Kheng May's Reflection 5

Six weeks into practicum and with 2 more observations to go, I thought things would be slower and more relaxed but I was wrong. All I hear around me are teachers going ‘term 2 is such a short term!’ and immediately I feel the pressure to nod my head and chime in agreement. As a teacher on practicum, we do not have the full load of work and we do not have any other responsibilities and commitments to handle. Yet, it is almost impossible to finish the syllabus on time. Once we become full-fledged teachers there will be no need for detailed lesson plans anymore. BUT, what I have come to realize is that a teacher cannot go into class unprepared. We often underestimate our students, thinking that they do not know any better and that we can just teach ‘on-the-spot’. Being confident of what you want to cover and how you want to teach it is important not just for your image as a teacher, but also for the students’ learning. Unfortunately, during my time in practicum I have witnessed such incidents happen that do not put in a good name for Literature teachers.

Aside from work, what I gathered from practicum so far is that it is important to surround yourself with likeminded people. Yes, that means staying away from the old and disgruntled teachers who are just bidding their time till retirement. I also realized that the generation gap between the beginning teachers and the senior teachers is huge and it can cause conflict and tension to arise if it is not mediated properly.

Challenges in the future

1. I guess the common enemy of all teachers is time. Despite having 5 periods (45 minutes each) of Literature every 2 weeks, I am struggling to finish what needs to be covered for their SA1. I am always torn between teaching my students what is needed for their exam and spending 3 periods to finish analyzing one poem. I would like to be able to squeeze a poem dry, to look at it from all angles so that my students will know that Lit is not boring and not just all about ‘reading books’. I would like to give them time to research and read about writers and poets on their own before coming to class. I would like to bring them out on a learning journey because it is beneficial and relevant to what they are learning and not because it is a requirement that they must have at least one camp and one humanities event in a year. In a race against time, my ideals and dreams as a Literature teacher have to make way for other things that are deemed more important. I guess that is a fact and what I have to do now is to adapt my ways around it.

2. Finding your place and value as a Literature teacher.

With all the heat Literature has been receiving, I feel that it still has a very uncertain future in Singapore. My secondary 2 students are not the least bit interested in Literature and despite my efforts to interest them with videos, songs, pictures, 9gag etc. they always give me this blank look and only 2 brave souls raise their hands to answer my question. They complete their homework but it lacks the heart and passion that should come from a Literature student. This nonchalance they feel towards Lit has to do with them not valuing Literature as a subject. When they do not see the value of a subject, studying it is just a waste of time. It is just a subject they need to pass and do well in so that they can use their good grades to get into a good science class next year. It is very disheartening to know that students see Literature as a chore instead of something that is refreshing and an escape from the Science subjects (at least that was how I saw Literature in school). Their lack of love for the subject, coupled with the fact that teachers are rushing to cover the syllabus just robs all the life from Literature and it is what makes our jobs as Literature teachers, as educators who not only teach but spread the passion for Literature, so difficult to do.