One of my ex-students visited me yesterday. I have never expected that there would be a day where I could see my student graduates. It makes me feel so….OLD. Just like the other day when I saw a new staff getting ready for her new cubicle, it reminded me the first day I joined the school. Time flies and it has been almost a year since I first stepped into my cubicle.

To be frank, I have never thought of becoming an educator. I can vividly remember my records back in primary school where we wrote our 3 ambitions each year. Mine was always 1) Lawyer 2) Pharmacist 3) Pianist/artist.

The day when I started to teach was at St. Joseph’s Home. I was having my 3 months summer break. I just woke up one day and realised I wanted to volunteer at this home by teaching little kids to draw and paint. And later that day, I spoke to the person-in-charge and got myself a ‘job’. I was teaching 2 classes: primary school kids and high school kids. I taught basic drawing and painting for the younger ones and photoshop for the 13-15 years olds.

The younger ones…

The first day of my teaching, I was very nervous and I can’t even park my car properly. Thousands of worries flooding my head: I can’t manage a big bunch of kids, the kids dislike the class etc. But when I stepped out of the car, the kids were waiting for me at the entrance. I was greeted with warm glee and some of the younger ones (2 and 3 years old) hugged my legs. I was melted. At that point of time, I told myself that I have to give my best to the kids and not to disappoint them.

Photoshop class

I attended my “class” about 2-3 days a week. And I have learned so much each day. I came to learn about each of their family backgrounds and it was heart-breaking. Because of that, I set higher expectation for myself so that each session was spent wisely and could bring the best out of these kids. After 2 months, I stepped out of the Home, totally transformed by the young and innocent minds.

Most of the times we take granted of what we have and what is given to us, until the day we lost them. I have seen people being transformed (even myself) after volunteering. Sometimes I share my experience at the home with my current students and encourage them to contribute to the community. You may never know what you would gain from this experience until you experience it. It changed me and definitely has changed my career path, too.

Why and what is “Cher”? My students call me “Cher” sometimes. I only came to know this word when I came to Singapore. It is a short from “teacher”.

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After spending my weekends cutting, sewing and pricking (ouch!)…

Ta dah!!! Melody. I love her little bag with cherries on it!!!

Angle kitty. Do you like the rose on her head? *wink*

Er…not sure what it is called but still…!!!

Oh man.. estrogen is flooded all over me!! Nevertheless, I am very proud of myself! I am going to show these collections to my family and said to them:”who said Cherry can’t sew??”

More to come…

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I attended a parent’s seminar last week. You know, a seminar where you “meet the parents” to discuss their kids’ results. If you have been reading my blog, I refer to my students sometimes as “kids”. I didn’t notice it until someone pointed it out to me. I guess, my perception towards “higher-level” students has changed.

Before I come to Singapore, I tutored at university back in Perth for awhile and it was a very different experience. No matter how much we wish to treat our ‘kids’ like adults, it is just different. (Is it the upbringing, the system or the environment?)

Frankly, I thought this kind of seminar only applicable to primary and secondary. Don’t get me wrong, though I am confused with the system, I do want to help my kids.

Anyway..when I first received the RSVP from the school, I sighed. Not many parents turned up. Those parents (whose kids were not doing so well) whom I wished to speak to can’t attend the seminar due to various reasons.

It is always difficult to break the “bad news” to the parents. It is heart-breaking! The moment they saw an “F” on the paper, their expressions changed and their thoughts wondered. Before the actual session begins, we had a quick refreshment. One of my colleagues was talking to a mother and her son and obviously he was not doing well. His mother was holding his hand so tight all the time and worries were all over her face.

I must say I was grateful that my kids were doing alright generally. When I first met the parents, the first question came to me was always “How did my boy do?” Their pupils dilated and anticipation was shown through all over their bodies. Poor thing… It was exactly like waiting for a deadly answer from a doctor. Gah…

When they heard their kids were doing alright, the atmosphere changed instantly. They became more relaxed and very opened to share their experiences with teaching their kids and how they behaved at home and etc. We had a light-hearted conversation and laughter was exchanged.

It was a wonderful night but it left me wondering if my “kids” know how concerned their parents were. Do they actually know how disappointed they are if they know they do not turn up at school? Do they also know how worried their parents are when seeing them stayed up late to do their assignments? Do they even know how much hope that have been put on them since the first day they were born?

I have seen students who skipped classes, played truant. I feel for their parents after attending the seminar. In another words, I also learned how my parents felt for bloody 18 years!!

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Nice try, mom…Well undeniably, they are cute though.

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I came across a website that featured felt mascots, ranging from teddies to cute confectionary. I was hooked. I did research on how it was made and the more I read, the more I was enticed. Check out this awesome website and you’ll be impressed…(the site is in japanese though)

So I told my mom that I wanted to make lots of these and she was skeptical. Well, it is understandable because I’m not a ‘handicraft’ person definitely. I hold needle like holding a pen. My sewing is hopeless. However, my mom bought me a felt starter kit. It comes with felt (the soft fabric), threads and needles and templates.

My mom gave me a crash course on sewing and these are what I have made in the past few days…

Mm…I am quite satisfied with the outcomes but compared to the japanese one….*sigh* Well, practice makes perfect. Soon you’ll see some of my ‘awesome’ collections here. Hohohoho!!!

I wanted to buy some reference books and I discovered something: Japanese one is real good! Those written and produced by the western and chinese are not as attractive and creative as the japanese one although they are cheaper. So, I went to Kinokoniya today to search for felt making books. They have a wide range of fantastic books and it took me hours to decide which to buy. At the end, I bought this Sanrio Character felt mascots book.

Borat: Very niiiiiice…..I liiiike…Chinqueh!

Oh by the way, I am a big fan of Borat. Do watch it and guarantee you’ll laugh till you drop. I watched it at the cinema the other day and I was laughing to tear. But bear in mind that he cracks racist jokes and you have to be above 21 years old. They checked my ID!!! *grin*

Ok..I digressed. Starting my Sanrio project soon… And if you are interested, do search on Japanese Google image. The results are very satisfactory! Ah..suddenly I’m glad that I know japanese…

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