Another School Interview

Another School Job Interview
Yes I got another call for an interview to teach at a school.

This time, it was for a school that teaches all those kids who didn't make it for their PSLE because their aggregate scores were ungraded. Therefore they don't qualify for a secondary school posting.

The actual fact is that I was kinda apprehensive. First, because I feel they needed more specialised teachers together with the attendant attention because of a certain element of severe intellectual disablement. I may not be able to cope with that.

Second, they were probably not at all academically inclined and more practical-oriented. Meaning they do better at sports, arts, drama, music, technical education with lots of hands-on and therefore they were headed for the technical schools.

Third, they may not have that deeper power of understanding and reasoning and I may not be able to reach out as effectively that way. Of course if I lapse into a string of profanities, I may just gel in right with them.

Fourth, far and few would measure up to the kinda language ability to grapple with some of the issues confronting them

It is more the first reason that I fear.

And seriously I was gearing myself up to teach the intellectually or academically-inclined students because I feel that they need that BIG REALITY DOSE.

So that they can cope with practical issues more AND as they are more likely to be the future administrators, the policy-setters, the movers and shakers, they have to know how they are impacting the rest of us with their UNREAL imposition at times.

Now I wasn't very fond of the kinda questions thrown at me by a panel member (who looks and sounds a lot like a wimp - you know , meaning "gay") which were all so intellectual and remote from reality.

And I suppose they were waiting for me to press the right buttons and say the things they wanna hear . I AIN'T. AND I AM NOT AT ALL SORRY!

Anyway I was reeling from the past few days' events and I wasn'ty exactly HAPPY from Snow White's Seven Dwarfs.

Deep down in my heart, I wished I wouldn't get this job and I think I prolly got my wish.

Oo Foreigners Get To Teach At Premier Schools
As I remarked to Uncle Cabby, here I am invited for a job interview at this school while the foreigners and our highly intellectual academicians get to teach at premier schools.

If I do see and feel a BIG DIFFERENCE in their teaching, maybe I will just kow-tow 1000 times. But hey, I don't see much difference.

What a lousy fucking treatment of us all!

Another Dose Of Real Education For The Real World
What do you do when you encounter bed bugs?
(A) You loll on the bed together with them, kiss, have sex and reproduce together
(B) You spray insecticide over and over again until the infested article begins to look and smell like the insecticide
(C) You call the environment and health inspector and risk not being attended to
(D) You toss the affected article into a bonfire and have it eternally burned in flames
(E) You just ignore the infested article and wish the bugs away
(F) You move it away and pray that it becomes someone's else problem like your neighbors
(G) You sun it so the bugs get a golden tan

What is your answer?

Useless Fucking Education
And yes, education is still overtlyu preoccupied about turn-out and physical appearance like hair-back style (slope or unslope) and hair length.

Gosh, shouldn't this already change and we turn our attention to more important things that touch on life and its practicalities? And yes behvaior and attitude.

But hey, I can't blame the kids sometimes. I will lapse into the same rebellion and attitudinal behavior given all the stupidities that surround us. Please read all my previous blogs.

Mid-Career Professionals Count Their Experience For Nothing In The Way Of Useless And Yet More Academic Skills Training At Our Teaching Academy
I have to contemplate what my next career move will be, within the education industry.

I certainly dread going to our teaching academy and practically picking up all those irrelevant skills. Not to mention the kinda time duration and the costs (money or otherwise) involved.

It is more people skills after all. And dealing with people and humans, no? More reasoning and thinking, more than anything else?

Even the mid-career professionals have to go the same training route where their practical experience counts for nothing. Shouldn't age and more count towards this? How can a 45 year old go on until 47 or 49 and then start teaching?

How stupid can this be?

An Americana Can Think But Can We?
I spoke with an American dude the other day and he was so articulate. Not only that, he speaks really clearly which shows that he was seriously thinking about issues.

But when I chatted with him on MSN, it was a different matter altogether. He wrote stuff like "I have to submit a written essay buy Monday".

Well, there you have it folks! That is our foreigners teaching English should he decide to. But at least he has pieced together his thoughts (and how well thought out) and articulated it!

Big Blather, I Hope This Isn't Another One Of Your Hare-Brained Schemes
As I mentioned, almost everywhere I go, I get greeted by foreigners especially of several particular types. And I am seemingly pursued by their grassroots. I sense this when I was at Aunt Sally's and I sense it here too.

The next-door neighbor is also one of these particular types - albeit a local one. The moment they burn their incense, I have to shut my windows tight. And the other neighbor to my right sees the place locked up with chains and a padlock and nobody occupies it.

Strange lot this!

Trained To Be First World And I Ain't No Moving Back To The Third World - So No To Living In Old Estates
By now I am positively sure, I will move into a newer housing development of 5 years or more!

Already 20 year-old or more/less estates pose a host of issues with their age like their ramshackled condition, mildew, algae, structural integrity (Mabel's room which I was staying in has one of its walls seeping rainwater and yes her bathroom floor also leak water to the unit below and the ceiling seeps water through too) and pests infestation, among others.

Not to mention old fixtures like squat pans, pull-string WCs that sit above, iron-cast toilet swing doors, latch locks and various other awkard layout design such as corridor-facing windows. Exactly like our old old old house at Toa Payoh.

Replacement is gonna cost money and compared to a newer estate, costs are just gonna be about equal or more.

Third World Right In Our Own BackYard, So Why Are We Organising Third World Tours Abroad And Not Save The Money For Improving These Places While Keeping A Few As A Viewing Gallery Or As A Museum
It surprises me that we are organising tours to Third World countries for our NEXT GENERATION just so that they feel lucky.

I suggest tours be made to our own backyard collection of such places instead. That way the money saved goes into some other more worthy causes like what I have suggested above.