Students of tomorrow

It is a bit of a bother, however it does not seem to be receiving  enough attention from society at the moment.

I wanted to share my thoughts on the character and nature of student cohorts that we are teaching these days.  Students have always played a big role in invigorating the passion that I have towards my job as a lecturer. Lecture topics may be tough to teach, there have been other challenges I have faced in the delivery of the lesson. But just the sheer presence of the students and the exchange of greetings with them to start with rekindles the interest in the job and gives the instant energy to gallop a thousand miles right away.

However, lately it does not feel that way, the moment I enter this particular class, I feel like I have just completed the 1000 miles and am tired to do anything else.

The nature of students is as such that I have even thought of skipping a lecture and just giving them some written work to do.  They totally lack motivation, do not care for anything in life, do not respect the system, come late for lectures, talk to their friends during lecture time and so on. I have tried friendly type of classroom management. I believe that by building rapport, we will be able to achieve the learning outcomes easily. But it did not work. Then I tried being strict, that too does not. While in discussion with my peers and friends about this issue,  it became clear that many classes have these type of students. So on a deeper level, if we were to think of this more critically, it is the value system that these kids are from that has landed them as to what they are today. Most kids are single child for parents, and parents who pet them at younger ages without inculcating values, are now not able to solve the problems that these kids create back at home. Hence they spend a lot of money to drive them to foreign countries for education. They are absolutely spoiled for choice and do not realize the worth that an educational certificate can provide them when in need. I have seen many students just stuck to their mobile phones as though it is part of their anatomy.  It is one major culprit - the phone has become smart and made its users idiots.

It is common to find students at the  Foundation levels of Tertiary Education not inclined too well academically. As educators we totally understand and accept them. We contribute as much as we can in their cognitive development and also character molding. But at the tertiary level, their character is already built, by the value system created by parents at home where most of the early years of childhood is spent. So we face some  'I do not want to change', 'I am lazy to change',  'I don't care, as I have everything in life', type of students in class and sometimes talking to them is like hitting a wall.

Some students coming to Singapore from foreign countries have difficulties in coping with not only the education system, but also a new environment. Their parents are not nearby to guide them, they are totally dependent on themselves, a few are lucky to have good guardians. These students find it difficult to focus in studies. Eventually, they bunk classes, they miss out on lectures and when returning to class the next day, they are in a trance as they don't understand.

The 'I don't care' type of students can come to lectures, without a book. Oh!!  even that can be tolerated, they don't care to even carry a pen with them. They show no interest to learn.

Lack of English proficiency is a major hurdle in their learning process. And the best part is that there is a large percent of student population who possess the same character.  As an academician, I have tried my best to talk them into setting a goal in life, but in vain. The starting point was in trying to make the classes more interesting by understanding their learning needs. This is when the stress for the educator builds up. The harsh reality is that, in a stipulated period of time, concepts and definitions of topics from Management or any other subject area has to be taught to them, who are either weak in English, or do not know the language at all(don't be surprised). If the learner shows even a wee bit of interest, we can pick up on that, otherwise I bet it is a Himalayan task.

I do not want to talk of entry requirements and eligibility criterion of these students, that is a whole new topic. The institution also plays a major role in reinforcing the value systems. But sadly, many private institutions are more keen on the business perspective. I feel pathetic about these young adults and the society that will be served by them tomorrow. Of course there are many of them who are wonderful and doing a great job. But my concern is that this 'lackluster' group of teenagers are increasing in number. There is some basic error in their value system and parents are failing to see that. If these students were to take on the workforce tomorrow, what will be the economy of the country like? Quite a worry!!

Random thoughts....but worth thinking!!

After quite a bit of thinking, I decided that I will go on and write what I had in mind about this particular issue. Here is what prompted me to write......

There have been these Facebook posts written by a friend (on Facebook everyone we call friend, coz there is just this classification-friends, correct me if I am wrong) popping on my wall consistently. I believe that there may be many people who might do that.  Such posts are sometimes mildly taunting of the fact that they are  unhappy in the workplace, or with their peers or superiors.  If they happen to write such posts just few times, or on rare occasions, then it is understandable that they are really upset and just needed to post it for the sake of relieving their stress. But if it is posted on a daily basis, there must be seriously something wrong- either with the workplace and colleagues or with the person who posts it as such.

If we were to look at it a little beyond the surface level, the person complaining about their peers and colleagues as she/he deems them unfit, must be going through a tough time. But if you critically examine the situation, may be those whom you have been complaining about too think the same way, but are just being tolerant about it. They have not taken to posting on Facebook to express what they feel about you.

On another note, may be it is time for her/him to quit, if they continuously feel the pressure, that they post almost everyday, or in a pattern like every Monday and Wednesday ;-) . Ranting and trolling on social media might help in getting a few comments from people who are well wishers, and really may give some sincere advice. But if this is a continued practice, then people may want to think that there could be some issues with the person posting. In my opinion, I feel that these posts are indicative of hypo-criticism, where the posts are about people and workplace with whom we talk to everyday, communicate with a smiling face everyday and glad and happy that our pay cheque arrive on time or even before that.  But the inner conscience hates them to the effect these posts keep popping up to the others who may really want to think of the workplace and their colleagues as villainous in nature.

Should they rethink...or call it quits!?

Will never ever buy from the neighborhood market vegetable grocer!

Oh....How I missed writing. 

Back to the bytes...just wanted to rant a bit, but may be it is not ranting after all!!

I was at the local wet market yesterday. I never buy my vegetables from the grocer in the neighborhood market.....being the Indian that I am. I always buy it from Komalas in Little India or from Mustafa. Komalas is much more convenient because, we(my hubby and I)  just park the bike in front and quickly grab the vegetables and groceries we need and ride back with less stress. I like Komalas for one more reason, that they give us an itemized bill for the purchase, which many other shops along Buffalo road dont provide. They charge you for an elephant, when you have just bought a horse without an itemised bill( like yaana vela in tamil...lolz!!).

For most vegetables, Fairprice NTUC is a great place. This weekend the tomatoes were running out in NTUC!! Left with no other choice I had to shop from the local vegetable grocer in the wet market. I  have always had this in my mind...wanted to write it to see if other Indians also felt the same. I am sure Russel Peters does (where are the emoticons like in Whatsapp....btw can we blog on Whatsapp??!!). 

Back to the story.......this aunty who was in the "measure and charge" customers counter, was unhappy first, because she thought I was unable to pay....charged me  SGD 4.00. Of course I was like WHAT????  But maintained a cool expression.  She did not tell me the measurement, and I could not see it, because the scale was out of customers' view. I asked her what was the weight she measured. This much rights I had,to ask for how much it weighed. And here we go again, this time she really was upset with me. She just said "four dollars", then mumbled something  showing irritation on her face.  I paid the amount and walked back, disappointed by the way that woman behaved. This is not the first time, every time they behave very harshly to Indians, as though we cant afford to pay. The fish vendor is also like that, in fact he is worse. The fruits vendors are like that as well. 

Whatever may be my purchasing power, what makes them think that we cant afford their prices....do they even know that we are the largest consumers of tomatoes,,hehe....I wont go back there, never ever!! 

If there is anyone who feels the same way, leave your comments and also tell me what do you in such a situation. 

Heaven Live!

It is all about a little time I got all for myself for spending it with the most loved people on earth- when mom and dad were with me. Believe me, staying with mom and dad all your life is a blessing that not all of us get. For the past nine years I have been visiting mom and dad in India only for short periods of time. Two months maximum. Even that has become a rarity for the past couple of years. Now kids having grown up, and going to school we have to wait for the time when we get holidays at the same time, going back to India and to stay there for many days has become difficult.

After I finished my standard twelve, I moved out of Ooty to do my Bachelor degree. I could go home to parents, only for vacations in between semesters.  Those days to stay in a hostel during study was really exciting, yet when it was time to go home for a weekend, the whole week used to pass by with me so restless and looking forward for the time to take the bus back home. Then again another three years of Master study in Madurai. Travelling from Madurai to Ooty  was really hectic and tedious. It used to take me nine hours to reach home. But when I was to leave for home- the tediousness never did any harm- coz at the end of the journey, I was in heaven- my mom and dad's smiling faces brought so much bliss.

But this time I parted them to go a longer distance. As soon as I got married at the age of 23 I moved miles away following my husband as is Indian tradition- taking the girl away from her parents. Getting accustomed to new ways of life, new family- is all but a journey in everyone's life. So was mine. Thanks to God Almighty so far the journey has been a blessed one. It has been 9 years complete since I moved out of my mom and dad's home to one of my own. The suffering of staying away from the woman who carried me in her womb, has lessened these past few years, because now we are busy with our own kids and family, whom  we have to take care of. Yet there was always this craving to eat mom's food, sleep on mom's lap, missing out times when dad gave me a long lecture, walking with dad to the market ......so many of them!!

After requesting mom and dad to visit me in Singapore and to come and see me here in my home, to get a glimpse of how I take care of my kids and family, they finally did make it here. Again thanks to God Almighty, he has fulfilled my long time wish. And I should say(i believe) that they had a wonderful time here. One month just flew past like nobody's business. And the day came when they had to return to India. My kids, my hubby and I miss them so much now, we are waiting for the time to be back with them again.

Love you mom and dad!

Should I or Should I Not?

All working mothers go through this mental struggle, whether to stop work and stay with their kids- we can never get enough of our kids growing up time!

Lately I have been thinking about this too often. One major reason why I think so is the timing of work. My work timing is from 9.30am to 7.00pm.So when I leave work at 7.00pm, I reach home in approximately  an hours time  The commutation system in Singapore is so reliable, that I can reach home in 45 minutes. Yet by the time I reach home, it is 7.50pm or sometimes later due to minor jobs at work place. This being the situation I miss tea time with kids, I miss being there for my daughter for prep time, I miss meeting my friends - and keep all due responsibilities for weekends. All I do, when I get back home is ferociously fight with kids, and also fight with hubby- because I  have this feeling that I am the only one at home facing dog-life. Thanks to almighty, I have a supportive family that can understand and accept me. 

I guess it the deprivation of time with family that makes me feel so grumpy when I am actually with them. So instead of enjoying the little time with them, I tend to be moody and am growling at every simple thing. Now readers might want to think I have some bi-polar disorder or something!!

Nope absolutely not- I bet it is the effect that my work is taking on me. So why is it I am not quitting.......sure it has got something to do with my passion for teaching. So until I find the right destination I will still have to hold on tight.......

It is still bearable! Isn't it??

Something that came more as the harsh truth than just a simple discussion.

Every one of us go through stress at some point of our lives, it is in each of our hands as to how well we handle it and don't let it mess with our lives. There are people who are extremely  happy at work, happy  with family and maybe everywhere their presence is. Even these people, may experience stress at some time in their life- could be while making a difficult decision, or when there is a deprivation of some kind. It is just that they are smart enough not to go into depression because of stress.

My passion for my job has kept me thriving. I am venturing into my tenth year of career as a lecturer- full time. All these years I have always enjoyed teaching. There may have been trying situations. But one session of lecture and interaction can make me  jump back to form. One of the subjects I love to teach my students is Project Management.

This trimester having started, on the first day of  class we were discussing about skills of a project manager- and when the point of stress management came into discussion, the class came into more lively interaction. The topic of STRESS made it more lively. Slowly we started complaining about this life that is so stressful. We spoke about Hong Kong where life has become so mechanical, with people busy with life that is so demanding at work and people have very less time for leisure. The quality time people spend with their family  has gradually diminished.

The discussion shifted towards the topic of major projects in the past, where we discussed mainly about Egypt Pyramids. Giza Pyramid- one of the Wonders of the World was built with so much tediousness. Heavy labor was involved because of movement of huge blocks of limestone over elevated levels, as the building moved higher and higher. There were no modern machinery like cranes and movers- rather it was  the work of men skilled to do the work. Though there are many theories agreeing and disagreeing on how the pyramid was built, we have to agree to one major fact that people of those times also  went through STRESS  - but physical in nature. These days however, modern machinery is involved in reducing the tediousness of labor, people still face the same STRESS- but mental in nature.It is quite hard to say which is worse, but it is time we realized the truth- STRESS is slow poison, a big time KILLER!

The duty of a flag Lowerer.

This is my first post for this year, and I was thinking for some time now, that it should be on Flag lowering.

Now more than I want to write about flag lowering, I want to write about Sukayna(my eight year old baby girl) the flag lowerer.

Rushing outta school!!

So what was  it that  was  urging me to write this article? A couple of weeks past I had been to school to pick up my daughter( a very rare happening- but managed as I was not working that particular day).

Sukayna was the first kid to be walking out of the gate, and I was quite curious as to how she was so keen in getting home early. But I did notice that the children who walked out were lined in a queue accompanied by a teacher until the gate, but Sukayna walked even ahead of the teacher.

To know why so- I questioned her, and then she told me, that every day she will be the first one to walk out because she was in charge of lowering the flag. Hence she does not have to queue up and wait for teacher's instructions to go out.

For a Primary two pupil -isn't lowering the flag a huge responsibility? Curious to know what she has to do, I was shooting away questions, to which my girl never runs out of answers anyday. Happy to answer she told me a few things that happen during the flag lowering.

Everyday she gets feedback from her teacher on her performance of lowering the National Flag. In Singapore schools,  every day before school disperses, students gather at assembly point and sing the National Anthem, while the flag lowerer, lowers the flag at medium pace- and that is what Sukayna has to do. Sukayna told me, that sometimes her teacher tells her she was fast, sometimes too slow - and yes of course there is a reason for everything they do. So the reason  she told me next was really funny.

She said that her classmates standing behind her during this process, keep prompting to her to either lower the flag faster, sometimes tell her to lower down at a slower pace- so she finally misses out what is supposed to be right!

Nevertheless  for an eight year old, I really consider this as a big achievement for her age. During our walk back home from school, this conversation with Sukayna brought back memories from my school time, when I was once in charge of raising the flag along with my captain. We had to get the flag up and ready to be hoisted by the teacher in charge of assembly for the week.

This was when I was in  std 9, and every monday used to be a nightmare- because a few time, we have put it up upside down! I know- What an Offense?? Thank God, our principal was kind enough, and did not chuck us out of school. I used to pray for Monday morning rains- when outdoor assembly would be cancelled, and hence flag hoisting too. But to think of it now is real pleasure. And for my princess Sukayna to be doing a similar duty at such young age is far more than PRIDE!!