Exams over...now what?

So the dreaded End of Year Exams are over, and the whole stressed atmosphere for the students are gone. Now's the time for the teachers to pull their hair out due to the marking..

One of the perks of marking....funny diagrams!! :P

For the first time, marking this time round was a breeze. Perhaps because we did group marking, where everyone just sat down and marked together for a day...so discrepancies can be cleared up straight away. Marked the rest over the weekend and the following mon and tue.....and, my marking's done. :) Fantastic :)
Can't say the same about the results though....*sniff* But i shall not say more..till next Wed..



Oh yes, before it slips my mind again. On the request of Jonathan, this is an announcement that 3-1 2007 CLASS CHALET
is going to be on 29th NOVEMBER. Yup, it's been booked already. MUST COME.


OK, back to my week...

'O's Subject Supervisor
Was subject supervisor of the 'O' level music performance examination on Tue and Wed this week. CHS is one of the centres for examination, so candidates from other schools also came over to get assessed. I guess I should be thankful that my job only entailed me sitting at one corner of the school (Mother Tongue Room) and taking the candidate's attendance..followed by informing them of the time that they had to report over at the examinations room (music room). Was not bad actually, coz I was being serenaded by the candidates' warm-up playing of their instruments. The only bad point was, that it was from 8am - 5pm!!! my goodness..I was literally cooped in the Mother Tongue room from 8-5pm+ la....

Signage outside the Mother Tongue room...

My work desk inside the Mother Tongue room..

The other adjacent side of the Mother Tongue room which is used as a practice room for candidates..

During my loooooong duration of being at the Mother Tongue room, I walked out to take a look at the surroundings....and realised that actually, the pond downstairs looks pretty nice.
Perhaps due to the fact that I drive, I really very rarely walk towards the student lounge and Mother Tongue room in CHS since my car is usually parked at the side of the school. I usually just access my car at the side, and drive straight out the school gate without having to walk through the school towards the front porch, pass the student's lounge and the labs and the gym, etc. Should really take some time when I'm free...to look around the school and to appreciate the landscaping. Though I think some parts of the school still looks kinda weird and out-of-place..but I must say I'm getting used to seeing the ponds and bamboo garden which actually all looks quite nice and serene.......those bronze statues of the running CHS boys along the side of the school and all the way up to the plaza....the students' paintings and works of art on the wall....even the flying geeze :P I remember being quite adverse to some of the changes (some which I have not mentioned) when they first took place....but now that they are beginning to slowly blend into the background due to time and weathering......I think they actually make the whole school looks nice and homely...especially the ponds and students' works. I guess that's how people are (or rather, how I am).....usually resistant to new changes...but only slowly learn to grow to appreciate given time and reflection...




Mum's gone off for another 3 weeks trip...she had just come back from a 3 weeks trip to Melbourne to visit my brother 2 weeks ago, and she's off again yesterday morning, with a whole big group of friends to visit taipei, china and hong kong. Good for her to go I guess...takes her mind off things. As for me, also feel a sense of relief when my mum goes on trips...instead of having to always explain letters and bills to her everyday. It's not that I mind doing it, I just mind doing it everyday...which can be a bit frustrating since I'm now the only one who can do it for her. So yup, hope mum has a good time with her friends, and family in Hong Kong.




Sec 4 Farewell Assembly
So yesterday was farewell assembly yet again...my 4th since I entered the CHS family. Sadly this time round, I had to zip off halfway and come back, and then zip off again due to lessons.

This year's was a little different yet again...the form teachers of each class actually stood on stage to present each of the graduating sec4s with a Graduation Certificate. It was a heartwarming-cum-heartwrenching ceremony...as I saw colleagues give out the certificates with tears in their eyes. Even I felt like tearing when I saw the picture of love, trust, friendship and well-wishes...
This is the batch that I taught when I first came into teaching.
Wow, it's been a full 3 years already..as they went on and off the stage, I was just thinking back of the times when I taught them in Sec 1...both they and I have come so far...it's really encouraging to see them as confident, grown young men.
I suppose this is one of the perks of teaching...to see kids grow up..and be part of that process..and hopefully have made a positive difference to them.

Granted the opportunity, next year it'd be my turn to give out the certs too. I wonder what it'd be like to be the one on stage giving it out...something tells me I'd need a box of tissue...since this batch that I'm teaching now, I've been teaching ever since they were in Sec1. Oh dear me..