Sunday, May 19, 2013

V stands for my Vocation as an art teacher

A stands for Alfred, Angela and Alvin  
E stands for Emperor
F stands for Fairy Tales
stands for my Genarasi
H stands for Hubby
I stands for I
J stands for Jobs
K stands for Kitchen deco
L stands for Life is good
M stands for My Man and his 1st car
N stands for NTU

V stands for my Vocation as an art teacher
A vocation is an occupation to which a person is specially drawn or for which he or she is suited, trained, or qualified.

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My vocation is a primary school art teacher (almost there!!) =) 


I had always thought that i would be an accountant.... that's what mummy had 'brain washed' me into believing cos i was just so catty and careful with money... i had managed my allowance so well that i was given a monthly allowance since primary school. The monthly lump sum of $60 included the monthly bus stamp at $17 and all the "ling ling long long" stuff which teachers would ask us to buy every now and then. 


i guess i'm just a logically math person because math was never a problem for me... not even the challenging math problem sums.... somehow i could understand the 
story and work out the steps in a logical manner to derive at the answers.... that's why i can yaya-papaya 的说: I no need study also get A* for psle math.... wahahahaha


but upon hearing that accountants have to work super long hours even on weekends, i applied for business in NTU, got in and eventually did a major in applied economics only to find out that i hate starring at numbers and doing analysis.... =S 


while on the other hand, i had a love-hate relationship with art & craft since young..... i love all art lessons that required me to make craft; ang bao lanterns, raffia bag, fruit printing, repeat patterns, hanging mobile but hate all art lessons that required me to draw; draw a picture of national day celebration, cny, self-portrait, the person you admire most....=S


this relationship became a hate-and-only-hate relationship in secondary school where art lessons were all about drawing... this week draw a banana, next week draw a spring onion and the following week draw a branch with leaves.... 


enough was enough.... i decided art and I were a no go and that was that!!!!


but somehow craft was still a part of my life..... i took up cross-stitch, knitting, card making, gift wrapping, scrapbooking, making ornaments from straws etc.... 


and thanks to lorraine who introduced me to relief teaching after my As... it sort of sowed the seed for my love at seeing how children learn under my hands.... wahahaha.... i continued with giving tuition lesson throughout uni life and enjoyed the interaction with most of my tutees tremendously.... luv how i could simplify and structure the content to suit their learning styles and abilities.... 


i believe that teaching is a calling... it's not a job for just anyone.... 



but sad to say most trained teachers leave the industry within the first 3-5 years .....most left not because they can't teach nor because they dun have the passion in teaching.... most left because of the add-ons.... =S 


i would have left and be a full-time tutor too if not for art.... it's in the teaching of this non-psle exam subject that i can be the teacher i want to be.... one that does not drill & drill & drill and stress kids so young to remembers facts and figures and formula which will never be part of their work when they grow up, unless they wanna be a teacher..... 


i often wonder.... what's the use of drilling facts into the kids brain??? why can't teachers be trained to guide pupils to conduct their own research in the area that they are interested in??? why cant the psle be about problem solving and research instead of Q & A??? 




and we expect the kiddos to excel in all the subjects at the same time!!!!....


of cos there are other personal benefits to being an art teacher... the most obvious would be lesser marking which equates to more work life balance


and it is this reason why i had fought so hard for this vocation.... from creating a customised art curriculum from scratch to launching the annual art bazaar, art exhibition and aesthetic day, to begging and got rejected to attend the 1st & 2nd run of the art teacher practitioner program to finally getting the green light to attend its 3rd run ..... 


being in this vocation is definitely not because i am lucky.... i had worked for it and had been paving the path for it to happen.... it was a plan that had started 5 years ago.... it is 一步一脚印换来的哦.... 


and in another 3 months time, i will be going through the final final lap, the advanced diploma in art education, a 4 month full time course in nie and upon graduation.... i can finally declare that i am a trained and qualified art teacher liao..... and 60% of my teaching work load will be for the teaching of art.... wahahahaha..... 


i am so looking forward to it yet not looking forward to the homework which i need to do... =S 

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