I have to break the hiatus just once.
Today is just those once-in-a-blue-moon days…
Talk about lately, parents been cooking chicken broth for me and I've been taking ginseng powder in the mornings, they're doing heaps to make sure Im feeling on top! The ginseng's really really good, it keeps me from feeling too tired. I don’t really feel collapsing type tired now, I feel a lot better and can concentrate better in school.
This morning during instep we had assembly instead. Mr Gorman had asked me to speak about my study plan in this session earlier in the week, fortunately or unfortunately, turns out the plan was only for 2 of those group of people dubbed in to 'present'. That didn't bother me really. What bothered me was how the session ended. It was only Mr. Loggie handling our grade. Keri spoke up after the mini presentation that she felt that study plans at this stage was not the issue, and she hoped that the school could plan something more beneficial. She wasn't alone, in fact, I felt the same once Mr Gorman told me I was dubbed to speak about study plans. Someone else (whom I shall not mention the name)thought that was a cue to get everyone out of this 'boring' session by saying something like "I propose everyone should go to morning tea now…hands up for that." And then, Keri and lots of other people started putting their hands up. Evidently this upset Loggie a lot. As our principal, I thought the students had too less respect for him! To cut my little narration short, he carried on by talking about having respect for staff and their unseen efforts in trying to prep us to our best for the final exams, then said something like "I will keep all of you in for morning tea" after someone else provoked. The impatience of the cohort I can understand; their impoliteness, I cannot. He didn't end up keeping us in for the entire morning tea though.
When I got to class after morning tea, I immediately typed an email to him, which he still hasn't replied to.
Hi Mr Loggie,
I think that what you mentioned on assembly just then, about the fine line between staff and students, is absolutely correct. I'm rather surprised that almost all students would be thinking of disrespect as acceptable. I think its fine for you to have kept students in at lunch to get that point of respect across, but I did not realise so many students thought it totally unreasonable. Such a concept of respect is most frequently reinforced in schools in Singapore, and having known it as a part of Chinese culture, I am pleased that the school and yourself would be taking on similar concepts. Thank you for your patience with our cohort and I appreciate all efforts which the staff and yourself have undertaken to prepare us for the final exams. On another note, I do agree with Keri-anne about spending time on study plans at this stage. I feel that it may be a little late to be just starting, perhaps staff checking in with students to see if they've been on top of their study plans could be more beneficial. I find that creating a study plan is not the problem, rather the sticking to the plan is more important.
Regards,
Jessica
Mr McGrath did come in and talk to our Maths class about the issue since he saw and spoke students striding unhappily from the lecture theatre to morning tea. Only half the class was there, the others were "rebelling" against the lost morning tea time. Mr McGrath, an english teacher had been working with our principal rather closely this year, and had a lot of opinions about the man. I was surprised that he started talking earnestly about how Loggie was one of the brightest minds around and he had all the long term issues covered which most don't see the immediate effects of...and many other things he said to that same effect. I had never realised that, or looked at Loggie in that perspective. A lot of times, we students are so blinded by 'people relationships'. And then Mr McGrath said that he personally felt Loggie wasn't too fluent in expressing himself well, and with people to people social skills...etc. So that was quite an eye-opener for me too.
And I was rather "unnerved" about the entire incident, if that's the right word for it, until after lunch.
I had my Chemistry practice paper 3 from may 2008 timezone1, at the end of the day, it went all right. The paper 2 yesterday was horrendous though. I had a stiff neck yesterday and had to take 3 practice exams yesterday! The 2.25 hours in the lecture theatre was bad!! Yesterday I turned up to biology tutorial after school, and it was only me and Mr Grant. Thank you so much for the tutorials on these particularly complex concepts (e.g. aerobic cellular respiration yesterday)! Then there was parent-teacher interviews….hmm I've sidetracked to yesterday's events.
I received an email from this brilliant artist and animator, Pascal Campion, and oh I'm overjoyed at the compliments and kind words. Really touching, noone's ever said anything like that before! Do check out his blog, www.pascalcampion.blogspot.com, it’s the most inspiring blog ever!
Just a while ago, watching the satellite tv: Taiwanese news channel (my mum watches this everyday, being very concerned about her home country). Taiwan's first richest man, Wang Yong Qing (92 yrs old), passed away yesterday in New York. I think it was something like phlegm stuck in his throat in his sleep, I don’t know the other details. I just watched the news report, picturing his younger brother (I think its Wang Yong Zhen, 87 yrs old) with puffy eyes and bursting out in tears as the coffin passed him at the funeral. It was really emotional to see brothers live to such an old age and having such a strong bond. Wang Yong Qing is this really smart guy, very efficient in business, knows where and how to save costs and monitor staff etc. which made him so successful. I think he's 4th richest in Taiwan to date. Its just … shocking to think that a couple of days ago there was a documentary on him, and mum was telling his story briefly to me…and today……
And the stock markets just crashing and crashing everywhere in the world. My extended family and my own family have been affected by the terrible economic crisis, as have many many other people worldwide. I pray that they will remain positive through hard times, and not give up!
After unloading my thoughts for the day, I think I should be able to continue with Chemistry practice papers.
