SP2 Feb 08

It has always been my habit to create a picture with their names written, so that 10,20, or even 50 years down the i could still recall who they are.My 4th full batch of student training officially ended today. They are none other than Singapore Polytechnic Group 2 (SP2 as i always called them). I would say that this batch of training is truly very very memorable and special to me in the following ways:



It takes alot of fate for 2 persons to meet, and to know each other. i do believe that my class and I were fated to meet....., reali fated to meet. I did tell them that i was not their originally assigned form trainer 3 mths ago. My original assignment was to take ITE training for 10 weeks; It was due to some internal reshuffling of manpower that i was swapped to take SP2. Dunno whether to consider them unlucky or the other way round that they got me to teach them...lol. Considering the fact that i am labelled by the entire cohort to be the most unapproachable and the fiercest trainer once again and one student actually commented that i was their fear factor, while we were chatting casually on msn; and the phrases they used to impersonate me were again the famous "Whats so funny?? Why you laugh??? Why you yawn with sound... etc????"




This batch of students had also been unfortunate --- since they had never heard my true voice at all since the 1st day they step into our compound. As i was still down with my sinus cough, and also the voice loss after the chinese new year. So throughout their 6 weeks stay, they had never see the mic off my face, as i could only speak with the help of the mic.




I had also openly defied the doctor's orders to 'shut up' for 1 week in order for my voice to recover. perhaps i asked for it myself, till one fine day i reali totally lost my voice, and it was then i needed to ask my colleague to help me teach my class on that particular day. Even during the shift work week when i was ordered to 'shut up' by the doc again, I still had no choice but to continue working due to the shortage of manpower, as it would be so bad of me if i were to sabotage my fellow colleagues last minute to cover my duties for me. But it's a pity that the students gotta bear with my super sexy voice thruout their shift work, and many of them ended up having to become my personal parrots ---- to help me repeat what i said to the whole class.




I remembered my colleagues ever asked me whether it's worth it to hang on at the expense of my own health. I hesistated. I have to be honest that the aptitude of this group is less superior as compared to their seniors i took last year, that's why i had to make sure i personally 'push them harder'. At the end of the day, after knowing that they had done much relatively well in their final exams and that their hard work and diligence paid off, i was convinced that it's worth it.

Since i was unable to eat packed, heaty food then, i had to carry my big rice cooker at home on every shift day to boil my home cooked soup, ranging from water cress, winter melon, sweet corn to baby bittergourd pork rib soups. i was flattered that they found my soup fragrant, but too bad no student had the chance to taste them ---- lol, i would always do my signature 'satisfied from eating delicious food look' to 'khek' them, but it always ended up in lots of laughter though.

Perhaps that was the reason y they decided to give me a miso water cress soup recipe in the card they made for me. Million Thanks for the soft toy and the card made too! Check out the contents inside:

Thanks so much for the card and gifts one again, even though my eyesight was put to a tough test trying to figure out the wordings marked with the golden/ silver ink.

The graduation ceremony was overall a success, with brilliant performances put up by the students, of course the ceremony had the emotional moments too: colleagues were touched to tears, trainees shedding tears of joy, etc. I do feel extremely happy for the award winner who made it all the way from ITE to poly. She had displayed the correct determination and the attitude to succeed, and she definitely is an excellent example for all to follow -- to perservere and neva give up. I had a hard time deciding who to award the excellence award to. i had 3 candidates in mind, and each of them tops each of the 3 assessment criteria. eventually, the one with the highest overall score was chosen, and dramatically, the gap between their scores is less than 1%! So you could imagine how close their scores were.

I sincerely wish them all the best in their future endeavours and their final semester in school, and hopefully they will not forget the teachings and values i imparted to them......Here are some more of the class photos: