Hello everybodyyyyyy! Haha okay so guess what?? =D APS actually called me last Tuesday to do relief teaching in the afternoon session!! Super cool! It's like every time the cell group prays for me to get a long-term relief teaching job, I'll get the call within the next few days!! It was like that last year too!! Not for long term RT but still, God is too cool!! =D
Okay I wanna write down everything I remember while I still can!! Haha so on that day, I took a P2 class and a P2 malay class at the end of the day! Hahaha I didn't have to teach Malay la..just had to make sure the class isn't noisy! Haha actually managed to teach some kids Science during those periods! Really happy that one girl asked "so Miss Ong, now our eyes get bigger?" after I switched off the lights at the end of the lesson! Haha yay sense of accomplishment! Even though the correct term should be "pupils" instead of "eyes" but still..she's only in P2 so yea! =D
Oh yea the teacher didn't give me any instructions so I just told the kids to do whatever they wanted to do but they had to keep the volume down..haha oh yea! It was on that day that I realised (when I was in the hall for assembly) that actually many teachers wear sandals with pants in school! Haha so I told myself that I'm not gonna torture my feet by wearing my blue wedges the next time I do relief teaching!!
Hahaha oh and the male teacher who helped me last year when I came to school as a relief teacher for the first time helped me again on that day! Haha helped me to find my class in the hall and even got another teacher who would be teaching in the classroom next to mine to tell me where I should go and everything! =D And I remember seeing him again when I was making my way to the malay class! Haha he had made the classroom really quiet by the time I walked in! So yay thank God!! =D
Other things I wanna remember about that day's experience: a few of them made cards for me! Haha and wrote "Ms Ong I love you" haha yea and one of the girls drew me on her whiteboard! =D oh and the really cute kids! Felt like pinching one of the girls haha her cheeks!! And the way all of them said the pledge!! Kids' voices!! =D And thank God for another little helper, T!! =D
And thennnn this week, I got the call on Monday again!! Yay!! Haha most enjoyable relief teaching experience to date! The least hiccups and problems! =D Hahaha yea so they called me at 8plus in the morning to ask me if I can come for the afternoon session! And of course I said yes! =D Then after the call I rested for about an hour or so and I read devo!! =D Okay now I'm gonna fast forward to the time I stepped into the GO of the school! =D
Couldn't find the file for relief teachers to sign in and out so I went to Mdm N and saw it beside her table..so I signed in..then she asked me to sign on this appointment letter from MOE..haha it was just to inform me that I am under the READ scheme la..haha then after that I asked her "so..is there any way to get a recommendation letter?" and she told me they are not looking for any long term RT now so they'd only call me on an ad-hoc basis..and she can get the VP to write recommendation letter only if I work long term cause now they don't know me well enough to do that..so yea..pray for me okay! =D
After that I went up to the hall and this female teacher came up to me to tell me that the teacher I'm relieving on that day actually wrote a list of things for me to do!! Yay!! =D Haha it's really better when there are instructions because it'd be easier to manage the class that way so thank God for that!! =D
She brought me to the staff room and showed me the teacher's table! Carried the P2 math activity books to the hall, sat down on a chair and waited for assembly to start! Haha so nostalgic!! Sang the school song again after so long!! With a new perspective of the lyrics! =D
First period was PE so we stayed in the hall..the kids wanted to play monkey ball so I got some of them to help me bring the balls to the hall..and while waiting for them, I asked them to introduce themselves! =D but I didn't get everyone's names because the helpers came back before I managed to do that..but anyway! It was a good start! =D So I split them up into 4 groups of 5..there are supposed to be 25 students in my class..a few boys didn't wanna participate and I think there were 2 absentees so yea haha and then they started playing! Haha then oh my not long after, accidents started to happen! Thank God they were minor ones! Lol some of the girls got hit by the ball accidentally and were on the verge of crying!! Lol got the students who caused the accidents to apologise..and funnily, those who got hit still wanted to play! Oh and one girl really looks like Shirleen when she's gonna cry! Lol felt like I was looking at Shirleen a few times! Hahaha so yea thank God everything was fine after that! =D
While they were playing, I talked to the boys who didn't wanna join in..haha they were playing catching on their own! Haha got to know them better..which was good! Because building rapport with the kids makes them more willing to listen to you haha so yea thank God! =D
After PE, it was time for math so I asked for volunteers to help me carry the books to class and so many little hands went up!! Hahaha so yea it was really heartwarming to see them so willing to help me!! =D Anyway after that we were supposed to proceed to this particular room but I didn't know where it was..silly me..should have checked the school map that I had! Lol instead I asked the kids and they were all so excited and kept telling me they knew where it is so I got them to bring me to the room and they led me to the com lab!! Lol oh yea when we were making our way there, one boy (S) asked if he can sit with me later! Hahaha yea he sat at the teacher's table when we got into the lab!
Lol anyway it was hilarious..I didn't have the pass so I couldn't enter..so 2 girls went down to the GO to get it for me..and when we got in, we saw bags everywhere! A class had already came and left their bags there! But still, since we were already there..and silly me believed that the kids knew what they were talking about, I got them to sit down and then got some children to help me give out the books..and got markers from some of them (actually i only asked for one but I got 3 hahaha cute right?)..and when everyone had finally settled down and got their books, I started teaching them..but shortly after, the class came back!! Lol it was actually the P2 class I relieved the week before!! Hahaha yea so the teacher told me where that room was and everyone had to move out..(so you see, a lot of time was actually wasted..but thank God the kids still finished their work after that!) and then we got to the REAL room, waited for everyone to settle down and open their math books to the page..and I finally could start my lesson again..had to teach them the concepts of ordering numbers, "more than", "less than" and number patterns! So yea thank God it wasn't that difficult and thank God the kids are smart! Haha so when the lesson ended, most of them were already done! =D
Okay then after all that, it was time for art class and we were already late because the kids were asking me questions and someone dropped his sharpener into the hole on the teacher's table..loool and when I got them to line up some students wanted to line up with me! Hahaha so cute..as first only one girl asked, (the one who looks like Shirleen..let's call her M! =D) "Ms Ong can I line up with you?" and I said yes and then more of them asked me the same time! So in the end I was lining up with like 5 kids!! LOL okay so without further ado, we proceeded to the art room! Yay! Because there was another teacher who'd be conducting the lesson! (Saw her the week before! The other class had art lesson on that day too! Haha) I just had to sit and watch! =D They were gonna continue with their fortune cat made of clay! Haha had to paint it and attach the angbao to it! =D
Okay so after art, it was HE! Haha the teacher didn't assign any instructions for that period so I used it to help those who didn't finish their math work or did it wrongly (haha I checked a few books during the art class)! Got them to come up individually so that I could teach them! =D Haha it wasn't a lot..I don't know if I missed out anyone who didn't complete their work..but I felt like a real teacher during that time!! =D Thank God the class was relatively quiet and were doing their own stuff and I could focus on teaching those who needed my help! =D so yay I feel like I made an impact! =D
Yup then it was time for recess! Yay! Haha some of the kids were like snatching to stand with me when I got the class to line up before we move to the canteen! Lol so I said it's okay all of you can stand with me! No need to snatch! Hahaha and so with that, we made our way down! =D Had to bring one boy (let's call him K! =D) to the GO cause he said he didn't have his food and drink coupons! LOL super funny! Oh yea and the girls who wanted to line up with me followed hahaha told them to go and eat but M said "no Miss Ong i'll follow you wherever you go" hahaha awww..so yea they came into the GO with me! Then I told Mdm N about K's situation and she had that exasperated look on her face hahahaa cause he wasn't under the scheme that's why he wasn't given the coupons! Hahaha and then a funny dialogue happened between Mdm N and K! Hahaha don't think I'm supposed to write it down here so yea everyone who heard it was laughing away! Hahaha okay so after everything was settled, the kids and I finally went to have our recess! =D
Wanted to eat the maggie mee with soup but they said it was sold out already! So I asked the kids what they were gonna eat (yea they were still following me! Lol!) and they said porridge so I had porridge! Haha it's still 80cents!! =D that's what I bought for my first recess in school! =D
Then I ate with my students again! Hahaha seems like they only do that when I wear contacts and the dark blue dress! Or maybe cause I'm not so tired that day!! =D thank God!!! Was praying for that!! Haha this time, there was a boy who was at the table with me! Haha yea it was K! Oh yea C was sitting with me too! Thought she didn't really like me cause she didn't smile when I talked to her before that but during recess she actually started to talk to me and tell me about her grandparents! Haha thank God! =D Oh yea M gave me a jelly! Haha =D
Okay then after recess, as usual, the pupils had to gather at the bus bay before they can go back to their class! So yea when everyone was ready, I led them back to their class! =D Hahaa M started to hold my hand and then soon after T held my other hand and G wanted to join in but she couldn't hold my so she held my arm! Hahaha I was telling them "I only have 2 hands! I'm not an octopus!" and they broke out in laughter hahaha
Yup so it was English next! They were supposed to do their penmanship books! Haha yea M, T, JR and K wanted to sit with me so I let them sit near the teacher's table..okay I remember Sh and B were there too but I don't remember if it's because they wanted to sit with me..haha okay so anyway after I told them what to do, most of them started on their work but K wanted to do it as homework..so I stood beside him and told him "You do now, I'll be standing here" and then he really listened to me! Haha yea actually he has nice handwriting! And he's smart! Just needs a lot of attention and a bit of pushing..haha so yea I waited until he was engrossed in writing till I moved away and went to the others who didn't feel like doing their work..haha and P told me that my dress is nice! Haha it was the first time I heard her telling me something not related to her classmates' behaviour! Hahaha she'd be like a little reporter and tell me what's going on..what the naughty pupils were doing and so on..hahaha so yea it was nice to hear that from her! =D
Oh yea and it feels good when you manage to get those naughty pupils (like Sh and B) to actually do their work..haha sense of achievement there! =D haha they really like talking and every time I walk past them, they would talk to me so I told them "Okay you finish this page then you talk okay?" haha and thank God it worked!! =D
Okay after English it was MT so I had to leave the class..and as I was leaving, T shouted "Bye bye Ms Ong! I love you!" Hahaha another aww moment!! =D Oh yea before I forget, some of the girls drew me on their whiteboards! Hahaha should have taken photos of their drawings for memory's sake! =D Seems like all P2 pupils love drawing on their whiteboards!
Haha okay so I had to go relieve another class..it was rest time for me..haha after all that drama..haha but I played QUIET heart attack with some of the kids! =D yay thank God haha yup then after the lesson, had to go to the parade square to gather..didn't know where to go at first..a lot of kids were telling me the gates they have to exit by but seems like everyone were in their classes so I was quite confused..but anyway thank God things were fine after that! =D Made my way home after everything ended and saw a few CDAC kids when I was walking to the MRT! Haha nice way to end the day!! =D But I'm never gonna wear those flats again..they always give me blisters..haha oh yea P said "teacher you must take care" when I was putting the plaster! =D haha so yea..that's actually the pair of shoes I bought last year..you can scroll down and refer to my previous post..hahaha oh well!! Hope I will be able to get a REALLY COMFORTABLE AND SUITABLE PAIR OF FLATS FOR WORK!! Oh oh and my contact lens were REALLY easy to get out after that!! Thank God!! Haha both came out after just one try!! Hahaha would usually require more than one try to get them out but guess God knew I needed to rest ASAP haha cause the day was really quite tiring!! Haha
Okay then on Tuesday, they called me at 6.57am for relief teaching again!! Hahaha that's the first time they actually called me for 2 consecutive days!! =D Oh this time it was for morning session! Woah I really thank God because I couldn't really sleep the night before even though I tried to sleep early (9 or 10pm) and I didn't get a good sleep so yea THANK GOD I SURVIVED!! TALKING IS SO TIRING!! Haha yea I went to work after doing relief teaching! Seriously crazy..haha that's the first time I did that too! Do relief teaching in the morning then go to TP to work..wahhhhh haha madness!! Okay so let's start with the teaching experience! =D
So this time I went to school wearing sandals!! Haha yay no more feet pain!! =D When I reached the GO, one staff said "Oh Sandra is here!" haha thought that was quite cool! Think they really know me already! Hahaha =D So I took my schedule for the day (was gonna take a P4 class that day!) and went to the staff room cause classes started at 8.30 on that day! =D
When I got to the staff room, there was a teacher who walked up to me and asked if I needed help! Haha she showed me to the teacher's table and told me I could ask for her help anytime if I need any! Haha her table was just beside mine! =D So yea that was nice! And then shortly after another teacher told me that the students' activity books are in the locker so I could go and check and see how I can plan my lessons! Haha yup then after that I still had some time to rest so I went to check FB..and I felt like I really needed prayer so I posted on the CG page! Haha yea then I left the staff room at 8.15 because there wasn't anything else to do already haha and I ended up listening to the last part of the Chinese class! Another nostalgic moment! Haha found myself enjoying listening to the lesson! =D
Haha after it ended, the teacher walked away and gave me a wide smile hahaha think she saw me paying attention to her class! Haha then I walked in and waited for the students from the other MT classes to come back! Got some kids to help to carry the science workbooks from the locker to class! And then everyone settled down, I greeted them, took a book from one of them as reference and then I started teaching! =D Had to teach them systems haha reminded me of one of the songs I taught but that's for body systems haha but anyway yea those those periods were quite fun! Got to recap my primary school science hahaha thennn it was time for recess! Haha had dry maggie mee with 2 nuggets and 1 seaweed chicken! And no one sat with me..haha so my hypothesis is right! Kids will only wanna sit with me when I'm wearing that dress hahaha oh but there was one girl who came over to the table I was at..haha okay la better than nothing! Lol I actually asked some other kids from my class if I could sit with them and they said no..aww haha oh well!
After recess, it was supposed to be SS then HE but the teacher didn't assign any instructions for these two subjects..and I didn't really understand what she wanted me to do during the English lesson..so I used that time to get them to do their math! Haha and the kids were asking me to bring them to the com lab and this time I told them to ask the GO if I am allowed to do that! Haha =D Initially they didn't wanna go but I guess their desire to go to the com lab won over haha so they went! Hmm they took quite some time to come back but thank God the answer is yes! Haha so I told the students that the earlier they complete their work, the earlier we'd go to the com lab! Haha made sure they did their work properly before we went! But yea I really thank God for the break because I needed some time to rest..still had to work almost non-stop for 5 hours later in the end..hahaha yea so bringing them to the com lab was a good choice! =D
After school, I went to admiralty place for lunch and ate wanton noodles! Haha by the time I finished eating it was around 2pm already so I knew I'd be late for work haha but thank God it's okay! Cause I can still work 5 hours then leave later than 8! Haha oh yea I got a seat on the train! Yay so thank God!! Got to sit from Admiralty to Raffles Place! =D
Okay so when I got to TP, I bought 2 cream rolls! Lol and I only ate one cream roll!! Haha was so tired during work that when I closed my eyes for just a second, i felt I could fall asleep!! But by God's power and grace, I still managed to get 2 appointments!! And I made more calls than I usually would make!! (since the last week!) haha God is amazing!! =D Oh lol and my colleagues looked at me funnily cause I was wearing the teacher outfit hahaha
Yea okay then yesterday I actually missed a call from APS even though my phone was on general mode!! Must have been really tired!! They called at 7.25am! Saw it at 9 and called them back but they said they already found someone! Hope they will call tomorrow and Friday since my boss said I don't have to work on those days!! =D and I went to CPS again! =D Then to SSC to see if I can get new flats and bag..preferably one that is similar to my yellow Elle bag! So that I can use it for both work and non-work purposes! =D Didnt find any suitable shoes..and I found a really comfy bag (as soft as a pillow!! Love it!!) at Esprit but it's $44.90!! =O oh well..will come back to get it if I really don't find a bag I like somewhere else..! Actually, it doesn't really match some of my clothes..haha so it'd look quite funny..haha never mind! New flats are more important!! The current ones are really painful to walk in! Should find a solution..anyway I went home to rest and have lunch! =D then as usual, I bought cream rolls at 7-11 when I reached TP before going to work! =D
Yup so as you can tell, I'm not working right now..kept getting up since 6plus in the morning cause I was afraid I'd miss their call again..but they didn't call..oh well it's okay! Hope I'll get the call tomorrow! =D
Hahaha I think I should rename this to "The Chronicles Of A Girl Who Wants To Be A Teacher"..!