And so,
4 weeks of my attachment has come to an end. The end of an attachment is always a bittersweet affair.
Bitter; as I can’t bear to say farewell to a school I had
grown to be fond of, and also of the wonderful people I have met whilst doing
the attachment.
Sweet; as I have taken away memories that will stay with me
for a lifetime.
I guess this warrants a mandatory post as sort of a closing
for my experience thus far teaching at BNSS.
This may not be my first time teaching in a school formally
but this experience has further convinced me that my decision to take up
teaching as a career was right.
I really want to thank God for sending me angels in the form
of wonderful colleagues, mentors and students during my attachment. I received so
much encouragement from my mentors and fellow trainees and it is always
inspiring to hear them share their stories and experiences. They are my source
of motivation. The classes that I was assigned to were manageable and a joy to
teach! Praise God for that! I have heard
stories from friends who have had not-so-pleasant experience at other schools
but mine was very smooth-sailing and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It definitely is
God’s grace that I had such a fulfilling journey. Even during trying times when
I was juggling my piano exams, preparing for lessons for many classes and
carrying out my school project, He constantly watched over me and guided me
every single step of my journey. I barely slept a wink during my attachment
since I had after school commitments at hand as well, so it was pretty draining
at times (the long hours in school doesn’t help) but I was genuinely happy. Thank God I survived! All in all I was blessed
richly and abundantly during my 4 weeks attachment, learning and growing
together with the students J
A colleague gave me a farewell card with a quote that I felt
was really apt and meaningful so I thought I would share it here:
“God has not promised skies always blue, flower-strewn
pathways all our lives through; God has not promised sun without rain, joy
without sorrow, peace without pain. But God has promised strength for the day, rest for the
labour, light for the way, grace for the trials, help from above, unfailing
sympathy, undying love.”
Indeed, teaching is not an easy job.
Many people have struggled.
Many have burnt out.
Many have been disillusioned.
But as with every job, there will be its difficulties.
However, it is all these trials and challenges that will help us to grow and eventually
shaping us into the very people that God wants us to be. I came into teaching
knowing that it wasn't going to be a bed of roses and I knew what I was in for.
I have never regretted making that decision and signing my name on the bond
that would determine my career path at least for the next 4 years. Teaching may
be frustrating at times but the rewards are probably endless and boundless.
One of the incidents that struck me the most was when I got
to interact one on one with an at-risk students from the normal technical
class. He was caught smoking again for the umpteenth time and was about to be
sent to a social worker. I was at a loss for words since it was an impromptu affair
by the discipline mistress who wanted me to counsel the boy. I was worried that
the boy would refuse to talk to me or act rebellious since he was pretty
notorious in school for being rather defiant.
To my surprise, he was a pleasant boy when we interacted
one-on-one. I guess when you separate rebellious boys away from their group;
they become more vulnerable alone without the strength of a group. It is only when
they are out of their comfort zone that you get to see their true selves. He
opened up to me on his family background and life story. It was truly
heart-wrenching to see a young boy like him going through so much. The lack of
love at home led him to turn to gangs outside of school which provided him with
companionship that he simply could not get at home. He stayed out late everyday
as he felt that there was no point going back to an empty, void home.
I asked
if he had any dreams of his own and he paused for a moment. He told me that he
was good at a particular arcade game and pool and he wanted to be a
professional at that. It is not a conventional aspiration that people would usually
have but I encouraged him nonetheless that it is good to have dreams and to continue
to dream big. It is only with dreams that we can do greater things.
I ventured
further, asking if he ever felt that what he did would upset his parents. He
only replied “I don’t think they would care.” I saw the look on his face. It
was that of a young boy who simply wanted someone to care for him. He just
looked so forlorn. I was heartbroken. My voice quivered as I struggled to gain composure.
I was the one who was supposed to counsel him and help him to see “the light”
and yet at the moment, I felt that I had learnt so much from him, one who is so
much younger than I was. I could not do anything much except to give him a
squeeze on his hand to comfort him. I prayed that God would give him peace in
his heart and that he will mend his ways.
It reminded me that as a teacher, one should never judge
people based on their behaviour and the need to delve into why some kids behave
in certain ways. Once you go beneath that and understand them through
conversation, you discover that they are actually really wonderful and innocent
kids. It just takes a little more effort to know your students and it could
really mean a lot to them. As teachers, we do not merely impart knowledge that
can be found in textbooks, but we influence and mould the children into people
of substance and teach them values that will stay with them for a lifetime.
