Moving along... and doing fine.

Four weeks into my actual teaching career and life is crazy, busy and bitchy; but I am settling down into it, like I have settled down into my own cozy cubicle. I have more or less gotten into the rhythm of things.

Remember my previous post about feeling isolated? Well, who the hell gives a fucking hoot about it? I just need to learn to survive on my own. I got that from my ma and grandma’s temperament and my pa’s warring Manchurian genes. We’ve always been survivors and I’ll get through this one too.

Life is not all hardedge in school. There are the lovely boys whom I absolutely adore. I have started calling them “my boys” and a senior teacher reminded me when she commented that I talk about my students like a “proud father”. Yes, you would too if you see those boys, got to know them and be with them 8 hours a day. It’s not hard to fall in love with those kids.

That reminds me – an untrained teacher who had them for the past 6 months has left for NIE for the PGDE program. It’s “goodbye and good riddance” from me, I’d say. That fella made pretentiousness almost a virtuous artform. The first time he told me about the boys, he used derogative adjectives likes “idiot”, “irritant” and other colorful assortments and varieties. I was shocked. “He’s going to be a teacher?” I caught myself asking.

But that didn't prepare me for the next surprise. When we had a gathering with the boys and their mothers, he was so loving and caring towards them, it was a culture shock to me. I have no taste for people who ‘wayang’ (pretend). What’s worse, he went around giving the parents the impression that he is a trained teacher! Yuk! Ptooi...!

It was there and then when I decided to stay as far away from him as physically and mentally possible. I guess I made the message tangible.

A couple of days back, I learnt that he had been telling people about the “damages” I am doing to the kids and the work he has done on them. I didn't know whether to laugh at or get angry with this. It was ridiculous. Those remarks coming from a guy whose students have no idea or been given the wrong concepts of basic mathematical operations.

I guess it’s no surprise that on his last day, nobody said anything to him. No “good luck” or “goodbye”. They couldn’t even be bothered to get a cake for him from the supermarket just 5 minutes away, even though there was talk about it. That says a lot huh?
I guess a pretender like him can always make do with a pretend cake.

Oh since I talk about one pretender, I must make mention of his good friend who also has a penchant for pretending. It’s a she who is also a longhaired freak. Those in the know would know who I am talking about – 2.2 aka SCB (“seow char borh” or mad woman).

That untrained teacher is one of her “favourites” as we say, that’s how she is able to perceive him. Otherwise, she has this built-in set of blinkers before her eyes that filter all other human existence, at least in school, before her. She does not acknowledge your presence. I think it’s difficult to teach respect and courtesy to a school of boys when even the head does not practice, no?

These two wander the earth professing to be Christians. As usual, so what’s new?

Well, in the meantime, I am still moving along with the tide, sometimes against the flow, but I am learning. I am also picking gems along the way; some in the form of understanding colleagues others in the form of experience and advice. I am moving along.

I have also written a couple of children’s stories and adding more along the way. I have yet to complete the story of the adopted boy and his father (it’s a story for my son some years down the road). I fully intend to illustrate this December hols. Gotta stay focused.
After all, it’s for “my boys” that I am doing all these – nothing and no one else. Especially not for pretenders and mad people.