“Inability to tell good from evil is the greatest worry of man’s life” (Cicero)
This question was discussed this week. Some of the students were clearly intrigued by the question. Some were not. This is natural. It is not a question one normally thinks about, particularly as a teenager. But it is a vital question as [...]
Archive for January, 2007
How do we know what is good?
Posted in LA on January 31, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Memorial
Posted in LA on January 26, 2007 | 2 Comments »
Went to Kranji War Memorial with students. It is part of LA programme to get the students to get a more immediate experience with our past. We can talk about it, we can even show videos about this, we can write about it, but nothing quite like being in a place where people who once [...]
Talk, talk, talk
Posted in LA on January 21, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Last week, some of the lessons focused on spoken language. It is hard. Many of us write well. But, not many of us speak well. That seems to be a typical Singaporean trait. Unlike the Americans. Many Americans are excellent public speakers in particular. But there are a lot of aspects of speaking well.
First, there [...]
Why I am a teacher
Posted in Back to school on January 17, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
You know it is funny. When we are young, we all wanted to do big things. We want to be doctors, lawyers, business leaders, even political leaders. In fact, a good friend of mine in school is now a member of the government. Good for him.
I chose to be a teacher. Sometimes I wonder [...]
Reflect, reflect, reflect
Posted in LA, New media on January 17, 2007 | 2 Comments »
The big R word. It is almost fashionable in education circles today to trumpet the virtues of this. But it is not new. Socrates had extoled the virtues of an examined life. To reflect on the nature of things around us and within us. Some detractors have referred to this as ‘navel gazing’. But in [...]
Chasing cars
Posted in Personal on January 14, 2007 | 14 Comments »
No no. I am not referring to the song by Snow Patrol, although I do like it. I am referring to my obsession with cars. Don’t get me wrong. I am NOT rich. I did not come from a rich family and I certainly don’t earn lots of money now. And cars in Singapore are [...]
Singapore’s dual economy and a long lost friend
Posted in Back to school, LA on January 11, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Went for a seminar today. Didn’t sign for it, but was signed up. Didn’t expect much. But I was pleasantly surprised. I actually found some of the presentations insightful. Some of course were dreadful. And of course there was a person in the audience who had to constantly make lengthy comments about everything although it [...]
Conflict
Posted in Back to school, LA on January 10, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
We examined the topic of conflict it this week. This was designed to tie in with a visit to the Kranji War Memorial later in the month.
Conflict is very part and parcel of the human experience. We all experience conflict as part of our relations with people around us, as well as within ourselves. In [...]
Language Arts
Posted in Back to school, LA on January 7, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Started teaching language arts. It is a relatively new subject in Singapore. Many of us remember our school days when English language was taught separately from English Literature. In fact, most schools in Singapore still teach the two subjects separately. Almost all other countries that use English as the first language in education teach the [...]
Running in 2007
Posted in Marathon on January 4, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
I guess if I intend to spend a lot of time in 2007 trying to train for the marathon, I should write about it a bit more. Sometimes I don’t really know why I do it. Sure, it is healthier than sitting at home playing my xbox. Sure it helps me lose weight. After all, [...]
