https://padlet.com/thivyadarishini1/mstd2bj30eogdm2p Commentary en-us 2020-10-29 02:32:13 UTC 2021-01-08 11:12:42 UTC hello@padlet.com abeelity https://padlet.com/thivyadarishini1/mstd2bj30eogdm2p/wish/872099676 Ms Ong's sharing was very insightful. It reminded me that we cannot see students as objects. They are humans. Oftentimes we are too caught up with the busyness of teaching and planning, but fail to remember that these are children. They are growing, they are learning, they are developing. When they want to share something with us, we have to listen - and listen wholeheartedly. Not just listen for the sake of referring the students to a different channel (social services, councillors etc). Sometimes all the students need is just for someone to be willing to listen. And when we do, we have to give them all the time they need to share. She also spoke about being self-aware - that students are always looking at our every move. We need to be mindful that we are role models both in and out of school. I learned a lot from Ms Ong's sharing and I want to be a caring teacher like her too.
 ]]> 2020-10-29 04:21:00 UTC https://padlet.com/thivyadarishini1/mstd2bj30eogdm2p/wish/872099676 xwenhan https://padlet.com/thivyadarishini1/mstd2bj30eogdm2p/wish/872155116 I enjoyed Mdm Rashid's sharing about her experience being a part of the education service. One thing that struck me was how sincere and genuine she was to empathise with students. I think this is something that I need to consider further because it does not come naturally to me to consider the extenuating circumstances that students may be facing and which have caused them to act the way they do. 
Another thing that I got from her sharing was regarding how to establish positive TSR with students as a BT. In my mind, being firm was always equated with not smiling and showing a fierce disposition. Yet, I was reminded through her sharing that respect should be mutual and to even enter the classroom with a smile on our faces,  no matter how tough the class may be. I think this sets us up for a more positive lesson as no one would really like a teacher who always seems grumpy and on edge. This sharing has some valuable takeways and I'm glad to have the opportunity to hear about it from the award winners - they are definitely some things that I will bring with me to the classroom in future!]]> 2020-10-29 05:14:32 UTC https://padlet.com/thivyadarishini1/mstd2bj30eogdm2p/wish/872155116 gohsokcheng https://padlet.com/thivyadarishini1/mstd2bj30eogdm2p/wish/872256563 "Teaching is not just a job, it is a calling... that must connect to your own purpose and personal values." 
Compassion - We need to see past a student's personal actions and look deeper into the child who may be acting out of pain or fear etc. I think as teachers, we have to understand that students may not be malicious when they are being defiant and that to really help them, we always have to understand the difficulties in their life. We cannot be quick to assume that a student is acting out to make our lives difficult. It is our role to care for the students and to show them that they can trust us to be their champion. 
Taking care of ourselves - Another major challenge that we face as teachers is that we often prioritise the needs of students and try to do so much in school that we may burn out. That would then be counterproductive as it hinders our relationships with our students as we are unable to care well for them. It is important to take care of our own mental and emotional health first, before we can care for our students. 

]]> 2020-10-29 06:45:35 UTC https://padlet.com/thivyadarishini1/mstd2bj30eogdm2p/wish/872256563 thivyadarishini1 https://padlet.com/thivyadarishini1/mstd2bj30eogdm2p/wish/876340716 I like how Ms Ong said teaching is a calling that should be connected to your personal values and the difference you want to make in your students' life. This definitely resonates with me as I never saw myself in a teaching career until I was hit by how mundane a desk bound job was and felt like I was not contributing to the better of society. There was an innate need in me to contribute to the community and inspire people around me. Teaching is a great avenue for me to do this. But after contract teaching, it dawned on me that it is not so much about me but the students. They all have varied needs that as teachers, we need to consider. Oftentimes, it is the students who break the rules the most and flare up during lessons are the ones who crave for attention they do not get elsewhere. And as easy as it is to get our moods affected by these students, it is important to remind ourselves that we are dealing with teenagers- fallible just like ourselves. And as much as we would like to change them for the better, at the end of the day, it's about finding the balance to bring out the best in them without pushing them too hard.]]> 2020-10-30 13:43:05 UTC https://padlet.com/thivyadarishini1/mstd2bj30eogdm2p/wish/876340716