Singapore's education system

I think the education minister is trying to move in the right direction. (link 1/link 2/link 3)

He needs everyone to be pulling in the same direction as he is. Unfortunately, after a number of years working in the education system, I'm filled with cynicism.

Link 1 says, "schools to simplify administrative processes and get more centralised support" - I hate dealing with financial matters. If I had wanted to deal with financial matters, I wouldn't have gone into teaching.

Also if by some miracle they manage to simplify the processes? That should leave teachers with more time but that would never happen because that time will be filled up with new stuff that they will come up with. More meetings, trainings or some new acronym to implement.

Link 2 says, "MOE to deepen expertise, raise career prospects for teachers". I entered teaching because I wanted to touch lives. Corny but true. I still do. All I want is for the MOE to leave me alone so that I can teach. I've never seen it as a career that I must advance along.

Think about it. If you love teaching and you do well in some aspects of it. The school recognizes your potential and they promote you. That's great right? No, not if you love teaching. Each promotion reduces the time you have in contact with students, takes you further away from the very reason you entered teaching. It's frustrating. Look at what is being advocated in the article, there will be principal master teachers, lead teachers and senior teachers.

The problem with this is that every level that they create, in the name of giving teachers an illusion of progress in their careers, needs justification. That justification comes in creating another layer of work.

The Principal Master Teachers need to do some stuff to show they deserve their salary, they create work for those below them. (Lead Teachers and Senior Teachers --> Teachers)

The Lead Teachers need to show they deserve their salary, they create work for those below them. (Senior Teachers --> Teachers)

The cycle carries on with the Senior Teachers and the ones ending up with the beggar's end of the bargain? The ordinary teacher.

Link 3 says - "Teachers to get more training, support and mentorship" and "Just as we bring out the best in every child (debatable), our education system must also bring out the best in all our teachers" - Let's get something straight. Every year, teachers get asked about how to improve the life of a teacher and what's the area they feel the most improvement can be made. No teacher is going to tell you that they need more training. The answer invariably has to do with time or the lack thereof.

Teachers don't have enough time because they are in a constant struggle with an entity that sucks up their time. Said entity needs you to attend an endless stream of training when the knowledge you have is sufficient for the level you are teaching. That training however must still be attended because teachers must be life-long learners. It is amazing how humans create these cycles that lock themselves in a cycle of uselessness. Not saying that all training is useless but it does feel that way when you have to look for courses to fulfill that quota of 100 hours.

Bah, I could go on but I shan't.

Looked back on what I typed and realized it's a messy rant. To summarize;

1) MOE is top heavy

2) MOE has in place a system that asks its officers to do more than is expected

3) Each rank in the hierarchy tries its best to justify its reason for existing - resulting in more work

4) Said word trickles down to the lowest rank which has nowhere else to push it to.

Summed up by ...

When to tell?

When should you tell your family?

Been thinking over the last few days how I should broach the topic with my family and I've come to the conclusion that there's no 'good' time.

I think I'll probably wait till after the results from IELTS is here and see if the possibility of moving is still alive.

Almost told Dad today when he came over to visit. Almost.

Started off by asking if he had ever considered moving and his answer convinced me that it wasn't time yet to talk about it.

A little more worried about how to break the news to my sister.

Foldylock

I bought a bicycle to head to work when I transferred away from my first school in the west. Ever since then, I had been hunting for a lock that was portable and secure. I finally found one on kickstarter and signed up for it - it was called Foldylock.

That was a few months back and it only just arrived.

My first thought on receiving the parcel was that weight was going to be an issue. It's really heavy, heavier than expected.

Upon removing it from the package, it became apparent that size was going to be an issue too.

Water bottle cage is in the way so the lock can't go there, therefore it goes onto the saddle post. Took it out for a ride and unfortunately, from that position it can hit the legs while paddling. After a few minutes of that I decided to switch it to the back of the saddle post. Problem solved but now the bag I have in that area and the lock are getting in each others' way.

Weight wise, it does not have too much of an impact but the lock is really heavy. Also a little worried at how little space there is to fit the lock around my bike AND whatever post/bar I decide  to lock it around.

Would I have bought Foldylock again if I had a proper grasp of how heavy or large it was? Honestly speaking, I doubt so.

I think the product owners are also aware of the issues. Take a look at the packaging it arrived in. The wording on the tape says Seatylock instead of Foldylock. It looks like they've already moved on to a new version of the lock.

Head over to seatylock.com and you'll see that the new concept integrates the lock into a package under the seat and when you wish to use it, you remove the seat, unfold the lock and together with the seat use the unfolded links to lock the bike. 

Yup, added benefit that your saddle can't be stolen easily. If they can produce a lighter yet equally secure version, they'll have a winner.

(Had uploaded some pictures but they were lost in the process when I switched blog addresses ... ah well ... so I'm linking to a few images found on the web)

Graduation Day

Today was patron's day at my school and we celebrated it  together with the graduation ceremony  for the Sec 4s. I loved the way it was celebrated at my current school but I felt no deep connection with the graduating classes. I don't know why that is. These are all lovely ladies, perhaps, it is because I have only been with the school for a few months and have taught very few of the graduating classes.

Coincidentally, my former school also held their graduation ceremony on the same day and my ex-colleague who was my co-form was kind enough to tag me in the photos. It was so lovely to see my previous form class again and even better to know they were on the cusp of completing their O level journey. I had not seen these students for over two years but I was more affected by their graduation. 

Certainly, two years ago, I would never have envisioned that I would have since switched schools twice. I had in fact while I was with them in Sec 3, made a mental note to myself to see them through graduation. Circumstances changed and it was not to be. Sometimes, teachers have so little say over the direction of their teaching life.

Nonetheless, I wish students from both schools, all the best for their O levels and future endeavours.

Fresh doubts

The last few days haven't been good. It seems every night brings fresh doubts and more worries. The thing about worries? You can't really do anything about them.

The particular devil rattling around in my head? Whether this whole issue about moving overseas will turn out all right for my children. If it messes up my life, that I can take, but I have a responsibility to my two little ones.

Doubt. It's a powerful force.

"Why do you want to leave?"

Was waiting for the Liverpool - West Ham match to start but it's gone pear shaped. Pool's down 2-0 so I might as well pen down more thoughts.

It's been a hectic week, with multiple school events and the IELTS test. I have never been very good with dates and scheduling is always a nightmare for me. Hence it came as no surprise that I had scheduled my oral test on the same day as the Colours Awards that was being held in my school. Having to seek permission to leave for my test meant telling them why I needed to be absent on the day so some of my colleagues now know what I'm planning to do.

As you can imagine, this engendered some pretty interesting conversation topics. One of my colleagues, C, had in fact just returned from her studies in Australia, when asked if she wanted to stay there instead of coming back, she was undecided. She did offer advice that it was not easy to get a job over there and concerns over being a 2nd class citizen.

Another colleague, SY told me that he could not believe that I would just uproot my family and leave Singapore. I was candid with him, there's nothing to hide after all. Let me see if Ican recall what I said;

1) There is never a right time to leave. Kids could be too young, too old, exams too important to miss etc etc. It does not matter, if you have to leave, leave.

2) I don't need to leave. Life is comfortable for me, decent salary, finally found another school that I like working for with decent colleagues to boot.

3) Hard to leave rest of family behind, that goes without saying.

4) Leaving because of fear? I bought my resale HDB flat at $360k slightly more than 10 years ago. We thought it was expensive then. Fast forward to the present day and I could concieviably sell it for double that price. In 20 years time when it's my kids turn to purchase their abodes, what would they be looking at? I mean, some HDB flats have gone for a million dollars already. It's not fear for myself. I'm fearful for my childrens future.

5) COE, COE, COE. Need I say more? We are close to spending a years' wage on a piece of paper ENTITLING us to own a car for 10 years. There is something so wrong with that word and yet so reflective of our society.

*6) I spent a decade struggling with the Chinese language, never once doing well in it till my A levels. Through some stroke of luck or the marker feeling extremely generous on that particular night, I finally garnered a decent grade. It was so unexpected my MT teacher told me not to resit for the paper because I would never better the grade (her words exactly). Being stubborn, I did not listen but that did not stop her from being proven right. I digress. The point is, my kids have inherited my weakness in Chinese Language - They have been doing ok, slightly in the low 60s but recently my daughter returned with a failed assessment. Suffice to say, that night brought on a lot of soul searching and planted the seed of migration in my mind.

I remember sitting on my sofa, exhausted from talking to my daughter about improving her MT grades and feeling like scum because she was upset and crying. I do not want my children to grow up unhappy. Am I being soft? Am I transferring my own failures and imagining it on them? Maybe but I don't think so. Anyway, there I was on the sofa, with my tablet in hand, googling for information on migration to Australia.

Two websites caught my attention, the first being Neurotic Ramblings of a Singaporean Couple which I spent hours devouring. The advice on that website is invaluable and acurately listed. It is a pity they haven't written much recently but it's because they are happily settled in Melbourne! Still an invaluable read. If I recall correctly, I was up all night till nearly 4 am. School was only 2 hours away. I tried to sleep but the mind was just racing. Could I? Should I? Dare I?

The second website, A Singaporean Son was equally awesome as a resource and touching to read as a record of his trials, tribulations and happiness. I sincerely wish him, his wife and his daughter all the best in life.

If I ever decide to share this blog and you come across this sorry excuse of a diary hoping for more information, do head to those two blogs, they do a much much better job.

With that the germ was planted, with those two websites came the relief knowing that it had been done and was doable.

With a simple conversation with my wife as she was driving;

Me: 'Dear, I've been thinking about migrating to Australia'

(In the background of my mind, I was preparing all my reasons why we should do it but in all honesty, it was just a feeling of rightness)

Wife: (Glancing over at me before looking back at the road) Ok loh.

I was astounded. Caught speechless. Still am.

Many days later when I found my senses, I asked her why she said yes. (We've actually had that conversation many times before but in a joking manner and I had never actually been prepared to take it anywhere - most of the times we had those conversations was when we were actually vacationing in Australia). She simply said it was because she knew I had always wanted to live there and she was prepared to follow.

I love this woman.

It's times like this when you feel your heart swell with emotion.

I was so choked up I did not tell her how much it meant that she had said yes. I still haven't.

I do not know what the future might hold. We might chicken out and end up going nowhere. If that happens, I'll look at this blog and have a good laugh at myself.

Nothing however can take away what she said and how I felt.

I love you, J.

IELTS - Listening, Reading and Writing

A day after my Speaking component, I found myself at at familiar site, Civil Service College for the other three components.

Paper was at 9am but you're expected to be there by 8.20am to register. I thought that was a tremendous amount of time for registration till I turned up at the venue. I do not think it would be an exaggeration to say that there was upwards of 200+ people at the test venue.

Registration was a breeze, just bring along the ID you used to register for the exam and you entrance slip. A middle-aged lady next to me brought her NRIC instead of her passport, her excuse being that the migration agent had not informed her which ID he had used for the registration. The British Council attendant on duty allowed her into the exam on the condition that someone bring down her proper documentation and arrive before the end of the paper so that he could verify her particulars.

After registration, I was directed to the baggage room where you leave all your belongings. That's right, no stationery, wallet or handphones. Only supposed to bring along your ID, water bottle (clear, transparent) and warm clothing (if needed). I then moved up to room 4.2, this was at 8.20am or so. 

What followed was a wait of an hour, till the paper started at about 9.20am. During that time, I found myself looking at the other candidates and wondered if they were there for the same reason. For some reason, there were quite a few China students there too. Was there any other reason to take the IELTS test?

By the way, your $320 fee buys you those writing equipment shown in the photo.

Standard examination rules, no toilet breaks in the first 10 or last 10 minutes. No toilet breaks during listening component. No extra time given for taking any toilet breaks. If you do end up taking one, your exit and re-entry times are recorded.

Listening was really a chore. If you find your thoughts wandering, you can kiss goodbye to a decent grade.

Reading was decent. 40 questions scattered over 3 reading passages. Passages were not extremely difficult, neither were they for Sunday reading but that might have been because I was sitting for the 

Academic paper.

Writing was made up of 2 tasks, the first being descriptive (based on some diagrams given) and the second, a standard 'discuss this and give your opinion' essay. Task 2 holds double the marks compared to task 1. I have horrible handwriting and was planning to rewrite my answers in a decipherable form but the one hour went by very quickly. 150 word minimum for Task 1 and 250 word minimum for Task 2. So, no rewrite. Again, I find myself hoping for the best.

As I walked out of CSC, I realised that I felt a sense of relief that it was over. Had I ever been that tense about any of my prior exams or was it because this would have a greater impact on my life?

Oh, before I forget, just prior to leaving the centre, the invigilator reminded us that the results would be available after 13 days, after 3pm. Not sure if that included weekends or not so no earlier than 4th October, I suppose.

Wishing myself good luck.

IELTS - Speaking Component

The decision was made a while back to consider the possibility of migration and the first step to take since I would be applying under visa 189, was to sit for the IELTS test.

I registered with the British Council for a grand fee of $320. Along with that you get to use their website and access some of the practice papers. The papers are not easy and do require some thought! I had delayed practicing because of work and a train of thought that Iwould be able to handle the paper with ease. This was not to be!

A simple trial of the listening test convinced me otherwise. After nearly a decade of not having to sit for exams, I was definitely in for a rude awakening. The good thing about it was, I discovered how bad I was a week before the actual test. That week was put to good use trying out all the practice papers.

Speaking component was tested at British Council Napier Road on the 19th of September. The test time given was 3.20pm. I arrived at 2.40pm as I have a horrible tendency to be late for most things. Stepping out of the lift on the third floor, I was surprised to hear my name being called! Apparently, the tester had stepped out of the room to call out for me himself instead of waiting for the receptionist. I wasn't late, he was just checking to see if I had arrived and was willing to start early. Why not? After all, it's the waiting that will get to you more than anything else during an oral exam. I had my photo taken, stepped into the room and the speaking component began. We spoke on a wide variety of topics after first introducing myself and before I knew it, it was over.

A quick glance at my watch told me that it was only 3.15pm. I had completed my speaking component exam before my allocated slot. Thank goodness, I arrived early!

Hoping I did ok. Fingers crossed.
What has me worried a little bit is at end, Martin (the examiner) (who used to teach at TJC) shared an anecdote about how his friend was an advocate of slow reading, about how he was a sceptic and then a convert. Couldn't help wondering if it was a subtle hint that I had rushed through my speaking component.

Oh well, like I said, fingers crossed and maybe my toes too.

Naked thoughts

Was watching Ellen and she was talking about Naked Television and she mentioned programmes like Naked and Afraid, Naked Vegas, Naked Castaway and Dating Naked. I assumed she was having a laugh but she went on and on and showed so much footage that it couldn't be a prank segment.

So just for the fun of it, I Googled the shows and they are real!

Naked and Afraid seems like a naked version of Survivor and Dating Naked is akin to The Bachelor/The Bachelorette except, yeah, everyone is naked.

Here's an ABC interview about these shows just in case you're interested.

I don't know about you guys but my mind is boggled.

What will we have next? Naked blogging?

Personal development - Joint responsibility

It never fails to amaze me how often humans end up digging holes for themselves that they cannot get out of.

Just the other day in the Straits Times, there was an article titled "Personal development is a joint responsibility". You can find the article here.

The author was basically advocating that payment of training courses should go the way of co-payment between employer and employee. He advises that failure to go down this path would see employees relegate themselves to the 'treadmill', where they would be "running but not getting anywhere with personal growth".

Firstly, personal development is a joint responsibility sounds like an oxymoron and that is because it is. The author of that letter has confused personal development with professional development. This is a distinction I've always been keen to keep especially when you're subjected to yearly demands of 100 training hours. I would dearly love to grow as a person, pick up cooking skills, play a guitar or whatever catches my fancy, nevermind the fact that we seldom have time to do so. The idea that we should pay for a company designated training course sits badly with me. Really badly.

In fact, I would argue that if co-payment becomes a reality in training courses, employees would see themselves advance along their professional path and yet see little personal growth.

This just seems like another badly, thought out process - like productivity or economic growth.

The altenator

I am caught in a whirlwind.

There can be no other explanation otherwise for how my inclinations swing one moment from a desire to leave Singapore to a desire to stay.

The question is, why am I alternating my desire to move?

Is it fear of the unknown? Is it a love of the familiar and the comforts of home? Or am I just a guy who cannot make up his mind?

Questions, doubts and more uncertainty.

This blog will ...

Serve to help me organize my thoughts, however meandering they might be.

Allow me to look back on the why and how of the journey ahead.