To my ex-students: The truth about the ‘A’ levels.

Sat, 3 Mar 2012
4 min read
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(This was written by Ivan Gn, an ex-colleague of mine and has been edited slightly for style.)

I wanted to use a S'porean/Asian picture but everything I got from 'getting exam results singapore' looked so subdued!

I know that many of you are having the jitters about the impending release of the ‘A’ level results tomorrow.

So am I, for I – like you – have no idea what your results are like.

Nevertheless, I want to share with you some things I learned since I took my ‘A’ levels.

***

Tomorrow, you might find that you did well for your ‘A’ levels. Or you might not.

Either way, I hope you accept the reality of your results as they are and deal with it maturely.

Cry. Tears of joy; tears of sadness – let it all out. It was a tiring two years (for some, three). At the very least, you deserve a pat on the back for sticking it out.

You may not do well for the ‘A’ levels, but you’ve gained many other things like friends who will be there for you for the rest of your life.

If you do well, be the pillar of strength for the friends who haven’t. They need you now.

But remember – this isn’t the end. When the tears have been wept and the emotions have died down, all of you will need to find the strength to take the next step.

So don’t be left behind. Don’t let the results of an examination run your life.

***

Many of my friends who didn’t do well for the ‘A’ levels turned out to be the most successful in life.

One of them is a millionaire running his own business. The other is a social worker who was featured in the Straits Times some years ago doing “the most fulfilling work of her life”.

Many of them are earning more than me, or are living a happier and a more carefree life, simply because they had a great attitude and wanted to succeed regardless of their results.

They never gave up, even though they didn’t succeed at the ‘A’ levels.

They all took different paths to success, many of which might be unfamiliar to you right now.

University and higher education might not be your options tomorrow – but neither are they pre-requisites of success.

Some of these ‘failures’ worked hard in night school and worked hard to earn their dreams.

Others took it upon themselves to build an empire instead.

A few decided that life sucked and lingered in the darkness.

Who will you be?

***

If you do well, be humble and remember that a piece of paper is by no means a ticket to success either.

No one really cares about your results beyond the university you apply to or your first job offer.

Compared to your peers, your results might open more doors. But whichever doorway you step through is a very important choice.

Ask yourself what you want in life, and do something you’ll enjoy. Life’ll be more fun and meaningful down the road.

Don’t read a subject just because it’s cool or because your parents want you to.

Make an informed decision about your choice of course and live with it. From here on, no one is going to babysit you like we did.

Enjoy your life in university.

Do things you never had a chance to do, or things you never will do after you graduate.

Because this might be your ONLY chance to do these things, don’t live to regret not doing what you could’ve done.

Be open; make more friends; see the world.

Have a good attitude and if anything, remember these words from someone who’s been there and done that – things will always turn out fine.

In context

Tue, 3 Jan 2012
3 min read
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Do-it-yourself ministers gaining notice

So! I was quoted in an article in today’s Straits Times.

This is a snippet from the article, including my quote:

Education Minister Heng Swee Keat was a guest at the Pre-University Seminar last June but chose to sit unnoticed at the back of a hall for more than an hour, to listen to students’ presentations.

He said he prefers not to disrupt proceedings or affect the candour of discussions.

He also stressed that it is his belief in working together with educators at the front line and with the community that “shapes my interaction, rather than a reaction after the [General Election]”.

Mr Heng also does not believe in making unannounced visits to schools to try and catch educators out.

That is not helpful in generating trust between educators and those at the ministry’s headquarters, and trust is what matters in the long run, he said.

Project manager and parent of two, Mr Tan Gin Tat, 40, gave a thumbs up to Mr Heng’s school visits.

However, he added: “If Mr Heng is walking down the school corridors, I hope he doesn’t just talk to the top people but chats with teachers on the problems they are facing on imparting knowledge to kids.”

Teacher Laremy Lee, 28, however, wants more unannounced visits to be made. Schools and teachers sometimes “stage a show” for office-holders on planned visits, he said.

I realise that I may sound as though I want Heng Swee Keat to catch educators out, so I thought I’d share the actual quote I gave in its entirety:

Question: Heng Swee Keat has been making it a point to visit schools of all levels and strengths to find out more about what’s going on the ground and to gauge the prevalence of parents’ feedback. A few of these visits were unannounced. How do you feel about this move by Mr Heng? Are you in favour of it or do you feel it’s just “wayang”?

Answer: Unfortunately, I don’t have a bird’s eye view of things, so it’d be difficult for me to correlate the visits with efforts such as the recent Character and Citizenship Education initiative. If the visits have led to the understanding that parents are as responsible as teachers for instilling values in the youth of today, for example, then yes, I am in favour of more visits like these.

With specific regard to unannounced visits, I think it’s great. When announced visits are made, what happens is that schools and teachers will stage a show for the visiting office-holders. So office-holders end up going off with the impression that everything is fine and dandy, when in actual fact, there are many problems that have been swept under the carpet, only to resurface after the visiting office-holders leave. So there should be more unannounced visits.

The point I was trying to make was that there should be more unannounced visits so that office-holders get a good sense of the realities of the situation as opposed to an artificial view of what is going on.

Piglet race.

Mon, 24 Oct 2011
2 min read
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LOOKIT THESE PIGLETS FLY!

NOTE: I was contemplating publishing this in the school newsletter, but I decided this was the better platform.

The poem stems from something I’ve been thinking about for a while, because I’ve wanted to find a way to thank my students and wish them well.

I started writing the poem last week in the midst of marking and all that jazz, but I’ve decided that the poem is done and it’s time to put it up.

Last but not least, “piglet” and other porcine-related words are figurative and not literal, and is in no way meant to demean or denigrate – I thought I had better make this clear, just in case, and I apologise if I inadvertently offend anyone.

—

Piglet Race
By Laremy Lee

For all my piglet children.

I see you all bounding toward me
with the innocence of bacon,
the look in your eyes squealing:
in another life, I could’ve been char siew.

Your heads held up in earnest,
your snouts pointed to the sky,
you radiate pink with promise and youth
as you race toward the future, on a path

you’ve often been prodded along.
Remember, though, before I let you go:
life must be as easy as a piglet race
but not as simple as one.

Fly like the wind. Leap
as high as you can, over
hurdles set out like nets.
Look cute while doing so.

But wait for fellow piglets if
they pause. Help them if they falter.
We are as much competitors
as we are comrades-in-trotters.

Fortunately (or unfortunately),
like Fleance, you will soon flee
leaving me behind as Time flies
to pick my pocket once again,

as it did me when I was a piglet like you;
as it will you when you are a boar like me.
Another set of piglets will round the bend,
bounding toward me with all their might,

even going so far as to – who knows? –
one day, also bound toward you,
till your heart beams and your smile says,
“That’ll do, pig. That’ll do.”