Happy Teachers' Day - Thoughts
It's 1 September 2011. Tomorrow's Teachers' Day for Singapore, while World Teachers' Day falls on 5 September. Nevertheless... I should say, now I understand the significance of Teachers' Day better. I used to be a teacher myself, as a volunteer adjunct teacher in a special education school in Singapore. I enjoyed the teaching, I enjoyed interacting with students, and I try to work to improve both my students' abilities (while recognizing their limitations) and also mine. In addition, from my limited experience, I recognize that no matter how well trained teachers are, teachers will never be 'super-people'. There is always this feeling of failure and rejection amongst teachers. This is especially so for the era of standardized tests, greater income disparities and most important of all, globalization through the spread of information and communication technologies. They increase the cost of failure, and add to the stresses of work as a teacher.