A New Year, A New School

Well well well...it has been a LONG time since I last updated, as reminded by Colourless Opinions. :) Sorry folks. A lot has happened in the past few months that I hardly have time to relax.

I have transferred to a new school, very near to where I stay, thanks to the cable-pulling efforts by a few people. At first, I was quite happy that I no longer have to wake up and leave the house before the Muslims' Subuh prayers. But after 10 weeks, I can say that I miss my old school 200%.

Well, actually it is because I am teaching only Year One. And as easy as it seems to be, I cannot control them the way their class teachers do. And truth be told, I feel that the children are now better behaved in class compared to how they used to be. But the typical Chinese school teachers feel that the children are "bullying" me because they walk around to sharpen their pencils and tell me stories that have absolutely no relation to what I am teaching in the class. Hmmm...

True, it is easier to teach when the children are seated quietly and zombies, but they are children, for goodness' sake! I feel that it is all right that they move a little after they have finished their work. And they have learnt most of the things that they learn now in kindergarten, so I think it is quite understandable that the smarter ones are restless during English lessons.

Speaking of restlessness, I have a few hyperactive/ problematic children in Year One. On top of my "inability" to make the normal/average ones to sit down quietly, these children are plain disruptive in class. One thing I realised is that some of these special children enjoy causing pain to the other children, by way of pinching or hitting their friends. I wish the parents would understand and send the children to special schools because they are not only not learning much in normal schools, they are disturbing the other children.

Sigh...sometimes I wonder if it is my problem or my inability to truly accept the way Chinese schools operate. If you ask me now, I still feel that sending your children to Chinese schools is equivalent to robbing your children of their childhood. What is your take?

On a brighter note, can you guess what animal this is? :)