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You can call me Noi! This blog consists of my thoughts. I am just a simple person with BIG dreams! Like the charcoal, hot pressure and extreme heat must be present in order to create a Diamond. I am in the exact same process.
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Part of the Special World / Thursday, June 29, 2006 @ 12:42 AM
Not being able to be online for an entire day is killing me! As much as I love this new school I am attached to, due to time constraint and me running around to classes, being offline sucks. This is particularly because when I checked my mail at the end of the day, there will be so many emails and I cant read them as I am too exhausted.
I have been wanting to write about my first 3 days in this new job! Its exciting. I am attached to 2 classes, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The morning class consist of 15 and 16 years old. At first it was a bit awkward but thanks to the teacher's brief explanation I was able to know why some of them behaved the way they behaved. For example, there is one boy with autism in my class who will stand up and walk to another place in the middle of the lesson. He also cries whenever there is remedial. We are talking about big boy here, 15 year old boy so it was pretty funny when he started crying just because there was remedial.
The students in the school are extremely friendly. Some of them will come to me, greet me, sometimes call me by a different name, shake my hands, asked for my phone number so they can call me all the time, asked for my home address so they can visit, plus all the other crazy things that they have in mind. The respect for the teachers here are different from in mainstream schools. These students have feelings too and most of them know that the only reason the teacher is teaching is because the teacher has not lose faith in them. And that is why there wasnt much arguing with the teachers as I expected. Most of them were refered there from mainstream schools because they couldnt cope with the schoolwork. Therefore, most of them have a feeling of being rejected and a feeling that they are stupid. The teachers I am attached too are so wonderful because they are so patient with them and they dont even scold them. Most of them will stop their nonsense after a very loving but stern warning. I am amazed by the obedience really. The environment in the class is so relaxed and fun, even during English and Maths lesson where some of them have troubles with simple addition and subtraction.
For the afternoon session, I am attached to a class of 10 and 11 year olds although most of them looked small for their age. Most cant read and I have to speak in a really simple language for them to understand my instructions. There is one girl with down syndrome who is just so cute and shy away everytime I look at her. I also learned that one of the indian girl is having a chronic illness because her brain is actually shrinking. She has only a few months to live and her mom just wanted her to have fun in school with friends. Imagine you know your daughter is dying, how would you feel? It must be really tough for the family.
Today, I saw some of them having trouble just putting a paper into a file folder. It can take 10 minutes for them to write down the date that they copied from the board. I learn that all the times at the centre where I previously work is nothing compared to all this. This is a much more challenging job and more sacrifices have to made on the teachers' part. However, the feeling of satisfaction can come from a little success like someone saying 'Good Morning' clearly.
This morning a 16 year old girl came to me and we had this short conversation that lingered in my mind the whole day.
Girl: Teacher, you are only here for 2 weeks?
Me: Yes
Girl: Cant you stay here a bit longer and become our teacher?
Me: You already have a teacher! And a really good one!
Girl: Never mind lah. I dont want you to go.
Me: Really? (I was suprised) Why not?
Girl: Because I like you very much, and you can teach me maths until I understand.
At this point I just dont know what to say but to smile back. I had only spend the last 3 days with them and already they are feeling this way. I dont want to cry like a baby the last time I left a working place. I will look terrible!
These kids may not be excellent in academics, but most of them are way more creative in art. Some of them even have photographic memory! Just now I was talking to this boy with autism who could name me all the MPs(Minister of Parliment) in Singapore! He could also name any country's prime minister and their full name correctly spelt! I am so embarassed because I dont even know all these. Hahaha.
I think what works for them is seeing faith in the teacher's eye. The teachers here play a huge role in shaping their life for the future as well. They may not remember how to spell their name, or how to plus and minus but they are so loving and caring than any other child without any disability. And I am so honoured and thankful to be part of this world. The effects are life long and I am so glad that God made me go through the nonsense with my previous boss. He actually had a better plan for me.
* I am working as an SNO (Special Needs Officer) and am currently on attachment to a Special School. (for those who dont know)
Not being able to be online for an entire day is killing me! As much as I love this new school I am attached to, due to time constraint and me running around to classes, being offline sucks. This is particularly because when I checked my mail at the end of the day, there will be so many emails and I cant read them as I am too exhausted.
I have been wanting to write about my first 3 days in this new job! Its exciting. I am attached to 2 classes, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The morning class consist of 15 and 16 years old. At first it was a bit awkward but thanks to the teacher's brief explanation I was able to know why some of them behaved the way they behaved. For example, there is one boy with autism in my class who will stand up and walk to another place in the middle of the lesson. He also cries whenever there is remedial. We are talking about big boy here, 15 year old boy so it was pretty funny when he started crying just because there was remedial.
The students in the school are extremely friendly. Some of them will come to me, greet me, sometimes call me by a different name, shake my hands, asked for my phone number so they can call me all the time, asked for my home address so they can visit, plus all the other crazy things that they have in mind. The respect for the teachers here are different from in mainstream schools. These students have feelings too and most of them know that the only reason the teacher is teaching is because the teacher has not lose faith in them. And that is why there wasnt much arguing with the teachers as I expected. Most of them were refered there from mainstream schools because they couldnt cope with the schoolwork. Therefore, most of them have a feeling of being rejected and a feeling that they are stupid. The teachers I am attached too are so wonderful because they are so patient with them and they dont even scold them. Most of them will stop their nonsense after a very loving but stern warning. I am amazed by the obedience really. The environment in the class is so relaxed and fun, even during English and Maths lesson where some of them have troubles with simple addition and subtraction.
For the afternoon session, I am attached to a class of 10 and 11 year olds although most of them looked small for their age. Most cant read and I have to speak in a really simple language for them to understand my instructions. There is one girl with down syndrome who is just so cute and shy away everytime I look at her. I also learned that one of the indian girl is having a chronic illness because her brain is actually shrinking. She has only a few months to live and her mom just wanted her to have fun in school with friends. Imagine you know your daughter is dying, how would you feel? It must be really tough for the family.
Today, I saw some of them having trouble just putting a paper into a file folder. It can take 10 minutes for them to write down the date that they copied from the board. I learn that all the times at the centre where I previously work is nothing compared to all this. This is a much more challenging job and more sacrifices have to made on the teachers' part. However, the feeling of satisfaction can come from a little success like someone saying 'Good Morning' clearly.
This morning a 16 year old girl came to me and we had this short conversation that lingered in my mind the whole day.
Girl: Teacher, you are only here for 2 weeks?
Me: Yes
Girl: Cant you stay here a bit longer and become our teacher?
Me: You already have a teacher! And a really good one!
Girl: Never mind lah. I dont want you to go.
Me: Really? (I was suprised) Why not?
Girl: Because I like you very much, and you can teach me maths until I understand.
At this point I just dont know what to say but to smile back. I had only spend the last 3 days with them and already they are feeling this way. I dont want to cry like a baby the last time I left a working place. I will look terrible!
These kids may not be excellent in academics, but most of them are way more creative in art. Some of them even have photographic memory! Just now I was talking to this boy with autism who could name me all the MPs(Minister of Parliment) in Singapore! He could also name any country's prime minister and their full name correctly spelt! I am so embarassed because I dont even know all these. Hahaha.
I think what works for them is seeing faith in the teacher's eye. The teachers here play a huge role in shaping their life for the future as well. They may not remember how to spell their name, or how to plus and minus but they are so loving and caring than any other child without any disability. And I am so honoured and thankful to be part of this world. The effects are life long and I am so glad that God made me go through the nonsense with my previous boss. He actually had a better plan for me.
* I am working as an SNO (Special Needs Officer) and am currently on attachment to a Special School. (for those who dont know)
