A letter from your teacher
(not ex-teacher; you'll always be my students even if I'm no longer teaching you)
My dearest E1,
Hi to you guys on the first day of school! I'm sure it was a dreary day for everyone, and for others involved in the cultural night performance, most probably a mix of jitter and relief because is it one day closer to the performance, and also one day closer to the end of it.
I'm glad to have managed to catch some of you in class today (yes, for those of you who didn't know, I came to school for about an hour in the morning, sometime during your recess). I would have liked to say hi to those of you in the canteen since I really hoped to see all of you, but I avoided the crowded area for fear of being mobbed by the most of the Sec 1s whom I taught, and some of the Sec 2s. (And I'm NOT being presumptuous about my popularity or lack thereof; I'm just cautious.)
I've been meaning to post in the class blog since I announced to you that I've resigned, but of course, there were plenty of other things going on (I had to sort out all the things I was responsible for to pass them on etc etc) and though I had drafted a letter, I didn't eventually post it because somehow, there was just no good way to phrase a good bye.
Now that it's a month after, and the parting feelings of sadness are less intense, it's probably easier to put things across. And I want to post something before the last occurrence of my name on "the guiders" roll on the class blog join the ranks of those that have been deleted. I'm happy that my name is there in three places, and that up till now, English is the only subject that hasn't been changed, without any names being struck out. Of course, that's about to change, but for as long as it has been, for what it's worth, I'm glad to have been a constant for the class for this long.
As for what I'm going to post, it's in two parts (I know, it's already so long right?): the first is just somethings I wish to say; the other, is a list of FAQs. I've been asked a number of questions by various people on different occasions, and I figure these might be the things that most of you want to know, but just don't have the chance to ask.
So here goes.
1. Some things I wish to say.
Do you still remember me saying that you are the class for me? If you don't, here's reminding you that you are. You are that special and irreplaceable class that happened once for me, and I don't want you to forget that.
It's true that some of you are saddened by how the class lacks involvement in class events; due to cliques or loyalty of friendship to various people the class is divided; yet others are just not interested about the class or bothered to be involved at all. To the first, I applaud your thoughtfulness, efforts and initiatives. Don't give up, and try to spread the enthusiasm among those close to you and hopefully, they'll do the same and it'll catch on eventually. Don't let the poor response get to you too much. (I still hope to get a class tee, go to class outings and chalets, so ya, you have at least one more person behind you here!)
To the second, I know no details as to what had gone on, but I say to everyone, live and let live. Learn to forgive yourself and others. In life, there will be disagreement and differences, there will be mistakes that others and we ourselves make. Nobody said that loyalty to one is shown solely by the exclusion of something else. In other words, there's no need to avoid or shun somebody/group just to display your friendship to another. If everyone can be more tolerant, the effect of improvement is not just the total of the efforts made by people, but definitely multiplied.
For the third, I have this to say: Things like studying and getting excellent grades are important. They should not be overlooked. But if they become so important that it obscures other things, then the amount of importance that you placed on them have to be reconsidered. Grades are important, but life is so much more than grades (and later for you in life, money or status instead of grades). If you don't develop friendships, you are missing out on life. And here's news for you: friendships take time and effort to build; it doesn't come from nothing. And if you aren't willing to sacrifice time and effort, here another news for you: friendships come with sacrifices. You accommodate your friends, be willing to give than receive. That's how friendships are built in the first place. You may think that class activities and friendships are a waste of time, but that experience is going to be worth more than you expect it to be. For one, it's good training ground for you to develop social skills and practise working with others. For when else will you learn? Only when you start working?
(Disclaimer: This does not apply to all of you; I know there are some of you who spend so much time with friends that school work is neglected!)
To each and everyone of you - there are only 15-16 short weeks left before you finish exams and split into different classes. I truly hope that everyone really try to treasure the time together. Petty feuds or misunderstanding don't matter in the big picture. You'll be finishing half of your time in Seng Kang (Yes, you'll be leaving the school sooner) and what can you say you've accomplished then? I hope it isn't just the results, because results can't mean everything in life.
This post is long enough. I'll put the most frequent FAQs at the end, and the rest in another post this week. If you have a question you'd like to ask me, do so on the tag board and I'll add them to my list.
Lastly, I love you guys and I'll miss you loads.
Mrs Foo
FAQs
1. Are you coming for Cultural Night? Will you be sitting with us?
Yes, I'll be coming. I don't know if I'll end up sitting with you, but I'll try to at least be at the same performance so that I can at least meet up with you guys a bit.
2. Can I have your handphone number? MSN?
Yes, you can have both of these as long as you do not abuse them or pass them on to people from other classes (you may help others ask permission but not give them the contact)
You can get these contacts from administrators of the blog. They all have my contact details.
If you are smsing me, please include your name. Apologies in advance if I do not add you in my phonebook because I have too many numbers.
Please note for MSN, I don't always log on, and the times I log on, I may not be at the computer. It's not that I'm ignoring you.
1:10 AM
