What is learning without reading?

http://www.messynessychic.com/2013/08/28/10-inspiring-bookshops-around-the-world/

I have been a bookworm since I was nine, and I have really enjoyed reading, for it brings me out of my world and enter into a world which is constructed both through the author's and my imagination!  I guess this is really how readers and authors connect with other, which is why no two people who read the same book could share identical sentiments for the stories are often created through our own perspectives and connections with the author.

Reading empowers my life as I learned about things which I could never experience,  therefore I really hope that I could spend more time on reading and influence my future students to fall in love with books to explore a world of their own.

The above link is a small compilation of beautiful bookstores around the world by a blgger. I would really love to visit each and every one of them when I can! And this inspires me to first explore Singapore's unique bookstores and hopefully I can share it with everyone else too!

One month into NIE

So I've come to my forth week in NIE, and I must say that PGDE is really an ultimate crash course. Besides having a crazy timetable, the workload of each module is really overwhelming,  with weekly tutorials to prepare, tests and dxams, individual papers etc. But ironically, I must say that I have been enjoying myself.

The education pedagogical classes are really essential and important to equip us with the knowledge we once thought we knew. It is only after attending these classes that makes me realise what I have known was only the superficial. I especially like the ICT classes which we are being exposed to many ICT tools which would be a great help to our teaching in the future. I believe that these classes would enrich us with a better ability to teach!

So I shall really make full use of my nine months in NIE, to prepare myself better for future endeavors!

Oh, and I really love the greenery in NTU! :)

Enhanced School Experience (ESE)

I had a great ESE at Commonwealth Secondary School! I was there four years ago right after my A levels, as a teaching intern and then as a relief teacher. I taught there for about five months and made really new friends. It was also where I decided that I want to continue to be a teacher as I realised I really love interacting with students and to be able to share my knowledge with them is a very meaningful thing to me.

When I realised that I was posted back to Commonwealth Secondary School, I was thrilled! It was great to be back after four years to see familiar faces!

I was allocated three classes to teach, Sec 1 NT, Sec 2 Higher Chinese and Sec 3 Chinese Literature. I have learnt a lot from the teaching experiences and made me realise I am still inadequate as a teacher. But I was not discouraged, as my mentors kept encouraging me and reassuring me that I would become a great teacher.

I had a difficult time managing the Sec 1 NT class as more than half of the class did not show interest in learning and disrupted every lesson. I could not deliver what I have prepared for them and spent a lot of time making sure they listen and not play with their classmates.

And from teaching the Sec 3 Chinese Literature class, I realised that I really love teaching literature as it is a joy to share my understanding of the texts and hear from the students' perspectives about different issues. However, it is a challenge preparing for the lessons as there isn't any proper guide to what and how I should be teaching and so I had to spend a long time preparing materials and revising my lessons. I was really fortunate to have Mr. Liang Lu to share his experiences with me and he kept giving me feedback and suggestions to improve.

I hope to be able to spend my time in NIE learning pedagogies which would equip me with the skills to better manage my class and the content knowledge for me to share more of what I know with students who too, have a passion for learning.

Teachers' Compass Ceremony

Teachers' Compass Ceremony was held on 1st August 2013. It is a significant event, especially for us, student teachers because it is where we reaffirm our obligations as a teacher and being recognised as a to-be teacher.

In my opinion, the most important moment of the ceremony was when the Master teachers who have just attained the achievement led us in the recitation of the Teachers' Pledge. I was sitting pretty far from the stage so I couldn't really see what was happening (fine, it was also due to my height), thus, I was pleasantly surprised when I heard a familiar voice leading the pledge, I know the person, she was my Secondary School's teacher!

After the pledge, my friend (who was from the same Secondary School as me) told me that our Secondary School's Chemistry teacher was also on stage! She has also become a Master teacher! We eagerly went to look for them after the ceremony.

Both me and my friend were amazed at how after all these years, the two Master teachers still remember us, and one of them could even call us by name and remember the year we graduated from! They gave us a lot of encouragements and advice and told us that they are really happy to see us joining them in teaching. I was truly inspired by how the fire in them still continues to burn brightly after so many years of teaching and never seems to flicker. Their passion and commitment touched us deeply and reminded us to be aware of our roles as teachers.

Honestly, my greatest takeaway from the ceremony was meeting my Secondary school teachers again, for they are truly inspiring and are ideal role models for me. I want to be like them, who put students as their top priority, who love teaching, who always strive to make a difference.