The Gall of Some People @ O Great Pretenders

This morning as I was walking to the school office from my car, I heard the teacher-on-duty berating the assembled students about the incident yesterday. She said there had been SEVERAL students who had 'fallen sick' and wanted to be taken to the clinic.

Today is Thursday and tomorrow's Friday. Next week entirety is the Eid Mubarak's holiday and students may return back from this Friday evening.

As an entity born with a dark soul, I know how these naughty students think. They pretended to be sick so the good people in the clinic would give them a couple of days off and MC certificates. Then they can happily skip school much earlier than the rest, and I believe their parents are also in cahoot in this dastardly proceedings.

So as I stopped by the ranting teacher, told her to announce that if any students wished to go to the clinic today, they have to see me first. She immediately expressed my request on the PA for everybody to hear.

Now it is almost an hour after the announcement.... nobody shows up, as I predicted.

My reputation for being a thorough investigator and all round nasty person do have its merits.

This was a ferret of mine, Disco, who died last year. These photos were taken years ago when we played by the beach with some friends of mine. He was an affectionate boy from most ferrets, I could see him smiling when he was happy. 

I looked up for his pictures here in my own blog and would like to share the memory of Disco with you people :'(

A Teacher Walks In A Park...

[Why I work as a teacher?]
To those who knew me from the earlier years, they might find the job a bit peculiar because they expected a lot more from me - lawyer, engineer, pharmacist, serial killer, drug dealer etc. I wanted to be a teacher, and the only ones who knew were my parents.

[Seriously. Why a teacher?]
Because both of my parents were teachers. And I was fascinated when they marked the exercise books in front of me. And I was born bossy and only tolerate truth and facts from people. And I found patronizing people quite fulfilling this dark heart of mine. It's not about the money, really.

[Now you have been one for several years... How is it?]
The journey was not smooth. I got into a lot of trouble because I refused to be like everyone else. But truth be told, you ONLY remember EXTRAORDINARY teachers in school, right? I wanted to be one. Teaching is very rewarding, and as I have a black soul to begin with, it is nice to see that your students ended up successful.

[Politics in workplace. Your comment?]
I am usually my own faction, because nobody acts and thinks like me. This make me a target for war-mongers and gossipers alike. Oh, it's so much fun to attack the odd guy! I don't usually take sides, and keep my opinion to myself. But this has changed as I grow older, now I would expressed myself rather loud everywhere.

[What's your favourite activity in class?]
Other than teaching and belittling people? Maybe storytelling with students. I told them about the goode-olde-dayes, and what I did then. They found my stories genuinely fascinating because I did things few normal people would (will not divulge this to you for security measure). There is always a moral in my story, not just empty talk, and they remember my stories way better than the actual lesson I taught them!

[So you are truly happy with the job?]
Truth be told, I am a bit unhappy with the direction the education this country is heading. But as I am a lowly teacher, I will try to obey as much as I can.

And this was taken this morning during the mentor-mentee session. I (black shirt) was sitting way back with six of my students. (We can use the classroom but I was lazy to climb the stairs, naturally). We talked about their academic accomplishments and how to improve. I think I talked a lot of nonsense because I was unhappy with somebody earlier but the students seemed ok with their venting teacher. I am only alien, ok!

I Lost A Prefect

This happened for a few months already but I just knew the full detail yesterday afternoon...

I have a group of 55 prefect students under me in school. The number of boy prefects are significantly less than the girls. (Add your sexist commentary here). I found out that girls are more proactive and the boys are lazier. Still, they all needed to be prodded with a hot glowing stick (read a lot of yelling) to have the job done.

Anyway, I did lost a boy. He is 14 and from the last class of his batch. I chose him not because of his intellect, but his ability to follow order. (Come to think of it, 'following MY order' is the very tenet to be in my crew. I run my outfit like the mafia). He was likable enough, sometimes spouting unnecessary commentary when nobody is asking, but rarely rude. To tall for his age and not really good looking to stop the flow of traffic.

He lived with his uncle and aunt, as his own parents are serving time in jail for some unknown crime (unknown because I don't make it a crusade to ask too much to fill my pretty head). The relatives sent him to stay at the hostel in school, and they admitted to me that the boy was a handful much earlier because of the state of his family; too much freedom and less supervision = the making of a monster. Fortunately for the boy and his guardians, we are able to curb any negative vibes from him, and he stays and study with the rest of the students quite normally.

Until a couple of months ago....  

During a weekend where the students were able to go back to their respective homes, his mother showed up at his uncle's house. She expressed the desire to meet her long lost son, and maybe take him out for dinner for awhile. The boy's uncle and aunt were hesitant at first, yet they obliged when the woman pleaded and promised to return the boy back after the meal. The boy left with his mother and that was the last time his uncle and aunt saw him.

His uncle told me that the mother took the boy to meet his father and then the entire family traveled quickly to an undisclosed address in the capital city, a couple of hundred km away. Yes, the convict parents kidnapped their own son from his legal guardians. And one of the atrocities his parents did earlier was SELLING their own children. (Adoption is rather normal everywhere in the country, and most of these adoptions are unofficial, without legal document exchange and is all about trust. But selling children @ human trafficking is another ball in the park. heck, It belongs in another stadium, preferably in prison). The boy initially had another 3 younger brothers. Now he is the only one left.

The school was free from any legal fuss because the abduction(?) happened when the boy was under his guardians' care. But I lost a man (boy) and I asked the vice principal of students affair what we can do. He said we cannot do anything as this is a custody battle, where the school has no say.

The boy hasn't attend a school yet (I expected him not attend at anytime anywhere in the future, having irresponsible parents like that). And he was happy. He told his friends via phone text messages about that state of being. I told his friends that I send my 'good luck to you' wish, sarcastic like and hope he would not end up like his fabulous parents.

I need to find a replacement... and this week alone 18 students lined up to be my new prefects.

Life goes on.

School Holidays Is Already Halfway @ I am That Lazy Updating My Post, ha!

The midyear school holiday is already at the end of the first out of its two weeks. I was busy doing things a teacher should properly do during his free time, like sleeping, playing video games, a bit of reading, and more sleeping. Time surely fly so fast when you are slumbering like a hibernating bear in your own cold dark bedroom (thanks to the new air-conditioning set I bought at the end of the El Nino heat spell). I got pics to show you people!

And the picture above is of last week's Friday, after school, before the students are allowed to go back for their holiday. The Principal and Vice Principal had a lot of things to say to everybody, mostly reminders to pay this and do that. The fasting month, Ramadan will be here soon and everybody should be prepared for it. The school will be emptied of all, except...

These students still stayed until Sunday for extra class. I got a slot to teach them Science on Sunday morning and I stayed at the hostel the night before because I was the warden on duty. The hostel was a lot quieter when more than half of the students were absent.  

Students was required to wear collared shirts because it was 'proper'. Truthfully I don't care what they wear to class unless I don't like that piece of clothing. And when I don't like it....I'll take it away. Yes, even the shirt on your back that instant (they had to borrow from friends who wear double layered shirts). I keep the confiscated shirts at home and use them as floor rags. 

And this is me teaching that Sunday morning.... A colleague took this pic as evidence of my attendance, and for filing too (the digital age where everything is online).

I rarely use the white/blackboard, forcing them to follow me using their minds instead. I believe if a student's head is in tune with his teacher, he got a bright future ahead. 

Anyway, about not using the whiteboard thing, this made me infamous in my previous school where certain teachers accused me of being lazy and irresponsible. But hey, say whatever you want but my students got better marks from the others'.

In this present school, no badmouthing happens because I am now the senior Science teacher and my method is proven to have impact :)    

And this is my car, being serviced at 70, 589 km. I should have serviced it earlier but I waited until the school holidays. This is the 6th year I have this car and I am happy with the purchase.

I call my car WereTiger because it has a tiger logo :P

Anyway, after the oil change, the service operator upgraded / updated my car's software. (Apparently, this is A THING! I was surprised because I only think computers and handphones can be upgraded like that). Now my car got the MKII upgraded software and it is now 15-20% more powerful (without using more fuel)

Now go and see if your car can be updated too. 

And this here is my latest purchase. A rather small bike with small wheels... And hey, it can be folded!

My doctor said I need to do some exercise and as I don't like running or lifting things, I do like cycling. I wanted a small folding bicycle because 1) it can be transported in my car if I want to cycle elsewhere further 2) it is easier to keep inside the house, to prevent theft 3) it looks so damn cool, hahaha! It is worth the price, I googled the rest of the planet for the price of the same bike, and I paid less for it too here :)

p.s.

- How was your weekend / holiday?