Goodwill Hunting

My second son experienced an 'incident' in school yesterday. A classmate of his threw my son's schoolbag outside the class. The bag was picked up by a school prefect, never to be seen again.

Just now I paid the school a visit to look for the missing schoolbag. Understand that I was already rather upset the previous night. Where were the teachers when it happened? Who is this spiteful little child? Why did he do it? My son was unprepared for school because all his books are in his schoolbag- he came to school empty-handed, but for one water bottle.

At school, I had to literally ask the teachers one by one, following various (helpful and unhelpful) leads. I came close to ransacking the 'lost & found' cupboard in the teachers' room. I spoke to at least 4 teachers and a couple of students before I found the bag (myself!) on some shelves next to a staircase. The zippers were opened and there was an empty sweets wrapper inside. The good news was that all his books appeared intact upon cursory examination. I was very inclined to give this particular disturbed child a piece of my mind but I just walked away after giving my son his bag. I thought that it might be against my better judgement to be lambasting a child in a moment of anger- the 'bargaining power' is just too unequal it's unfair.

All in all, I spent close 1 hour to hunt for the bag. Good morning exercise eh? What will follow after this is a letter to the school detailing what had happened. Will the school take any action? I highly doubt it. Will it make any difference? There'll be a bit more filing work for the headmistress, but I won't hold my breath that one letter will make a difference. The poor soul is probably dealing with tons of paperwork as it is.

Negativity at its best? Welcome to the education system!

Alternate Reality

At last count, there are at least 20 reality shows that have been or currently aired in our local tv. A minister or two have also gone on air to speak of the evils of these show, eroding the asian morality and culture.

I do agree that there is a basis for protecting a nation's culture against 'western' invasion. However, are reality shows the only cause of degradation of our moral fibre? I can think of at least two more sources of blame (if we're playing that game) when it comes to lack of courtesy and morality in today's society- parents, teachers, peers and maybe even the education system. There- I have 1-2-3-four possible sources already.

I tend to treat the reality shows as shows. At the end of the day, there is a tendency for drama on the part of the participants because there's a camera in front of their noses 24-7. And for shows that require audience's votes for a winner to emerge, there's even more necessity to stand out, using all means necessary. And the shows usually display a statement that 'portions of this programme that do not affect the outcome have been removed' or the like.

Simplistically speaking, reality shows do not represent real life- no man in his right mind would dare go out with 10 ladies at one time to select the best one. No one will actually want to stay on an island with 20 other people that they don't know and feed on fish or animals caught with their bare hands (if not for the chance of winning $1 million). And I would just go to a studio to learn to sing and dance, rather than being locked up in a house with 12 others and being critiqued by a spoilt brat every week. And portions of our life will always affect the outcome. This, I'm sure of.

Under Parents' Wings

I was just thinking about this the other day- how some parents seem to have a 'hold' over their children over the age of 18. Some male friends of mine continue to stay with their parents after marriage; in some cases it may cause friction between the women of the house.

We discussed some behavioural/ethical issues in class just last week.. and I would suppose that there are theories of behaviour to explain this scenario (which I won't care to elaborate).

I tend to relate this to my own experience raising three children. Some days my mind would just wander- am I too protective or am I too 'hands-off'?

My sincere hope is that my children will grow up to be proper human beings and that my 'craziness' will not rub off too much on them.

I would very much like them to think for themselves and have a good 'core' to overcome whatever challenges thrown at them. And I would like them to know that they have my support in whatever they do and that they will always be loved by me :-)

Goodbye School Holidays, Hello World Cup

Tomorrow, on Monday morning, get ready for heavy traffic and harried parents because the school holidays have ended. The two weeks just flew by- I barely had the time to even enjoy it, not that I'm entitled to it anyways.

Instances of MCs and ELs are also expected to go up, due to the World Cup. I'm just slightly interested in the game, and managed to catch the England v Paraguay game last night. Pity the only goal was a fluke. Hubby says that these things happen in the World Cup. I would like to see Brazil in action though. Their game should be interesting to watch. As an amateur observer, I would comment that the Brazilians play football as if it were an art form.

Well, one thing or the other, I'll brace myself for Monday!

The Man on the Perch

The man on the perch never runs out of stories to tell..

He has travelled the world, and has observed human behaviour keenly throughout his life.

I chanced upon him while accompanying a friend who wishes to know the origins of her name. He began a tale of epic proportions involving a young man's quest, a conversation he (i.e. the young man) had with his father and the god of death (somehow or rather). The finale was when my friend's name was likened to a particular star in the night sky and an analogy was made to showbusiness and Hollywood stars.

What's the bottomline? None whatsoever- he said it himself. You're free to form your own conclusions- his is a 10-minute story which ending can be self-directed and self-determined by each member of the audience.

This is what happens when you catch in on your colleagues when they're having lunch- it takes all sorts to make the world go round :-)

What Won't Kill You Will Make You Stronger

This blog will probably be the most cryptic of all, since it is the season of da vinci code and such..

I'm currently under a bit of stress, having to teach a group of students who are brash, cocky and obnoxious. Whoever gave them the impression that they can say what they want and get away with it? If they have nothing to learn from me, why aren't they elsewhere? Why oh why do they have to be in my class?

I have decided against screaming my head off, neither would I behave as badly as they. I am bigger than the whole lot of them put together and my professionalism will not be affected or swayed by a bunch of juveniles who don't know what they're saying.

Decision made, I will trudge on. At the end of the day, I would have done my job by reaching out to them. My conscience is clear and I will rest easy knowing that I have done my best.