I usually post a song on teachers' day. This year, I think I will do something different. No song, just a reflection of what I have observed the last few months.
I realised I never shared the 4 weeks I spent in Temasek Secondary, so I guess its appropriate to do so here. But I won't share about my personal experiences, but rather other observations. One common question I kept getting asked when I was there was, "Are you sure you want to do this job?"
All who asked were pretty senior teachers who had taught for years. They all sounded like they were trying to discourage me from going further, but then I realised something else. They were still teaching. No matter how much pain the students had inflicted, no matter how many curses and insults were hurled at them, no matter how rude students were to them, they were still there. To me, that showed that the rewards were well worth the sacrifice.
I asked myself, "why do teachers cry?". Now I know.
They cry not because they are too emotional. They cry not because they are scared of their students. They cry not because they have lost control. They cry not because they are discouraged. They cry not because they have been misunderstood.
But they cry because they love their students. They cry because they see a life they love head down the path of destruction. They cry because they really do care, even though they seem not to.
The speaker said something interesting today:
"Make your marking an act of worship to God."
I know that in theory, but having it explicitly told to me was something else altogether. Teaching is more than a calling, it is a sacrifice, where the classroom is the altar.
*dedicated to the teachers of Temasek Secondary School, who taught someone like me where my place really is and for teaching me the depth of sacrifice*
