return....

Relatively speaking, this has been one of the longer pause .... given time, the gaps may be filled.......it was a needed hiatus.
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for a start, nothing 'personal' per se.... just some thoughts on 2 'intended' changes announced...

first is education-related. the news that banding and academic awards will be removed. It resonates well with one of my earlier post, "Real Winners do not compete", so that was a 'happy' news. Actually, the banding is not as detrimental as the chase of awards, so it was more the latter that i am glad to see.

No need to say more about it, since, a step in the right direction has been taken. But, it is only a step.

As i have written elsewhere, systems is a convenient scapegoat for one's action and pursuit. When ranking was first introduced, I was in a school whose principal disdain such measures. She stood her ground, the school still did well. She never talked about 'msg', so no one talked about it either. Every assembly session were anecdotes that cause one to reflect and learn more about life. That was ranking at its peak. But I didnt feel the impact. That is true leadership.

The issue lies alot with people who conveniently use 'system' as a masquerade of what is within themselves.

Nevertheless, i appreciate the move. I hope the next would be the  removal of  'ranking' of teachers, and kpis.

Setting goals is always good and necessary. But to link it with 'ranking' and 'performance bonus' and 'promotion', it is degrading. When one talks about values, it is not measured materially. When one wants to be 'paid according to one's worth in ability/performance' , then i wonder if such should be an educator in the full sense of the word. Its like a doctor being judged by how many patients he sees, and how many get well.

But, if such incentives are being removed, then i suspect there would be many vacancies in many high places in education institutions. This is probably one 'sacred cow' that will not be removed. Well, hopefully, a more perceptive approach that will encourage young educators with a true heart.

In writing this, i thought of the person i spoke to yesterday, truly an exemplar educator...... will come back to this another time....

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the second, seemingly trivial, is the returning of trays at food centre. i admit i was one of those who opposed to this when it was introducted at the food centre near my place, probably in 2004.

why? i was very very unhappy then. I remembered mum wondering if we should return our trays,  and i said i cant be bothered. When one constantly faced the harshness of life, battered and hassled at all sides, some small things can seem like the last straw.

i hate dirty tables, and hate to clean up after someone else's mess at food centres. Having got to look after people practically my whole life, i was always queing up and serving others, always saying, its ok, even when it is not....i was tired, very tired. With self-service at food centres, i had to carry the food, for mum and i. Whether i was unwell, whether my hands were unsteady, i had to hide that. I always had to say, no problem, when sometimes there were problems. And some of the hawkers can be very rude, and likewise those clearing the trays. I was just plain fed-up. And didnt want to do anything more than what i really need to. One more thing, is one thing too much. i would have to be the one doing the clearing. i was too tired.  I rather not eat at food centres then. so, well, i didnt cooperate.

In schools, yes, we always returned back utensils. But everyone does that, and there was little mess, as there was order.

Over the last few years, i went more often for meals at nus and at ntu, that it began to dawn upon me that if tertiary institute canteens have that habit, why not food centres? i also genuinely pitied some of the workers and felt bad about my lack of graciousness in the past, and really want to do my part. But i wouldnt know where to return the trays to. I can be quite clumsy. 

The nigger about this became greater with the foreigners debate. Not that i wished to be inundated with a great proportion of non-natives, but i also detest all the 'bullying'  and caustic remarks especially online, about foreign workers etc. Our foreparents were also such migrants.

so, yes, the re-introduction of encouraging patrons to return trays at food centres is good news to me. i am glad i can do my part now.  I guess its strange that this should even be written in a post. It is trivial.

True. Its a very small matter, but tiny as it is, it is a gesture of humanity. And humanity shown   ~  to one and all, in this short space, called time.....is not trivial to me.