An important component of the MLS course is the opportunity to travel overseas with a full sponsorship from MOE. The MLS cohort (divided into several teams) will be sent out to different countries. The objective of the trip is to allow us to learn about the educational system and culture of the host countries.
Well, my team has been assigned to Hong Kong & Macau. I am pleasantly surprised.
But what I really want to share about in this post is a school which I am very excited to visit ( with my team members). I have been eyeing this school for years and this March I am going in !
This School, Fresh Fish Traders' School (鮮魚行學校) is situated in Tai Kok Tsui (香港九龍大角咀), a low-income estate in Kowloon.70 per cent of the 266 pupils are from families on the dole. About half are
children of new immigrants from the mainland. Licking
inter-generational poverty there is an uphill mission. Only three out of about
500 of its pupils the past decade eventually made it to university. The
majority, says Mr Leung, the school Principal, end up as drivers or cooks.
Reading from online media, I can infer that Mr Leung is quite a unique Principal. He has the heart for the children. He will do whatever to keep a child in school. If you read the book, "Totto Chan" by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, you can draw parallel from the book's character,Mr Kobayashi, the Principal of the school where Totto chan studied to how Mr Leung runs his school.
I have established contact with the Principal and he is willing to host our visit. I am so happy ! In fact, all my team members are leaping with joy !
In my team, we have all agreed that we are going to do something special for these children. We will be buying them stationery and helping the school to set up a mini school library. We are all willing to come out with our own money to help these children.
So folks , stay tune. I will bring you up-to-date news when I visit the school on 11th March.
In case you like to know more about the school, check out the links:
(1) http://www.straitstimes.com/the-big-story/asia-report/hong-kong/story/fishing-success-bid-lick-poverty-20121202
(2) http://www.skhsch.org.hk/files/upload/20111205092541dTogether-v60-webS.pdf
Thursday, 29 January 2015
Appreciation
This week, I am going to talk about Appreciation.
In one of the lectures on leadership, the lecturer threw a challenge to everybody in the lecture theatre.
He said," This weekend, I want all of you to send an encouraging note via email to encourage your school leaders. It is not easy for them to lead a school . Demands are everywhere. You can help to brighten their day and show them that you stand with them and to run the school together. If the whole cohort of 170 of you each send out an encouraging email to your school leaders, there will be 170 of them who will be encouraged this weekend."
There was a bit of silence in the lecture theatre, I turned to my friend sitting beside me and he shook his head and said," I am not going to do it. It is so unnatural."
As I made my way home that day, I pondered on those words that my friend said to me.
" What's wrong with encouraging our school leaders ?" To extend it a little more, " What's wrong with eating together with School Leaders in the canteen ? Are they so fearsome to be shunned?"
This brings me to my topic of Appreciation. Before I became a head ,especially in my early days in the service, I would criticise many things concerning school life ( in my earlier ex schools of course, not here...must put disclaimer first).
"Hey, why this P like that one ah? How come she make us to do this and that ? How come the HOD want this and want that? Can't they leave me alone?"
But when I became a head, I realised I can't laugh off or criticise things easily because NOW I have to make those kinds of decisions that would have impact on staff, pupils, parents and sometimes the reputation of the school. I began to appreciate the challenges that school leaders face ( I am also talking about Heads also) in their daily work.
Many times , we may be quick to criticise certain decisions or why a certain initiative have to be put in place. Instead of shooting it down, why don't we give ourselves the opportunities to know the rationale, the thinking behind why these decisions have to be made in the first place. Perhaps , we will then understand that very often, if not 100% of the time, decisions are made for the benefit of the pupils. It is time that we put pupils' interests above our own interests and do what really matters -
Some years back, I used to work for a boss in my ex school whom I looked up to as a Mentor. Whenever I have the chance, I would engage him in meals. Not because I wanted to gain his favour but I wanted to learn from him as much as I could. I was hungry for knowledge. So whenever I had a chance to lunch with him, I would ask him many questions -"What are your views on this matter?"" How would you approach such a situation?"," I have this idea for school improvement, do you think I can have your support?" Of course, it was not always work-related, we did chat about family , hobbies and this was when I realised that school leaders are also like us. They face the same problems (maybe more than us), have the same concern for their own children which we also have. It gave me an opportunity to see the other side of my ex-boss.
Through such interactions, I found that I have grown in wisdom, my thinking was sharpened and at times I found encouragement. So next time when you see the school leaders in canteen, lunch with them, talk to them. They are as human as you and me.
Let just say this weekend, we do a bit of role play. Imagine that all of you are in MLS right now and I am the lecturer . I will give you a similar challenge -
" Guys, let's send an encouraging note to our school leaders, our Heads or EVEN to a fellow colleague . Let this person know that you are walking this journey together with him or her."
"Let's build a "Care Bear Culture"
( Source: http://www.dragoart.com/tuts/1449/1/1/how-to-draw-a-care-bear,-tenderheart-bear.htm)
In one of the lectures on leadership, the lecturer threw a challenge to everybody in the lecture theatre.
He said," This weekend, I want all of you to send an encouraging note via email to encourage your school leaders. It is not easy for them to lead a school . Demands are everywhere. You can help to brighten their day and show them that you stand with them and to run the school together. If the whole cohort of 170 of you each send out an encouraging email to your school leaders, there will be 170 of them who will be encouraged this weekend."
There was a bit of silence in the lecture theatre, I turned to my friend sitting beside me and he shook his head and said," I am not going to do it. It is so unnatural."
As I made my way home that day, I pondered on those words that my friend said to me.
" What's wrong with encouraging our school leaders ?" To extend it a little more, " What's wrong with eating together with School Leaders in the canteen ? Are they so fearsome to be shunned?"
This brings me to my topic of Appreciation. Before I became a head ,especially in my early days in the service, I would criticise many things concerning school life ( in my earlier ex schools of course, not here...must put disclaimer first).
"Hey, why this P like that one ah? How come she make us to do this and that ? How come the HOD want this and want that? Can't they leave me alone?"
But when I became a head, I realised I can't laugh off or criticise things easily because NOW I have to make those kinds of decisions that would have impact on staff, pupils, parents and sometimes the reputation of the school. I began to appreciate the challenges that school leaders face ( I am also talking about Heads also) in their daily work.
Many times , we may be quick to criticise certain decisions or why a certain initiative have to be put in place. Instead of shooting it down, why don't we give ourselves the opportunities to know the rationale, the thinking behind why these decisions have to be made in the first place. Perhaps , we will then understand that very often, if not 100% of the time, decisions are made for the benefit of the pupils. It is time that we put pupils' interests above our own interests and do what really matters -
"Make everyday count for our pupils"
Some years back, I used to work for a boss in my ex school whom I looked up to as a Mentor. Whenever I have the chance, I would engage him in meals. Not because I wanted to gain his favour but I wanted to learn from him as much as I could. I was hungry for knowledge. So whenever I had a chance to lunch with him, I would ask him many questions -"What are your views on this matter?"" How would you approach such a situation?"," I have this idea for school improvement, do you think I can have your support?" Of course, it was not always work-related, we did chat about family , hobbies and this was when I realised that school leaders are also like us. They face the same problems (maybe more than us), have the same concern for their own children which we also have. It gave me an opportunity to see the other side of my ex-boss.
Through such interactions, I found that I have grown in wisdom, my thinking was sharpened and at times I found encouragement. So next time when you see the school leaders in canteen, lunch with them, talk to them. They are as human as you and me.
Let just say this weekend, we do a bit of role play. Imagine that all of you are in MLS right now and I am the lecturer . I will give you a similar challenge -
" Guys, let's send an encouraging note to our school leaders, our Heads or EVEN to a fellow colleague . Let this person know that you are walking this journey together with him or her."
"Let's build a "Care Bear Culture"
( Source: http://www.dragoart.com/tuts/1449/1/1/how-to-draw-a-care-bear,-tenderheart-bear.htm)
Thursday, 22 January 2015
My thoughts on Leadership
So two weeks have passed. What have I been up to ?
I must say that it has been a very intellectual stimulating journey for me so far. I have been kept busy with tons of readings, assignments, projects and coordination work to Google Singapore Office & Microsoft Office for the cohort. Thanks to Gene for linking me up with M/S. Another place for my fellow course mates to go to. The food in NIE is fantastic, I am surrounded by food where ever I go. Sometimes, they run after me and overtake me.But seriously, if you happen to drop by NIE for any business, let me know, let's have afternoon tea together.
A snapshot of my typical lunch- I eat this almost everyday.
Ok , now back to business...
In this post, I am going to talk about my thoughts on Leadership. As I sat through the lectures listening to the various leadership theories. I asked myself this question - " What kind of leader do I really want to be?" It is not that I am facing an identity crisis but after being a head for many years, it is time to reflect and to take stock whether I am effectively serving the organization that I am in.
The course has led me to form certain convictions of what it means to be a leader. I use the word,"convictions" and not "views" as I believe that everything rises and falls with leadership. I even form my own "ethos" of leadership and how I should held myself accountable to these personal ethos..so I am going to briefly share with everyone my personal ethos....no theories ,just 5 points...
1. Give and don't take (This ,coincidentally is the MLS Ethos when the lecturer encourages everyone to adopt a attitude of servant-hood)
Translated it means- we give our best to serve others ( in the school context- the pupils and staff). We don't do things because we want to have the post or the promotion or the bonus. We serve out of a willing heart, for the greater good of the community. Don't be calculative.
2. Exhibit humility and graciouness when interacting with people .
3. Be proactive.
Don't wait for things to happen. Always think of how one can constantly contribute to school improvement.
I once worked under a boss who shared with me that when he was still a teacher, he would go to his principal and asked for support to do things for the benefit of his students. No one asked him to do it but this change agent wanted to enhance the learning experiences of his students so much so that he was willing to invest time and energy to bring things to past.
4. Don't make decisions based on emotions or whatever are convenient to you. Make informed decisions for the good of the organization even if it means that people will be offended with you and even if you have to roll up your sleeves and bash through the forests, do it !.
5. Have the heart of a teacher.
Educational leadership is unique in the sense that pupils and staff are always in the centre of our decision making. The ability to emphatize yet maintaining a high level of professionalism is the hall mark of any good leaders.
So folks, that's all for this week. Have a good weekend ahead.
I must say that it has been a very intellectual stimulating journey for me so far. I have been kept busy with tons of readings, assignments, projects and coordination work to Google Singapore Office & Microsoft Office for the cohort. Thanks to Gene for linking me up with M/S. Another place for my fellow course mates to go to. The food in NIE is fantastic, I am surrounded by food where ever I go. Sometimes, they run after me and overtake me.But seriously, if you happen to drop by NIE for any business, let me know, let's have afternoon tea together.
A snapshot of my typical lunch- I eat this almost everyday.
Ok , now back to business...
In this post, I am going to talk about my thoughts on Leadership. As I sat through the lectures listening to the various leadership theories. I asked myself this question - " What kind of leader do I really want to be?" It is not that I am facing an identity crisis but after being a head for many years, it is time to reflect and to take stock whether I am effectively serving the organization that I am in.
The course has led me to form certain convictions of what it means to be a leader. I use the word,"convictions" and not "views" as I believe that everything rises and falls with leadership. I even form my own "ethos" of leadership and how I should held myself accountable to these personal ethos..so I am going to briefly share with everyone my personal ethos....no theories ,just 5 points...
1. Give and don't take (This ,coincidentally is the MLS Ethos when the lecturer encourages everyone to adopt a attitude of servant-hood)
Translated it means- we give our best to serve others ( in the school context- the pupils and staff). We don't do things because we want to have the post or the promotion or the bonus. We serve out of a willing heart, for the greater good of the community. Don't be calculative.
2. Exhibit humility and graciouness when interacting with people .
3. Be proactive.
Don't wait for things to happen. Always think of how one can constantly contribute to school improvement.
I once worked under a boss who shared with me that when he was still a teacher, he would go to his principal and asked for support to do things for the benefit of his students. No one asked him to do it but this change agent wanted to enhance the learning experiences of his students so much so that he was willing to invest time and energy to bring things to past.
4. Don't make decisions based on emotions or whatever are convenient to you. Make informed decisions for the good of the organization even if it means that people will be offended with you and even if you have to roll up your sleeves and bash through the forests, do it !.
5. Have the heart of a teacher.
Educational leadership is unique in the sense that pupils and staff are always in the centre of our decision making. The ability to emphatize yet maintaining a high level of professionalism is the hall mark of any good leaders.
So folks, that's all for this week. Have a good weekend ahead.
Are we producing thinking students ?
This week, I am going to touch on the topic of "Thinking".
In one of the lectures on "Thinking School,Learning Nation", the lecturer, who teaches us on the topic of Leadership, shared a very interesting story about himself .
The story triggered some thoughts in me. It goes something like this......
This lecturer , I will call him "PT".
PT was relating his undergraduate experience in Cambridge University when he was studying Maths there. At Cambridge,the lecturer did not spoon-feed the students, they were expected to read up a lot on their own and to find out information for themselves after every lecture.
One day, he went to tutorial ( his tutorial group only consisted of himself and another British counter
part).
The tutor, a British Professor turned to him and asked, " Now, PT, tell me, how did you derive the answer? Which theorem did you use ? What causes you to make the decision to use the theorem?"
Obviously the Singaporean student could not answer.
"What theorem ? Lecture never teach what ? Can you tell me which textbook to refer to ?"
Then came the frown from the Prof's face.
He then turned to the British Student and asked him the same sets of questions. The British Student began to explain to the Prof how he derived the answer, which theorem he used and why he chose the theorem. Despite his best intention, he still got the answer wrong.
There came the Prof's reply -
Now this short story sets me thinking. Often in our classes when we teach, how many of us are actually concern about the process ( getting pupils to articulate their thoughts) rather than making sure that they get the answers right at the first instance?
How many of us (in the name of rushing syllabus) allow time and space for pupils to make visible their thought processes and coming in to correct those misconceptions ?
( Source : http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/writing/purpose-of-author-blogging/)
One of the tenets of the school vision is "Curious Minds", as I begin to ponder on the story. I ask myself - how can we drive curiosity in our pupils ?
Can we in our design of our lessons and programmes factor in opportunities for pupils to articulate their though processes?
Can we encourage / train them to ask good questions ?
But you may say-" Thomas, it is impossible, this is Singapore not Cambridge ! They are still young...and besides they are too "inexperienced to ask questions. "
Well, my reply would be this -"Precisely, we have to do something."
In one of the lectures on "Thinking School,Learning Nation", the lecturer, who teaches us on the topic of Leadership, shared a very interesting story about himself .
The story triggered some thoughts in me. It goes something like this......
This lecturer , I will call him "PT".
PT was relating his undergraduate experience in Cambridge University when he was studying Maths there. At Cambridge,the lecturer did not spoon-feed the students, they were expected to read up a lot on their own and to find out information for themselves after every lecture.
One day, he went to tutorial ( his tutorial group only consisted of himself and another British counter
part).
The tutor, a British Professor turned to him and asked, " Now, PT, tell me, how did you derive the answer? Which theorem did you use ? What causes you to make the decision to use the theorem?"
Obviously the Singaporean student could not answer.
"What theorem ? Lecture never teach what ? Can you tell me which textbook to refer to ?"
Then came the frown from the Prof's face.
He then turned to the British Student and asked him the same sets of questions. The British Student began to explain to the Prof how he derived the answer, which theorem he used and why he chose the theorem. Despite his best intention, he still got the answer wrong.
There came the Prof's reply -
" It is a good try even if you are in error."
Now this short story sets me thinking. Often in our classes when we teach, how many of us are actually concern about the process ( getting pupils to articulate their thoughts) rather than making sure that they get the answers right at the first instance?
How many of us (in the name of rushing syllabus) allow time and space for pupils to make visible their thought processes and coming in to correct those misconceptions ?
( Source : http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/writing/purpose-of-author-blogging/)
One of the tenets of the school vision is "Curious Minds", as I begin to ponder on the story. I ask myself - how can we drive curiosity in our pupils ?
Can we in our design of our lessons and programmes factor in opportunities for pupils to articulate their though processes?
Can we encourage / train them to ask good questions ?
But you may say-" Thomas, it is impossible, this is Singapore not Cambridge ! They are still young...and besides they are too "inexperienced to ask questions. "
Well, my reply would be this -"Precisely, we have to do something."
"If not now, then when ?"
Thursday, 15 January 2015
Ethos
My first proper post....
So far the lectures have been very "edutaining". Since this is a leadership course, a large chunk of the lectures has been centred on Systems Thinking and the concepts of the Learning Organization.
I am not going to present theories of what I have learnt on this blog. They will surely drive all of you to boredom. Never my intent anyway. Instead , I will try to infuse some of these principles in the TTT structure in such a way that you won't even realise that you are applying these principles ! You will hear from Hasanah on this very soon.
For now, I like to talk about Ethos. Now what exactly is Ethos ?
(Source: http://www.mefeedia.com/channel/333797)
Ethos is a Greek word meaning "character" which is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or ideology.
We have the Ethos of the education service but I am not going to dwell on that . I would like to focus on the "Ethos of our school".
At the start of MLS, we were encouraged to build the "MLS ethos" by the lecturer. Lest you think that we are being spoon fed with lecture notes and information. The answer is no. This course operates in such a way that the course participants are always on the look out for one another. We form our own support communities and we are encouraged to share resources and our insights freely with one another.
We were even told by the lecturer that the spirit of "gotong royong"* was so strong in previous MLS batches that people would willingly sponsor refreshments for the cohort ( by the way, NIE only provided free refreshment on the 1st day). Not only that ,participants brought extension cords for fellow course mates so that they could power their laptops in the lecture hall.
*Originated from Indonesia, the phrase is translated into English as “cooperation in a community” or “communal helping of one another”
This is only the 5th day of the course and I am already seeing online communities appearing all over the place without the coaxing of the lecturers. People offering free car rides for fellow course mates to NIE on a daily basis, people volunteering to take up posts to serve others. Since I am in the course , I must do something right ? So I volunteer to organise a Google Office visit for the cohort (Hope it works out) and it has generated quite a fair bit of responses so far from the course participants.
Putting all these together, it sets me reflecting on the following issue- The MLS has 170 participants and in such a short time, an MLS ethos is slowly emerging.
The MLS has a shelf-life. It will expire in May. Our school community, on the other hand, is here to stay.
Do we have a "Palm View Ethos ?"
Ponder on this topic for a while. You may like to write to me and give me your comments or offer a different viewpoint or better still suggest what can we do to build a Palm View "Ethos". Let's start some form of intellectual discourse online,
So far the lectures have been very "edutaining". Since this is a leadership course, a large chunk of the lectures has been centred on Systems Thinking and the concepts of the Learning Organization.
I am not going to present theories of what I have learnt on this blog. They will surely drive all of you to boredom. Never my intent anyway. Instead , I will try to infuse some of these principles in the TTT structure in such a way that you won't even realise that you are applying these principles ! You will hear from Hasanah on this very soon.
For now, I like to talk about Ethos. Now what exactly is Ethos ?
Ethos is a Greek word meaning "character" which is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or ideology.
We have the Ethos of the education service but I am not going to dwell on that . I would like to focus on the "Ethos of our school".
At the start of MLS, we were encouraged to build the "MLS ethos" by the lecturer. Lest you think that we are being spoon fed with lecture notes and information. The answer is no. This course operates in such a way that the course participants are always on the look out for one another. We form our own support communities and we are encouraged to share resources and our insights freely with one another.
We were even told by the lecturer that the spirit of "gotong royong"* was so strong in previous MLS batches that people would willingly sponsor refreshments for the cohort ( by the way, NIE only provided free refreshment on the 1st day). Not only that ,participants brought extension cords for fellow course mates so that they could power their laptops in the lecture hall.
*Originated from Indonesia, the phrase is translated into English as “cooperation in a community” or “communal helping of one another”
This is only the 5th day of the course and I am already seeing online communities appearing all over the place without the coaxing of the lecturers. People offering free car rides for fellow course mates to NIE on a daily basis, people volunteering to take up posts to serve others. Since I am in the course , I must do something right ? So I volunteer to organise a Google Office visit for the cohort (Hope it works out) and it has generated quite a fair bit of responses so far from the course participants.
Putting all these together, it sets me reflecting on the following issue- The MLS has 170 participants and in such a short time, an MLS ethos is slowly emerging.
What about us as a school community ?
The MLS has a shelf-life. It will expire in May. Our school community, on the other hand, is here to stay.
Do we have a "Palm View Ethos ?"
- A place where we build people up rather than tear people down
- A place where we give freely rather than take
- A place where the "gotong-royong" spirit is so strong that we help and support one another not because we have to but because we want to
- A place where the word "calculative" has no place in our corporate dictionary. Whenever a need arises, we stand up to the occasion to meet that need...
Ponder on this topic for a while. You may like to write to me and give me your comments or offer a different viewpoint or better still suggest what can we do to build a Palm View "Ethos". Let's start some form of intellectual discourse online,
Tuesday, 13 January 2015
My 1st Post
Sawadeekrap ! Welcome to my Reflection blog.
I have this habit of documenting my experiences and reflections whenever I go for learning journeys. Those of you who are my FB friends would testify to the numerous mini articles I have posted regarding my overseas museum visits.
At first glance, you may wonder- why did I use a Latin phrase - " Fabula est vestri " for my blog ? And by the way , what does it mean?
"Fabula est vestri" simply means "The story is yours". I may be away for 17 weeks for this course but I want to share with everyone my insights, my experiences and my reflections. In short, I believe that the knowledge that I have gained or will gain should not simply be stored inside my head but I hope that whatever I am going to share, they will
(1) provoke you to think about why you are doing what you are doing
(2) help you to reconnect your sense of purpose - reminding us of our 1st love which is teaching
(3) inspire you to dream big dreams for your children
I have always liken the role of a teacher as an Author or a Writer writing a book. As Guardians of Children's Future,we write their stories.
How we want to engineer a values-driven education for the children , we write the story.
How we want to make school fun and exciting for the children, we write the story
& not forgetting how we want to build a culture of professional excellence, we write the story.
Are you ready to write your story (for the children?)
PS - Thank you colleagues for your sms well wishes. YK & Bryan, I thought both of you want to date me for lunch ?
I have this habit of documenting my experiences and reflections whenever I go for learning journeys. Those of you who are my FB friends would testify to the numerous mini articles I have posted regarding my overseas museum visits.
At first glance, you may wonder- why did I use a Latin phrase - " Fabula est vestri " for my blog ? And by the way , what does it mean?
"Fabula est vestri" simply means "The story is yours". I may be away for 17 weeks for this course but I want to share with everyone my insights, my experiences and my reflections. In short, I believe that the knowledge that I have gained or will gain should not simply be stored inside my head but I hope that whatever I am going to share, they will
(1) provoke you to think about why you are doing what you are doing
(2) help you to reconnect your sense of purpose - reminding us of our 1st love which is teaching
(3) inspire you to dream big dreams for your children
I have always liken the role of a teacher as an Author or a Writer writing a book. As Guardians of Children's Future,we write their stories.
How we want to engineer a values-driven education for the children , we write the story.
How we want to make school fun and exciting for the children, we write the story
& not forgetting how we want to build a culture of professional excellence, we write the story.
Are you ready to write your story (for the children?)
PS - Thank you colleagues for your sms well wishes. YK & Bryan, I thought both of you want to date me for lunch ?
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