The belief anchor

Whenever one is at work on anything, there are always those moments when one need to consider their stance and attitude and react accordingly to the situation. Today, as will the many coming days, my beliefs cultivated from the various voluntary work was put to test in my class. Unexpectedly, the consideration of my beliefs was accompanied with much anguish.

It went like that: My class is the last of the level and discipline was totally not in place. I interacted with a few of them and know that they are mouldable. The challenge is to instill in them discipline. DISCIPLINE.
I learnt this word in secondary school. It was the mantra of the principal. It had put me in good stead. I wonder why people are side-lining it now.
So that was decided- discipline first.
Though it sounds easy, discipline is really not so simple to instill. It requires the disciplined person to act against nature. See, apes like to move around and scratch themselves and each other. It's in their nature; just as it is in us. for the human race, particular in a school, where it is decidedly conformity yet wanting to go towards individuality, there's a crash- CRASH.

First, the system has to recognise and support this order, and I will have to decide how best to carry them out.
It's difficult. Having a class that is not given to reasoning, it's hard to get them working. Ever so often within each hour, I have to remind myself about confucius' saying 教不严，师之惰。So that's my mantra. If students are not well-disciplined, it's the laze of teachers.

So, how strong is my anchor on this belief? I'm not sure. Things aren't looking up.When thinking about the children individually, I'm empathetic and wants to do my best;but when shoved a bunch of them, I just want to snap. Snap at them and snap myself. It is the whole package of things that is irk-not-just-some. At the end, it is still the anchor of belief. How firmly is it anchored?

-Tests of beliefs-
Recently, Kidsread at WRL got a few new volunteers. It was really comforting. People coming from way outside Woodlands. All of them must be having some beliefs about the programme, too, to motivate them to spend time and on the darnded SMRT. To be able anchor their belief so simply seems such a blessing to me now. It really is important.. believe, do it, defend it, fight it, to feel at ease.

What's your belief anchor?

SmileUp!

Cleaners' Day

This is an idea I had haboured for some time.

Imagine a day when all the cleaners are appreciated for their 'lowly and menial' contributions to our living environment. And their gaps are filled by volunteers.

Will you still dirty the table in the coffeeshop? Will you still pee all over the toilet bowl? Will you still litter the ground? Will you smile at the Aunty and Uncle who came by your table, dragging the terrible soup of leftovers to collect the plates of the previous occupier, helping them stack the plates so that they can collect more easily and then say 'thank you' without the expression of disgust?

The world is kept in order by everyone and one large faction of them had kept the order of the physical world for us.

We should appreciate them by doing their job to show that they are important and remind ourselves of the most basics of life. Whatever riches of the world one may accumulate, no one is above the need to create for themselves physical order of their environment.

People who agrees and would like to make this happen please leave a comment. The plan is to gather movement, get volunteers, liaise with contractors to give cleaners paid leave with a simple appreciation event while volunteers do the cleaners' job for a day. This has to be done area by area. ie a hawker center a time, a school a time, a company/building a time.

SmileUp!