Thursday, September 08, 2005
The Mug Tale
A few weeks ago, one of my students that I no longer teach gave me a mug for putting my stationaries. She bought it for me because she saw my pens and markers were always scattered around everywhere on my desk. I just love the mug!
~
To Be Or Not To Be
The last September 1 was Teacher's Day. Well at least in some part of the world like Singapore. Since my school is Singaporean Based school so we had holiday on that day and a little celebration the day before. And the teachers had an exquisite dinner at Shangrilla Hotel that night. All paid by the school! =P
I got some Happy Teacher's Day greeting cards from my students, most of them were hand made. And one of them was from a girl that I no longer teach because she's in upper level now. I was so happy. It was a very simple hand made blue card but it was special because eventhough I only taught her for several months last year, she remembers me. And what's more, I also got 2 bars of Toblerone from a Sec 1 student. Yummy!
I don't know, is it just me or I feel this kind of student-teacher culture I have at the school where I work is different from what I knew and experienced during all my studentship back in the school days. Here at my school, every now and then, my students would come to me and talk about their family, about their romance problems, sometimes even about spiritual stuffs or just talk about anything at all.
At first I thought it was because I'm still young and speak to them in their language and bacause I don't really give a damn about a noise or two during my class, but then I saw that even the fierceful, very strict and older teachers can get very close to their students. And it also has nothing to do with bribing for a higher marks because they really can't get anything from me since my subject is not even included in the academic certificate. They can get E for Art and it won't effect their grades at all. It's just the culture they have there. And I think it is a very nice culture. Which we don't have in our local schools.
I remembered back then I didn't even talk much with my teachers. Yes, I had some favorite teachers who were nice to me, but still I had never thought of getting personal. Since they never tried to get personal with me either. It was all pure academical and school matters only. I wouldn't think of telling them the story of my family or my romance problem. Teachers arent's suppose to get personal with students, are they? And you already know what they are going to say to you, all those good and morally correct stuffs. They're teachers, what do you expect?
But when I think about the best teacher I have ever had, it was my pastor back in my old church (just FYI, I don't go to church anymore. There'll be more postings about this later). Beside all his wisdom and perfect spirituality I saw back then, what made him so influential to me was his willingness to get dirty with me. He was not afraid to get personal and be disturbed by my stupid little problems. He was the one who understood me better than my family and my friends. He was a great role model for me. I owe most of my basic spirituality fundamental and philosophical wisdom to him. I wouldn't be the man I am today if I have never met him. So many people's life and hearts have been touched by his life. He inspires people to be a better man. He is a very influential guy.
Now these days, I heard so much about people trying to be influential, from the religious people, musicians, to the assholes out there. I even have read a blog of a 16 year-old girl who wants to be the savior of the world, she wants to be influential so much that she invited everybody who has any problems at all to come and talk to her. She'll help them out anyway she can, at least that's what she said.
Psychiatrists' job is to help people solve their problems, but are they influential persons who touch people's hearts and lifes? Maybe some are. But I don't think most are. Because they're not getting personal with their patients. They don't get dirty with their patients' shits. All they do is analyzing the shits from far away while avoiding the smell and tell their patients how to take care of their shits alone. That's why I saw that girl as a little kid who thinks that she's influential while she's actually playing Freudian.
When you think about it, unless you're a very rich and powerful person, there's no way you can be influential without getting personal. There's no way you can touch people's life without getting dirty with their shits. It's not about your wisdom, your smart brain, your philosophical quotes or your ability to solve problems. It's about being personal. Getting into people's life and touch them from within. That's why your close friends are influential to you as you are to them. That's why most couples that break-up after a long periode of relationship find themselves have changed so much. That's why a song about broken hearted is more influential then any other songs. Because it is personal to everybody. It's our shit and somebody is feeling the same thing and singing about our shit. It's personal.
It what Jesus did back then. He wasn't playing Freudian and Bill Gates. He influenced people simply by just being around them. He wasn't trying to change the world, he was only trying to change and touch the hearts and lifes of the people close to him. He hung around with prostitutes, he ate with tax collectors, he share beds with smelly fishermen, he didn't afraid to get dirty. He swam in their pool of shits. And we all know what those people did afterwards. They changed the world.
But getting personal is not as simple as it may sounds. It needs a lot of emotions, energy and time. At some times it even dries everybody out. Especially when you're trying too hard. And eventhough it's a positive influence you're emitting, and eventhough you have already gotten so personal as much as you can to someone, it really doesn't mean that it would stay that way forever. That's why people don't want to get personal too much any more these day if they don't see the benefits of it. It's too risky and exhausting. It cost Jesus his life. Was it worthed? I don't know. You tell me.
If you don't understand what the hell I am talking about here, it's totally not your fault. Afterall it's just another useless mumbling of mine. In fact I wasn't planning on writing something sounds so churchy, it was suppose to be just a rant about being influential. I don't even know how the hell it came to this point. Lol.
A few weeks ago, one of my students that I no longer teach gave me a mug for putting my stationaries. She bought it for me because she saw my pens and markers were always scattered around everywhere on my desk. I just love the mug!
~
To Be Or Not To Be
The last September 1 was Teacher's Day. Well at least in some part of the world like Singapore. Since my school is Singaporean Based school so we had holiday on that day and a little celebration the day before. And the teachers had an exquisite dinner at Shangrilla Hotel that night. All paid by the school! =P
I got some Happy Teacher's Day greeting cards from my students, most of them were hand made. And one of them was from a girl that I no longer teach because she's in upper level now. I was so happy. It was a very simple hand made blue card but it was special because eventhough I only taught her for several months last year, she remembers me. And what's more, I also got 2 bars of Toblerone from a Sec 1 student. Yummy!
I don't know, is it just me or I feel this kind of student-teacher culture I have at the school where I work is different from what I knew and experienced during all my studentship back in the school days. Here at my school, every now and then, my students would come to me and talk about their family, about their romance problems, sometimes even about spiritual stuffs or just talk about anything at all.
At first I thought it was because I'm still young and speak to them in their language and bacause I don't really give a damn about a noise or two during my class, but then I saw that even the fierceful, very strict and older teachers can get very close to their students. And it also has nothing to do with bribing for a higher marks because they really can't get anything from me since my subject is not even included in the academic certificate. They can get E for Art and it won't effect their grades at all. It's just the culture they have there. And I think it is a very nice culture. Which we don't have in our local schools.
I remembered back then I didn't even talk much with my teachers. Yes, I had some favorite teachers who were nice to me, but still I had never thought of getting personal. Since they never tried to get personal with me either. It was all pure academical and school matters only. I wouldn't think of telling them the story of my family or my romance problem. Teachers arent's suppose to get personal with students, are they? And you already know what they are going to say to you, all those good and morally correct stuffs. They're teachers, what do you expect?
But when I think about the best teacher I have ever had, it was my pastor back in my old church (just FYI, I don't go to church anymore. There'll be more postings about this later). Beside all his wisdom and perfect spirituality I saw back then, what made him so influential to me was his willingness to get dirty with me. He was not afraid to get personal and be disturbed by my stupid little problems. He was the one who understood me better than my family and my friends. He was a great role model for me. I owe most of my basic spirituality fundamental and philosophical wisdom to him. I wouldn't be the man I am today if I have never met him. So many people's life and hearts have been touched by his life. He inspires people to be a better man. He is a very influential guy.
Now these days, I heard so much about people trying to be influential, from the religious people, musicians, to the assholes out there. I even have read a blog of a 16 year-old girl who wants to be the savior of the world, she wants to be influential so much that she invited everybody who has any problems at all to come and talk to her. She'll help them out anyway she can, at least that's what she said.
Psychiatrists' job is to help people solve their problems, but are they influential persons who touch people's hearts and lifes? Maybe some are. But I don't think most are. Because they're not getting personal with their patients. They don't get dirty with their patients' shits. All they do is analyzing the shits from far away while avoiding the smell and tell their patients how to take care of their shits alone. That's why I saw that girl as a little kid who thinks that she's influential while she's actually playing Freudian.
When you think about it, unless you're a very rich and powerful person, there's no way you can be influential without getting personal. There's no way you can touch people's life without getting dirty with their shits. It's not about your wisdom, your smart brain, your philosophical quotes or your ability to solve problems. It's about being personal. Getting into people's life and touch them from within. That's why your close friends are influential to you as you are to them. That's why most couples that break-up after a long periode of relationship find themselves have changed so much. That's why a song about broken hearted is more influential then any other songs. Because it is personal to everybody. It's our shit and somebody is feeling the same thing and singing about our shit. It's personal.
It what Jesus did back then. He wasn't playing Freudian and Bill Gates. He influenced people simply by just being around them. He wasn't trying to change the world, he was only trying to change and touch the hearts and lifes of the people close to him. He hung around with prostitutes, he ate with tax collectors, he share beds with smelly fishermen, he didn't afraid to get dirty. He swam in their pool of shits. And we all know what those people did afterwards. They changed the world.
But getting personal is not as simple as it may sounds. It needs a lot of emotions, energy and time. At some times it even dries everybody out. Especially when you're trying too hard. And eventhough it's a positive influence you're emitting, and eventhough you have already gotten so personal as much as you can to someone, it really doesn't mean that it would stay that way forever. That's why people don't want to get personal too much any more these day if they don't see the benefits of it. It's too risky and exhausting. It cost Jesus his life. Was it worthed? I don't know. You tell me.
If you don't understand what the hell I am talking about here, it's totally not your fault. Afterall it's just another useless mumbling of mine. In fact I wasn't planning on writing something sounds so churchy, it was suppose to be just a rant about being influential. I don't even know how the hell it came to this point. Lol.