Career as Teacher

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Have you ever taught a class with more than 5 SEN kids? Let’s not even count the other kids who have complicated family issues. Stop preaching about how a good classroom management can solve everything. Your statement is simply too ignorant.

Do you guys find form teachership, cca or committee the most time-consuming?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Do you guys find form teachership, cca or committee the most time-consuming?

Of course. They easily take up 2/3 of your time.

FTship of graduating classes and/or challenging classes.
Expect endless hours writing testimonials, answering ecg queries, writing recommendation letters for dsa, handling discipline cases, meeting parents

CCA in high performing CCAs. Need to put in more hours into planning, and more frequent CCA sessions, and got pressure to maintain performance. How many awards your CCA can win or hold at syf or interschool games.

Committee also. Some committees, like CCE, should be called departments actually. The HOD doesn't really have a department of CCE teachers. The CCE/NE committee needs to plan the CCE SOWs, prepare resources, organise programmes and school-wide excursions and so much more. Calling it committee work is a big understatement.

Some of the younger teachers who aspire to climb, are given super heavy loads that are not realistic. Given a number of graduating classes, tasked to be acting SH, and at the same time still be OIC of high profile CCAs, IC and member of high profile committee(s), and form-teachership of challenging classes

Saw quite a few colleagues who got their promotion, and how their 110% effort was taken for granted, and have additional work piled on them. Burnout is real, and they left service shortly after. They are not SEOs, and it is not worth it to sacrifice health and personal time, working insane hours just to get GEO4, GEO5.

Scholars do normal amount of work, and get promoted like clockwork. Farmers have to work above and beyond for years to get the same promotion.

Very meritocratic.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Of course. They easily take up 2/3 of your time.

FTship of graduating classes and/or challenging classes.
Expect endless hours writing testimonials, answering ecg queries, writing recommendation letters for dsa, handling discipline cases, meeting parents

CCA in high performing CCAs. Need to put in more hours into planning, and more frequent CCA sessions, and got pressure to maintain performance. How many awards your CCA can win or hold at syf or interschool games.

Committee also. Some committees, like CCE, should be called departments actually. The HOD doesn't really have a department of CCE teachers. The CCE/NE committee needs to plan the CCE SOWs, prepare resources, organise programmes and school-wide excursions and so much more. Calling it committee work is a big understatement.

Some of the younger teachers who aspire to climb, are given super heavy loads that are not realistic. Given a number of graduating classes, tasked to be acting SH, and at the same time still be OIC of high profile CCAs, IC and member of high profile committee(s), and form-teachership of challenging classes

Saw quite a few colleagues who got their promotion, and how their 110% effort was taken for granted, and have additional work piled on them. Burnout is real, and they left service shortly after. They are not SEOs, and it is not worth it to sacrifice health and personal time, working insane hours just to get GEO4, GEO5.

Scholars do normal amount of work, and get promoted like clockwork. Farmers have to work above and beyond for years to get the same promotion.

Very meritocratic.

Male, 3rd year in teaching with local scholarship. Feels like I’m in this boat lol with grad class, high profile committee and Cca work with some OIC roles. While I appreciate the opportunities, and RO even said these will help justify the good grade for ranking this year, it is definitely not easy. Beginning to feel the burnout. Best scenario is GEO4 next year and hopefully a SH role. If not, considering leaving for other ministries.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Have you ever taught a class with more than 5 SEN kids? Let’s not even count the other kids who have complicated family issues. Stop preaching about how a good classroom management can solve everything. Your statement is simply too ignorant.

Yes, I’m teaching a class currently with 8 students with a diagnosed SEN - 4 has dyslexia, 2 with ADHD and dyslexia, and 2 with Autism. I have 35 students in my class and I am very sure that there are several more undiagnosed, and haven’t included those with complex family background. So yes, I know what I am talking about. It is extremely hard work, and I am tired almost all the time, but it doesn’t mean that these children are such a pain to have like what your statement implies. If teaching was easy, everyone else can do it. But I learnt from the MOE psychologists and the sen officer, and when I have tried the classroom management strategies, they do work. Not 100% all the time, but there have been successes.

FTship of challenging classes ftw.
New daily surprises.

Waiting for open posting

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Yes, I’m teaching a class currently with 8 students with a diagnosed SEN - 4 has dyslexia, 2 with ADHD and dyslexia, and 2 with Autism. I have 35 students in my class and I am very sure that there are several more undiagnosed, and haven’t included those with complex family background. So yes, I know what I am talking about. It is extremely hard work, and I am tired almost all the time, but it doesn’t mean that these children are such a pain to have like what your statement implies. If teaching was easy, everyone else can do it. But I learnt from the MOE psychologists and the sen officer, and when I have tried the classroom management strategies, they do work. Not 100% all the time, but there have been successes.

Thank you for helping our children

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Yes, I’m teaching a class currently with 8 students with a diagnosed SEN - 4 has dyslexia, 2 with ADHD and dyslexia, and 2 with Autism. I have 35 students in my class and I am very sure that there are several more undiagnosed, and haven’t included those with complex family background. So yes, I know what I am talking about. It is extremely hard work, and I am tired almost all the time, but it doesn’t mean that these children are such a pain to have like what your statement implies. If teaching was easy, everyone else can do it. But I learnt from the MOE psychologists and the sen officer, and when I have tried the classroom management strategies, they do work. Not 100% all the time, but there have been successes.

These children are never a pain, and they can have the kindest heart in the class. What I am implying is that good classroom management is not the only way to solve the root of the problem. Why are we not exploring into ways to create a more conducive environment for both teaching and learning? Reducing class size or even co-teaching can be of help. By simply saying that a teacher who cannot manage indicates that he/she has a bad classroom management, this is too cruel to all the teachers out there who have been putting his/her best effort to help all of the students.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Waiting for open posting

I’m just afraid it will be jumping from one hole into another hole

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I’m just afraid it will be jumping from one hole into another hole

and then u gotta stay in that hole for a few years before being able to jump to another hole again