and this was how it ended (part 1)
the end of term 2 has finally arrived, and its time to say goodbye to my classes. the last few days were really crazy, but i am glad it all turned out fine. wednesday was the deadline i gave to my classes to submit any written work for me to mark. and so, i had this huge pile of assignments (which even included back-dated assignments) to mark on wednesday, and i had to get them all marked by friday. had to sleep really late on wed and thur nights, but i survived with music (SHE and mayday!) and sweets.
the challenge was keeping a clear mind for lessons on thur and fri, despite sleeping late the night before. thursday wasnt so bad, because my timetable wasnt that crammed. but it was also my last day with 3B. had a double period with them, with a break in between, so i had my last lunch with them during the break. then during my 2nd lesson with 3B, alvin and kakiong came into the class and shouted "SURPRISE!" it was quite a pleasant surprise, with a huge PINK placard containing messages from 3B, a red balloon which says SHE (Hebe) loves you and a nice cake :D there was also a packet of dried prawn (which is hei bi in dialect, which sounds like HEBE), and i thought that was quite creative. anw, the cake was nice and chocolatey and i loved it alot! was really pleased that they prepared so much for my farewell, and i was really touched.
then on friday was my last day, and my timetable was crazy as i had taken the GP lessons of all my classes. so it was a 1 hour lesson, followed by a 1 hour break, followed by 4 and a half hours of lessons, a half hour break, then a final 1 hour lesson. i was a little afraid i might be talking nonsense towards the end (especially since i havent had much sleep). thankfully that never happened.
started the day off with my last lesson with 3D. got A57, the spongebob class, and the projector in that classroom was really cooperative, not like the A56 projector which eternally hates me. anw, unlike 3B, 3D wasnt very discreet with their "farewell surprise". when the lesson ended, all of them raised a piece of paper which contained a letter, and it spelt the message "WE LOVE MR TANCK". the effect was quite nice, and touching too... and i was closest to crying then, but i controlled and managed to regain my composure and made my farewell statement. we then took some photos before i left. i was told that there would be posters of me pasted around school, but thankfully that didnt happen. :D
next up was lesson number 1 with 6T. they were quite surprised that i took their GP lesson, because it was all quite last minute and the GP tutor only approached me in the morning. completed the last tutorial with them, and so i was just left with assignment review and recap with 6T for my 2nd lesson in the afternoon. after that, i headed for my lesson with 1F. it was the most stressful lesson of the day, since i had most things left uncovered with the class. i was rushing through the lesson really fast and the students were asking me to calm down and relax and not look so stressed. i really breathed a sigh of relief when i managed to complete the syllabus with that class! haha it was really a great experience teaching an arts class, and trying to get them to love maths, and i think i did fine :D
then came a 2 hour session with 6N. had not much worries for that class, since it is my fastest class in terms of covering of content, and i had more than enough time. i even had some time to do some practice questions with them. close to the end of the lesson, i was told that there was a surprise for me, and i had to close my eyes. turned out they took a few funny shots of me with my eye closed. and when i opened my eyes, there was a cake placed dangerously close to my face :D the cheesecake was for me, but it was quite large, so i got my math rep to split it up and share it with the whole class (: i also got another placard of messages from 6N... a red one this time. we then took photos, and i chatted with several people in the class, and also the councillors. hopefully the 29ths will be able to make their mark in the college and all the best :D
there was supposed to be a half hour break before my final lesson, but i spent it with 6N, so i had to rush off to my last lesson with 6T after that. by now, i have repeated the slides countless of times i became like a recording machine, reciting out what i had said in the previous classes. was also quite tired by then, cos i had been standing for a long long time. and so i was reliefed when the lesson ended, and then i found out 6T had messages written to me on a huge RED paper too. some of the messages were really funny, including one which says "see you at cambridge" :D
and so, that was the end of my crazy day, and it was REALLY REALLY REALLY sad to part with so many of my classes in one day. thankfully, i didnt cry in front of them, (which would have been so unglam and awkward), partly because i was really tired and hungry, and all i was thinking of was to complete my clearance (YES i still had one last thing to do before i could go home), so that i could go home, get a hot bath and enjoy my dinner.
(to be continued)
consilio et animis
5/30/2009 06:03:00 PM
