tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1109681525590028536.post1791648698632486730..comments2024-02-17T01:11:34.207+08:00Comments on Of Kids and Education: Ode to teachersmonlimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17397210688200284987noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1109681525590028536.post-31854456070301747042008-10-10T16:21:00.000+08:002008-10-10T16:21:00.000+08:00Wow... am relieved to know that there are parents ...Wow... am relieved to know that there are parents out there who still very much like the old school way of running things!bACk in GERMANYhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14398896655016654428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1109681525590028536.post-74243497041559966172008-10-10T10:54:00.000+08:002008-10-10T10:54:00.000+08:00Ya, I meant implemented by our civil servants who ...Ya, I meant implemented by our civil servants who return from their executive MBA courses in Harvard/Stanford brimming with the latest management ideas on best practices. Every other year, some new management mumbo-jumbo is stuffed down our throats.Lilianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10157427086383621265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1109681525590028536.post-37317660701330427412008-10-10T10:47:00.000+08:002008-10-10T10:47:00.000+08:00I know, one of my friends quit the teaching profes...I know, one of my friends quit the teaching profession, he was so frustrated. One student actually had the gall to say, "Teacher, my fees pay for your salary so you should treat me like your customer." I would have just slapped him.<BR/><BR/>Actually Lilian, this treating schools like enterprises is not the idea of civil servants. It's idiots like Jack Welsh who see the whole world as profit-making, and because of their status, pple hang on to their every word.monlimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17397210688200284987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1109681525590028536.post-18311527000436816712008-10-10T09:52:00.000+08:002008-10-10T09:52:00.000+08:00No joke about the teaching profession here. I hear...No joke about the teaching profession here. I hear from a friend whose hubby was an ex-teacher that the actual "worth" of teaching and making sure students understand (including home visits, yes, some teachers do this!!) is not considered very much at all. Rather, it's how much money you can pull in for projects or how you can bring your school glory by making the kids win awards for band, marching, whatever. And about the disrespectful attitude from kids- my friend's hubby was told - "the kids are your customers". If they don't want to come to your class, you must not be doing something right." It's a vicious cycle.Alcovelethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04186199996328583152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1109681525590028536.post-66939392875327525272008-10-09T21:29:00.000+08:002008-10-09T21:29:00.000+08:00I think schools being run like businesses is just ...I think schools being run like businesses is just utter rubbish. How can you gauge the worth of education in dollar value? That's why money only goes into medal-winning sports and BADMINTON GETS CUT!!!!monlimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17397210688200284987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1109681525590028536.post-71750990416859399482008-10-09T21:21:00.000+08:002008-10-09T21:21:00.000+08:00I really pity the teachers in Singapore. Unlike i...I really pity the teachers in Singapore. Unlike in the old days, they are no longer accorded deferential treatment cos these days, many parents are (or think they are) more qualified than teachers. I've also heard horror stories of rude little emperors in classrooms, reducing teachers to tears. <BR/><BR/>Add to that the non-teaching work piled on them. What to do when schools try to run themselves like corporations, going for SQA award, ISO certification, benchmarking, all those kind of nonsense implemented by civil servants. I really empathise with them and understand their frustrations.Lilianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10157427086383621265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1109681525590028536.post-30577610095786560692008-10-09T19:38:00.000+08:002008-10-09T19:38:00.000+08:00I know, what I meant was that the students are the...I know, what I meant was that the students are the ones giving the stress to the teachers! Teaching in SG is no joke, cos you also have to handle a lot of admin stuff.monlimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17397210688200284987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1109681525590028536.post-57264171744000821322008-10-09T19:04:00.000+08:002008-10-09T19:04:00.000+08:00Not free to comment, since I don't have the actual...Not free to comment, since I don't have the actual statistics... <BR/><BR/>To be fair, teachers do undergo lots of stress... from students, parents, HODs/principals, colleagues, exams, syllabi etc... on top of that, erm, personal issues, family, lifestyle etc... <BR/><BR/>So cut them some slack lah. :)bACk in GERMANYhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14398896655016654428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1109681525590028536.post-8205275580720091532008-10-09T18:58:00.000+08:002008-10-09T18:58:00.000+08:00Really ah? Did they go mental because of their stu...Really ah? Did they go mental because of their students???monlimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17397210688200284987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1109681525590028536.post-16633600981556716172008-10-09T18:48:00.000+08:002008-10-09T18:48:00.000+08:00That must have been painfully awful! Agree on the ...That must have been painfully awful! <BR/><BR/>Agree on the part that parents today can be a notch too protective. Sometimes it unfortunately diminishes the teacher's authority to teach in a classroom... <BR/><BR/>With that said, there are also many loco cases... wanna check out the no. of mental patients in IMH who used to teach???bACk in GERMANYhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14398896655016654428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1109681525590028536.post-21452203613532514512008-10-09T12:12:00.000+08:002008-10-09T12:12:00.000+08:00I think it's a great attitude towards life, to alw...I think it's a great attitude towards life, to always look to the lighter side. I think it's tough to be a teacher in today's context, where parents can be over-protective and sometimes even over-bearing.monlimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17397210688200284987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1109681525590028536.post-10152910630755461172008-10-08T21:23:00.000+08:002008-10-08T21:23:00.000+08:00That's a pretty bad experience you had. I've had ...That's a pretty bad experience you had. I've had mean teachers but their meanness was spread around fairly, everyone got the same treatment. To pick on one kid, that's plain vindictive, especially since the kid's not a troublemaker. <BR/><BR/>I've been lucky that all my teachers have been pretty fair...some were even nicer to me than I deserved. If I were a teacher, I'd dislike me too! I couldn't hide my boredom, I talked a lot in class, doodled ALL the time even on borrowed textbooks, passed around caricatures of friends I'd drawn just to make them laugh,...maybe I had ADHD! <BR/><BR/>So I would say my memories of school days are positive, I mainly remember the funny bits about school, some were outright hilarious! I was always in the group that was up to no good. I didn't find anyone particularly inspiring, my brain was always on the lookout for the next funny moment. Parenthood and adulthood haven't done much to change me I guess.Lilianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10157427086383621265noreply@blogger.com