Who is a Teacher?

Received this email from the school's management. At a graduation ceremony, a school Principal shared this story:

He said, "Doctor wants his child to become a doctor... Engineer wants his child to become an engineer... Businessman wants his child to become a CEO... BUT a teacher also wants his child to become one of them? Nobody wants to become a teacher by choice.... Very sad but that's the truth!

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?" To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?"

Teacher Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, then began...)

"Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor winner. I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 min. without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental. You want to know what I make? (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table)

I make kids wonder. I make them question. I make them apologize and mean it. I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions. I teach them how to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn't everything.

I make them read, read, read. I make them show all their work in math. They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator. I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know about English while preserving their unique cultural identity. I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.

Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life

( Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.)

Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant. You want to know what I make?

I MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN ALL YOUR LIVES,EDUCATING KIDS AND PREPARING THEM TO BECOME CEO's, AND DOCTORS AND ENGINEERS..........

What do you make Mr. CEO?

His jaw dropped; he went silent.

Kung Fu Panda: Lesson 4

4.      The secret to unlimited power is to “believe”.
 

In the movie, the hero and the villain fought over the Dragon Scroll, which contained the secret to unlimited power. However, when the scroll was eventually unveiled, it turned out to be an anticlimax because the scroll was blank. Po later discovered that the secret of the scroll is simply to “believe”.

In another scene, Shifu had an exchange of words with Grand Master Oogway on Po’s potential. Shifu was dismissive of Po, saying, “The panda? He is no dragon warrior!” However, Grand Master Oogway, in his wisdom, foretold that, “maybe he can, if you are willing to guide him, to nurture him, to believe in him!”    

As a teacher, I believe in the value of education. I also believe in what I teach. Most importantly, I believe in my students who are really the hope and future of the real estate profession. I honestly believe that the best buildings have yet to be built, and the most innovative real estate deals have yet to be structured, because the people behind those buildings and deals are in my classroom today.

Source: "Four Lessons from Kung Fu Panda", OEA Public Lecture Series 2012.

Kung Fu Panda: Lesson 3

3.      We may not be born with teaching skills, but we can acquire them through perseverance.

A quick question—are kung fu masters born or made? In the movie, the villain Tai Lung was a natural kung fu fighter. Everyone said, “He is a prodigy!” He mastered every kung fu move very quickly. However, despite his superb skills, Tai Lung’s pride eventually turned him into a monster. Po, on the hand, was fat and clumsy. Although unskilled at first, he eventually mastered the art of kung fu because he persevered and refused to give up.

Similarly, are excellent teachers born or made?

Some are naturally gifted. They have intelligence, good looks, charisma, verbal fluency, a pleasant voice, and a good memory! In my case, it was the exact opposite—for one thing, I am not a naturally fluent speaker. Language and grammar are not my best subjects. Inhibited by a lack of confidence and self-consciousness, I used to suffer from stage fright.

However, I was determined to take every opportunity to learn and improve my teaching skills—both informally, from colleagues and formally, from attending courses organised by CDTL. I recorded my lectures, reviewed them over and over again, and solicited feedback. I read books on public speaking, making good presentations, and general teaching. I also made an effort to master the subject knowledge; I learnt to tell stories and to develop my own style of teaching.

Source: "Four Lessons from Kung Fu Panda", OEA Public Lecture Series 2012.

Kung Fu Panda: Lesson 2

2.      The first step to our dream is to wake up.

We all have to start somewhere; to paraphrase the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step”. In the world of dreams and fantasies, we can do anything—from beating the most powerful foe with one little finger, to executing the most difficult stunt. However, in the real world, nothing worthwhile is easily obtained.

In the movie, Po’s initial reception by the Furious Five and their master, Shifu, was anything but warm. He was ridiculed and poked fun at. In one scene, Tigress, his idol, told him straight in the face, “Look, you don’t belong here! You are a disgrace to kung fu!” In another scene, Shifu derided Po: “Look at you! This fat butt, flabby arms, and this ridiculous belly, and utter disregard for personal hygiene… Don’t stand too close, I can smell your breath!”

When I first started teaching, I also encountered critical comments from students (despite my good intentions and best efforts). Some of these comments included:

·  “he lacks confidence… should be more at ease”,

·  “need to improve on his presentation style... always reading straight from the slide. Not very clear during [the] lecture”,

·  “his lectures are not well organized. Notes are often out of order” 

·  “content [is] too dry and technical”.

Two negative responses to such criticisms would be denial and self-pity. Denial would involve rejecting negative feedback by rationalising that students do not know how to identify “good” and “bad” teaching; that their view of a good teacher is based primarily on popularity and showmanship rather than substance. Self-pity, on the other hand, would involve allowing the negative feedback to eat into one’s confidence and emotion, which could lead to depression and making excuses about one’s teaching skills. In the movie, a dejected Po cried,

“I suck! They totally hate me! How is Shifu ever going to turn me into the Dragon Warrior? I mean, I’m not like the Five. I’ve got no claws, no wings, no venom, even the mantis has this… Maybe I should just quit!” 

In short, critical words can break the confidence of a young apprentice. I am glad that Po did not quit despite such setbacks. If he had, his story would have ended there and then, and there would have been no “Kung Fu Panda”. I wonder how many stories have remained untold and dreams unfulfilled because someone said, “I quit!”

Source: "Four Lessons from Kung Fu Panda", OEA Public Lecture Series 2012.  

Kung Fu Panda: Lesson 1

1.      Every great thing starts with a dream.

 

The movie starts with a dramatic scene of Po fighting alongside his idols, the legendary Furious Five (Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey) to defeat an army of villains. Alas, it was only a dream, a crazy dream it seems!

 

Like Po, many of us can recall having childhood dreams. However, at some point in time, many cast aside these childhood dreams. What happened? Maybe as they grew up into adulthood, they learnt that dreams and fantasies were for children and would have no place in the adult world. Maybe, they learnt from bitter experience that dreams and disappointments were correlated. The bigger the dream, the greater the disappointment! As such, in order to insulate themselves from being hurt, they stopped dreaming.

However, dreams are important. To be honest, my pursuit of teaching excellence involved pursuing a series of dreams, starting from scaling small hills to eventually aiming for the peak—the Mount Everest of the OEA! In the words of the great American industrialist Henry J. Kaiser,

“I always have to dream up there against the stars. If I don’t dream I’ll make it, I won’t even get close. So, dream a great dream, a lofty dream, an impossible dream!”

 

 

Source: "Four Lessons from Kung Fu Panda", OEA Public Lecture Series 2012.

Gold for Bronze? (2 Chronicles 11-12)

Riding on the Olympic season, my reflection for today:- “If you have a gold medal, would you exchange it for a bronze?”

As part of the IDT journey, I have been reading the books of Kings and Chronicles recently. A lot of lessons can be gleaned, but what stood out for me was succession planning... from Saul, to David, to Solomon, to Rehoboam,… Allow me to share my study from 2 Chronicles 11-12, which focused on the story of Rehoboam, who succeeded his father King Solomon. Although he faced opposition to the throne, he listened to the word of God (11:4) and as a result Judah prospered. Quoting from 11:17, “they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and for three years they made Rehoboam the son of Solomon secure, for they walked for three years in the way of David and Solomon.” (ESV)

But then, we read in 12:1 “when the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him.” At his peak of popularity and power, he abandoned God, and the result was destruction and Judah was conquered by Egypt. The king of Egypt took away the treasures in God’s temple and the king’s palace. He took away everything. He also took away the shields of gold that Solomon had made (11:9). In their place, King Rehoboam made shields of bronze. How ironic that “silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon” (9:20). Now we read that Rehoboam had to replace the gold shields with bronze shields, probably to maintain the appearance of former glory… From afar, bronze may glitter like gold, but they are not gold. When God is no longer central in our lives, maintaining the appearance of a Christian life becomes superficial. In our relationship with God, have the bronze medals taken over the place of gold medals? In our walk with God, the inner life is more important than the outward life.

How could this happen? The Life Application Bible suggests that “often, it is more difficult to be a believer in good times than in bad. Tough times push us towards God; but easy times can make us feel self-sufficient and self-satisfied.” We may fall into Satan’s trap thinking that we are not like Rehoboam, who ultimately rejected God. How about King David then? Perhaps we can relate with him better since he is “a man after God’s own heart”! In 1 Chronicles 21:1-3, Satan incited David to number Israel. The census displeased God, not because the action was wrong, but his motive was wrong – he took pride in the strength of his army, while forgetting that his real strength came from God.

Photo: Celebrating our 20^th Anniversary in Cotswolds, England (2012)

WHEN EVERYTHING IS GOING RIGHT,
GUARD YOUR FAITH CLOSELY.

THERE IS A FINE LINE BETWEEN FEELING CONFIDENT BECAUSE YOU RELY ON GOD’S POWER AND BECOMING PROUD BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEEN USED BY GOD.

A timely reminder for staying in the presence of God…, “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place.” (2 Chronicles 7:14, 15 ESV)

Reference: Life Application Bible

Outstanding Educator Award 2012

The University Awards 2012 was held on May 4, 2012 to honour nine exceptional individuals for their excellence in education, research and service to the University, to Singapore and the global community. In his address for the University Awards 2012, NUS President Prof Tan Chorh Chuan highlighted that, “excellence results from the individual’s deep desire to be exceptional and constantly do better. Yet it can be multidimensional, touching the life of others and having an impact on society in many different ways.”

Photo: Receiving the OEA award from NUS President

The Outstanding Educator Award (OEA) is given annually to honour faculty members in NUS who have shown outstanding performance, dedication and commitment to teaching. The citation read by Professor Tan Eng Chye, Deputy President (Academic Affairs) and Provost of NUS is as follows: 

 

“Associate Professor Joseph Ooi is a highly skilled and versatile teacher. He excels at lecturing and tutoring a broad range of subjects and is equally adept at teaching undergraduates, graduates and executives. He engages students through innovative approaches and various pedagogical means, such as case studies, storytelling and role playing.

 

A devoted teacher, Joseph enjoys interacting with students and cares for their well-being and personal development. He constantly keeps a lookout for students who need extra help, and adopts an “open door” policy for informal consultations and chit-chat sessions.

 

Joseph’s students have benefitted immensely from his supervision and personal mentorship. Some of them, have co-published their research with Joseph in top journals and have even gone on to win best paper awards at international conferences.

 

Beyond teaching, Joseph has spearheaded a number of notable educational enhancements within his Faculty. Amongst others, Joseph led the revamp of the Master of Science in Real Estate; he developed a new specialisation in real estate for the MBA programme, and pioneered an executive programme in Real Estate Finance.

 

In recognition of his contributions, Joseph has received six teaching awards from NUS. He also won the NUS Young Researcher Award in 2005 and the International Real Estate Society’s Achievement Award in 2008.

 

Joseph is a role model who embodies and fosters academic excellence at NUS; he is a truly deserving recipient of the 2012 Outstanding Educator Award.  My heartiest congratulations to Associate Professor Joseph Ooi.”

The Poor, The Aged & The Alien

The Singapore Parliament kicked off the debate on the Budget yesterday. As reported on Channel News Asia, most of the Members of Parliament (MPs) focussed on the schemes announced to help the low income, the elderly and small businesses. A total of 25 Members of Parliament spoke on Tuesday. Here is an extract of the news reported by CNA:

MPs have described Budget 2012 as "A Budget for the Future" while others called it "A Caring Budget". Under it, the government will spend about $5.5 billion over the next five years to help the less well-off in Singapore. Its new initiatives are targeted at the elderly, disabled and lower-income group. So it was no surprise that in nearly every speech delivered on Tuesday, the plight of two groups of Singaporeans - the elderly and the low-income were addressed.

Zainudin Nordin, GPC Chair for Manpower and MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, said: "I urge the Government to place some emphasis, using the power of whole of Government, to look at how we can improve the lives of this group...While I am sure that they appreciate the rebates, vouchers and so on that the government offers from time to time, I think there is a need for a closer examination of where each dollar that a low-wage worker earns goes to." Sylvia Lim, MP for Aljunied GRC, said: "In this Budget, the Finance Minister course-corrected to ensure that our poor, elderly and disabled are not stuck in isolated pockets of poverty in our island of prosperity. Let us all agree never to allow the formation of a permanent underclass."

My bible reading for yesterday morning was on Leviticus 19. The outline for the chapter is as follows:
19:1-2 be holy, because I the lord, your god is holy!
19:3 respect your parents, keep the sabbath
19:4 avoid idolatry
19:5-8 correct sacrifice of the fellowship offering
19:9-13 be generous & don't covet
19:14 do not be a stumbling-block
19:15-18 love your neighbor as yourself
19:19-25 unequal yoke
19:26-31 do not worship the occult
19:32-34 love the elderly & alien
19:35-36 use honest scale
19:37 keep my decrees

Coincidental to the discussions in Singapore Parliment, I choosed to focus my study on the following verses: Leviticus 19:9, 10, 32-34 (ESV)

"When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.

"You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

"When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

Specifically, the above verses focus on our posture towards three groups of people: 1) the poor, 2) the elderly, & 3) the alien. In the Life Application Bible, it was written that: 

1) The Poor: God provides for those in need. He required that the people leave the edges of their fields unharvested, providing food for travelers and the poor. It is easy to forget about the poor but God desires generosity. In what ways can you leave the "edges of your field" for those in need?

2) The Elderly: People often find it easy to dismiss the opinions of the elderly and avoid taking time to visit them. But the fact that God commanded the Israelites to honor the elderly shows how seriously we should take the responsibility of respecting those older than we. Their wisdom gained from experience can save us from many pitfalls.
3) The Alien: How do you feel when you encounter foreigners, especially those who don't speak your language? Are you impatient? Do you think or act as if they should go back where they came from? Are you tempted to take advantage of them? God says to treat foreigners as you'd treat fellow countrymen, to love them as you love yourself. In reality, we are all foreigners in this world, because it is only our temporary home. View strangers, newcomers, and foreigners as opportunities to demonstrate God's love.

Two Birds

Found this poem, entitled TWO BIRDS on the internet.

Two birds begin a journey long,

from different points in a far off land;

With a luring urge - in heart a song,

two novices heed life's command.

As they make their great migration,

Their feeble feet turn to taloned hands;

And the two reach their destination

As seasoned travelers in the southern lands

Still unaware that the other lives,

Each alights upon the very same tree;

And there the two, as if guided by God,

Fall madly in love and marry.

Thus so it is with you and me;

Two birds which Heaven's winds did blow

To this blessed rendezvous of life,

Like the two Swallows at Capistrano.

by Ara John Movsesian (1983)