It's been three weeks since I started doing part-time teaching again.  I have to admit that I am enjoying this simple pleasure of just teaching and not being bothered by other duties which normal teachers have to do.  Everyday, I just go to school to teach, spend my free periods marking and preparing worksheets, thinking how best to revise topics or get the students to understand something and then go home and do my personal stuff.  It really brings me back to the days when I first started teaching many many many moons ago.  The students aren't angels but since when are students angels in any school?  I admit I do get frustrated at times, especially when I find that I'm not able to get them to understand what I am trying to explain.  But the challenge for me right now is to push beyond that frustration and try to find some way or better method to get the message through.  I think in some way, that's what teaching is all about. 

Of course, I know I am working in an unreal situation right now.  The moment I decide to take on teaching full-time, I will be swamped by admin work, cca work, department duties, school duties, meetings and who can forget... reports, reports, reports.  Isn't that quite an irony?  I enjoy teaching enough to want to teach full-time, but if I teach full-time, I end up getting my joy in teaching drowned in a sea of non-teaching duties?  

Anyhow, that's what I'm contemplating right now.  I'm currently on MOE's flexi-adjunct scheme, which basically means I get paid for every hour I work.  No work, no money.  It's as simple as that.  If I convert to other schemes, the pay is probably a little better but I wonder at what expense?  That's something I have to grapple with as I decide what I intend to do for the next few years.

Two other things have caught my attention in the past two weeks.  First is the whole AWARE saga.  Simply put, politics in Singapore is quite boring.  Nothing like politics in US and UK.  So this little political drama being played out in AWARE is quite exciting.  I'm not going to bother talking about what my stand is.  I just think the whole saga is kinda fun.   The other is of course the threat of a Swine Flu outbreak.  Talk about a double whammy.   We had the economic crisis... and now, we have a health crisis.  Wonder what could be next.  On a larger scale, it's scary to think what an full blown outbreak could result in.  On a personal... more selfish scale... an outbreak would probably mean the schools which I am supposed to bring to Japan in June will probably cancel their trips. :(  

One bright spark though... next week, the new Star Trek movie opens!  I am quite a fan... I've already bought a new Star Trek T-shirt to wear to the movie... :P