Puppies for Sale

A friend of mine told me a story which I found to be very meaningful:

A little boy was walking along the streets when a sign caught his attention. The banner read: “Puppies for Sale.” The little boy found his way to the pet shop which was just around the corner. There, he was greeted by the friendly shop keeper.

“Hi! Can I have a look at the puppies here?”

“Sure!”

The shop keeper snapped his fingers, whistled and all the puppies immediately ran out from their kennels into the vast, open field. Right behind however, was a puppy which was struggling to keep up with its peers for it was limping its way to the field, little by little, inch by inch.

“I want this puppy!” the little boy enthused as he pointed to the puppy which was lagging behind all its peers. He was beaming with joy and his excitement was palpable.

The store owner looked at the boy in utter disbelief and said, "Surely you don’t want this dog. It is crippled. It will not be able to run, jump or play with you like all the other puppies!”

Upon hearing these words, the little boy reached down and rolled up his pants to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the store owner and softly replied, "Well, I cannot run very fast either and I need someone who is of this pace. I believe that this puppy needs company as well.”

A Compelling Vision

“What is your compelling vision?”

That question was posed to us by my Literature tutor at NIE. I used to think that passion is attractive but under the influence of my tutor, I am convinced that passion alone is not enough. In order to sustain that passion, it is crucial to have a compelling vision to tug you along.

I have, in my Literature tutor, an inspiring figure. Stories that she tells us based on her personal teaching experiences often leave me feeling all fired-up and motivated to be the best teacher that I can be. Ok, don’t puke. I am fully aware that in that aspect, there is still a lot of room for me to grow and everyday, I am still learning.

I was very touched when she told us about how she went through great lengths to raise funds for an overseas mission trip/community service she wanted to bring her students for. I also liked how she painted a very visual picture (“Imagine that you are going to this one-room flat and the lightings of the room are flickering. You bring a packet of rice for this toothless old man and try to make him laugh. At that moment, he suddenly feels that he exists. You make him feel significant. One day, when you go to heaven, you can tell God that you made a toothless, old man laugh. Wow! How about that? ) for her students when she told them that their CCA (Interact Club) was rich—not rich in terms of funding but rich in terms of their contributions and experiences. Most of all, I liked what she said about how we teachers have the power to speak into the life of a child. Indeed, I have no doubts that words can either build lives or tear them down. For a child who has been getting demerit points all his life, what does it mean to him if you rail at him saying “One more demerit point and you’ll be out of this school!”

How does vision fit into all of these? Well, in this profession, it is easy to get caught up with the many administrative matters, departmental and committee duties, etc that pull us from all directions. In a sense, Jack Neo’s latest movie ‘Just Follow Law’ strikes an outsider as highly comical but to an insider, it is very real. Having a vision and staying true to it helps you transcend the red tape and tight structures that are in place. A vision, and a compelling one, keeps you going.

I have a passion for teaching. But what is my vision? I aspire to be that teacher who has a heart for the least (I love kids from neighbourhood schools). I do not want to be a teacher who simply delivers content knowledge, sauntering in and out of the classroom everyday. Rather, I want to connect with youths by being as real and approachable as I can be. I want to be sensitive to the needs and feelings of my students. And of course, the bottomline is this: I want to make a difference in the lives of the neighbourhood kids

How about you? What are you passionate about? What is your compelling vision?

Don't cry wolf

Remember that story we were taught from young? Where Moral Education teachers and wise parents drew the principle of speaking the truth and not to create unnecessary furor? Well, this biker didn't learn.

When me and other Singaporeans were standing on that small narrow space hosting the traffic light and a pedestrian holding area, he kept ringing his bell. We turned out heads to look at him because we each thought we were (a) blocking his way or (b) he was calling out for our attention to something... but it was nothing. He rang because he wanted to, because he FELT like he wanted to. Just like that shepherd boy in the story who yelled wolf twice because he wanted to see the neighbors come rushing to save him.

When the light turned green, he rang the bell furiously and found himself blocked by this teenager, possibly 17/18. He rang and rang and rang but the teen ignored him. The teen swayed to the left, the biker moved to the left. The teen swayed to the right, the biker moved to the right. Great synchronicity. Finally, the teen stopped, turned and the biker nearly rammed into the boy. His back wheel flew up a few centimeters off the ground due to the sudden brake before he steadied himself and went along the way. See, don't cry wolf or the wolf will really come on the 3rd time just to make a mockery out of you.