blogs and links

Blogging from my Mackie
A Mac user, and currently a student in NUS, but who hopes to become a teacher. Perhaps is already an MOE scholar/award holder.

I was shocked when I saw this at Fearfullly Opinonated/ The blogger had an entry listing various blogs by teachers, along with his/her comments, for his/her own reference. I'm not shocked that my blog is being seen by strangers, rather, shocked that my blog has warrant enough attention for some strangers to link me. Perhaps they found their way through the comments I left in other teachers' blogs, and must be terribly dissapointed to see that my blog is just ramblings - nothing intelligent. Then again, my horlible england spelleng could provide them with a few laughs here and there.

Anyway, I'm ok with strangers reading my blog. It's a WEBLOG for goodness sake, it's on the Internet (which part of WEB do you not understand?). Whoever in this world who thinks that a blog is something priavte (think KQH during PJC days and WSM incident. Hey, they were from the same elite secondary school!) deserved to be shot. Hello, it's on the Internet. Which part of "Inter" do you not understand? Unless you tell me, that your thoughts that are password protected has been hacked into, I would agree that those are your private thoughts. Even my kids, be it sec 1 , 2 or 3 knows that blogs are nothing private, without anyone of us having to teach them that. Else, any thoughts left unprotected on the internet are as good as barangs laid out for sale in a Pasar-Malam.

Some of my friends asked me - why not blog under some anoymous moniker. Well, true. Blogging under some nicknames would save you from incurring the wrath of people who are offended by your entries. This is especially useful for teachers, as certain opinons that landed in the wrong hands can result in their rice bowl breaking.

But for someone who has nothing much to lose(unless my award gets cancelled for some of my opinions. Then again, if that should happen, it would have happened when I send a email to my award officer, criticisng the production of the "Grow" Package booklet), I chose not to blog anoymously. True, it will be easier to trace me if someone gets offended by my opinion, but hey, this is what freedom of speech is about - being responsible for the opinons and thoughts you have articulated. No, freedom of speech doesn't mean you can say anything you want and walk away from it - it's kids who does it.

That is why I have always respected Mr Brown and Dixie Chicks - they voiced credible opinions, and when attacked, stood by it and took responsiblities for it. And that is why, at some uncomfrotable level, as much as I think Singapore needs more dissenting voices, I have always looked down on CSJ. He has voiced out his opinions, but hardly backs it up with proper evidence. When challenge, he accuse others of being undemocratic. Hello, you made your accusations, you made your opinions, you don't back it up, and you don't take responsiblity for it and triees to hide, by accusing others, when the challenge comes. How do you expect us Singaporeans to believe or support you? If you have justified it and stood by it, trust me, you would have garnered crediblity and support. If not, please continue to cry for your mummy at the corner.

I'm actually happy for the emergence of teacher blogs. By reading each others' blog, some sort of a netowkr has been created to support one another - cheering each other on, encouraging each other to press on despite the difficulties, bitching about lousy middle managemen that deviates from the true meaning of education etc.

It is good to know when someone has just blogged about his/her students, about the wonderful time he/she had with his/her kids, about the little things his/her kids have done that makes teaching all worthwhile and gratifying. It simply helps people to press on when they read it. The solidarity would help to regulate our sanity. (darn, why am i using sociological terms when my soci exam is over!)

Then again, all their blogs made me miss teaching already. But as I have found out on my 2nd week in NUS, if I really wantto give my kids a really good education, open their minds to the world, expose themselves to different things, I must first expose myself more in University first. Within 2 weeks in NUS, i hve learnt so much, and realised that if only I have learned these earlier, I would have exposed my kids much more to the geography discipline. I guess it is a long 4-5 year wait.

"Many of the teachers have come into the profession envisioning themselves moudling the future generation. I still see itthat way. Many of us are caught in situations and circumstances that might have caused us to forget our intial passion..."
- From "Revival of a Singapore Teacher's Life"

i truely admire her. She was disillusioned once, left the service and rejoined the service. It is the best place to get yourself motivated and learn to tolerate the rubbish in the system. And Surprise surprise, the rubbish doesn't comes from our kids.