Teachers in a Blog Spot
Sunday Times article this morning:
Teachers who blog face a minefield of ethical issues as students are bound to read their postings. They risk being seen as unprofessional if they gripe about work.
If you are a teacher and you want to blog about your life, you should be professional about it and not write specific things about your students or school, or post photos taken with students. If you put your stuff out there where students can access it, it's going to be a can of worms.
Got a lil worried when I read this coz I realised I haven't been very professional in my recent blogs - I used to take a lot more care putting up the contents of my blog.
Would like to be more professional in my blogs but increasingly, my blogs have become an avenue for me to vent my frustrations (a lot) and share my joy (not a lot). So why should I tamper with the things I really want to say? I dun think I have hurt anybody in my blogs and I can only hope that I will never hurt anybody in my future blogs...
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Alternative Assessment: 2nd Lesson
Yup. Supposed to be having 2nd lesson of my Alternative Assessment workshop. Instead, I'm finishing my backlog of Blog entries for the past month...
And doing this...
I am SUPERGIRL.
Lean, muscular and feminine.
Honest and a defender of the innocent.
Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz
Yup. Supposed to be having 2nd lesson of my Alternative Assessment workshop. Instead, I'm finishing my backlog of Blog entries for the past month...
And doing this...
I am SUPERGIRL.
Lean, muscular and feminine.
Honest and a defender of the innocent.
Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz
2nd Day of School
Sigh... What to do? I know I'm utterly boring in my lessons. How to change myself? Are my expectations of my students really so low? Or are they performing so low because my expectations of them are low?
Mrs Tan passed by my 3T1 class today. Last period of the day. Loads of students were sleeping. She stood outside and stared in for a very long time. I deliberated whether to wake the students up or to continue with my teaching. Hence the thoughts of my boring lessons...
Anyway, back to my boring Science lesson in which so many students were sleeping and Mrs Tan dropped by. I think she also cannot take in just staring in and not doing anything about the sleeping students. She finally came in after a long time of staring and got the kids to stand up and bow. Started talking about blood circulation, staying awake, relating and liking Physics, loads of things lah. Frankly, I wasn't paying attention to her... Starting to fall asleep even... A few of the students made eye contact with me and expressed their derision. I definitely could relate to it but well, got to show the kids an unapproving face instead.
Never mind... Too many things, too little time, too little energy and too little motivation.
Will have to make do with my usual boring lessons.
Argh! Why couldn't she have come like 10 minutes earlier when I was talking about submarines and diving and its relation to water pressure?
Sigh... What to do? I know I'm utterly boring in my lessons. How to change myself? Are my expectations of my students really so low? Or are they performing so low because my expectations of them are low?
Mrs Tan passed by my 3T1 class today. Last period of the day. Loads of students were sleeping. She stood outside and stared in for a very long time. I deliberated whether to wake the students up or to continue with my teaching. Hence the thoughts of my boring lessons...
Anyway, back to my boring Science lesson in which so many students were sleeping and Mrs Tan dropped by. I think she also cannot take in just staring in and not doing anything about the sleeping students. She finally came in after a long time of staring and got the kids to stand up and bow. Started talking about blood circulation, staying awake, relating and liking Physics, loads of things lah. Frankly, I wasn't paying attention to her... Starting to fall asleep even... A few of the students made eye contact with me and expressed their derision. I definitely could relate to it but well, got to show the kids an unapproving face instead.
Never mind... Too many things, too little time, too little energy and too little motivation.
Will have to make do with my usual boring lessons.
Argh! Why couldn't she have come like 10 minutes earlier when I was talking about submarines and diving and its relation to water pressure?
First Day of School
What a hectic day it was! Urgent briefing in the LT about attendance taking for Avian Flu. But I have FULL DAY of lessons! How to call up parents? Provided I can even get them. Phew! Managed to ask Liyah to help me call.
No time to eat, as usual. Left school at 7pm coz trying to clear up my backlog of 2E1 Maths handouts. Managed to clear 3T1 work, so about time I start clearing work from other classes.
Trying to avoid Ms Tham. Still haven't put up the Library Notice Board things. Keep dragging...
Feeling very blur about the things I have to do... Like Angela, so many things on the To-Do List, I don't even know where to start.
Anyway, finished planning work for my lessons tomorrow. Shall go watch the last episode of Charmed before I nuah...
What a hectic day it was! Urgent briefing in the LT about attendance taking for Avian Flu. But I have FULL DAY of lessons! How to call up parents? Provided I can even get them. Phew! Managed to ask Liyah to help me call.
No time to eat, as usual. Left school at 7pm coz trying to clear up my backlog of 2E1 Maths handouts. Managed to clear 3T1 work, so about time I start clearing work from other classes.
Trying to avoid Ms Tham. Still haven't put up the Library Notice Board things. Keep dragging...
Feeling very blur about the things I have to do... Like Angela, so many things on the To-Do List, I don't even know where to start.
Anyway, finished planning work for my lessons tomorrow. Shall go watch the last episode of Charmed before I nuah...
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Lesson 3 @ Hark Music
Wanted to go jogging this morning, but woke up at noon. Tried to get Alphonsus for lunch, but he had to study. Tried to get Angela, but she had tuition. In the end, only left my place at 3pm after watching CSI on cable. Meanwhile, stomach grumbling away...
Took '7' to town. Don't like taking the MRT - confirmed have to stand and have to fight for space with loads of people (especially young teenagers - to whom I now have an aversion to...). Cannot read in peace coz have to hold on to handles (provided I can find a decent amount of free space).
Okay, get back to my trip into town. Took '7' with the aim of getting off at Bugis, grabbing lunch and a trip to SLS for a 'cheap' (ok, affordable) external 2.5" hdd (of at least 100 GB) before the 3rd lesson at Hark Music.
Instead, got off at Scotts Isetan, walked around to take a look at the cosmetics and facial care products available on the market. Continued on to Tangs and took another look at the products there (yeah, not much difference). Then took bus to Prinsep Street and walked past Hark Music to get to SLS. The 2 buildings are actually quite near. Didn't find the cheap 200GB external hdd I saw at the IT Fair. Was tempted to buy the remote control for computer slides but decided to buy a wireless optical mouse instead.
Grabbed a quick 'lunch' at 5.30pm, just before my music lesson at Hark.
Good lesson today. Getting more difficult. The Projection and Open Throat Techniques were pretty challenging. Very difficult to conceptualise lah. Throwing your voice, keeping time, maintaining consistency...
MUST PRACTISE! Breath control, breath support, trilling, projection techniques...
Gotta choose a song to sing in class 3 weeks later (9th April). And then 2 songs to sing in the cafe in 2 months (28th May). Finally, 1 more song to sing as the exam piece (25th June).
Any suggestions?
Wanted to go jogging this morning, but woke up at noon. Tried to get Alphonsus for lunch, but he had to study. Tried to get Angela, but she had tuition. In the end, only left my place at 3pm after watching CSI on cable. Meanwhile, stomach grumbling away...
Took '7' to town. Don't like taking the MRT - confirmed have to stand and have to fight for space with loads of people (especially young teenagers - to whom I now have an aversion to...). Cannot read in peace coz have to hold on to handles (provided I can find a decent amount of free space).
Okay, get back to my trip into town. Took '7' with the aim of getting off at Bugis, grabbing lunch and a trip to SLS for a 'cheap' (ok, affordable) external 2.5" hdd (of at least 100 GB) before the 3rd lesson at Hark Music.
Instead, got off at Scotts Isetan, walked around to take a look at the cosmetics and facial care products available on the market. Continued on to Tangs and took another look at the products there (yeah, not much difference). Then took bus to Prinsep Street and walked past Hark Music to get to SLS. The 2 buildings are actually quite near. Didn't find the cheap 200GB external hdd I saw at the IT Fair. Was tempted to buy the remote control for computer slides but decided to buy a wireless optical mouse instead.
Grabbed a quick 'lunch' at 5.30pm, just before my music lesson at Hark.
Good lesson today. Getting more difficult. The Projection and Open Throat Techniques were pretty challenging. Very difficult to conceptualise lah. Throwing your voice, keeping time, maintaining consistency...
MUST PRACTISE! Breath control, breath support, trilling, projection techniques...
Gotta choose a song to sing in class 3 weeks later (9th April). And then 2 songs to sing in the cafe in 2 months (28th May). Finally, 1 more song to sing as the exam piece (25th June).
Any suggestions?
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Starbucks @ Holland Village (Part 2)
Had a good day at Starbucks yesterday. Finished lesson planning for both my 2T1 Maths and 3T1 Science. Yeah!
Decided to go Starbucks again today to finish up more work. After all, only 2 more days before school starts. And it's gonna be a helluva term - rushing to finish syllabus for Mid-Year Exams, all the trouble my class is throwing up, the few pests who still sleep in class and refuse to do any work...
Reached Starbucks at 11am and managed to grab 1 of the 2 available tables with adjoining power sockets. The nice seat we got yesterday was taken up by a guy using a laptop, so can't ask him to let me use.
But never mind. At least still got power socket. Didn't order anything. Felt a little bad at first, but told myself that I'd order later. And doesn't look like a lot of people around.
As I continued working, didn't realise that the place was filling up. Angela called at 1pm to say that she's nearby. I started to pack up and realised that there were 6 other laptop users in the cafe. While I was packing, saw another gal packing up and anticipating to take my place. Decided to call Angela to ask her to grab lunch on her own first. Kaisee lah. Dun wanna lose my strategic location...
In the end, Angela came upstairs and we had our lunch at Starbucks - muffins and ice-blended coffee.
I didn't lose my strategic table and I finished my lesson planning for ALL my classes for the rest of the term! Yippee!
Had a good day at Starbucks yesterday. Finished lesson planning for both my 2T1 Maths and 3T1 Science. Yeah!
Decided to go Starbucks again today to finish up more work. After all, only 2 more days before school starts. And it's gonna be a helluva term - rushing to finish syllabus for Mid-Year Exams, all the trouble my class is throwing up, the few pests who still sleep in class and refuse to do any work...
Reached Starbucks at 11am and managed to grab 1 of the 2 available tables with adjoining power sockets. The nice seat we got yesterday was taken up by a guy using a laptop, so can't ask him to let me use.
But never mind. At least still got power socket. Didn't order anything. Felt a little bad at first, but told myself that I'd order later. And doesn't look like a lot of people around.
As I continued working, didn't realise that the place was filling up. Angela called at 1pm to say that she's nearby. I started to pack up and realised that there were 6 other laptop users in the cafe. While I was packing, saw another gal packing up and anticipating to take my place. Decided to call Angela to ask her to grab lunch on her own first. Kaisee lah. Dun wanna lose my strategic location...
In the end, Angela came upstairs and we had our lunch at Starbucks - muffins and ice-blended coffee.
I didn't lose my strategic table and I finished my lesson planning for ALL my classes for the rest of the term! Yippee!
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Diary Writing
Started writing in a physical diary again.
Used up 8 pages for the last 3 days alone. So, you can imagine how much has happened in the past week.
Will transfer some of the text over when I have the time.
Cheers!
Right now, can't wait for the Sec 3 camp to start. 2 less classes. Just hope I won't kenah much relief classes due to the missing teachers. *fingers crossed*
Started writing in a physical diary again.
Used up 8 pages for the last 3 days alone. So, you can imagine how much has happened in the past week.
Will transfer some of the text over when I have the time.
Cheers!
Right now, can't wait for the Sec 3 camp to start. 2 less classes. Just hope I won't kenah much relief classes due to the missing teachers. *fingers crossed*
Sunday, February 26, 2006
HotSpots Speed-Dating Experience
Went to a HotSpots Speed-Dating event last night. *laugh*
Had a great time. Didn't dress up at all. Went there in T-shirt and jeans. No make-up. There couldn't be a more bo-chap participant... Not a total waste of money. Met 20 interesting characters - some old, some young, some working, some own their business,...
Had to pick maximum 7 guys I'm interested to know better, but none of the 7 were interested to know me better. Did get 5 out of the other 12 who were interested. Got quickly bored of the place and zao-ed.
Met one of the guys (alas, not one of those I was interested in) who was leaving and he gave me a ride to the MRT. Realised later that it wasn't real smart of me to get in a stranger's car...
Went to a HotSpots Speed-Dating event last night. *laugh*
Had a great time. Didn't dress up at all. Went there in T-shirt and jeans. No make-up. There couldn't be a more bo-chap participant... Not a total waste of money. Met 20 interesting characters - some old, some young, some working, some own their business,...
Had to pick maximum 7 guys I'm interested to know better, but none of the 7 were interested to know me better. Did get 5 out of the other 12 who were interested. Got quickly bored of the place and zao-ed.
Met one of the guys (alas, not one of those I was interested in) who was leaving and he gave me a ride to the MRT. Realised later that it wasn't real smart of me to get in a stranger's car...
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Michelle's Birthday Celebration
Was hoping to zao home early after school today to take a nap first before coming out to meet the gang.
Dreadfully tired this week keeping a black face all the time. But had to wait for Amaran's mother to show up and by then, decided to wait for Michelle and Angela to wrap up their work and travel to Settlers' Cafe @ Holland Village together.
I played 2 new games today while we were there today - Project Management and TransAmerica. Quite liked both games. Both quite luck-oriented though.
Then went to ThaiExpress for dinner but didn't eat much coz I was still too full from the lunch and snacks we had at Settlers'.
After dinner, we decided to go Clementi KBox and we took a bus down. Coincidentally, '7' came along and of course, I got off earlier to put my stuff back home first. Can't help it - took a quick shower while I was home and had a change of clothes before making my way over to KBox. Made an attempt to smuggle in a bottle of red wine and another of ice wine for the gang.
Was hoping to zao home early after school today to take a nap first before coming out to meet the gang.
Dreadfully tired this week keeping a black face all the time. But had to wait for Amaran's mother to show up and by then, decided to wait for Michelle and Angela to wrap up their work and travel to Settlers' Cafe @ Holland Village together.
I played 2 new games today while we were there today - Project Management and TransAmerica. Quite liked both games. Both quite luck-oriented though.
Then went to ThaiExpress for dinner but didn't eat much coz I was still too full from the lunch and snacks we had at Settlers'.
After dinner, we decided to go Clementi KBox and we took a bus down. Coincidentally, '7' came along and of course, I got off earlier to put my stuff back home first. Can't help it - took a quick shower while I was home and had a change of clothes before making my way over to KBox. Made an attempt to smuggle in a bottle of red wine and another of ice wine for the gang.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Term 1 Week 8
Yeah! Only 2 more weeks to go before a well-deserved break. But alas, it's only for a week. But hey, better than nothing, right?! I just hope I'm gonna get a full week worth of break time. Goodness knows anything can crop up during the next 2 weeks. Already kenah a course right in the middle of the week.
So, here's keeping my fingers crossed!
Yeah! Only 2 more weeks to go before a well-deserved break. But alas, it's only for a week. But hey, better than nothing, right?! I just hope I'm gonna get a full week worth of break time. Goodness knows anything can crop up during the next 2 weeks. Already kenah a course right in the middle of the week.
So, here's keeping my fingers crossed!
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Finding Love... And Forgetting Love
It takes...
A minute to find a special person,
An hour to appreciate them,
A day to love them, and
A lifetime to forget them.
Well, guess I'm taking yet another step to truly forgetting my special someone.
Just spent 35 bucks on a ticket to a Group Speed Dating event by HotSpots.
Hope I'd have fun... There's at least the free tarot reading to look forward to. *grin*
And provide more fodder for my blog. Whether good or bad remains to be seen. *fingers crossed*
Okies, gonna go sleep liao. Slept a full 6 hours last nite. Wow! Very rare one ok.
Nite nite.
It takes...
A minute to find a special person,
An hour to appreciate them,
A day to love them, and
A lifetime to forget them.
Well, guess I'm taking yet another step to truly forgetting my special someone.
Just spent 35 bucks on a ticket to a Group Speed Dating event by HotSpots.
Hope I'd have fun... There's at least the free tarot reading to look forward to. *grin*
And provide more fodder for my blog. Whether good or bad remains to be seen. *fingers crossed*
Okies, gonna go sleep liao. Slept a full 6 hours last nite. Wow! Very rare one ok.
Nite nite.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
I'm know I'm gonna have a breakdown soon
One of these days. I'm going to have a mental breakdown.
I know it. My kids are driving me crazy. Everybody thinks I can handle it. I guess I haven't given anybody any idea that I might not be able to...
Thank you, Ms Lee, for trying to help. I think I shocked quite a few of my colleagues when I started crying in the staff lounge yesterday morning.
Just feel like a personal failure at times like today. Students all gone crazy. Kicking, hitting classmates, shouting, stealing, self-mutilation, it boggles the mind what they can get up to... Have I been a crappy Form Teacher?
One of these days. I'm going to have a mental breakdown.
I know it. My kids are driving me crazy. Everybody thinks I can handle it. I guess I haven't given anybody any idea that I might not be able to...
Thank you, Ms Lee, for trying to help. I think I shocked quite a few of my colleagues when I started crying in the staff lounge yesterday morning.
Just feel like a personal failure at times like today. Students all gone crazy. Kicking, hitting classmates, shouting, stealing, self-mutilation, it boggles the mind what they can get up to... Have I been a crappy Form Teacher?
Friday, February 17, 2006
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Confessions of 300 Unmarried Men
What a abysmal play it was! Just got home from the New Drama Centre at the National Library @ Victoria Street. Thank goodness we got the 2nd cheapest tix @ $38 and it was only 90 minutes long!
It had its moments... Why is that plate sushi still on the conveyor belt? Why is it that no one has chosen you? Is there something wrong with you? Yeah... Sounds like what I ask myself sometimes...
The song and dance components were utterly stupid and kinda nonsensical. But funny, I guess. I just hope they dun make a fool of themselves when they show in Mew York.
The monologues by the 3 lonely guys were a bit too cheem... Couldn't catch everything they said and definitely couldn't understand half of wat was going on.
Thank goodness Jonathan couldn't make it. But perhaps we'd have more to talk about the next time we meet if he did. Then again, it was so bad the lot of us who went to watch it has absolutely nothing to say about it - good or bad...
The only thing it did was perhaps made me even more depressed about my single status.
What a abysmal play it was! Just got home from the New Drama Centre at the National Library @ Victoria Street. Thank goodness we got the 2nd cheapest tix @ $38 and it was only 90 minutes long!
It had its moments... Why is that plate sushi still on the conveyor belt? Why is it that no one has chosen you? Is there something wrong with you? Yeah... Sounds like what I ask myself sometimes...
The song and dance components were utterly stupid and kinda nonsensical. But funny, I guess. I just hope they dun make a fool of themselves when they show in Mew York.
The monologues by the 3 lonely guys were a bit too cheem... Couldn't catch everything they said and definitely couldn't understand half of wat was going on.
Thank goodness Jonathan couldn't make it. But perhaps we'd have more to talk about the next time we meet if he did. Then again, it was so bad the lot of us who went to watch it has absolutely nothing to say about it - good or bad...
The only thing it did was perhaps made me even more depressed about my single status.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Birthday Presents to Myself
*grin*
Spent over 200 bucks on myself today. Pay day lah... And just saw brother's latest toy - the PSP.
Was very tempted to buy a PDA but managed to curb myself.
However, fell to a $60 Braun hair curler and $99 MP3 player. Also bought a $40 cross-stitch sampler. Not Precious Moment this time. Didn't put Precious Moment in my birthday wish list this year and so no more additions to my collection. Got one with small samplers. Hoping to be able to do something for my kids instead of my normal bookmarks. Hopefully, a cross-stitched key chain would be more practical. And more meaningful.
Stupid Robin lah. Didn't want to go home one. But he broke my momentum to mark papers and I went shopping instead. Therefore, ended up buying so many things. Actually, can still stay at PS till the movie showed, but bought a toaster oven to reach the $200 mark to get the $10 shopping voucher. So no choice. Got to go home with the toaster oven first.
Reached home and fell asleep. Very tired this week. Must remember to write about my visit to Hark Music. And the hilarious story of a very-seh jTan.
Luckily, woke up at 10.30pm, half an hour before the show time. Just enough time to quickly change and grab a cab to PS.
Brought my hair curler along and tried to curl my hair while in the cab. Wondered if anybody had tried to do such a thing before. But didn't know how to switch it on till I reached PS. So too bad. Didn't get to use it after all. Only managed to use it to curl my hair without any heat being applied.
Sigh... Brokeback Mountain turned out really boring. Would have been ok if it wasn't a midnight show perhaps. A bit draggy, especially since I was already feeling all tired out.
Then found out that PS does not have NR8. So had to walk to Somerset to take the night rider home. Again tempted to buy an Ipod (Nano) after seeing Robin's Ipod. Teachers have discount some more. Hope he found his ear piece at the bus-stop. Think it dropped either back at the cinema or at the bus-stop...
Reached home and continued playing with my brand new MP3 player. Didn't realise my songs collection was in such a mess. Decided to leave it till after I get some sleep first. It was already 4 am, after all...
The 512Mb space did turn out to be too small for my song collection after all. Didn't know I have so many songs. Made me regret my decision not to buy the Ipod... for a little while. But well, it is still a very good buy. Less than a hundred bucks for 512Mb, comes with radio and voice recording. Best of all, it shows the chinese and KOREAN characters of the songs being played. So no problem finding my fav korean song in KBox next time.
Can also be used as data storage (though no more space after I loaded 125 songs this morning...). And it's so cute and small. Bought the white version.
*grin*
Spent over 200 bucks on myself today. Pay day lah... And just saw brother's latest toy - the PSP.
Was very tempted to buy a PDA but managed to curb myself.
However, fell to a $60 Braun hair curler and $99 MP3 player. Also bought a $40 cross-stitch sampler. Not Precious Moment this time. Didn't put Precious Moment in my birthday wish list this year and so no more additions to my collection. Got one with small samplers. Hoping to be able to do something for my kids instead of my normal bookmarks. Hopefully, a cross-stitched key chain would be more practical. And more meaningful.
Stupid Robin lah. Didn't want to go home one. But he broke my momentum to mark papers and I went shopping instead. Therefore, ended up buying so many things. Actually, can still stay at PS till the movie showed, but bought a toaster oven to reach the $200 mark to get the $10 shopping voucher. So no choice. Got to go home with the toaster oven first.
Reached home and fell asleep. Very tired this week. Must remember to write about my visit to Hark Music. And the hilarious story of a very-seh jTan.
Luckily, woke up at 10.30pm, half an hour before the show time. Just enough time to quickly change and grab a cab to PS.
Brought my hair curler along and tried to curl my hair while in the cab. Wondered if anybody had tried to do such a thing before. But didn't know how to switch it on till I reached PS. So too bad. Didn't get to use it after all. Only managed to use it to curl my hair without any heat being applied.Sigh... Brokeback Mountain turned out really boring. Would have been ok if it wasn't a midnight show perhaps. A bit draggy, especially since I was already feeling all tired out.
Then found out that PS does not have NR8. So had to walk to Somerset to take the night rider home. Again tempted to buy an Ipod (Nano) after seeing Robin's Ipod. Teachers have discount some more. Hope he found his ear piece at the bus-stop. Think it dropped either back at the cinema or at the bus-stop...
Reached home and continued playing with my brand new MP3 player. Didn't realise my songs collection was in such a mess. Decided to leave it till after I get some sleep first. It was already 4 am, after all...The 512Mb space did turn out to be too small for my song collection after all. Didn't know I have so many songs. Made me regret my decision not to buy the Ipod... for a little while. But well, it is still a very good buy. Less than a hundred bucks for 512Mb, comes with radio and voice recording. Best of all, it shows the chinese and KOREAN characters of the songs being played. So no problem finding my fav korean song in KBox next time.
Can also be used as data storage (though no more space after I loaded 125 songs this morning...). And it's so cute and small. Bought the white version. Friday, February 10, 2006
You're A Passionate Kisser
For you, kissing is about all about following your urges
If someone's hot, you'll go in for the kiss - end of story
You can keep any relationship hot with your steamy kisses
A total spark plug - your kisses are bound to get you in trouble
What Kind of Kisser Are You?
For you, kissing is about all about following your urgesIf someone's hot, you'll go in for the kiss - end of story
You can keep any relationship hot with your steamy kisses
A total spark plug - your kisses are bound to get you in trouble
What Kind of Kisser Are You?
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