Mid year break...

Am truly glad to be out of school, a badly needed break. Teaching isn't much fun this year cos most of the time I seem to be hitting the wall most of the time with students. Mid year exam has just ended too. And in 3 out of the 3 upper form classes that I am teaching, most of the boys were more interested in sleeping through the exam. I do not understand why they bother going to school at all. It's as though by being present will somehow magically change their results. I have my reservations. It's not that I am not hopeful but it's rather difficult to see light at the end of this tunnel cos most of them don't seem able to will themselves to move beyond their attitude. And how can I tell? Easy! Many boys handed in blank sheets.

Some would be asleep before the first 20 minutes are over. And the school is conducting extra classes during the hols for such students when we can't even get them to listen during school. Sometimes, I wonder the purpose of those extra classes. Is it to show that we are doing something? School discipline has been on the downhill slide ever since we started this Sekolah Penyayang thing. The management contributed too by being benign.

Yesterday, as I walked through a corridor there were 2 groups of boys squatting by the sides. They were hooting and taunting the younger kids and girls who were walking past. I chased them away with some difficulty but I heard the same hooting sounds when I was upstairs. They went back to doing what they were doing as soon as I was out of sight. Most teachers have stopped reprimanding such behaviour, which is why things are not getting any better. I met a colleague when I was going down later and asked her whether she had heard them. And her reply? She has learned to turned a deaf ear and a blind eye. What they they need is a firm hand but these days, we are told to be soft on them. Well, it's not working.

The school has tried Bacaan Yassin too, once a week. It's supposed to soften their hearts, make them better. That's another failure too. Instead, I think this has demeaned faith. Religious grounds are getting porous. My jaw almost dropped as I watched the video of the uncouth behaviour of the men doing the butt protest at Ambiga's house. And the response when Ambiga offered them 100-Plus... since when Muslims don't drink it. Yet, I often hear utterances in same vein. And on the last day of the term, I sent out 6 warning letters to my class students for absenteeism too.

So I am looking forward to some peace and quiet for the next 2 weeks, to do some housekeeping, read and perhaps just go for relaxing swims at the pool. Maybe some morning workouts at the gym. A break from dealing with juveniles to catch up on other things. Am making myself available to some of my senior friends for iPad lessons this hols. I've been teaching a few what to use it for. My oldest students are 76 years old! A sweet couple. Have a few more in their 60s. They started off with one iPad but they recently bought another one. LOL! I enjoy seeing their eyes light up when I show them what the iPad is capable of. I'm more convinced that it's a liberating tool. And they find it an amazing tool too... 8)

But for now, the break is good cos I am nursing my second flu in a month.... I blame it on the stress of handling difficult classes this year. I think the body can only go that long before it starts to protest. Those classes (that's 4 out of my 5 classes) usually leave me drained.

So holidays... am too tired to even hurrah it now... maybe in a couple of days, when the spirit is renewed, I might feel differently. One good thing, moods are like the weather... they can change.