Term 3 Week 1

What a way to start the term – having to go to class every morning to check the students’ temperatures. Honestly, I think the temperature check does not help in screening the affected ones. It’s been reported time and time again that infected people may not even be running a temperature. Still, I think the ministry is just getting everyone to do it to appease someone out there; that Singapore schools ARE taking active measures to curb the spread of the virus
For the first time, I actually have a trainee teacher under me. And of all people, she is my music ex-pupil!! Don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing. Bad cos it makes me feel really ancient (the photo frame she gave me during teacher’s day is still sitting on my table!) But seeing how she was once a music student becoming now a music teacher gives me some sense of accomplishment As for me, this time, I’m not imparting content knowledge to her. It’s sharing of teaching strategies and experiences. I really hope she will be able to learn a “trick” or two from me. These 2 weeks are still purely observation. I guess I will have more to share with her when she starts teaching.
It was a little uncomfortable having someone watch you at almost lesson, doing almost the same thing. It feels like a broken record being watched over and over again But it definitely made me more conscious of what I was doing in class. I even made an extra effort to make sure I didn’t say the same thing for the next Sec 1 GMP class. This experience did make me realise the extend of differences each class possess. Even amongst the 4 Express classes, they had different dynamics, thus creating a different setting for teaching to take place. I was able to share and teach more for classes that showed more enthusiasm, while the slower ones required me to repeat certain things in different ways. It REALLY does help being a language teacher At the end of it all, I was still able to accomplish what I had minimally set out for the classes to do.
I can FINALLY get to teach my form class (1N1) English! Not that I love seeing them every other day, it was a need-to basis. I felt I was more in control of them and I hope they will slowly start to take to me. At least I know I will finally be able to answer their parents with conviction the next time they ask me “How’s my boy/girl in class?”