I chanced upon an article in the Forum section of The Straits Times and I thought it was worth sharing.

Remember the Everitt Road dispute? Better known as the case which 2 neighbours were involved in a heated argument over... something :-P A complicated dispute over several issues, la.

Apparently one of the family's daughter is a teacher and the father, Mr. Chan commented that "no worries even if daughter loses teaching job". Since teaching is a dead-end job.

Ha ha?

Anyway, the article which I want to share is written by Mr/Ms Ng Tze Yik. An inspiring and ultra cool story comes with it:

... The remark does great injustice to all the great teachers out there.

I would like to share the following excerpt from New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman's speech at the commencement of Williams College on June 5 last year.

It goes like this: "The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO decided to explain the problem with education. He argued this way: 'What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher? You know, it's true what they say about teachers: Those who can do, do, and those who can't do, teach.'

"To corroborate his statement he said to another guest, 'Hey, Susan, you're a teacher. Be honest, what do you make?'

"Susan, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness, replied, 'You want to know what I make? I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could and I can make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall in absolute silence.

'I can make a C-plus feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor and an A feel like a slap in the face if the student didn't do his or her very best.' Susan continued, 'I can make parents tremble when I call home or feel almost like they won the lottery when I tell them how well their child is progressing.'

"Gaining speed, she went on: 'You want to know what I make? I make kids wonder, I make them question, I make them criticise, I make them apologise and mean it, I make them write and I make them read, read, read. I make them show all their work in maths and hide it all on their final drafts in English.'

"Susan then stopped and cleared her throat. 'I make them understand that if you have the brains, then follow your heart. And if someone ever tries to judge you by what you make in money, you pay them no attention.'

"Susan then paused. 'You want to know what I make?' she said. 'I make a difference. What about you?'"

*

So cool, I almost applaused after reading the last few paragraphs :-)

If teaching is a dead end job, I wonder why there are so many teachers being able to create miracles for their students.

Take care and have a good day!

t u