My heart ached this afternoon, at 3pm sharp. What happened? I was speaking to this student from a normal academic class, and he was supposed to be punished by my friend, and sent to detention. There were actually 2 of them, and both ran into the male toilet to escape from my friend. So I had to go in and catch them out. Indeed they came out, but were reluctant to go for detention. One of them said he hated teachers, and asked my friend to just give him a zero mark for the test, and he was not interested in his studies at all. Furthermore, he said he was better off dead, and he rather be dead, cos no one even bothers about him. I realized then that what he required was probably a counsellor, and a really professional one. But this was not what make my heart ache.
Following by, the Discipline mistress walked by and took over with my friend and they walked over with the student. I was left there then and I spoke to the remaining kid, supposedly to be sent for detention too. I had wanted to ask him to apologize to the teacher, since I believed that my friend would have released him, if he was to admit his mistakes. But it went on that I had this conversation with him, that made me feel down.
"Why are you being spiteful, and giving yourself up?"
"Well, no one cares about me, my dad hits me for all the right or wrong reasons, when he can't find a job. Then, only my mum, and maybe grandma will stand up for me. But they will get scolded as well."
"But then is it because of your attitude then?"
"NO! I always stand there and get scolded, and beaten up."
"Why don't you tell teachers about that?"
"I hate teachers, all teachers, they always aim at me, always scold me, blame me for everything."
"Are you sure it is not because you did not do your work, or behaved badly?"
"Well, if it was not for their attitude, then I would not hate school that much. I hate my father, hate to go home, and hate the teachers."
"But no matter how much you hate them, you still have to live strongly and graduate, before you can make your own plans."
"No point, I don't feel like living anyway, I want to move out of home."
"But where can you move to?"
"Anywhere, I don't mind going to jail, got free food, and lodging."
"But did you consider that if you go to jail, you will be unhappy and your mum will be very sad."
"Whatever, No one will care for me lar."
"No matter what, you have to be strong and not look down on yourself, no matter who looks down on you. "
" No one treats me like a human. Teachers call me idiot, stupid, Father calls me a log, sister calls me a pig, I don't know."
I tried to tell him how my dad hits me when i was small but for the right reasons, and I told him this: "Do you know my heart hurts when i hear you say this?"
"I duno you too, what for, even if you try to talk to me?"
Then, we walk over to the detention area to ask if he can be dismissed, he was scolded again for showing attitude, and was warned that he would be slapped and sent for detention if he continues to show the same behaviour. After I asked my friend for consent to dismiss him, I walked out with him. Out of spite, he said, " I will burn her whole family." I knew that would be his response, as he was still angry at being wronged, since he only wanted to see if he can go home.
Nonetheless, I told him that he is behaving like his dad, and he should not learn the bad habits from his dad, which he seemed to realize and then left silently.
As I write this, I keep questioning myself this: Why are there more and more counsellors? Why are there more and more students behaving in this manner, giving themselves up? Who gave them up? The society, their parents, teachers, who? Who is responsible for whom they are? Previously I thought that the main culprit should be the Media, now, I still maintain that, but I only have this to say: "If we can show more concern and care to these lonely kids, who dread going home, because it is forever so empty, with their parents working, and no one to talk to them, then they might not be what they are now. We, refers to anyone reading this post. Look around you, go and talk to these children, they need you to care for them, not more scoldings, and grudges against them. " See you in the next post.
"PS: the conversation in English may not sound so strong, but i conversed in Chinese, so I can feel how much hopelessness there is with the conversation."
Monday, April 21, 2008
Saturday, April 19, 2008
柬埔寨、缅甸点滴
2006年8月至12月
柬埔寨(Cambodia, or Kampuchea)，一个历尽风霜的国度，在近二十年来受到了不同国家在经济与物资方面的资助，现在已逐步走出阴影，迈向一个新的纪元。1960 年代，资政曾说过柬埔寨是一个值得新加坡学习的国家，想不到到了1975年发生了一次族群灭绝（genocide)的事件，导致了柬埔寨从国际舞台中淡出，而国家更是陷入了血腥与暴力当中。详细的历史资料，请自己去做调查。
无论如何，我是对这个国家有着一份特别的感情。可能，这是我的第二个家园了。我曾两次到过柬埔寨，第一次在2006年底，那时，我与国大科学系，一班志同道合的好友，到那里开始了我第一次海外的义工工作。我们在新加坡筹了约10千新币，然后全数用来资助柬国的人民。那次的任务着重在建盖两间课室，然后再教导那里的学生如何运用简单的英语来与外界（外国人）交流。然后，我们也带了书本、文具及校服到那里，让他们能够有新的校服。（他们一个星期六天可以穿上同一件校服去上课，衣服已是破烂的状态。) 那一次的工程代号是“Project Angel 8"，而历时约一个月（因加上到处旅游） . 以下是一些图片摘录：
Picture 1: One of the Mass graves containing 8985Victims
Picture 2: Shackles that were used on prisoners at the Tuol Sleung Prison (S-21 Prison) Millions died in these prisons, and only 8 survived after 1979.
Picture 3: Rules and regulations at the Prison. Most were tortured and killed on the basis that they were traitors.
Picture 4: All the skulls and clothings that were dug out and placed in a Stupa at Genocide Museum.
Picture 5: Happy children of Cambodia today. These 2 are the better off children in Phomn Penn.
Click on the pictures to enlarge for a better view.
这里有一个Video, 是我在去年制作的，有着我在柬埔寨“Project Angel 8”的照片。希望我的学生能够看过，而我也在结尾的地方给了你们一个小小的祝语。我一向相信照片胜过千言万语，因此，敬请收看。
2007 年月至六6月
在那一次之后，意犹未尽，于是在2007年五月，我参加了“Project Angel 9”，到了北泰国（NorthernThailand) 去，也是一项教育的工程。（注意：每一项工程的筹备时间是半年）原本是到缅甸去的，但由于缅甸政府的贪腐*（corruption），他们的教育部与当地政府不希望外国人来给予他们的人民帮助，于是我们才会到南泰国帮助那里逃亡的缅甸难民。据估计，泰国政府已经收留了近一百万缅甸的难民。如果大家有看过Rambo 4，就会明白我所说的。现今的缅甸，与1975年的柬埔寨，有着很大的共同点。缅甸政府目前还是大规模地在屠杀自己的百姓，尤其是在泰缅边界，只是外界看不到而已。最糟糕的是，由于一些经济上的利益，连国际社会，如中国与美国方面，都没有办法去阻止这类惨事的发生。所以，我们这次就是想帮助那些（Karen）族的人民，因为他们是缅甸军政府残害的最大族群。这次的工程历时约一个月，因为后来在曼谷旅游。
你们可观看一下Youtube 片断，（学生们，请考完试再看）
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2xBZi-EkZw&feature=related （背景资料，简短而且详细）
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-YVdpQHdqo&feature=related （较长，但有丰富的资料）
2007年8月至12月
也许是做义工作上瘾了，又有机会出国开阔视野；于是在接下来在师资学院 （NIE）里，我又带着一群十四个人的团，到了北印度(Yuksam, Sikkim)去，做了一项环保的工程，历时一个月，是去年2007年11月底进行的。这次是我第一次作领袖（Leader)，所以既兴奋又害怕。兴奋，因为我能传授先前所学到的知识，害怕是因为怕不能胜任。但，还是完成了使命。Hooray..
2007年8月至2008年6月
在来临的五月，我会与另一名好兄弟，一名与我一起到过Project Angel 8 的好伙伴，一起做领导，率领30人的团队再度共赴柬埔寨， 而这是Project Angel X （10）。以下是这次工程所设的博客：www.projectangel10.blogspot.com. 这次， 我以Facilitator的身份去，而我相信我能传授的学习点将会更多。我也希望在往后的日子里，会有机会带领学生到柬埔寨去，因为我认为我们生长在这样一个舒适的环境里，但却把它当成是理所当然，而不去珍惜它，真是太可惜、太可怜了！希望我能利用我的经历，多启发一些学生能珍惜所拥有的一切。好了，下次再聊吧！
柬埔寨(Cambodia, or Kampuchea)，一个历尽风霜的国度，在近二十年来受到了不同国家在经济与物资方面的资助，现在已逐步走出阴影，迈向一个新的纪元。1960 年代，资政曾说过柬埔寨是一个值得新加坡学习的国家，想不到到了1975年发生了一次族群灭绝（genocide)的事件，导致了柬埔寨从国际舞台中淡出，而国家更是陷入了血腥与暴力当中。详细的历史资料，请自己去做调查。
无论如何，我是对这个国家有着一份特别的感情。可能，这是我的第二个家园了。我曾两次到过柬埔寨，第一次在2006年底，那时，我与国大科学系，一班志同道合的好友，到那里开始了我第一次海外的义工工作。我们在新加坡筹了约10千新币，然后全数用来资助柬国的人民。那次的任务着重在建盖两间课室，然后再教导那里的学生如何运用简单的英语来与外界（外国人）交流。然后，我们也带了书本、文具及校服到那里，让他们能够有新的校服。（他们一个星期六天可以穿上同一件校服去上课，衣服已是破烂的状态。) 那一次的工程代号是“Project Angel 8"，而历时约一个月（因加上到处旅游） . 以下是一些图片摘录：
Picture 1: One of the Mass graves containing 8985Victims
Picture 2: Shackles that were used on prisoners at the Tuol Sleung Prison (S-21 Prison) Millions died in these prisons, and only 8 survived after 1979.
Picture 3: Rules and regulations at the Prison. Most were tortured and killed on the basis that they were traitors.
Picture 4: All the skulls and clothings that were dug out and placed in a Stupa at Genocide Museum.
Picture 5: Happy children of Cambodia today. These 2 are the better off children in Phomn Penn.
Click on the pictures to enlarge for a better view.
这里有一个Video, 是我在去年制作的，有着我在柬埔寨“Project Angel 8”的照片。希望我的学生能够看过，而我也在结尾的地方给了你们一个小小的祝语。我一向相信照片胜过千言万语，因此，敬请收看。
2007 年月至六6月
在那一次之后，意犹未尽，于是在2007年五月，我参加了“Project Angel 9”，到了北泰国（NorthernThailand) 去，也是一项教育的工程。（注意：每一项工程的筹备时间是半年）原本是到缅甸去的，但由于缅甸政府的贪腐*（corruption），他们的教育部与当地政府不希望外国人来给予他们的人民帮助，于是我们才会到南泰国帮助那里逃亡的缅甸难民。据估计，泰国政府已经收留了近一百万缅甸的难民。如果大家有看过Rambo 4，就会明白我所说的。现今的缅甸，与1975年的柬埔寨，有着很大的共同点。缅甸政府目前还是大规模地在屠杀自己的百姓，尤其是在泰缅边界，只是外界看不到而已。最糟糕的是，由于一些经济上的利益，连国际社会，如中国与美国方面，都没有办法去阻止这类惨事的发生。所以，我们这次就是想帮助那些（Karen）族的人民，因为他们是缅甸军政府残害的最大族群。这次的工程历时约一个月，因为后来在曼谷旅游。
你们可观看一下Youtube 片断，（学生们，请考完试再看）
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2xBZi-EkZw&feature=related （背景资料，简短而且详细）
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-YVdpQHdqo&feature=related （较长，但有丰富的资料）
2007年8月至12月
也许是做义工作上瘾了，又有机会出国开阔视野；于是在接下来在师资学院 （NIE）里，我又带着一群十四个人的团，到了北印度(Yuksam, Sikkim)去，做了一项环保的工程，历时一个月，是去年2007年11月底进行的。这次是我第一次作领袖（Leader)，所以既兴奋又害怕。兴奋，因为我能传授先前所学到的知识，害怕是因为怕不能胜任。但，还是完成了使命。Hooray..
2007年8月至2008年6月
在来临的五月，我会与另一名好兄弟，一名与我一起到过Project Angel 8 的好伙伴，一起做领导，率领30人的团队再度共赴柬埔寨， 而这是Project Angel X （10）。以下是这次工程所设的博客：www.projectangel10.blogspot.com. 这次， 我以Facilitator的身份去，而我相信我能传授的学习点将会更多。我也希望在往后的日子里，会有机会带领学生到柬埔寨去，因为我认为我们生长在这样一个舒适的环境里，但却把它当成是理所当然，而不去珍惜它，真是太可惜、太可怜了！希望我能利用我的经历，多启发一些学生能珍惜所拥有的一切。好了，下次再聊吧！
Friday, April 18, 2008
How students view Chinese？
I am now in the computer lab with a bunch of students, trying to drive me crazy. So I asked them this question: Do they like Chinese?
Hmm, they gave me a list of answers, and extortions.
1. It is boring. Why is it boring? I do not know. Maybe my lessons are not interesting enough. But, haha, this is what I assume, is it true? Students, pls comment.
2. Next I asked them if my CT, Zhang Laoshi taught better, they tried to extort me by asking me to treat them to Mocca, and then they will be nice to you, and remember you. haha.. Will I succumb to threats? What do you think, students?
3. Do they like to type their Chinese Blog? Hmm, I think not, they dislike to write out in Chinese, cos they dislike to write out the "一笔一划”（quoted by student E). They also do not like to type it out cos they think it is difficult to spell out the hanyu pinyin, and a waste of time typing out word by word.
4. My question is: why do they think it is not a hassle to type in English? That is because they have adapted themselves to typing out English, and they have mastered enough vocabulary and Singlish to type out a so-called posting on a blog. The main distinction between myself and my students is that I have mastered more words than them over the years, so I do not experience as much difficulty as them, having to go through word by word to identify the correct word. That is also why you would have realized that most of their Chinese blogs under my link have many vocabulary mistakes. And as there is no online dictionary to their knowledge that they can utilize. and due to laziness to check a hardcopy Dictionary, it is difficult for them to be able to type out a good post, unless they have mastered a good command of Chinese vocabulary.
5. Chinese characters is one of the most difficult language and writing system worldwide, but I always believe that if "Angmohs" and "Africans" can master Chinese, as their 2nd Language, then I have confidence that my students will have the ability to master this language if they put in enough effort. Jiayou bah, students. That's all, folks!
Hmm, they gave me a list of answers, and extortions.
1. It is boring. Why is it boring? I do not know. Maybe my lessons are not interesting enough. But, haha, this is what I assume, is it true? Students, pls comment.
2. Next I asked them if my CT, Zhang Laoshi taught better, they tried to extort me by asking me to treat them to Mocca, and then they will be nice to you, and remember you. haha.. Will I succumb to threats? What do you think, students?
3. Do they like to type their Chinese Blog? Hmm, I think not, they dislike to write out in Chinese, cos they dislike to write out the "一笔一划”（quoted by student E). They also do not like to type it out cos they think it is difficult to spell out the hanyu pinyin, and a waste of time typing out word by word.
4. My question is: why do they think it is not a hassle to type in English? That is because they have adapted themselves to typing out English, and they have mastered enough vocabulary and Singlish to type out a so-called posting on a blog. The main distinction between myself and my students is that I have mastered more words than them over the years, so I do not experience as much difficulty as them, having to go through word by word to identify the correct word. That is also why you would have realized that most of their Chinese blogs under my link have many vocabulary mistakes. And as there is no online dictionary to their knowledge that they can utilize. and due to laziness to check a hardcopy Dictionary, it is difficult for them to be able to type out a good post, unless they have mastered a good command of Chinese vocabulary.
5. Chinese characters is one of the most difficult language and writing system worldwide, but I always believe that if "Angmohs" and "Africans" can master Chinese, as their 2nd Language, then I have confidence that my students will have the ability to master this language if they put in enough effort. Jiayou bah, students. That's all, folks!
Essence of Chinese and the relevance to modern Singapore
This is the 2nd post of the day, I shall write in English, because of the audience that I am addressing the issue to. Well, studying Chinese seems to be a chore to many people, especially many students whose 1st language at home is English and not Mandarin. 1st Language means that after you were born, the language that you had in contact with mainly and had used most commonly. Many people do not realize that they are descendents of the “dragon”, i.e 龙的传人, that they are Chinese and this is a fact that cannot be changed. Yet, they prefer to cling on to a language and culture that does not originate from their roots.
Now, what is the difference between English and Mandarin in
What many lack to envision is that, Chinese in itself has more than 5000 years of culture and richness in it, and to us, it is a “Soul” Language, i.e “灵魂用语”. What does this mean? Do you realize that when speaking Chinese or dialects, it actually brings us closer and easier to bond through interacting with this medium, just like Malay Language is to Malays etc. This “Soul” Language is a platform for people to build up their personal character, their personal beliefs, like filial piety, respect etc. If you look at how the current society has evolved, how the media has influenced our kids, you would have realized that this is due to the loss of a crucial culture. What is our identity? A Singaporean Identity? What is that?
In the west, they do not teach you to respect your parents and teachers, they do not teach you that you cannot go out there, pull out your gun and shoot at people. The moral values, and the festive seasons that the Chinese inculcate and celebrate differ so much from what the Westerners practise. We have Qing Ming, where we pay respect to our ancestors, but they only pray to a particular God in which they believe in. (No offense) In general, Westerners have a weaker sense of family ties as compared to Asians. And if you compare Singaporeans to them; Yes, we are moving towards this trend of talking back to our parents, wanting freedom, wanting more time of our own.
Now as you are reading this, you may be wondering if this is going to continue to bore on, well, let me just quote a case that I hear today. This is a case which happens almost everyday, and is no longer something new, but something worth our concerns. It seems like some students have been engaging in silly acts, involving daring sexual acts in their school uniforms. And were caught by members of the public who took down photos and videos of their “shameless acts”.
Why do all these happen? What is the root cause of these problems? I will only blame it on MEDIA, and the general societal views (already influenced much by the western society) on these issues. What is exactly wrong with the above scenario? Is having sex wrong? Is watching pornography online wrong?
I am sure all of you reading this may hold similar views as myself. If you are of legal age (above 16), and having a proper male/female relationship, and both parties are able to agree upon the responsibilities and consequences of having sex, able to understand the implications if one party were to get pregnant or contract sex diseases, then it may seem to be engaging in responsible sex. In these recent years, it is very common to see teens engaging in these so-called “shameless acts”, and it is wrong in the following ways:
- They are minors, not of a legal age to assume responsibility for their foolish acts.
- They are wearing uniforms representing their schools, and in the process, damaging the school’s reputation in the public’s perception.
- This is the most worrying! THEY ONLY DO IT OUT OF FUN, AND DO NOT KNOW THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR ACTS.
Due to globalisation, which brings about the convenience of accessing pornographic materials, students are very much exposed to these things that they are curious about, especially at their puberty age. The loss of our “Soul language”, Mother tongue and the culture to be responsible people, is something that is worth our reflections, especially young parents today. If you want to give birth, pls assume the responsibilities of a parent and teach the right values.
Final Advice: A moment of FUN, A lifetime of REGRETS.
PLEASE BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR ACTS!
Tip of day: Embrace Chinese as your foundation, and enjoy yourself when learning the language. Only when you enjoy doing something, then it will not be a chore.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
无心之失
做老师难，做个称职的好老师更是难上加难。今天，我又犯了一个失误。近来似乎有些恍惚，竟然会看错时间表。我要向1F的学生倒个歉，对不起。看来我得找个时间来补课。我怎能犯这种错误呢，真是深深自责。既然今天的题目是无心之失，那么就再聊一聊这个话题。
何谓“无心之失”？它的意思就是不小心犯下了错误。那么对于这种失误，我们应该给予怎么样的对待呢？此时，我正想像着我的这个“反省篇”究竟在不同的读者的眼中，会呈现一幅什么样的情景。
Scenario 1: 家长看到了之后，肯定会觉得这个老师挺糊涂的，然后去投诉，让他有被开除的可能。
Scenario 2：校长看到了之后，可能会找老师“喝咖啡”，提醒一下。（或更惨！）
Scenario 3: 学生看到了之后，觉得很可笑，或觉得老师勇于认错。
Scenario 4：大众看到了之后，和学生反应大同小异，可能会通知晚报或新民，然后就能拿到$50礼券。
Scenario5： 同事看到了之后，会提醒自己不要犯同样的错误，也不要这么笨在网上写上这种篇章，以免被以上的各大人物来“Arrow”。
Scenario 6：自己以后再回顾时，嘴角还会露出一丝微笑。
既然是无心之失，相信无最终会的到谅解，但无论如何，知错能改，善莫大焉！ 大家就原谅我吧！哈哈。
啊，我想我应该是太无聊了。好了，继续奋斗！加油！
何谓“无心之失”？它的意思就是不小心犯下了错误。那么对于这种失误，我们应该给予怎么样的对待呢？此时，我正想像着我的这个“反省篇”究竟在不同的读者的眼中，会呈现一幅什么样的情景。
Scenario 1: 家长看到了之后，肯定会觉得这个老师挺糊涂的，然后去投诉，让他有被开除的可能。
Scenario 2：校长看到了之后，可能会找老师“喝咖啡”，提醒一下。（或更惨！）
Scenario 3: 学生看到了之后，觉得很可笑，或觉得老师勇于认错。
Scenario 4：大众看到了之后，和学生反应大同小异，可能会通知晚报或新民，然后就能拿到$50礼券。
Scenario5： 同事看到了之后，会提醒自己不要犯同样的错误，也不要这么笨在网上写上这种篇章，以免被以上的各大人物来“Arrow”。
Scenario 6：自己以后再回顾时，嘴角还会露出一丝微笑。
既然是无心之失，相信无最终会的到谅解，但无论如何，知错能改，善莫大焉！ 大家就原谅我吧！哈哈。
啊，我想我应该是太无聊了。好了，继续奋斗！加油！
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
池鱼之殃
这是本尊的第一篇博客。刚才一路上想到了很多不同的课题让我来发挥，但最后还是决定一步一步来。今天，我看到了一幕参不忍睹的画面，正好应验了这句成语：池鱼之殃。
根据百度的解释： 比喻无端受祸。其事本于《吕氏春秋·必己》：“宋桓司马有 宝珠，抵罪出亡，王使人问珠之所在，曰：‘投之池中。’於是竭池而求之，无得，鱼死焉。此言祸福之相及也。”后人加以附会，演化为“城门失火，殃及池 鱼”。《太平广记》卷四六六引汉应劭《风俗通》：“城门失火，祸及池鱼。旧说：‘池仲鱼，人姓字也，居宋城门。城门失火，延及其家，仲鱼烧死。’又云： ‘宋城门失火，人汲取池中水以沃灌之，池中空竭，鱼悉露死。’喻恶之滋，并伤良谨也。”
以上有两个故事，故事很简单，古代有个有钱人，当他逃亡时，宝珠掉了。后来国王派人查问宝珠掉到了哪里，他的手下说宝珠被扔进了河里。于是，国王下令将水 池中的水捞干，谁知道却找不到宝珠，池中的鱼儿反而都死了。后来的人们，又加入了另一个相似的故事，并在“池鱼之殃”前，加入了“城门失火”，结果整句就 成了“城门失火，祸及池鱼”。这个故事大家应该都听过了吧！
绕了个大圈，我都还没说发生了什么事，但相信我的学生应该已经猜出来了。今天当我去上课时，我看到楼下有一堆“鱼尸”。这究竟是怎么一回事呢？原来是好心 做了坏事！ 学校请了人来清洗鱼池，由于水池里的水必须经过一夜的“平复期”才能让鱼儿回到水中。想不到第二天，因为鱼儿缺氧，几乎全部成了“无主鱼魂”，真是可惜 啊！一条条锦鲤就这样“英年早逝”。哈哈。
其实，人何尝不是跟这些鱼一样呢？有时候，人们因为自己的贪念，而害得身边关心他们的人伤心落泪。我就曾经犯过这样的错误。那已经是3 年多前的事情了， 但似乎仍然记忆犹新。我也是人，是人就会犯错，孰能无过呢？重要的事，我们不要放弃自己，要勇于面对过错，当然更重要是要改过。 我相信，只由不断检讨、反省(Reflect) 自己的过失，才能够变得更好！好了，还要备课，待会儿再聊。
My New Blog in Chinese or English?
Dear all viewers, this is my latest blog! I actually have had another 2 blogs before, at blogdrive and friendster. But due to laziness, I did not update regularly. I hope that I can continue to write more and keep a diary of my own. Since I am a chinese teacher, I shall type more in chinese, but since I am a modern age chinese teacher, I shall decide on my own discretion whether to type in chinese or english according to my MOOD!~ haha..
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