Monday, April 22, 2013

Part-time administrative worker

Looking at the number of forms (blah-blah-blah acknowledgement form, so-and-so acknowledgement slip, etc) I give out to and collect from my kids these days, I somehow feel like I am a part-time administrative worker. That could well have been included in the job scope when I signed the papers, though it's pretty obvious by now that I haven't taken a close-enough look at the fine-print back then.

Can't imagine what the parents must be going through for having to sign some form every other day if the teachers are already experiencing so much frustration with them; much of it stemming from the fact that they are used mainly to shield our backsides. Grr... 10-15 minutes per day totals up to nearly over an hour for the entire week. Can you imagine how much more can be achieved with this time?

The productivity we're missing out on! I can't even...

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

pet peeves in the staffroom

#1 Who moved the giant hole punch?
Put it back after use la!

#2 Unwashed utensils in the sink
It's a shame that as we advocate our students to be more responsible for themselves, some teachers are not walking the talk. Unwashed utensils can remain in the pantry's sinks for up to a couple of days before someone (who should not be responsible for them) cleans them up. Can you imagine how gross the used bowls look? Do the culprits really expect the janitors to clean up after them every single time? I don't think cleaning up teachers' used utensils is part of their job scope. It disgusts me, how some fellow colleagues do not have the basic courtesy to clean up after themselves.

#3 Colleagues who have no idea how loud they are
Yup. You get unbearably loud. Sometimes.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Achievement unlocked

It took me a little longer than I expected, but for the first time evar,
I made a student cry in class some 2 days back.
You cannot even imagine how furious I was after learning that
one of my kids forgot to bring the work (again) that
he was supposed to have handed in 2 days ago and
blatantly lied that he's already submitted it. 

I felt slightly guilty when I saw him tear but honestly,
he deserved it more than less for trying to lie his way through
and thinking he'd be able to get away with it.

Personally, this would be classified as an achievement unlocked. 
I'm making good progress in becoming The Terrifying Teacher.
Way to go, AJ.

Monday, April 8, 2013

No entry too short

It's been a good 2 months since the last update.
There's been a couple of changes in my life since, both good and bad.

Let's start with the good.
When I titled the last entry as "The month of Two",
I sort of meant it in a literal way.
By welcoming the month of Feb as part of a duo.
I haven't thought it'd be anytime soon that I got hitched so quickly
but things happen, and yeah, I did.

My prior incessant worrying 
(e.g. what if I can't get used to having a boyfriend again?
or what if I can't get used to holding someone's hands once more?) 
had been uncalled for (phew...), 
because I've been having quite a wonderful time so far.
Many thanks to le bf, of course,
who's nothing but accommodating 
and encouraging towards me, 
as work has been piling up sneakily behind me
like an unwelcome ninja.

Which brings me to the bad.
Work got hectic.
Or maybe of course,
I could just have serious time management issues.
Things become alright for awhile after roughing some days out, 
but I find myself struggling to stay afloat not too long after.
I hope I'm not just hopping onto the "busy bandwagon" 
for the sake of appearing like I have important things to do
like what many others are doing.
This has got to get better.
I mean, I don't want to go on getting just a few hours' worth of sleep nightly on weekdays.

Before it gets better though, work's made me 
appreciate the weekends so much more these days.
I can't wait to meet up with le friends and bf
over the weekends for a nice catching up mostly,
And also, not forgetting, 
my daily lunches packed lovingly by Mumsy.

Alright. No more whinging.
I look forward to sharing interesting things that's been happening
at work more regularly!

It was during one of those conversations where we were disagreeing again with each other's views that I got a clearer understanding of ...