Teach Less = Learn Less + More Homework

Biologee today was interesting. I scribbled like a demon when there were thirty-five minutes left for forty essay marks.

I'd better go restock my pencilcase with Kopiko sweets. I usually finish two per exam.

'Kay I just did. Well anyway,

I was reading this book called "Why Teachers Quit" that Fong lent me on the train and it was really quite interesting. The guy who wrote it pretty much had a bitch-fest, and the essay style was very Singaporean. You know, when you buy those cheap compilations of "good essays, sure can score 100% in exam one!" books and there are little grammatical mistakes and really awkward turns-of-phrases. I won't fault him though because he signed up to be a PE teacher and ended up teaching Maths before he quit.

He categorised the hurdles teachers face firstly as Students - disrespectful students who pretty much do as they like because they know that the teachers can't really do much besides scolding and counselling them, and how a principal can got sacked for hitting a student across the face with a soft book blahblah even though plenty of teachers would have liked to do the same. He also complained about how it is hard to help a student with a family environment that works against the help the schol tries to give. However, the guy seems to neglect corporal punishment until later chapters.

The second was Principals/Hods, and how some would be too demanding or strict or results-oriented. He grouched about some principals who would berate teachers in front of the school. and the loss of respect to the teacher as a result and the loss of the appearance of staff unity. I quite agree. Then he launched into a little tirade about the five day work week just trying to squeeze the same amount of things into less time.

The ministry shouldn't be attempting to cut off weekends as free days completely because it's quite impractical to do a blanket-ban imo, but I think that they should be strongly persuading schools to try and avoid weekends for activities because it's so nice to just wake up late. I suppose the "better schools" are getting around it quite easily just by applying for permission all the time. I know that Arrai seems to have quite a lot of things going on on Saturdays anyway while other schools are deserted on weekends. Is it just that schools with better academic track records have more clout, the teachers are better at getting their requests across, or the other-school teachers are being too rigid and feet-kissing in their reverence of the sacred rule? I really don't know enough to comment actually.

His third point was teachers, but this one started on about how his primary school teacher embarrassed him in front of the class and it came off as a bit whiny to me. Fourth point was parents and how they can be unreasonable.

Fifth point was system and this one was a bit more interesting. He grumbles about class size and schedule and the cheesy little programs the school has (no, he didn't say cheesy, I did) such as things like "Stand-And-Deliver" which is a skit thing, "In-Touch" which was a weekly current affairs thing and "teach less learn more" (which form teachers ahem* ahem* quote ad nauseam when they don't want to bother explaining physics properly and want you to go home and read about it so that they can go home and sleep.)

I didn't know that there was a rule saying teachers had to give out parent consent forms even if they were meeting students for class gatherings and things. Apparently teachers are subject to a grading system too, where they are either A B C or D and the Ds get delayed promotion and lower bonus. And the amusing thing is that their grading is moderated too, so that some teachers will be the Ds, so it tends to be relative to the other teachers they work with.

The most interesting part of the book was when he complained how teachers used to advise students to work hard and get employed by big companies and now tell students to become entrepreneurs even though the teachers themselves have never sold anything in their lives.

But it's getting a bit boring talking about this now so I shall go have dinner. I have no idea why this website labels it a Motivational book, though, because it couldn't be further from that.

I think that a school is good when it manages to neatly sidestep and work around all these crippling little things lah.