Embracing our Frustrations

Everyone is aware of things that frustrate us in our professional lives. It may be a skill that we find particularly challenging. While my other teacher colleagues find this task easy, I often regarded this as an issue. It may also be an issue that we regard as extremely important like meeting of deadlines, while others don’t approach as enthusiastically as we might like. It may even be a difficult teacher with whom there is a strong difference of opinion that even simple chit-chat becomes a tiring task.

As an introvert, I find public speaking something not so easy – many a time frustrating. Just as I had identified this skill as my greatest frustration, I decided at the beginning of the year to find some way in which my work actually can benefit from this “often-maddening” relationship. In other words, I kept telling myself that this is “THE SKILL” that I have the most opportunity to master no matter what. And through reexamining of my SELF concept, I came to the realization “… why my other colleagues are great public speakers – they were basically themselves!” Maybe I need to just be more open and be natural when I speak to teachers. Then there is the issue of things I regarded as extremely important such that meeting of deadlines. While others may consider this as a personality conflict, I thought about its significance in terms of helping my team to work harder, think more creatively or moving out of their comfort zone.

By embracing our frustrations, I believe that it would help transform our workplace from a constant source of frustration to a beneficial environment where we continually improve. And since we cannot usually change the person or situation, the easiest thing to change is our ATTITUDE. And our attitude may well have been the problem all along.

My Take on motivation N discipline

All of us teachers are tempted to try to recreate for our students the best parts of our own school experience. We want our students to have the same advantage that we did. At the same time, it is important to realize that our students today also want their own school experience, and that expectation may differ in crucial ways from what we teachers valued most when we went to school.

One example is that students today expect success but are unwilling to work for it. Students want “fast and easy” instead of “work and earn.” Many teachers are frustrated with such notion that guides many students of today. Students often miss the idea that it is their responsibility to learn, practice and even attend school. Instead, they often feel as though they should be adequately “entertained.” Feeling “GOOD” has become more valued than working “HARD”. Expectation of entitlement with little effort is common in today’s classroom.

One of my teacher blogged about inspiring (which I equate to intrinsic motivating) our students, goals can be easier to achieve and is more sustainable. I agree that as a teacher, we need to be able to intrinsically motivate our students. In addition to intrinsic motivation, I would also add the need for discipline. But why need to add discipline? I hear of teachers who question what to do with students who are not prepared for lesson, and will not study. Although, I know it is difficult to assess which is the cause and which is the result, but finding the ways and means to increase intrinsic motivation (such as my teacher’s suggestion to focus on the underlying reason of why students want to study, like getting students to simply complete the sentence, “I want to study .......... because…….” ) can help solve behavioral problems. I know that our students’ problems may defy the above simplistic solution, but I feel that as teachers, what we can and must do is to reawaken the intrinsic motivation in our students especially those who have lost interest in studying and perhaps hope. I believe that those students without intrinsic motivation and discipline often make us teachers wonder why we bother with them at all when there are my “other” students who want to learn. In addition, they “push” our buttons and “test” our limits, challenge us! Unless we teachers are careful, our students can burn us out as well. Hence, it is important that students be intrinsically motivated and discipline.

Learning – What is it to me?

During our meet up session, one of my teachers spoke about learning from his students as part of his professional mission. I too believe that in order to be effective, I need to learn as much as possible about the programs, committees under my purview in the area of student development. I feel that this learning must also include learning about the people whom are my teachers such as talking about their personal mission, asking teachers to meet to collaborate and share ideas. I see this learning as a way of growing in knowledge with my teachers.

Extending this idea of learning to my department, I would also ask to be invited by subject heads to the meeting of the units within my area of responsibility. I am clear that my goal to attend these meetings is not to make a presentation or even answer questions (unless those questions are particularly suitable to the topics on the agenda), but just to listen to the discussions as it unfolds.

By sitting quietly and attending to others as they talk, I hope then to gain a better insight into the issues that different units are grappling with at that moment. I can then learn more about how they address those issues than I would have reading through the meeting minutes send days later.

In addition, I am also clear that my goal during such meetings is not to critique on the operation of the unit, but simply to learn how things really work in student development department so that I may then lend my support the unit.  

Cambodia Leadership Service Learning trip

As I read one of my teacher’s blog today on service learning – the leadership trip, I began to think back to my earliest memories of service – of giving service, receiving service, or observing service. This included images of visiting retirement homes with my class students, collecting money for charity in secondary school, running for a cause in University and tutoring a neighbor who was struggling with math.

So, why do I want to give service? A question over these years I continue to ask, having experience more of it myself in school. Well, I found a connection between my early personal experiences and memories of service. “Maybe that’s why I take care of my school children. Maybe that’s why I am a teacher.” Hence, my choice to become a teacher.

Teachers – I now see – clearly have a natural affinity with service learning. This year, one of my colleagues even proposed to continue with the teachers’ service learning. I believe the reason is that part of what draws us into the teaching profession is the opportunity to reach children and make a lasting – even profound – difference in their lives. I remembered how the last teachers’ service learning in Johor two years ago – how one of our teacher while visiting an orphanage, interacted with the orphans and – did a magic trick. It provided a deep and wondrous ways to reach out to the orphans!

My most recent service learning to Cambodia last year involved living in a rural overseas community with few financial resources. To me, this service learning trip has helped improved the delivery of knowledge and skills to my student councilors, as it involves so  much more than merely tacking on projects to the existing lesson plans (Hygiene lesson, Dental Care project, Photojournalism). I observed the blend of practical methods that inform (of language barrier, engagement of foreign learners teaching in a school), involve (through participation and interaction with the school children and villagers), inspire (interviews with community and village head, even fellow Singaporean adults working in Cambodia) and move the student councilors to be true students, seekers of knowledge and active contributors to society.

I also see with service learning, my student councilors going beyond required assignments and reveal hidden talents. I also became enlivened by the high level of student engagement that the service learning trip provides. Students make essential connections through our nightly conversations with teachers to bring forth the best they have to offer and help them create a meaningful, relevant learning experience. Indeed, as my teacher said, this trip is invaluable and I believe that is truly a win-win for all involved.

Take advantage of new 2014

In education, we are privileged to experience two short and two long beginnings each year.  I look forward to such beginnings as I believe that such new beginning brings new possibilities. This is especially so for the start of the calendar year! So does the approach of each new term, though I feel that this is less dramatic. I always believe that all these 4 beginnings offer an incredible opportunity – for?

Well, to me, these beginnings served as opportunity for me to let go of what was not successful and rededicate myself to the potential of the future.

I see myself continually enriched by new students, new colleagues and new ideas. So, as the first weekend in 2014 gets underway today, I believe that this is the best opportunity for me to take a fresh look at my approach to my work – in student development, year head, student leadership development and character and citizenship education. For 2013, I felt that I was trying my best to learn as a Head of Department, and I was working to have a positive impact on my colleagues and students. I also know I have made some decisions in 2013 that didn’t work out as well as I have hoped for such as the follow up actions by cohort deans, on-time morning assembly initiatives, leadership training for my student councilors, subject heads not sharing the same view about collaborative work. So what should I do?

Well, the new beginning has allowed me to release myself from these burdens. I decided that I won’t lose track of the lessons learned from them, and would give myself self-permission to let go off the disappointment. I know that for the department to be outstanding, something has to be done to make everyone more effective and at the same time develop a climate in the department that supports positive change among us. I would make the year 2014 that has just begun the one in which I would start to make the sort of difference I hoped for my students and department.

One factor, which supports the change I believe will follow, is that I am fortunate to have an outstanding team in one of the areas of my purview. Hence, one specific objective in my professional work for 2014 that I think would be exciting to achieve is to commit myself though hands-on approach in the various areas under my purview and work effectively together with my colleagues!