DHARMA DISCUSSIONS WITH A SCHOOL CLEANER

One of the cleaners in a school that I worked in was a devout Buddhist and I used to have conversations about Buddhism with her. She attended Dharma classes and told me that a Buddhist monk had told her that it was difficult to be reborn in the Pure Land. She sounded rather discouraged.

I comforted the Auntie that the Pure Land is not an insurmountable goal. As long as anyone has 信，愿，行 can go Pure Land already. "What is 信，愿，行？The auntie asked. 

 "信 is to have faith in Amitābha Buddha. 愿 is to aspire to be reborn in his Pure Land and 行 is to practice reciting the Buddha's name." I explained and also went on to tell her that Amitābha Buddha has vowed that anyone who recites his name even ten times will be reborn in his Pure Land.

The last time I met the auntie was at a bus stop. She looked happy and healthy.

Some time soon, she passed away. She must be in Amitābha Buddha’s Pure Land!

"I REALLY CANNOT TAKE IT ANYMORE."

This happened during my Flexi Adjunct era. One day, I was relieving a Sec 4 class when a girl told me seriously. "Mr Lee, ___________ wants to jump."

I was of course startled and asked her how she knew.

She said that he texted her. I went outside the class and there he was, standing near the ledge, looking down stairs. He did not look well.

I asked him if he was ok. He said, "I really cannot take it anymore."

I no longer recall his face (though I can remember his name) but I do remember that he was wearing a black windbreaker so I mentally prepped myself to seize it if he did something impulsive. If he had jumped, he would at the very least have been seriously paralysed.

I didn't have any relationship with him, so there was no rapport to speak of. We were virtually strangers. Luckily I had his form teacher's contact and I texted him while keeping a wary eye on the boy.

After what appeared to be an eternity, the form teacher and a counsellor arrived. They took the boy away. I never know what bothered him so much that he contemplated jumping.

Please do not judge me but I remember thinking. "Aiyah why did you choose to do this during my shift" and "I didn't sign up for this." I am glad that he did not jump. He should be an adult by now and I hope he is well.

REWARDS

In a diary I kept during my practice two decades ago, I recorded my first conversation with a student from that school. It was at a bus stop outside school.

‘I told his class (through him) to not give me trouble and “be cool” when I take over them next week. He said, “You give us great lah. Mrs [Colleague’s name redacted] always give us treat one.” I told [Colleague’s name redacted] that I would think about it and we parted ways. My first conversation with a [School’s name redacted] student.”

A few weeks later, some Express students told me that if I gave them Roche, they will help me pass my practicum.” I did not buy them anything.

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I do not think teachers should give material rewards to students for doing what they ought to do (which is to be good students). This is actually insulting them because you are treating them like dogs which are given treats when they behave in ways that pleases the owner. Humans are 高等动物.

CLASS SIZE

I do not think that MOE will reduce class sizes for the foreseeable future. Already trying to juggle manpower issues, how to reduce?

The ideal class size is 20 and even that might be a problem with a volatile class. Imagine a volatile class of 40...

In that unruly and often unhinged neighbourhood school that I spent a year in, one of the classes in my timetable was a Sec 1 Normal Tech class (Social Studies). I don't know about now but at that time, SS was non-examinable for NT students so they did not take it seriously.

This was a very volatile class and I had a co-teacher, so the class-size ration was 1 teacher to 10 students. I have forgotten all their names but I recall a few things:

1. My co-teacher was much younger than me but had spent several years in the school and was an experienced teacher. She insisted that before each lesson, the class had to line up outside the classroom and be absolutely still. This was, of course, not easy and we often spent maybe 5 to 10 minutes outside the classroom. Yay! That means can waste time.

2. I wore a formal, long sleeved shirt to school every day. By the end of each lesson, I would be soaked in sweat.

3. The students bickered and fought a lot. A significant part of lessons were spent trying to get them to stop bickering and fighting.

4. One of them told me his parents were hawkers in a nearby food centre.

5. There was a class caning because a few students played truant. They went to a cafe near the school in their uniforms. The school leaders were also there. Busted. The school leaders and even the dean came to the class. The door was closed and I was not allowed to view the caning. After the caning, the kids were taken away by the counselor.

I cannot remember any of the content that we "taught" but I remember the feeling of leaving that classroom. I felt tired and sweaty. 

束脩

In one of the schools which I sought employment, I was asked to come with a PPT presentation on (i) relevant work experiences (ii) how I could contribute to the school and (iii) what pedagogy I would use to engage the students. The presentation was to be made to the P and VP. It was a 2nd round interview.

At that time, I was heavily influenced by Confucianism so I devoted one section to Confucianist philosophy. One of the Confucius quotes I used was: 自行束脩以上、吾未嘗無誨焉。 “From the one who brought a bundle of dried meat (the poorest person) upwards, I have never denied a person my instruction.”

In Confucius' era, it was customary to give your teacher a gift. A bundle of dried meat (束脩) was a very humble gift. Confucius was saying that he taught everyone regardless of SES.

After the presentation, I got the job.

“MOE SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF ITSELF.”

A few months after my resignation from MOE, I interviewed for an administrative position in a Buddhist organization. There were two rounds in this interview.

The first was by the HR folks and it was basically just a session to exchange information. The second was by the organization's "spiritual adviser", an English speaking Chinese Singaporean Buddhist monk.

When I was ushered in to meet the Venerable, he was leafing through my CV and without looking up, said coolly: "Tell me about yourself."

I explained that while I had recently resigned from the Ministry of Education, I was still passionate about education and would be very interested in the position.

Venerable also asked me why my hair (a Number 1 crew cut) was so short and said something about non-verbal messaging being part of the job scope. I did not ask him to elaborate. Perhaps he meant that kids might mistake me for a monk. That is a fair point.

Venerable said, "You are lucky that I am a Buddhist monk and do not believe in Chinese horoscopes, because you are born in the year of the horse and I am born in the year of the ox. The ox and the horse will fight for grass to eat."

I did not know how to respond to that, after all, I had never heard of an ox fighting with a horse.

The position required one to interact with children or teenagers. We spoke about my MOE experiences and the monk opined that "MOE should be ashamed of itself", (because he perceived that discipline standards in schools were sliding).

I felt this was a sweeping statement that did not consider the hard work of many educators, but I held my tongue. A job interview was not the place for a spirited debate.

Venerable said that, assuming I got the job, if there was a problem with discipline, “you come to me.” (He pointed at himself)

This was the most unpleasant job interview I had ever experienced. I did not get the job which was just as well since it is unlikely that my personality could ever thrive under such a supervisor.

It is Buddhist etiquitte to show respect for monastics. But monastics should also behave and speak in ways that are worthy of respect.

As for Venerable, he was very popular in the Buddhist community but some years ago, some of his social media platforms vanished and he has since been largely silent.

(Philosophically speaking, MOE is not an entity and it is not possible for a non-entity to feel shame.)

"ONE DAY I WILL DIE IN THIS CLASS."

During my first week in the unruly and unhinged neighbourhood school where I only spent one year in, I was not allowed to teach in my first week. I was asked to shadow a senior teacher and watch.

It was with dismay when I saw the class dynamics. The vast majority of the Sec 4N students were not listening during social studies. They simply could not be bothered. They slept, they chatted, they did whatever they wanted. I remember one student was reading True Singapore Ghost Stories. I was probably the senior teacher’s most attentive audience.

By then, I was a veteran teacher of ten years and thought I had seen it all. But no, 一山还有一山高.

The senior teacher was talking mostly to herself. One day, I heard her say to no one in particular, "One day I will die in this class." She was speaking her truth. It was so sad.

(I am not implying that most Singaporean schools are like this. But I am sure such situations exist out there and if a teacher is unlucky enough to be caught in such an arrangement...good luck to them)

BANK ANALOGY

 All parents, with few meaningful exceptions, love their children unconditionally. But this unconditional love sometimes cloud their judgment. Once upon a time, I had a nice form class. We had journeyed since Sec 1 to 4.

There were cool and nice kids. But even cool and nice kids can make mistakes. So once some of them cheated in a test. They had a mathematics test and the teacher left behind an extra test paper in the classroom. They passed it to another class who had not done the paper.

The verdict:: Conduct fair for the whole group. I had the unpleasant task of having to call their parents. A parent pointed out that it was the teacher's fault for having left the test paper in the class. Yes, but that does not mean the students should have passed the paper to that other class. 

I said, "It's just like a bank accidentally left its money open, that doesn't mean it is right to steal it.." 

Mother: Why you talk to me about bank?

Me: ............................

There was no debate because the verdict was decided by the school. I was just the messenger. But I was struck by the parent's moral reasoning.

I have no doubt she was a good person in real life, but when their children are affected, people's judgement can also be affected.

BICYCLE CHAIN

A very long time ago, during school holiday, a student texted me and told me that he was terrified. His father had threatened to (or already done? Cannot recall) to hit him with a bicycle chain.

The reason is rather sensitive and I shall not mention it here, but I am sure we can all agree that there is no valid reason for a grown man to hit his child with a bicycle chain.

I informed my superiors and we organised a home visit. I cannot recall who I went with (probably a counselor or a school leader) but I remember giving condolence money to the father as there was a bereavement in the family.

I don't know if our visit deterred the violence, but after that the child did not tell me anything again.

Years after this incident, I went through a course which tells teachers what to do if there is evidence of domestic violence.

NIGHT STUDY

I am not aware of any scientific study to prove the efficacy of schools organising night studies, but they must be a great psychological comfort for students as they chiong for the national exams.

The school would be open till night time and curry puffs and other light refreshments would be provided. Teachers would roster to stay back and be available for consultation.

There was a sense of community as the students bunkered down in the remaining months before their future was decided. Night study is better than solitary study. You have your friends around you in a structured environment.

There was one year, on the last night of Night Study, all those who stayed behind took a group photo. They were about to face the dreaded National exams.

MORE CAN BE LESS, BUT CAN LESS BE MORE?

Many parents and teachers seem to think that it is a good idea for teachers to give a lot of homework. The more homework the better. Some years ago, MOE realised the folly of this and tried to stem the homework tide, but to little avail.

More homework is not necessarily better. It can give a student brain fatigue and we all know what happens when a computer tries to run several programs cocurrently.

I once had a HOD who just came to our school from a previous school and she ended up co-teaching Social Studies with me. During the June holidays, she told me to give the students TEN Social Studies practice papers. I told her that was excessive, She said, just give.

I told the first express class that they would be getting TEN practice papers. There were howls of protests. I could sympathise. In the end I gave them just one. You see, SS was just an elective and the students naturally prioritized the core subjects first - English, Mathematics and Science. No way they would do ten social studies exam papers during the holidays.

The homework should be targeted (towards understanding the syllabus documents - which are all online now) and moderate. Excessive homework is like binge eating. Binge eating is not healthy. Binge anything is not healthy.

GE 2006

During my practicum twenty years ago, there was a General Election. It was Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's first GE since he assumed the office and the air was buzzing with excitement. This was also the GE when James Gomez of the Workers' Party had an incident about a form.

One of the senior colleagues in the school, a vocal man who had been in service for many decades (he was always telling people that) told me, "I support the PAP by voting for opposition". He meant that he wanted the PAP to work harder.

At that time, I was quite pro-Workers' Party and attended one of their rallies even though it was across the island. It was people mountain and people ocean. I saw one of my colleagues from my practicum school and called out to her. She was a Chinese Language teacher and I called out, "Teacher ___________!" in Chinese. She looked very pai seh. She probably did not want people to know her job.

Attending a WP rally at that time felt like an act of rebellion...Not so now.

UNPROFESSIONAL

There was one year when I was a Flexi Adjunct in a school full of unruly students and unhinged behaviour, the Sec 4 Prelim results were released. A female student showed me her script and did not understand why she got a low mark for an essay.

At that time, social studies was very easy to learn and teach. You just had to be familiar with the textbook and the chapters were not rocket science. The questions were also straightforward and a student could easily score by remembering the "official" answers for the questions. I read the student's answer. It was basically saying what the textbook said.

The marker was the HOD and she had not written any comments so we couldn't figure out why she gave the mark. I passed the script to my colleague who also couldn't figure out why the mark was so low when what the student had written answered the question and was textbook based.

So I told the student, "You can go and ask __________________." (HOD's name) because she marked it." The student really went to ask.

Later, I found out that HOD was not pleased. She said it was unprofessional for us to tell the student who marked the script.

She was speaking from an administrative perspective because you don't want masses of students to go and harass markers.

But from an educator's perspective, don't you want the child to learn and improve?

If you have given the student this mark, shouldn't you have to justify it? How to justify when you hide behind a wall of opacity?

BUNGLED DIPLOMACY

As a teacher, talking to parents is a balancing act. Basically, they can say what they want but a teacher cannot and has to balance between being professional (can only say official stuff) and the personal.

There was one year, more than a Chinese zodiac cycle ago, when a student in my upper sec form class had a dispute with his Mother Tongue teacher. I was not present at the dispute but my understanding of it is that the boy was defiant and it became a power struggle until the teacher snatched a pencil from the student and it broke. The student was made to write an apology letter.

As the form teacher, I had to call and inform the parent about this. The boy's father was not pleased and accused the teacher of being violent (in breaking the pencil). I explained that it was an accident.

"Why must my child write an apology letter? Why can't he just say that he is sorry?"

"Even when the government wants people to apologise, they are required to put out an apology ad on a newspaper." I said. I probably said this as a pushback to the parent's aggression. My words did not help things.

"Oh! You want me to print a newspaper apology!" The parent said angrily. "Can! I want to see your principal!"

"If you want to see, you can come and see." I said. I then went to the canteen to have tea and within a few minutes, the parent's car had pulled into the carpark. From the canteen, I saw him walking towards the General Office.

Uh-oh...

The principal managed the parent and somehow defused the tension.

This was an act of bungled diplomacy by a younger version of myself. If this happened now, I am 100% sure that I would not have handled it this way. When such things happen, it is not about who is right or who is wrong. It is about convincing the parent that we are on the same team and smoothing over the rough edges.

"I WANT TO BE NUMBER ONE!"

Years ago, I had a student in my form class with special needs. It was very challenging because every day he would come out with a wide variety of pattern to test his teachers. He would run around in circles. I learned to stand still instead of chasing him. He would make strange sounds when the principal was talking during morning assembly. He once tore up a common test paper. He also tried to charge into staff room when the door was ajar.

This student's father came to school every day and every time things got rough, I would have to evacuate him to see the father. There was once he was trying to get near a female teacher and I grabbed him by his bag with one hand while another hand was on the phone to try to text and find out which lesson he was supposed to be.

Then on another occasion, he would splashed his water bottle on some female students and I brought him out of the class. Along the way to the canteen (where his father was), I asked him: "Why did you splash water on the girls?" His answer was, "I want to be number one." What did that mean? Your guess is as good as mine.

This was my first year in a new school but Buddhism kept me sane. He was a 受苦众生 (suffering sentient being). Another perspective is that this boy was teaching me the Dharma. He was giving me an opportunity to practice compassion. How rare is that! He is a 叛行菩萨 - a person who externally appeared to be an obstacle but is actually a bodhisattva to help me deepen my practice.

DISSENT

When I was in university, one of my History profs (Malcom Murfett) encouraged us to disagree with him: "If you disagree with me, have the guts and say so."

I carried this spirit to my teaching life and often echoed Prof Murfett's words, but not so aggressively. I would say, "If you disagree, please tell me. You will not be punished for expressing your opinions." Even if the opinion is not in line with the school's policy, I think we should still hear out the kids. 

 There was one year when a student dissented with me in class. I had made the observation that just like Americans have guns, Singaporeans use their handphones as "weapons" (social media). 

This student said, "Bad example!" and started booing. This triggered me and I told the student that he is free to disagree and we can have a discussion. But if he started heckling me, what discussion could we have?

"This speaks volumes of your upbringing." I said. He must have not liked what I said because what little rapport we had built up evaporated after that.

I have no regrets, though.

WOMEN AND THE VOTE

Back in my MOE era, I was seated at a canteen table with some colleagues to discuss politics. The principal was there.

I opined that the People's Action Party was in a stable position as it still had the woman vote and women in general craved stability.

The P (a woman) said that was an egoistic statement but I told her it was a statement that cannot be disproven.

An egoistic statement? You mean women don't crave stability?

OUTSPOKEN

During my MOE era, I had a French colleague who once expressed surprise that Singaporean teachers are not outspoken. He came from a climate where speaking up was a norm. He taught in a school in England where the teachers banded to rid of the principal.

I told him that because Singaporean teachers are well paid and do not want to rock the boat.

Personally, I do not believe that Singaporeans are inherently reserved. It is just that the system has generally worked well for us.

If the system becomes broken, you will find that people will be very outspoken.

TRANSITING FROM NCC TO CHOIR

It was with great relief that I left NCC and was transferred to Choir. A male colleague had predicted that I would stay in NCC "forever" so it was with poetic justice that I ended up taking his place in the Choir.

Choir was a totally different game. Just like NCC, there were KPIs to be met. For the uniform groups, they had to maintain or excel their records in the Best Unit Competitions. For Choir, the KPI was performances and of course SYF.

When I was in Secondary School (Catholic High), they forced us to go and audition for the Choir. At that time, I was into basketball and thought of Choir as a sissy pursuit. So I anyhow did the audition. It is ironic that I would later end up being one of the teachers helping out with Choir.

The Choir years were a great time in my life. We did musicals and traveled to Desaru and Hong Kong.

EVERY SOURCE IS A USEFUL SOURCE

During one of my History tuition classes, we scrutinised the exam paper of a secondary school in Singapore. One of the sources is an excerpt from Truman. The question was: "Is this source useless because it is from the President of the United States"?

The school's highest level answer can be summed up thus: the speech is useless because it is biased. Truman was an "ideologically committed Democrat" who wanted to boost his own reputation as the saviour of post-war Europe.

It is a basic rule in History that no source is ever useless. Even a rambling speech by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Donald Trump cannot be said to be useless. The Mad King of America's words give us a glimpse into his mood at that time and his MAGA perspective.

Every source is useful in telling us something. What does it tell us? What does it distort? What does it not tell us?

I NO UNDERSTAND

There was one year when I was teaching a Sec 1 Normal Technical class. We had a group project which was contingent on everyone being present.

One of the students who played a crucial role was absent on assessment day. I was furious.

The next day, I spoke to him.

Me: Why were you absent?
Student: Leg pain.
Me: Do you know there will be consequences?
Student: (Nods)
Me: Do you know what the word 'consequences' mean?
Student: (Shakes head)
Me: ................................................................

DISAGREEMENTS

I was once very upset with a colleague who co-taught a Sec 2 Normal Technical class with me. It was quite a raucous class and I had planned the lesson but my colleague took it in a different direction which required the class to leave the classroom.

On the way to the venue, I told my colleague, within the earshot of several students, "I am not happy with the direction that this lesson had taken". The colleague acknowledged my anger but did not say anything.

Years later when we discussed this scenario, I asked my friend whether he was upset with what I said. He said, "No because you were in the trenches were me."

The answer was not logical, but to me it was perfectly acceptable. Despite our differences, we were fighting a "war" together.

HAIR TODAY GONE TOMORROW

I was never in the discipline committee but vaguely recall that there was an era when discipline teachers could cut the hair of students who were too long. I think it was in 2011 or 2012 when a mother made a police report when the school cut her son's hair. After that, schools stopped cutting students' hair. If a student's hair style was unacceptable, he would be sent to the barber to get an acceptable hair style.

For much of my teaching career, I believed that students' hair should be short and neat. But after seeing countless hair checks, my opinion has changed. A person's hair is a matter of personal autonomy. The school should leave that alone unless there is lice or some other health hazards.

It is strange to preach uniformity when the students look at their teachers and see a diversity of hairstyles, accessories, coloured hair and fashions. Of course the adults will say that there is a set of rules for adults and a different set of rules for the youths.

(But if school is preparing me for the adult world, why are adults behaving in ways that are forbidden to me?)

In 2026, no teacher will say that it is wrong for female students to have ponytails. But in 1980, a principal from Whampoa Secondary Chinese School took it upon herself to personally cut the hair of male students and female students with ponytails. Many girls cried. Three fainted and two were hospitalised. The principal firmly believed that what she did was for "the good of the students". MOE backed her. You can read about this on Newspaper SG (The Straits Times, 10 May 1980, Page 7)

46 years later, most people would view what the principal did as draconian and extreme. In 2072, many of the things that are now done in school would be viewed in the same way.

THE ADVENTURE OF THE UNPRINTED COMMON TEST PAPERS

The term "Common Test" has disappeared from MOE lingo to be replaced by "Weighted Assessment", which is supposed to be less pressuring as its format can be flexible. But old competitive habits die hard and it is just placing old wine in new skins.

This was over a decade ago, but there was this time when the school had a common test scheduled for the first period. So the Humanities department did it exam style. We packed the papers properly and placed them in a room where invigilators would collect after the morning assembly.

We had skipped the morning assembly to get the papers out. While waiting for the assembly to end, I asked my colleague where his papers were. He panicked and said, "SHIT!"

He had forgotten to print his paper!

The HOD was very calm and sprang to action. She ordered the colleague and another colleague to go and print the papers. They dashed upstairs to where the staff room photocopying machines were.

Minutes after they were gone, the vice-principal walked in.

"Everything all right?" He asked.

We assured him that everything was all right.

The papers were printed in time.

Heng ah...

GRAB TUITION

During the months after I resigned from MOE eleven years ago, I once accepted a tuition assignment from a student hostel. I went there to explain a Sec 2 History worksheet to a male PRC student. 

After that I left. I was paid a few days later. It was very transactional, like a Grab delivery service.

This kind of job might be good for some people, but not for me.

I prefer teaching with rapport and a positive relationship.

SPIRIT POSSESSION?

Do spirits really exist in this world? I do not know. In my teaching career, I have seen phenomena which have been interpreted as supernatural, but what if there is a rational explanation for them?

One morning in a school that shall remain unnamed, I was having breakfast at the canteen while the school was having silent reading. 

Suddenly I heard an unearthly scream. It was a sustained scream of terror. I went to investigate and to my surprise, a girl was being carried out of the parade square! I asked a student who knew the girl what had happened.

The student said in a frightened tone, “Possessed”. That day, the principal called a meeting for the teachers and confirmed the official narrative: Stress. Any other explanation would have induced panic.

Perhaps it was repressed mania, interpreted as a spiritual phenomena. But even if spirits exist, they cannot be as scary as human beings.

APPEAL TO THE PRESIDENT

I am fortunate to have taught many international students in the first part of my teaching career: South Koreans, Malaysians, Taiwanese, Maknland Chinese, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Pakistan, etc. South Koreans appear to have the etiquette of giving something to a teacher every time they meet.

There was once when a South Korean student’s mother met me with her child. She could not speak a word of English and her child had to translate. When the meeting was over, she insisted on giving me something. (I think it was a drink or a packet of tea or what). 

 As a civil servant I couldn’t accept this kind of thing. But how to make her understand without offending her? Fortunately we were in the General Office and there were portraits of the President (Mr S.R Nathan and his wife). I pointed at the portrait of the President and told the student to tell his mother that he (the President) would not allow me to take a gift.

Koreans come from a hierarchical and authoritarian society. Surely the mother understood my appeal to presidential authority.

NO AIRCON NO EXAM!

In a neighbourhood school that I spent one year as a flexi adjunct, many unhinged things happened. If I recall correctly, only Sec 4 students got aircon in their classrooms and when they had examinations, the invigilator had to take the scripts as well as an aircon controller.

As I was new to the school, there was one exam in which I forgot to draw the aircon controller. So when I reached the venue, the Sec 4NT students asked me , “What about the aircon?” I had already brought the scripts to the classroom.

How to go back and take an air con controller? 

The students started to protest, “NO AIRCON NO EXAM! NO AIRCON NO EXAM!”

Fortunately, the form teacher appeared with the precious aircon controller for the precious students.

END OF THE BASKETBALL GIRLS

After a few years of being a teacher helping out with the basketball girls, the decision came from the school management to stop sending them out for competition.

I was indignant and went to argue with the Administrative Manager. I remember sarcastically asking him, "I thought one of the school values is 'resilience'? Why are we giving up?" The AM mentioned something about a threshold.

So basically the girls were not winning games and the school decided to utilise the resources to other CCAs with a better chance of performing. In a capitalist society like Singapore, schools also acquire some capitalist characteristics of free market competition. If your CCA does well and thrive, it will receive more funding and if your CCA does not do well, it will receive less funding and can even cease to exist.

I've come to accept this. But at that time I was young and idealistic. Shortly afterwards, the girls basketball club even ceased to exist as a recreational CCA. They were disbursed to Netball. I got shipped off to NCC. Such is life, we are but playthings of forces that we cannot control.

SYRIA

Back in the days when I taught social studies, I gave a Sec 4N class an overview of the Syrian Civil War and showed them YouTube videos of the bombings and the UN Security Council meeting in which China and Russia vetoed a UN Resolution against Bassar Al-Assad.

I explained that China and Russia had interests in Syria and were determined to use their veto powers to prop up the Assad regime, in spite of the atrocities.

Many of the kids were genuinely (and loudly) outraged that Assad could go on bombing his own people and the UN couldn't do anything because his allies China/ Russia had blocked UN intervention. One student felt it was absurd that two countries could override the wishes of so many more countries.

I also explained that there are no simple solutions to the Civil War (which has been further complicated by ISIS) and the refugee crisis.

I told them that being angry alone is pointless. They should channel their energies to studying hard to acquire the skills to make the world a better place.

I was surprised and moved by their anger. This is youthful idealism.

以老卖老

In every organisation there is at least one old hero who is always reminding others that he is very senior and he is very smart.

Many moons ago, I had a boomer colleague who was very arrogant and was always telling others that he had forty years of teaching experience. He was also quite a bully and would even refuse orders from his Head of Department.

It was none of my business and I was young and impulsive. So I wrote an e-mail to the all staff e-mail thread to praise this colleague by sharing a blog post that he had written on courtesy.

He took the bait and was very pleased. He compared his upbringing with the current generation and that was my opening to criticise him. The exchange escalated into a debate which everyone could read. At that time, my logic was that this guy is such a high profile bully, he should be called out in a high profile way.

The principal intervened. He wrote to tell us to stop debating and that there are better ways to acknowledge one another. We were asked to see him in person to talk about this.

I saw the principal alone. He could see that I had written veiled barbs to criticise my colleague and said he would manage the chap.

Of course I felt I was trying to 打抱不平. But it was also ego lah. I was young then…

BIBLES

One morning in a school that I worked in many years ago, I went to the parade square and was surprised to find many students reading Bibles.

They were reading pocket-sized Gideon Bibles. I asked the students where the Bibles came from. One of them told me a man outside the school was giving out the Bibles.

Is it ok to give out Bibles outside a school?

Article 15 of the Constitution of Singapore says, “Every person has the right to profess and practise his religion and to propagate it.”

It also says, “This Article does not authorise any act contrary to any general law relating to public order, public health or morality.”

RESILIENCE CAN BE A CONTROL WORD

One of the unpleasant duties of being an NCC teacher was to catch students who did not turn up for training and force them to turn up. Many of these cadets had enthusiastically joined in Sec 1 and their interest faded in upper Sec. 

As a teacher, it was my duty to catch them. But as a human being, I privately sympathized with them because I was once a teenager and as a teenager, if you had asked me to spend my Friday afternoons standing in the hot sun to be scolded by my seniors and do marching, I would have said, "No thanks!"

I only mention the above as an example of kids whose agenda differs from adults. From a grown up perspective, we can say that the kids who AWOL have no resilience.

But one day, a colleague changed my mind. He was a counselor and a veteran educator who opined that we grownups often use the word "resilience" as a control word. If the student does not do what we want, we label him or her as not resilient.

This got me to thinking and after some thinking, I began to be careful about using the word resilience. If I was forced to do something I have grown to hate, I would also be very not resilient.

HOME VISITS

I once taught in a school which made it compulsory for form teachers to make home visits to as many students as was deemed necessary. This was a good practice because it opened my eyes to living conditions of people from a completely different income group.

With my colleagues, I visited rental flats with narrow corridors and saw spartan homes with very little furniture and very modest means. Coming from a comfortable middle class family, I was always surrounded by books and magazines.

But during these visits, I saw homes where there were none of such things lying around. I also met parents who seemed to be only minimally interested in their children's academic performances.

From this, I had a greater understanding of the students. (I once visited the home of a family on a weekend at around 10am to deliver a bursary document and found the entire family -adults and kids - still asleep!) 

 These visits sometimes took place at night. But even though it could be troublesome, I am grateful to have had the experience. It also gave me a glimpse on how challenging it must be for our elected representatives, who have to routinely do home visits.

SPECTACLES FLY!

I still have a photo of an "Incident Report Form" that I once wrote during my Flexi Adjunct era.

On [Date redacted] at about 1:45pm, I was at the basketball court, intending to play a quick basketball match with some students including [Student A]. [Student B] tried to enter the game.

They exchanged heated words and [Student A] shoved [Student B]. I moved in to intervene as they exchanged blows and stopped the fight (during which my glasses were knocked off). I escorted [Student A] and [Student B] to the General Office.

Also present at the basketball court was [Name and class redacted].

The two boys were from Sec 2. The last part was written in case the school needed an independent witness. Anyway, I told the Vice-Principal that Student B's blow had knocked my glasses off was an accident and there was no need to pursue the matter. The specs were not damaged. After moving on to my next school, there were many more fights to stop. Lesson learned. From then on, I always removed my specs before trying to stop a fight.

ACTIVATED!

There was one year during level camp when I was suddenly activated for Oral Exam. I was on reserve and naively thought that I would not be called up. The camp was at Sentosa and I was wading in the sea with water up to my knees as my form class was having a swimming exercise when an unfamiliar number called me.

It was some guy from SEAB asking to report to a certain school at a certain time. My heart sank. I did not like to do oral exam duties. They were stressful. I explained to the guy that I was actually at a camp with my class.

The bureaucrat on the other end was not interested. "So, can you do it or not?"

"I guess so." I said.

I had a four hour window: I needed to go to school, get my laptop (to revise the procedures) and then reach that school.

I felt really anxious and prayed to Guan Yin for help. The bodhisattva is said to 尋聲救苦 (Xún shēng jiù kǔ) i.e always ready to hear and respond to the sounds of suffering.

Thankfully, I managed to leave the camp at an appropriate time, reach my school, revise the procedures and still made it to that other school with plenty of time. My fellow Oral Examiner was from another school. She was very kind and helpful.

Thanks to the grace of Guan Yin, I made it through the exam! I have an amulet of Guan Yin that I was wearing that day.

Whenever I see that amulet, I am reminded of that hectic day when I left the beaches of Sentosa to hit the highway to an unfamiliar school.

MAJULAH SINGAPURA (REPEAT MODE)

One of the most absurd things I have ever seen as a teacher happened during my practicum two decades ago.

The discipline master was dissatisfied with the volume of the national anthem and made the whole school sing it again and again and again. I can no longer recall how many times.

The playing stopped only when the DM was satisfied. This was a rather unimaginative method of disciplining students.

Firstly, it disrespected the national anthem. Secondly, it will just make students hate the national anthem. How can you force people to be patriotic? 

 A better method would be to expose students to heroic men and women who sacrificed their lives for Singapore. These people died for the flag and the anthem. Let us make sure their sacrifice was not in vain. 

This way might be “idealistic” but it sure beats playing Majulah Singapura on repeat mode.

CRITICISM

During an exchange trip to Xian, I asked a teacher whether the school practiced corporal punishment.

The teacher replied: “We absolutely do not practice corporal punishment.”

“What do you do with a student who does not listen to you?” I asked.

“We will criticise him.” (我们会批评他) The teacher said.

“What if he refuses to listen despite the criticism?”

“We will severely criticise him.” (我们会严厉的批评他) The teacher said.

The People’s Republic of China officially abolished corporal punishment in 1986. On paper, its rules for punishing students are even more progressive than Singapore. I have never heard a Singaporean teacher or school leader mentioning students’ “rights”.

　第十二条 教师在教育教学管理、实施教育惩戒过程中，不得有下列行为：
　　（一）以击打、刺扎等方式直接造成身体痛苦的体罚；
　　（二）超过正常限度的罚站、反复抄写，强制做不适的动作或者姿势，以及刻意孤立等间接伤害身体、心理的变相体罚；
　　（三）辱骂或者以歧视性、侮辱性的言行侵犯学生人格尊严；
　　（四）因个人或者少数人违规违纪行为而惩罚全体学生；
　　（五）因学业成绩而教育惩戒学生；
　　（六）因个人情绪、好恶实施或者选择性实施教育惩戒；
　　（七）指派学生对其他学生实施教育惩戒；
　　（八）其他侵害学生权利的。

Translation: “In the course of educational and instructional management, as well as the implementation of disciplinary measures, teachers shall not engage in the following acts:

　　(1) Corporal punishment that directly causes physical pain through means such as hitting or pricking;

　　(2) Disguised corporal punishment that indirectly harms the physical or mental well-being of students, including standing for extended periods beyond reasonable limits, repetitive copying, forcing students to perform uncomfortable movements or postures, and deliberate isolation;

　　(3) Insulting or infringing upon students’ personal dignity through discriminatory or derogatory words or actions;

　　(4) Punishing all students for the violations or misconduct of an individual or a few;

　　(5) Imposing disciplinary measures on students due to their academic performance;

　　(6) Implementing or selectively enforcing disciplinary measures based on personal emotions, preferences, or aversions;

　　(7) Assigning students to impose disciplinary measures on other students;

　　(8) Other acts that infringe upon the rights of students.”

A DANGEROUS ASSUMPTION

There was one year when I was "invited" to a dialogue session with an MOE official who was seated in a group of my colleagues and the school leader were seated in a room in school.

At that time, the climate in the school was not conducive to a candid expression of views, so I had only two KPIs for the session - keep quiet and eat free food. (Catering was provided).

Throughout the session, I said nothing. I only opened my mouth to eat sandwiches. One of my colleagues asked a question about ranking.

If an older and a younger teacher of the same grade were ranked together, wouldn't the older teacher be disadvantaged? I felt it was a fair question and the questioner was a veteran teacher.

The principal immediately became defensive. "That is a dangerous assumption." She interjected. She must have talked more but that line is the only one I can recall. I understand that the colleague was later called in for a reprimand.

Why was it "dangerous"? Probably because the school leader was insecure and worried that such a question implied that her ranking system was unfair.

WHO WANTS TO SIT IN FRONT DURING STAFF CONTACT TIME?

I think I speak for the vast majority of teachers when I say that staff contact times are boring and dreadful affairs.

Logically speaking, they are not necessary or at the very least they can be shortened. If I was a school leader (which will never happen in this lifetime), I will have a rule that no staff contact time can extend beyond one hour.

Anyway, there was one staff contact in a school which shall remain unnamed when I wanted to sit at the back. But the back rows were all taken and I decided to create a new back row by placing a chair behind the back rows.

The Operations Manager, a fierce man, called out to me, "Yue Heng! Sit here!' He wanted me to sit in the front. I did not want that and ignored him. But he kept calling out until I finally surrendered.

The next day, I politely told him that I was not comfortable with the way he spoke to me. He immediately became defensive and said, "I'm just doing my job. If you take it personally, I am very sorry." His tone was anything but sorry.

(Since when is it an OM's job to regulate where teachers sit during meetings?)

I told him, "I have said what I need to say. How you respond is your business." (Or words to that effect)

 A few hours later, he spoke to me but his tone was more conciliatory. Despite this encounter, I like and respect him. Beneath his gruff exterior, he is a good man.

GOSPEL SONG IN CANTONESE

There was one year in which I accompanied some colleagues and students from the Choir to a Choir Festival in Desaru.

There, we met choirs from different schools in Singapore. One of the schools was from Hong Kong and they were a Christian institution based in the New Territories (新界).

They requested an interaction with our school. I don't know why they picked us. One of the songs that they sang was a Gospel song in Cantonese.

My ability to understand Cantonese is intermediate and they were singing a song about a new day and Jesus being the light of the world.

Hearing their young voices singing brought joy to my heart. I recorded their singing on video and even though I am not a Christian, I still enjoy listening to that recording.

ARROGANCE

During my Flexi Adjunct era, a newly posted principal walked into a class where I was doing relief. The school leader was a stark contrast to his predecessor, who was beloved by the students. This guy was a micromanager.

The school leader came in and told the students whose attire was not proper to go to the toilet and change immediately. He completely ignored my presence. 

It was an air conditioned classroom and the principal had left the door open (he was standing in the corridor waiting for those who had gone to change to report back to him).

I asked him whether I could close the door as the air-conditioning would flow out. Again, he ignored my question.

School leaders are educators. They should not behave like feudal lords or army commanders. We are on the same boat, bro.

KOREAN INITIATIVE

I once accompanied colleagues and friends on an exchange trip to a school in South Korea. On the first day, they gave us a rousing welcome at the hall.

After the ceremony was over, there were hundreds of chairs in the hall. Some Korean students wanted to play badminton and the chairs were in the way.

So they efficiently formed a human chain and moved the chairs. There was not an adult in sight. There was no one to give them instructions. They just did it by initiative.

Can this happen in a Singaporean school? Will students move hundreds of chairs without instruction?

AN AGGRESSIVE LAD

Once upon a time in a school that I taught in, there was a very aggressive lad. He was in Sec 1 (but Sec 2 age) and had been asked to leave his previous school because he had spat at the Vice-Principal. One day, this young lad got provoked during an exam.

He used a dustpan to whack the invigilator and left scratch marks on the invigilator’s hand (I wasn’t there so this part is unclear, but there was some violence) Ang then after that, he called the police to say that he was so assaulted. So an ambulance and some police cars turned up.

Of course the teacher was exonerated. He was an old man who had been a respected teacher in Hong Kong. He has already graduated from this world.

 Anyway, back to this young lad. He was again transferred to another school. I met him years later by chance. It was SG 50 and my reservist unit was deployed near MBS.

He was doing NS and somehow we reconnected. I asked him whether the “word on the street "was true that he had really been kicked out from that school for spitting at the vice-principal. He confirmed it. I asked him why he did that.

He said there was some rubbish (tissue?) lying on the floor and the vice-principal had asked him to pick it up. He did not like the way he was asked and he spat at him. After leaving our school, he went to the next one where an Operations Manager gave him some guidance.

By the time I met the lad in SG 50, he still had some traces of Ah Bengness, but was more or less more mature than his volatile past.

ARGUING ABOUT GOD

Years ago when I was a National Education Coordinator, I gave an assembly talk about environmental friendliness. I said that if humanity did not do anything about the environment, even God cannot help us.

My HOD at that time was a religious man and a few days after the talk, he told me that he did not like what I said. My argumentative self took over and I began to debate with him. Things got so heated that he walked away. I have since come to know that debate (just a nice way of saying arguing) about religion is utterly futile. 

As Zhuang Zi said:

既使我與若辯矣，若勝我，我不若勝，若果是也？我果非也邪？我勝若，若不吾勝，我果是也？而果非也邪？其或是也，其或非也邪？其俱是也，其俱非也邪？我與若不能相知也，則人固受其黮闇。吾誰使正之？使同乎若者正之，既與若同矣，惡能正之！使同乎我者正之，既同乎我矣，惡能正之！使異乎我與若者正之，既異乎我與若矣，惡能正之！使同乎我與若者正之，既同乎我與若矣，惡能正之！然則我與若與人俱不能相知也，而待彼也邪？

"Even if you and I argue, if you win over me, and I do not win over you, are you indeed right, and am I indeed wrong? If I win over you, and you do not win over me, am I indeed right, and are you indeed wrong? Is one of us right, or is one of us wrong? Are both of us right, or are both of us wrong? Since neither you nor I can know, others are inevitably shrouded in darkness. Whom shall I have to decide it? If I have someone who agrees with you decide it, since they already agree with you, how can they decide it? If I have someone who agrees with me decide it, since they already agree with me, how can they decide it? If I have someone who disagrees with both you and me decide it, since they already disagree with both you and me, how can they decide it? If I have someone who agrees with both you and me decide it, since they already agree with both you and me, how can they decide it? Thus, since you and I and others cannot know one another, what then shall we wait for?”

THERE'S A VIRUS IN THE AIR

On the last lesson before we released them for the Circuit Breaker 2020, I played a song on the guitar for my Sec 2 form class.

I composed the lyrics:

There's a virus in the air

Everyone must take care

Don't any how leave your home

Now isn't time for us to roam

On the train and on the bus

It is best to wear a mask

Clean you hands with sanitizer

If you are sick go and see doctor

Everything will go away

This too will be gone some day

Mean while let us keep our cool

And kids don't stop learning outside school

I got a student to video the whole thing. Looking at this almost six years later, I can see many of the class not taking the message of the song seriously. They were joking and sniggering, which is to be expected. These kids had grown up in a safe and stable system governed by a protective and paternalistic government. After I sang the song to them, my co-form and I gave some final instructions and we dismissed them into the Great Unknown.

THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST (HALF) SCRIPT

Losing an exam/test script is a taboo for teachers. The test is a unique piece of work done under supervised conditions and it is embarrassing for a teacher to explain how he or she lost the script.

Two decades ago when I was a rookie teacher, I actually "lost" half a script. It was a Sec 2 class and I gave them a history test. One of them, a student with special needs, asked for extra time. At that time, I did not even know there was such a concept of extra time for certain students, so I flatly rejected him.

After the class left, I checked the scripts. (I will always count before dismissing the class and count again later just to be sure) but found that only a torn script was there and another half (I think it was foolscap?) was missing! It was puzzling. I went to check but the student would not say anything. I asked a senior teacher for advice and she was quite chill about it. Just give retest..

The missing "half-script" was discovered before I left the classroom so I couldn't have lost it...what happened? My theory is that the student got angry at not being given extra time and decided not to submit the unfinished answer. But since then, whenever I counted test or exam scripts, the memory of that student is never far from my mind.

MAY SHE BE LIBERATED FROM SUFFERING

It was in March or April that year when I received the news via text when I was on course. It was a shock. I taught her when she was in Secondary One and was her form teacher when she was in Secondary Two.

She was a bubbly teenager who laterally transferred from the Normal Academic stream to the Express. Later in upper secondary, we parted ways and I noticed that she had changed.

She was sullen and no longer bubbly. 

She was in Secondary Four when she died.

As I understand it, she had gotten into some legal issues and took her life on the day of the court hearing.

May she be liberated from suffering.

SELF-CENSORSHIP

In any job there has to be some amount of self-censorship when you speak to the customers.

There was one year when I was a Sec 1 Express form teacher. A parent was not pleased because his daughter, from an elite girls’ primary school, had landed up in our modest neighbourhood school.

“Your school is just a Malay technical school.” He said. The school had a large number of Malay students. It was a government school with Express, NA and NT streams.

If I was not a teacher, I would have the freedom to say, “Bro, that’s racist and who ask your kid to get this kind of PSLE score..”

But because I was an employee of MOE, I said:

“Sir, please give our school a chance.”

歌剧

"We are bringing you to watch a 歌剧.” Our hosts said one night. This was during an exchange trip to Xian, before the Xi Jinping era. The students were all at their homestays and it was just us teachers.

It was not a 歌剧 venue. It was a night club. But if you wanted to be technical, also not wrong. There was music and there was drama.

Cigarette smoke was everywhere. Adult jokes were told. Rock songs were performed. Children were running around. A group of Russian or East European women wearing lingerie danced on stage. One of my colleagues, a devout Muslim, closed his eyes because of haram. But the women came down and shook hands with us…

There were two Singaporean teachers from another school with us. So we were this group of Buddhist, Christian and Muslim MOE teachers in a nightclub, an island in a sea of vice.

After about two hours, our hosts sent us back to our hotels.

I guess you can say that was a learning journey! 😆

THEY ARE ALL THE SAME

At the beginning of my teaching career, I benefited from having colleagues that were very senior. A group of them had taught in that school since the 1970s.

They were chill and nurturing. One of my colleagues was a very old man who had started teaching in the year Singapore gained self rule (go and Google if you don't know!) and was posted to the school in the sixties.

He had seen ALL the principals the school had up to that point.

There was once I asked him who was his favourite principal.

His reply was, "They are all the same."

He did not elaborate. He was a man of few words.

CANNOT TALK LIKE THAT

There was one year when the school had to go for Chingay. If I recall correctly, the buses were booked by the People's Association and one night, one of the buses was driven by a PRC chap who had just come to Singapore. So he hollanded.

Our school was in the West but he drove all the way to Mandai. The kids on the bus as well as a colleague used their phones to update those of us who have arrived in the school.

One of the parents (I think it was a grandparent) was very mad. His grandson was on that hollanded bus. I must have explained the situation to him and he told me, "Next time you must ensure that all the bus drivers are local!"

I made the mistake of telling him that this was not possible. The grandparent refused to accept my explanation and said, "No, you cannot talk like that." He said that he would speak to my principal. I said, "You can go ahead but the result will still be the same."

My answer was foolish. If such a situation had happened now, the 2026 version of Lee Yue Heng would say, "Sir, next time we will try our best to make sure the driver is suitable. For now, let's wait together. The bus is coming back soon and we are in communication with the kids.."

Sometimes, logic needs to take a backseat when you are talking to an emotional person.

WAYANG

I had a Reporting Officer who told me that he does not like to see "wayang shows." Wayang can be regarded as a negative word because it implies fake or inauthentic.

Actually, a broader view would see that wayang is a life skill. Often we need to wayang because life itself is a wayang. If everyone said exactly how they felt, civilisation would collapse.

There was one year when the school that I was teaching in wanted to showcase a special type of classroom with glass door and flexi-white boards. They brought in visitors from other schools. Some of these visitors were principals from other schools.

So we put on a show for them. Every time a group came in, we would have the lesson and then rest a bit when they left. A Sec 1 girl standing at the glass door would see the next group come and say, "Mr. Lee they are coming!" 

Then we would all get into positions and resume the same lesson that the previous group had seen. I would say the same lines and the kids would all play along.

It was simply not sustainable to do just one long lesson which would be interrupted by visitors who would come in at unpredictable timings. I felt that it was better to do "multiple takes" of the same show for different audiences.

It was a fun wayang!

MOE INTERVIEW

In 2004, I applied for a Ministry of Education teaching scholarship. The interview took place in March. The interview at MOE HQ went relatively smoothly although there were some minor hiccups.

I didn't bring my first Chinese A/O level attempt certificate and had to get a replacement for five dollars. At the beginning, I went into the room and after a brief exchange, the people interviewing me (two men and a woman) told me that this wasn't an interview for the teaching award and I was asked to leave the room while they clarified with the admin.

Later I was asked to come in again and they told me that they've been misinformed and they could interview me after all. They asked me all sorts of abstract questions like how I could make History the most important subject in the curriculum and how the new emphasis on different teaching methods could benefit History.

I said something to the effect that the allowance of different teaching methods could give History teachers more leeway to venture out of the syllabus and current affairs like the recent bombing at Madrid could be discussed with the students since History is not just something fossilized in the past.

In the course of the interview, I made it clear that I would not want to be a principal because being a principal meant not being able to teach in the classroom and one of them said: "You're talking to two principals you know!" But they were quite jovial.

I got the award.

E-MAIL DISSENT

Many moons ago when I was still a teacher in my 20s, the principal sent an email reminding colleagues not to be late. A colleague had been more than a few minutes late for lesson and this had come to the school leader’s attention. 

 At that time, the school was using a home room system which meant that the teachers stayed in the room while the students moved to lessons. The movement time would waste time and students would often arrive late for lesson.

I took this as an opportunity to reply to the principal that students are also often late and maybe he should reconsider this home room system? I replied to the all staff e-mail thread. This was not an accident. I thought, naively and coming from a perspective of public discussion that staff e-mail was an outlet to share differences of opinions.

Shortly after I sent the email, a senior colleague told me, “Yue Heng, good luck.” I, a mere rookie teacher, had publicly contradicted the school leader! I was summoned to see the principal. I cannot recall what we discussed but he was very gentle and very nice.

Maybe he took pity on this 不懂事 beginning teacher. Later on, I would meet principals who would not have taken kindly to being contradicted like that.

SHORT SKIRT

There was one year when I was a form teacher of a Sec 3 class, I wanted to nominate a girl for Excellent conduct grade. She was a very good student and I felt she really deserved the grade.

In that school, there was a rule that a student could only get "Excellent" if the teachers unanimously agreed.

In other words, if even one teacher disagreed, that student cannot be Excellent. Just as I was thought the student was going to be ratified for "Excellent", a dissenting voice came out: "Her skirt is too short." And because of that that objection, the girl did not get excellent.

On paper, this was a perfectly "logical" ruling: those who get "Excellent' should be an "exemplary" student.

If I had wanted to, I could have gone through the list of every exemplary student and found an instance in which he or she fell short of the standards.

But I did not. I would never do such a thing. No one is perfect.

老不死

I once had a colleague who was a rather old man. He constantly harped about death. We were colleagues in two different schools. He would call himself a 老不死.

There was once he was in the lift and he said audibly, “Still haven’t die yet.” This made everyone in the lift very uncomfortable. This colleague was retired but he had come out of retirement because he ran out of funds.

He was also a Buddhist so there was one occasion when I felt the need to tell him that as a Buddhist, he shouldn’t harping about death in this way. 

I don’t know where he is now, but I hope he is no longer publicly harping about dying. Buddhists should contemplate impermanence, bit in a skillful way. 

WE DON'T WANT NO HEALTHY FOOD!

In a neighbourhood school that I once spent one season in, the school climate was often unruly. There was one assembly in which the vice-principal had presented some slides to show the introduction of healthy food into the school canteen.

There were pictures of brown rice, vegetables and fruits. These pictures were actually booed by some of the seniors. It was a surreal sight.

Every time a new slide appeared, the booing resurged. I wish I had a video of it, but it would have been strange for a teacher to video a school leader being heckled mid-presentation.

The vice-principal got a bit flustered and told the students that this healthy food trend is the way it was going to be and there was no point protesting.

After that the principal took the microphone and scolded the seniors. In the first place, why was there a need to have a presentation? Some changes are best introduced quietly.

OFFICIAL PARTY LINE

Once, I had a difference of opinion with my HOD over a Humanities matter. I don't want to get into too many details but basically it was about how to teach students how to do Source Based Questions. I thought that his template style of teaching was cumbersome and confusing.

Finally, I sarcastically said, "I will just follow the official party line." My HOD did not like that answer and he said that his leadership style is by persuasion and not coercion.

To be fair, this was true. I think many HODs would not like their teachers arguing back with them. This bro had the tolerance for that. Good man.

STUDENTS IN THE STAFF ROOM

More than two decades ago when I had just signed on with MOE, the Ministry sent me to a school for a month-long stint. The school was not far from my home.

At that time I was attached to the school as an English and History teacher. I was also asked to do some consultation with students. As they were upper sec girls, I thought it was good to go somewhere safe. Which place could be safer than the staff room? So I brought the girls to the staff room pantry!

"HOW CAN YOU BRING STUDENTS INTO THE STAFF ROOM? WHAT IF THERE ARE EXAM PAPERS?”

This female senior teacher ranted, with the students around. I quickly asked the girls to leave. Yes, I had made a mistake.

But I was a rookie mah…The senior teacher could have made her point in a much less abrasive way.

NERF GUN WARS

There was an era in my teaching life when, to destress, my colleagues and I frequently played nerf guns. We shot each other in the staff room and sometimes even outside the staff room. Sometimes innocent bystanders were accidentally shot as "collateral damage".

A senior colleague advised us to be more restrained in our nerf warfare. We cheerfully ignored his counsel. A HOD even brought a nerf machine gun! I once played both sides. I encouraged a group of nerf gun trigger-happy colleagues to ambush a colleague.

They agreed. As we were approaching the colleague (in the staff room), I texted him to tell him we were coming. So when we burst in, he was ready with his weapon! A shoot out ensued!

One evening during another nerf gun war in the staff room, the principal himself suddenly walked in. It was very, very rare for the principal to visit the staff room and I knew that he was walking towards an ambush. I could not warn the ambusher!

The principal walked into the aisle and was shot by my colleague, who was horrified. The school leader did not scold us. He picked up the nerf bullet that hit him and returned it to my mortified colleague.

The sight of MOE teachers going around the school playing nerf guns (sometimes in full view of the students) like some 上海滩 gang war movie is hard to imagine for those who were not there. But those who were there will know what I mean.

I strongly doubt this can happen in any school in this era. Maybe to improve the mental health of teachers, schools can organise nerf battles where colleagues can form platoons to take out other platoons!