Orientation

I am now in my hall, Hall 13 @NTU campus, waiting to go for a totally redundant Team Bonding session at 2. The only reason why I am still attending it is the fear that we might have to face undesirable consequences should attendance is taken. They allocated us into groups randomly therefore we are made up of trainee teachers with subjects ranging from a very wide spectrum. This means that I wouldn’t be meeting any of these teachers at all throughout my entire 2 years in NIE. So why in the world do we need a team bonding session. If these groups are actually classified into classes like my new PE class ie 3C, then it makes a lot of sense. So the PESS orientation camp that went on for the 21st to 23rd made a lot more sense although it was
a camp I dreaded so much to go for but the ordeal is finally over. However I must say the experience wasn’t really that bad. The first day was extremely fun but tiring. WE played games from 10 am all the way to 9 at night. Floorball, soccer, ultimate Frisbee, touch rugby, volleyball and basketball. 4 matches per game. We woke up te next morning with aches all over our legs. It was hilarious looking at “ fit and healthy” sports enthusiasts moaning and groaning finding it difficult to get up after sitting down. The second day, was the customary orienteering session for freshmen via an “Amazing Race” game concept. That was followed by a very complicated and unsuccessful war game at the astro turf before we ended off another tiring day. Oh yes, there was a very tiring swimming session in the afternoon as well. The next day it was sports day again but this time, it was more of year 1s versus the “seniors”. I cannot understand what is the big deal with being a senior in PESS. My views about the conduct and behaviour of these so called seniors or organizers is echoed in my room mates blog. Go check it out. Maybe ill elaborate on it further. The camp ended the third day with a Gala night where I couldn’t stop laughing at girls letting their hair down dancing frantically in front of an audience blindfolded, sketches that depicted the inadequacies of the organizers and the organization and just simply laughing at friends making a fool of themselves.

That’s all I have to say for now because I am running late for my teambonding session. I shall complain about that when I return.

Matan Out

Financial Planning

I finally accesed the Pay and Claims website for civil servants, and although i shall not reveal the exact details of how much I am going to get, I must say I am quite surprised after looking at it. I am not saying it is a lot, but it is a little more than I expected, and it couldn't come at a better time, when i am fully broke with plenty of bills to settle. Hopefully this would mark the end of my financial woes.

I had a chat with my mum the other day about how I should be organizing my finances now that I am earning a basic salary every month. I thought it would be wise to learn from an expert. She is the equivalent of the AO or admin officer in any SAF unit in our family. And she has a lot of crdibility to back her up. For someone to have maintained financial stability for all of us given the financial constraints like low pay with many extremely hungry mouths to fee, I thought she was the best person to seek advice from.

So we started listing out my revenue and my costs for the month and she also advised me on personal financial planning that includes a savings plan to prepare me not only for my future responsibilities but also emergencies that might arise. After listing out everything and looking at my balance, I realize life is not getting any easier despite having a basic salary each month. This stems from my mum's belief that it is never too early to start saving abd preparing for the future. I know I am starting to sound like some uptight old man mot knowing how to enjoy life, but i realize that if I dont start the habit of scrutinizing my finances right now. I might end up in a lot of trouble later on, especially when I have hefty liabilities like the car and all.
I was at Pasir Ris Interchange on Sunday with my ez link depleted of its value and only 50 cents to my name, which meant that I didnt have enough money to take a bus home. It was a truly pathetic as I was alone with a huge bag and a soccer ball.(oh yes My dad took the car.) I contemplated putting on my charm and begging strangers for money, but I was too ashamed and proud so I ended up walking a whole 4 kilometres home. Walking the distance is not an issue but it made me realize that I dont ever want to be in this kind of situation again. I am a 24 year old able bodied male adult with only 50 cents in my pockets. It is proposterous just thinking about it. I know I am finally starting to have constant income each month, but I must never take it for granted. There shall be no excessive spending and there shall be constant savings. Hopefully, with the plans that I have drawn up with my mum, I would be able to achieve all this.

Ok I just realized I am hogging the compute with my boring rantings so I shall leave it as that for now. I cant wait for the 12th July. Oh yes, I am going to get Customised Shoes. So much for financial planning and no excessive spending. Ha ha.

Out
Matan

Relief Teaching

I am in the staff room, or to be more accurate work room, where I usually spend my time doing my work during my free periods. Trainee Teachers do not have an allocated table so we all share the work room, a place where teachers congregate to do their work. This place doesn’t have the privacy of your own personal table, but I have a big table and easy access to the computer, so basically I am not complaining.

It’s the first period on a Thursday which is the period of the week dedicated towards form teachers and tutors contact time with their classes where they get to do pastoral care and student welfare matters. I don’t have a form class so technically its my free period. Other than just sitting around waiting for my next period, we are also anticipating anxiously for the clerk to come looking for us, to give us our relief duties. It has become a daily morning ritual for us, comparing the classes that we have to relief that day and discussing on what to do in the event the class gets restless. So far I havent had a chance to handle a relief class on my own unlike my other counterparts, Daphne and Sally. All of the relief I have done were for classes that were "notorious"”and that would mean I would just be a co-teacher. For the ignorant ones, co-teaching is a strategy neighbourhood schools use to handle these classes effectively, where there would be one teacher teaching and another teacher handling discipline matters should the need arise.

I really shouldnt be wasting my time especially since I have one more stack of marking to do, butI am feeling lazy this morning and with all the other teachers out, I dont have to show anyone or pretend that I am doing work. I dont have any PE periods today and only 2 English periods which starts in 20 mins, so I should be free the rest of the day after that. That would five me ample time to finish my marking. I hope.

I am feeling hungry right now maybe its because I havent had breakfast, but then again I am hungry all the time. Usually I would have eaten my breakfast by this time, but breakfast is usually packed from home, but today my mum didnt wake up and when I went into her room, she seemed to be so sound asleep, I didnt have the heart to disturb her slumber. I am not going to the canteen to buy anything either because I am very broke and I only have enough money for 1 meal today and swimming later. So I am reserving the 1 meal for later so that I wont get too hungry later in the afternoon.

If you are wondering why I am penniless, despite the fact that I have started working and have been doing so many Nu Quest assignments before this, let me explain. This is the middle of the year where there are a lot of things to pay for, especially when it comes to the car.(Yes, I am still driving...) Firstly there is the annual road tax and insurance which amounts to nearly 2k, and last month I had to send the car for servicing twice. Once for the normal servicing to keep it in shape, another to change my tyres and to repair the air-conditioning. Furthermore, there have been a lot of things that comes along tih being a trainee teacher, like NIE administration costs and clothes that I have had to buy in my attempt at being the cool PE teacher. My MOE pay should come in on Monday night so I shall persevere till then. My June NU Quest pay hasnt come in yet and that should be quite a sum as well.Maybe ill blog tomorrow on what I am going to do with that money.

Ok the bell has rung and I have to go for my next class with SEC 5N3. The clerk hasnt come yet. No relief for today then. Alright got to to.

Out
Matan

I am Back!!!

I am back folks Went on a hiatus for quite some time since May the 14th but trust me this time I am really back for good. Anyway so mch has happened and although I have not much time today, I have decided to give a general overview of what has happened in the last few months.

I am now a trainee PE teacher in NIE and that started on the 20th June. They wanted postgraduate trainee teachers to enrol earlier because they wanted us to go through a 4 week teaching experinence at the schools, just in case, anyone realizes after facing the harsh realities of the teaching environment, it wouldnt be too late to throw in the towel. But its all good for me. In general I love teaching. I know that I haven been absorbed into the administrative bullshit that comes with being a teacher as yet, but from what I have experienced so far, I am loving it.

We started out during the week of the 20th with content upgrading courses for english that would prepare us, content wise for the brief teaching stint we were going to have starting the following week. And its been 3 days into the job. I teach at East Spring Secondary located at Tampines, about 10 mins drive from my house. I didnt want to drive to school but the past few days I had something on after work so I had to drive. So I really dont know how long it would take if I took a bus. Maybe Ill run to school. I dont know, cos that would means I would need to bring extra clothes to school. We'll see.

I had my first English lesson with my Sec 5N class and it was great. I thought them reading for oral and despite being this weird Malay looking teacher who wishes to be called Mr Tan, they kind of enjoyed the lesson. I haven had any PE lesson as yet because every Friday I have to go to NIE for content upgrading, so I miss my PE periods.

Ok i am gonna end off abruptly here because I just realized I forgot my mum's birthday was today. She doesnt know i forgot yet but she is defintitely going to know when every other family member of mine starts giveing presents. I am so dead.

Out and Ill be back
Mr Tan