On July 31st 2015, I loaded my car with the final box of stuff after I cleared my desk. As I drove out of the school grounds, I felt privileged to have been part of more than a thousand young lives. At the same time, I felt liberated.
What prompted me to write this is a really poignant conversation on WhatsApp with an ex-colleague who is a dedicated teacher. This is a person who gave decades of her life to public service, whose work is always done with pride and excellence. I felt her deep pain, anguish and disappointment as she shared her horrible horrible experiences with the leadership. In her time of need and support, she is treated with contempt. I believe like her, there are many teachers out there who love their jobs and dedicate much of their adult lives to the students they care for deeply. When they are at their most vulnerable, they are treated unfairly and disrespectfully to the point of humiliation. Why? To be honest I have no answers. I only think think she deserved more than this.
This weekend marks 2 years since I quit the service. I remember the days in the classroom, the precious moments seeing my students learn and grow. I cannot deny these are fond memories. I loved my job when I was with my students in class. But those fond memories are insufficient to keep one in a highly demanding job made worse by a cruel system and vicious people who call themselves teachers/leaders. Teaching is a noble profession. The best teachers ought to be those who truly represent the values that they preach but unfortunately, those most competent at hypocrisy are the ones who succeed at reaching the summit.
Those years in service has shown me that education in Singapore is an agricultural sector. The schools are brain farms. Children learn for the purpose of becoming useful workers later in their adult lives. It is not difficult to see this because the ultimate focus is always on numbers. The corridors echo with questions like “what grade did you get?”and “I miss an A1 by x number of marks”. Have you ever heard students asking each other, “What interesting thing did you learn in class today?” The chief purpose of school is to get a certificate with good grades and eventually get a high paying job. You rarely find people who just love learning and growing their skillsets.
More at http://www.domainofexperts.com/2017/07/former-school-teacher-2-years-since-i_31.html
What prompted me to write this is a really poignant conversation on WhatsApp with an ex-colleague who is a dedicated teacher. This is a person who gave decades of her life to public service, whose work is always done with pride and excellence. I felt her deep pain, anguish and disappointment as she shared her horrible horrible experiences with the leadership. In her time of need and support, she is treated with contempt. I believe like her, there are many teachers out there who love their jobs and dedicate much of their adult lives to the students they care for deeply. When they are at their most vulnerable, they are treated unfairly and disrespectfully to the point of humiliation. Why? To be honest I have no answers. I only think think she deserved more than this.
This weekend marks 2 years since I quit the service. I remember the days in the classroom, the precious moments seeing my students learn and grow. I cannot deny these are fond memories. I loved my job when I was with my students in class. But those fond memories are insufficient to keep one in a highly demanding job made worse by a cruel system and vicious people who call themselves teachers/leaders. Teaching is a noble profession. The best teachers ought to be those who truly represent the values that they preach but unfortunately, those most competent at hypocrisy are the ones who succeed at reaching the summit.
Those years in service has shown me that education in Singapore is an agricultural sector. The schools are brain farms. Children learn for the purpose of becoming useful workers later in their adult lives. It is not difficult to see this because the ultimate focus is always on numbers. The corridors echo with questions like “what grade did you get?”and “I miss an A1 by x number of marks”. Have you ever heard students asking each other, “What interesting thing did you learn in class today?” The chief purpose of school is to get a certificate with good grades and eventually get a high paying job. You rarely find people who just love learning and growing their skillsets.
More at http://www.domainofexperts.com/2017/07/former-school-teacher-2-years-since-i_31.html
