don't care
mel ask me if skss needs a relief teacher for this and that subject, as one of the guys in her block "needs a job during the holidays badly"
I asked how much is he into teaching. She said she don't know.
and I told her "If he can't be bothered about the students, even if he is starving on the street, I wouldn't even ask him if I know that the school needs 10 relief teachers."
Maybe I should clarify some of the terms I used. When I said "bothered about the students", I don't mean expecting the relief teacher to like go to the ends of the world to help the student. I meant the very very very basic of what every teachers should do in a classroom - bother to manage the class, bother to listen to feedback about the volume of your voice, bother to ensure that your students understand your explaination, and most importantly, bother to prepare for the lesson and teach.
I have met and heard of more cases of relief teachers who can't be bothered as compared to those who do their job. It seems like I hear about the extremes - either those who really bother and do their job very very well or those who can't be bothered and don't even do their job properly, but rarely, the middle ground.
Those who can't be bothered, are the ones I'm most irritated with. They take relief teaching as a job for "easy money", but don't even bother to teach properly. Classic specimens of this species are
1) come-in-sit-down-do-your-own-thing-although-i'm-told-to-cover-some-topics
2) i-explain-to-myself-and-front-row-only-what?-cannot-hear?-that-is-your-problem
These people have no idea how destructive their actions(or inactions) can be.
Before I reliefed last year, as I had a lot of free time (was clearing leave in camp) but yet still can't work (haven't finish NS yet), I asked to sit in G's (whom I was suppose to take over from) lesson so that I can have a feel of the class dynamics and to learn form G. You could see that, for most of the students, although they are not very passionate about the subject, you could tell that they have interest to learn more about it.
That was G's last day. Another relief teacher took over for 2 weeks, before I end my NS and could work. When I entered the same classes on my first day, I was shocked. I no longer see students who are eager to learn more, but jaded and upset students. They all have the same complaint, regardless of level or stream, that the teacher, despite given feedback that she was too soft and fast, couldn't be bothered about them. They tried to learn on their own, but the lack of explaination and not knowing who they can ask made them felt very helpless, to the point of giving up.
-------------------------------------------------
When I was reliefing with KR last year, despite his lack of knowledge in geography(the last time he touched geog was sec 2), he tried very hard to catch up so that he could teach effectively. I remember how he managed to arouse the interest of the students. He would always be busy right after school - there will always be students asking him about geography.
Then 2 months later, he has to go for his 2 weeks induction programme. Another person took over. At the end of his 2 weeks was the end of my term there as well. Then he had a major fever, and I tooked over his duties for 1 day.
I was shocked by what I saw. The students, they seemed so jaded about the subject.
-------------------------------------------------
You see, you might be a relief teacher for 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month or longer. But that is enough for you to destroy everything your predecessor has done - the interest the child has in the subject, their morale and their drive. All for the "easy money?" It's like you are constructing a building, and while you were away, the person who took over destroyed everything you have painstakingly built. Imagine the amount of effort wasted trying to rebuild everything, within a shorter period of time.
You might say, everyone has their limits. True, I agree. I didn't say teaching is a job for everyone in the first place. No one is born as a wonderful teacher from day one. I had to learn on the job as well to find my style and formula. But if those are your limitations that would affect the students' learning, there are ways to over come them. The question is whether you bother to or not. I'm sure anyone from my generation could attest to seeing at least one teacher in their school using microphones, as their voices are too soft, so that everyone in the class could hear him or her.
I had horrible handwriting and bad whiteboard management, that was quite difficult for the students to take notes. I have always wanted to use slides, as they are my most comfortable medium. However, the laptop that was meant for my use is locked to the table, and I don't have the key. In the end, I had to overcome this problem by booking rooms with computer attached to the projector.
KR never took o level geography. But he spend lots of time to learn more about the subject, to borrow a level text from libraries just so that he would have enough depth to teach sec 3 electives students.
--------------------------------------------------------------
My main point is this : if you do not bother doing your relief teaching job properly, I can't be bothered about finding a post for you. Even if you need the job desperately, even if you are like going to die if you don't get a job soon, as long as you can't be bothered to relief teach properly, I can't be bothered asking you either, even if let say, some one asked if I can find 10 relief teachers as they are desperately needed by the school.
You might be perplexed, that I have the concious to see someone die like that when I could help.
I'm equally perplexed that the this person have the concious to leave at least 4 classes of 40 students to die and killed their interest when all he needs is to pump in a little more effort to prevent it.
I'm equally perplexed that the same person have the concious to take the money that he doesn't really worked for.
I'm equally perplexed that the same person have resulted in those around him taking a much higher workload, because he "can't be bothered".
I'm equally perplexed that they have the concious to destroy what others have worked so hard to build.
I asked how much is he into teaching. She said she don't know.
and I told her "If he can't be bothered about the students, even if he is starving on the street, I wouldn't even ask him if I know that the school needs 10 relief teachers."
Maybe I should clarify some of the terms I used. When I said "bothered about the students", I don't mean expecting the relief teacher to like go to the ends of the world to help the student. I meant the very very very basic of what every teachers should do in a classroom - bother to manage the class, bother to listen to feedback about the volume of your voice, bother to ensure that your students understand your explaination, and most importantly, bother to prepare for the lesson and teach.
I have met and heard of more cases of relief teachers who can't be bothered as compared to those who do their job. It seems like I hear about the extremes - either those who really bother and do their job very very well or those who can't be bothered and don't even do their job properly, but rarely, the middle ground.
Those who can't be bothered, are the ones I'm most irritated with. They take relief teaching as a job for "easy money", but don't even bother to teach properly. Classic specimens of this species are
1) come-in-sit-down-do-your-own-thing-although-i'm-told-to-cover-some-topics
2) i-explain-to-myself-and-front-row-only-what?-cannot-hear?-that-is-your-problem
These people have no idea how destructive their actions(or inactions) can be.
Before I reliefed last year, as I had a lot of free time (was clearing leave in camp) but yet still can't work (haven't finish NS yet), I asked to sit in G's (whom I was suppose to take over from) lesson so that I can have a feel of the class dynamics and to learn form G. You could see that, for most of the students, although they are not very passionate about the subject, you could tell that they have interest to learn more about it.
That was G's last day. Another relief teacher took over for 2 weeks, before I end my NS and could work. When I entered the same classes on my first day, I was shocked. I no longer see students who are eager to learn more, but jaded and upset students. They all have the same complaint, regardless of level or stream, that the teacher, despite given feedback that she was too soft and fast, couldn't be bothered about them. They tried to learn on their own, but the lack of explaination and not knowing who they can ask made them felt very helpless, to the point of giving up.
-------------------------------------------------
When I was reliefing with KR last year, despite his lack of knowledge in geography(the last time he touched geog was sec 2), he tried very hard to catch up so that he could teach effectively. I remember how he managed to arouse the interest of the students. He would always be busy right after school - there will always be students asking him about geography.
Then 2 months later, he has to go for his 2 weeks induction programme. Another person took over. At the end of his 2 weeks was the end of my term there as well. Then he had a major fever, and I tooked over his duties for 1 day.
I was shocked by what I saw. The students, they seemed so jaded about the subject.
-------------------------------------------------
You see, you might be a relief teacher for 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month or longer. But that is enough for you to destroy everything your predecessor has done - the interest the child has in the subject, their morale and their drive. All for the "easy money?" It's like you are constructing a building, and while you were away, the person who took over destroyed everything you have painstakingly built. Imagine the amount of effort wasted trying to rebuild everything, within a shorter period of time.
You might say, everyone has their limits. True, I agree. I didn't say teaching is a job for everyone in the first place. No one is born as a wonderful teacher from day one. I had to learn on the job as well to find my style and formula. But if those are your limitations that would affect the students' learning, there are ways to over come them. The question is whether you bother to or not. I'm sure anyone from my generation could attest to seeing at least one teacher in their school using microphones, as their voices are too soft, so that everyone in the class could hear him or her.
I had horrible handwriting and bad whiteboard management, that was quite difficult for the students to take notes. I have always wanted to use slides, as they are my most comfortable medium. However, the laptop that was meant for my use is locked to the table, and I don't have the key. In the end, I had to overcome this problem by booking rooms with computer attached to the projector.
KR never took o level geography. But he spend lots of time to learn more about the subject, to borrow a level text from libraries just so that he would have enough depth to teach sec 3 electives students.
--------------------------------------------------------------
My main point is this : if you do not bother doing your relief teaching job properly, I can't be bothered about finding a post for you. Even if you need the job desperately, even if you are like going to die if you don't get a job soon, as long as you can't be bothered to relief teach properly, I can't be bothered asking you either, even if let say, some one asked if I can find 10 relief teachers as they are desperately needed by the school.
You might be perplexed, that I have the concious to see someone die like that when I could help.
I'm equally perplexed that the this person have the concious to leave at least 4 classes of 40 students to die and killed their interest when all he needs is to pump in a little more effort to prevent it.
I'm equally perplexed that the same person have the concious to take the money that he doesn't really worked for.
I'm equally perplexed that the same person have resulted in those around him taking a much higher workload, because he "can't be bothered".
I'm equally perplexed that they have the concious to destroy what others have worked so hard to build.
posted by yanjie at
1:04 AM
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