.
Bless her, to lead a life far happier than mine,
Let her life be blissful and full of laughter and light.
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