How time flies. Next month will mark my 1 year anniversary in the teaching line. Many people have asked me the same thing, and that’s whether I think I have wasted my time. These people include my colleagues, and of course my friends.
Truth is, well, no. This 1 year has allowed me to learn a lot about myself, and let me see a very real part of the Singapore society. Most kids are studying in neighbourhood schools like ours, and since I did not exactly come from one, this 1 year has been a major eye opener. What I see leaves me a little worried, but nevertheless, gives me some hope and optimism. Some of the young men and women I see today in my classes will go on to become leaders in the future, while the other rough and unpolished gems do have the same potential as well.
So what is the most important lesson I have learnt? I can say I have greater insights into the art of parenting. Thanks to numerous interactions with parents of students, I have witnessed some touching (and some depressing) moments.
I have met a father who is willing to plonk down $1200 for a set of encyclopedia for his daughter. To some people $1200 is merely loose change, but we are talking about someone who hardly earns more than $2k a month. He’s the type of father who will skip meals or eat bread to allow his kids to have a better shot at advancing in this competitive world. I was rather touched, to be honest. And thankfully, his daughter knew how much her dad had done and is doing for her.
There are also parents who are at their wits’ end. What to do with their out of control children? I can feel their pain and despair, because sometimes I feel the same pain too. Unfortunately, as teachers, we can only do so much. The rest will have to depend on the kid’s sensibilities and good parenting. I am determined to spend more time with my own children in the future, because I can see a correlation between the amount of time parents spent with their children and the children’s behaviour.
Yes, during this 1 year I have seen a part of Singapore that one doesn’t get to read about in The Straits Times or hear about in Channel NewsAsia. This job has and will keep me down to earth, and that to me is priceless. Where will I go from here? Well some have already known my plans and where I will be headed. There will be updates on this blog when the time comes 
