WELL DONE SHARON!

tatz what my principal told me @ our post conference this morning.

YIPEE!!!

haaaaaaaaa...... went to the P's office after my P4 class today... he jux sat down with me, without any of those observation papers from yesterday...

after the above statement, he started the conference by discussing about the complaint letter sent weeks ago... P asked if i had antg to say abt the complaint letter.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously, i did not expect him to bring up the topic. or rather, i would say i had forgotten abt it since the hype died off weeks ago. Hence, i was caught offguard..

therefore, i cleared my throat.. and tried to put across my comments and tots in the LEAST defensive way possible.. told him abt the typo mistakes not made by me, abt the mistakes that i could not find.. but i also apologised for my writing which might seem untidy to some.

ha! all that jus rattered off my mouth.. and i was feeling nervous at the same time.. afterall it's my 1st face-to-face meeting with the P...

well... then came his tots on the letter.

".... i decided to take the letter with a pinch of salt as i did not want to judge you too quickly. I'm glad i did not cox after observing your class yesterday, i think that the parent is not too updated with whatever has happened in class. The boy might have twisted the facts or blown them out of proportion so as to shift the blame to the teacher. The parent also compared you with the previous teacher and i can confidently say that you are of a different 'class' from her. You know, this complaint letter won't be your 1st one. Many teachers get it all the time, and most of the time these are some of the best teachers. I hope you will not be discouraged by this single episode and continue to teach with passion and love!"

PHEW!!! haaaaaaaa........ my head started to float upwards, heaving a sigh of relief at the same time..

den my P went off to tok abt the actual observation (after a whole 15 mins!!!)...

"i liked the different strategies in placed.. and the kids seem to be very comfortable with the routines you have established... i can tell that they are eager to learn instead of being forced to learnt... your variations of IT, word cards and picture cards definitely liven up the entire lesson... you sure have a way with kids and i find discipline a breeze in your hands. Your lesson was extra-ordinary, and i enjoyed it very much. It's really great for a beginning teacher! "

as my head swelled in happiness, he continued...

"i see great potential in you. You should consider pursuing the leadership track... once you are comfortable with your classroom teaching, you should consider levering up and taking up more initiatives, both within and out of your department. I would also like you to share with the rest of the teachers on your discipline and classroom management strategies. You can approach the TA (Technical Assistant) to videotape your teaching, and if you need help with the video editing, i can help you with it. The discipline of your classes under the charge of the previous teacher was terrible. Many a times, the discipline committee teachers had to be called in to managed the class. I am extremely pleased with they way you manage your kids, that's why i made the statement of you being different from the prev. teacher. Well Done Sharon ! Keep it up! "

AWWWWW...... i was sooooooooo Happy that i jux kept smiling and nodding and smiling and nodding my head.....

i quote a stmt which one of my friends love to say : "With great power comes great responsibility."

i'm very happy that my P and my HOD enjoyed my lesson as much my kids and i did. My lovely P2s... might have jux added a star to my portfolio!!! However, i'm also afraid of 'climbing too fast, falling too fast'... i'm gonna be extra cautious, see no evil.... hear no evil......

up next, i am planning the following activities for the months of Aug and Sept :

1. find a good timeslot for the TZ to videotape my class for the teachers' sharing
2. attend a Chinese Comic Workshop @ Creative Technologies this Sat, 27th Aug
3. attend a 'Youth and Adults' workshop @ NACLI on 3rd Sept
4. help out in the P5 camp @ Labrador Camp during 1st 3 days of the Sept holidays, 5th - 7th Sept
5. attend a SEED CL Sharing workshop on 9th Sept morning
6. enter 5 of them for the Interschool Chinese Storytelling Competition on 9th Sept evening
7. go on stage to do a presentation on the origin of Mid Autumn Festival in English on 14th Sept
8. enter 5 of them for the Chinese Proverbs Whizkids Competition
9. attend SEED CL Sharing workshop @ TN on 23rd Sept
10. Decorate the stage for Children's Day 2005 by 23rd Sept

my calendar's almost packed... but well... i have survived worse times... I WILL SURVIVE!

jux plain happy ... lalala....... gonna see my dear reeeeeeeal soon!!! yummy dinner @ Paris this sat, courtesy of dear's dad! YEAH!