Teaching Refresh?!?

Much thoughts...much thoughts. As I was trying to sort out my priorities, an email came from MOE asking me if I would be available to speak to Humanities and Arts NTU students to inspire them towards teaching and in particular, to take up MOE Teaching Award. I usually decline such engagements cos it would mean preparation and more preparation. But this time, I decided to take it up.

Prying myself away from home, husband, baby and driving 30 km to the West End of Singapore at 6:30 pm really made me want to bang my head for agreeing to speak. What made it worse was that I lost my way, I think I circled around the huge campus for close to 15 mins to find the carpark nearest to Lecture Theatre 1. Double sigh...

Facing the students in Lecture Theatre 1, I had the impression that NTU students were very obedient and law abiding. I actually felt sorry for them that they had to stay around after lecture to hear us talk. My turn to speak soon came after the MOE personnel had briefed the students on the details of the scholarship. As I shared, much memories of teaching returned - the idealism and the reality, the disappointments and the joys, the passion and the drive. That sharing returned me back to those 1st few years of teaching when teaching was really no holds barred. It was just 'God and I'. There were so many incidents that I had to rely on God's wisdom and Daniel's timely advice - when 'R' brought a kitchen knife to school, when 'L' laid on the table after a panadol overdose, when I realized 'M's' absence from remedials and enrichment courses after class were due to daily threats from a gang member. After all these years, I am positive that I am called to teach. That I have not forgotten. But perhaps what I needed to be reminded of is why I am called to teach.

I left the lecture theatre that night, with renewed perspectives and new friends. There were sparkles in the NTU students' eyes as we spoke to one another. It was wonderful to see fresh, unadulterated passion and drive. I was glad that they appreciated the talk as much as I appreciated interacting with them. I think I can see some great teachers in the making.

Of course, some things never change - I circled around for another 15 minutes finding my way to the correct exit before heading home towards the East. More thoughts...more thoughts.