Basket.

Well, my latest stint is over. I left with distinctly mixed feelings: on the one hand, I am certainly glad about not having to get up at 6am again for the forseeable future; on the other, I genuinely enjoyed teaching at my alma mater - sharing inside jokes with my juniors and making ex-teachers feel their age. My dear 6O gave me a card and a really nice Eeyore mug, which was really sweet of them because I only taught them for one term. I was honestly both surprised and touched, especially by all the saccharine thoughts they penned. It made me finally stop questioning the soundness of my decision to stay on for three more weeks after Semester 1 opened, because this - this is job satisfaction.

RJC was a whole different ball game from Whitley, obviously, but it was anything but easy. The students definitely challenged and outshone me in a number of areas, although I cry foul because it was Science and Technology. I guess in a school like this, it wouldn't make any sense for one to be offended by being corrected by students. I'm not - partly because I remember the times when I did the correcting. Marking made me flat-out, but I somehow got through it before term started, and then coasted on presentations (to me it's a teacher's dirty trick, but one I'm happy to use) and assignments for the last 3 weeks. I suppose it would be illogical to complain about how it all fell into place.

Perhaps what is most surprising is that I emerged with a newfound respect for teachers past. Seeing up close how much they have to do and the pressure they are all facing this year (first through-train batch going for A-Levels) and how coolly they handle it all reminded me how much of a handful even (relatively) good students can be. I have more of an understanding now of teachers I once privately scorned - I know their roles and their usefulness, and it sometimes goes beyond simply being a good classroom teacher.

All in all, this is one job I'll do again in a heartbeat. Never mind the crushing marking load and the ungodly hours - it's something I know I'll enjoy.

Well, this has been almost my longest stint without a post. The reason being that I've been so incredibly busy that August has been something of a blur; minutes, hours, days, lectures, seminars, lessons (by me) just flying past, one place to another, from school to school, building to building, shuttle bus to shuttle bus. Fortunately, being overloaded is a distinctly familiar feeling and I'm something of a nervous workaholic, believe it or not, for those who haven't before seen me act like a beaver.

This is, of course, due to the fact that I'm in the intriguing position of being both a student and a teacher, seeing out my contract at my alma mater (or trying my darndest to) while at the same time going to classes at NUS. Anyone who doesn't know this and hasn't said I am goddamn bonkers yet, save it, because more than enough people have been doing that already. Whatever else you might say, I know, I know, I know and no worries, I'm managing fine. Somehow. Heck, personally, I find it amazing.

It's early days yet for my education, and I'm posting today because everything is finally sorted. The only damper is that I am going to have to do all this crap again next semester. But that can be forgotten for now, thank heavens. Lectures in place, tutorials allocated, any and all clashes adroitly avoided. I can breathe again, easier, at least, but conscious of the academic challenges to come.

As for my charges, our juniors, a colleague made an intriguing comment recently. She said that the RJC students of present are a lot less jaded, a lot less cynical and a lot more religious, moralistic and even naive. I thought about it, and I realised that was exactly what I had been wondering about for weeks. Essay after essay on marriage seem afraid to comprehend the horrifying scenario of divorce, with assertions of "an everlasting bond" and the word "unbreakable" appearing so frequently as to border upon cliche. When I informed my remedial class that the age of consent was 16 (prior to this they didn't even know what was age of consent), they largely looked surprised. I then put it to them that censorship laws were ridiculous because you could legally have sex (after turning 16) before watching other people have sex (R-21 movies). The solution they gave me? To raise the age of consent. Somewhat mentally prepared for it by then, I was still taken aback.

Following which, I nearly broke one of my own cardinal rules today by almost sparking a religious debate - and found the class solidly behind the view that morals can only originate from religion. To me, that's clearly rubbish, but I wasn't going to ignite that particular tinderbox. It did show, however, their sheer depth of religious faith. It was even said that all came from God and when I tried to play devil's advocate I was accused of having been brainwashed (yes, he really used that word).

Of course, I am not going to force opinions on anybody, but that's a pretty strong term to use. It is manifest how important religion is to them, and they are entitled to such beliefs. Nonetheless, I do get a little worried because one of the things I value most about Singapore is the fact that the line between Church and State is very clearly delineated here. The flap about tudungs in school a few years back showed how determined our government was to keep schools secular (government-run schools, at least). That is the way it should be, the line in the college anthem that goes "With God to guide the way" notwithstanding. These students of mine have plenty of time to change themselves, but if they don't, how will they change society?

It might sound alarmist, but it's worth thinking about. I am personally a strong atheist, but I do not deny the right of individual religion. Religion may be the opiate of the masses, but even as an opiate, it has a place in society. Just respect those with no particular inclination (the tiny faction was drowned out in class today) and keep it out of our schools, our public services and our government. Religion is very much a human construct; it is flawed, it is not perfect, it is based on little more than feeling (faith) and it should not ever turn militant and dominant.

In any case, I just want to say that it might well be a good sign that for some reason or another we're no longer churning out jaded teenagers. They might help make Singapore a brighter place (though perhaps at the cost of losing our unique local black humour) and that is definitely not a bad thing. Or they might simply be changed by our unforgiving society, rather than changing it. Who knows? The future will certainly tell.

After quite possibly the worst week since I left the army (when absolutely wretched weeks abounded, soothed by illegally consumed alcohol), I got a much-need fillip tonight with good crab for the first time in far too long. The succulent, slippery, snowy pieces of my favourite seafood were enough to convince me that the world wasn't such a bad place after all. But then again good crab always gives me a high, like chocolate does for some people. Yet it is rare that a single dinner improves my mood this much.

However torrid the week was, it is over and I can try to forget. The idiocy of NUS PC Coop, whose employee forgot my laptop adaptor at the booth, the sheer bloody-minded incompetence of SMRT and the myriad obstinate technological problems - all behind me by now. No use raising my blood pressure further, and there are headaches aplenty waiting for me in the days to come.

At least now I know why I'm here and why I am going where I am going, although I don't even like the colour of the tiles.

Mingle² - Indianapolis Singles

Well, don't say I didn't warn you.