老餅范

I finally finished the two assignments of Professor HAU' module and submitted them before the deadline, Dec. 27.

The whole family went to Ocean Park yesterday (except Xin Ming of course), and we spent a good day there, though tired.

Xin Yan and Xin Pei played a lot, queued a lot, ate and drank a lot!!

I also met Eric LEE, the ex-colleague of TSSS. He's now teaching in HKUST. He's also with his whole family.

That's life, that's real life!!

下星期一，我被邀請和恆商同工們，一起分享當班主任的一些經驗和心得；真的有點意外！我當班主任不算得特別出色，但也可拋磚引玉，盼教育同工一起努力，為下一代盡點綿力：

Time flies so fast. Sum Sum will be enjoying her 6th Christmas in her life. It's only about 1 month old when she had her first Christmas. At that time, we lived in a village house, the top floor. We could admire the glittering of stars and the beautiful moon.

Time flies so fast. We changed to attend another church, and we had moved for three times! Mom's gone to the heaven, accompanying with God and those angels, and more than that, our family size has been tripled in these few years' time.

Time flies. I was working in a boys' school when my elderest daughter was born. I had changed two more schools and now settled down finally in HSSC. Amazingly, my eldest daughter is already six and had admitted to primary one.

Time flies. I could go for a short trip in outlying places with the students but now, I could sleep while I was in the bus.

Everything has changed, and has been changing.

這個標題是我在七月三日的msn標題，蠻有意思。

是的，事情的解釋權在我們手裡，我們怎樣看，便會得出怎樣的結論，我們的心情也會怎樣。

前陣子很忙，六庚班的一些同學態度也叫人難受，心培也可能因細細佬出世而行為異常；那段日子真頗難過，我也曾想過放棄。

今天回想，難困總也就解決了。雨後再現彩虹，若沒有下過雨，我們又如何看見欣賞七彩繽紛的彩虹哩？

上星期接到撒記同期受訓的義工智雯電話，才驚覺到我們的相識已是五年前的光景了。 當時通宵接聽電話的情景還歷歷在目。

這就是生命--自己走出來的一條已預備的路。

I really forgot the days and reasons of going to HKCCCC Tai Po Church for worshipping, just recalled clearly that when we moved to Yat Wing Garden, we started to join the worshipping on Sundays there.

When we attended the service, Rocky was assistant Pastor. He's slim, dark skin but gentle. But his style of giving his sermons was so extraordinary, very special. He always cried out when he went to some important messages, strong but persistent emotion. I admired his act and faith, and his style. I still remember very clearly the scenes when he was serving his sermons.

He's promoted to Pastor not long ago, before attacked by the members of the church. Some of them were the leaders of the church. I still remembered that day, one lovely Sunday, and when I started to leave after the service. Pastor Tsui suddenly stood on the stage and said, he had to resign from the Pastor position. He had done something improper, but not too serious for resignation. Anyway, he and his family had to leave his mother church, the church of his adolescent growth and where he met his wife.

Pastor TSUI had four kids, and Mrs TSUI became a housewife for so many years. The road ahead for his family is tough and rude, especially when his family had faced so much attacks and objections from their mother church. Devil's strength is so strong.

Pastor TSUI had come to our house when Xin Yan was born the first month.

I still got no idea of why good people die early, and bad people sometimes won't suffer. God has his OWN plan.

昨天主日，綺芬要上班，我便再次１拖2，帶亞大女和易仔返教會。巧遇亞麒，他終於能從容面對弟兄姊妹的關心和問候，亦感謝 主垂聽禱告；麒太已接受第二次的化療，那個腫瘤也收縮了很多。

和他們倆一邊看火車、一邊吃午飯後，到寶湖附近買洋娃娃；最後到屋苑平台玩耍。平台四處無人，他們兩姊弟就一起玩，我自己坐在一旁便行。

我開始感受到兩個小朋友的好處了。他們可以不需要我的參與玩捉迷藏，我祇四週視察環境便行。我期望這些日子的來臨喲！

I got the students' evaluation last Friday, mainly from F. 6 students. This time, I got very good results and comments from them.

HSSC emphaize very much about the students' evaluation, and it's one of the main components for the teaching staff to receive the teachers' award at the end of the school year.

I heard that, in the past, a teacher who received the evaluation and comments from the students, resigned the next day, simply because he thought it's nonsense to have the students judging back the teacher, and the school was seriously taking the evaluation.

That's why, starting last year, the school had an option for the teachers to choose whether he/she wanted to know the evaluated results. I always think, whether the students are mature and comprehensive-minded enough to give evaluations back to the teachers. They're not customers. It's particularly true that when the students are F. 6 & 7, they value the teachers mainly on whether the teachers can teach them good examination skills.

The question is, what about if the teachers put effort on seeing their non-academic behaviour? What about if the teachers have to confront with some students but the students are not mature enough to cope with that?

So, though I got good results this time, I was not quite overjoyed.

In fact, I had received so many rewards from the students when I was teaching the second (strictly speaking, it's first school I taught in my life) school; at least 1 reward a year, sometimes 2. And I was elected to represent the school to receive an award from the Education Department.

I was born to be a teacher, I think, not only because I teach too well but the attitude and behaviour towards the youngsters. I enjoy getting along with them, chatting and engaging with those energetic youths.

One colleague greeted me when she knew my evaluation. I just said I wished to be in low profile. I thanked the students from heart, but one thing for sure, I really cared about them.

I am always the first one who come back school for work, preparing the lessons.

I am weak in marking and correcting assignments. Ironically, Professor HAU always said it's quite wasteful for a teacher to mark assignments without much educational elements (Professor HAU is a good friend of our Principal!). Last year, I received some complaints that I marked and returned assignments late back to students.

This year, I have improved quite a lot, in average within 2 weeks. Last week, I returned one assignment to my class in a week. The school in fact, requires 2 weeks' time for that.

And I always write students e-mails, individually and in groups, to praise, remind and congratulate their work and behaviour.

And I date them for lunch, in order that we can communicate and understand one another well.

And I give them autonomy, and tell them clearly my thoughts and rationale. I respect them.

Going back to marking assignments, I always mark their work till 2.00am in the morning, or get up at about 4.00am to do so. I pay so much effort on my work. So, I deserve it, but I am not so happy even I got good results.

If one day, they get good results in the public exam., and few years later, they greet me and call my name in the streets, that's more satisfactory.

Last but not the least, I do believe, as a teacher, a role model of youngsters, I should tell them what a mature adult should think and act. What I mean is, I treat all students, no matter I teach them or not, are my students. Be broad enough, I am a teacher in HK, no matter which school I am teaching. Therefore, I always put my own extra teaching materials and notes on the open forum, which can be accessed by all the students. It's not worth mentioning it, but I am quite disappointed that some colleagues won't do so. They put their sights solely on their own students. It's narrow-minded, or strictly speaking, they're selfish. Jeremy told me last week that some teachers told her students not to lend the notes to other classes, simply because she had prepared for it hard. If it's the truth, I have to say, that's typical Chinese.

And in fact, I always try my best on work, that's what I always need to do so, in order not to condemn God's name.