这是一个美好的周六早晨

第一名：李秀萍、龚丽莹

谢谢罗老师！

一年后的比赛，我们又得奖了。
每次学生得奖，我都为他们感到开心。
理由很简单，因为他们开心。

希望你们对自己更有信心。
希望你们珍惜人生的每一个过程。
希望你们对得失有新的体验。
希望你们学会分辨事情的轻重。
希望你们不要动不动就把EMO挂在嘴上。
希望你们懂得感恩。
……
希望丽莹看得懂。

谢谢你们的努力！
谢谢你们送花给我们！

你还好吗？

亲爱的2E2：

你还好吗？我的“完美”还在不在？

网络世界仍能够把你我联系起来，是的，最近我频频闯入你的世界，看看你的生活如何，过得好不好。既然你我选择把生活公诸于世，就应该知道没有什么隐私可言。

看到这段留言的同学，告诉其他人，让他们有空也来坐坐，喝杯虚拟的下午茶，希望你我保持联系，这样明年看到你们的时候才不会感到陌生，好吗？

I read and I read... ...

I have been reading and reading, I think I'm losing my just recovered man-made perfect eyesight soon... ...

Jenga – An interesting metaphor

Have you played Jenga before? I love to play with my niece (We play UNO Stacko instead), and we always look forward to it collapsing.

Did it occur to you that a Jenga set is like an organization, where it can look solid from the outside, but actually not so. Every piece looks like it has a place within the organization, where each piece forms the structure of it.

There are pieces which don't serve any function where they are basically not contributing. They are not supporting anything, but yet sitting on top of other pieces. They can even be a burden to those above / below them. Doesn't this sound familiar in any organization? These are the loose ones which can be easily removed, and some actually form the foundation of the tower. Yes, you think that they are the pillar of support, but they can still be removed. These pieces don't even have an impact on the structure.

The structure is still in place even with these pieces taken out.

Are these pieces redundant then? Are these pieces Grade D then? What do we do to the pieces after we remove them? We re-stack! We try to put them on top, and put other pieces on top of them, and soon these pieces serve their function. Can we do this to the D graders in the organization, or rather the people who are sitting in between aimlessly? Instead of seeing them as pieces who are not contributing but rather sapping the organization of its resources and energy, can we re-deploy them so that they can show their worth and serve the organization better? We should tap on their strength so that they can also provide support and growth within the organization.

But re-stacking is not just increasing height. The structure can be taller, but not necessarily more stable. Moving requires more strategic thinking. What is the objective of removing the loose piece if it hinders the progress of the organization rather than supporting it? Moving doesn't solely depend on the cause and effect theory. In reality it involves more other complex factors. Without considering all the other connections, the actions taken to remove the loose pieces may prove ineffective or disastrous to the organization.

On the other hand, there are some pieces crucial to the organization. Once you remove them, the whole tower collapses, but this is not healthy at all. These pieces are not stable themselves. Different tasks always land on the shoulders of the same pool of teachers. If these are the pieces supporting the structure, they should not be overloaded or else they might break.

Jenga is a game of skill. Just like you need skills to increase the height of it and making sure it doesn't collapse, you need skills to run an organization. I'm still learning... ...

Driving vs Leadership

I have always liked driving, the only problem is I have a poor sense of direction, and I can't read the street directory. But I still drive, why not? Don't ask me to install GPS, it will only make you dumber.

I have always associated driving with leadership. What would you choose as the most important value/values of a leader? Integrity? Humility? Resilience? I would think it's COURAGE.

It takes a lot of courage to drive, just as it takes a lot of courage to be a leader. It's not like you don't know what is on the road, in fact you know what it's like on the road, there is traffic jam somewhere at times, accidents might occur, there are different routes but all seem to be interconnected, you lose your way and you panic and get frantic but nevertheless, somehow you would manage to find your way except that you take a longer time to reach, you get sandwiched between vehicles, you pay a price (ERP lah!) if you do not plan your time well, you meet people driving the same car as you and of course there are different cars (some bigger), some drivers honk at you (or worse point their finger, I leave it to your imagination which one), some cross your path without signalling, P plate drivers tend to be bullied (they assume P plate drivers are kayu), at times you slow down and of course you try to speed but still follow law, and drivers drive with a direction in mind, though there are exceptional.

How about leadership? You know why you choose to lead. You have a vision for your department and for the school. There are people who share the same vision as you, but not all, they may have a bigger agenda. The journey of leadership is never smooth, there are hiccups now and then, but somehow these can be overcome with support and guidance. You feel frustrated sometimes and you just lose your patience. Being the middle manager, you may find yourself caught in between the principal and the teachers. As a young and new HOD, it may take a longer time to be accepted and affirmed. However, if we are courageous to embark on this leadership journey, we should have what it takes to be a leader.

Driving comes with good practice. You practised on the road, you practised in the circuit, you passed your test and you got the licence to drive. Leadership is the reverse. You are appointed HOD, then you practise, and you learn on the job. I have learnt to drive a car, now I must learn to drive my department in the right direction. I passed my driving only at the second test, as I failed the first time I took the test. Can I afford to fail in leading as well? Frankly speaking I'm scared of failing. I have taken up the post without a licence to drive first and I'm scared of not able to steer the department well.

However, I'm still glad I started driving "young", and took up the challenge then. Youth does have its advantage. Other than being more gung-ho, recovery is faster in any sense when you are hurt. However, it takes time to know the roads well in Singapore, and you need wisdom for this, just like in leadership. There are things that I learn while driving. I learn I must give way to traffic police and ambulance, how to give way to them, when to change lanes, how to change lanes, how to be a polite driver, how to stay focused during traffic jams... ... The same goes for being a leader. Learn to compromise, stay focused, know what to anticipate, be understanding and compassionate... ... Most of us are not born drivers. We learn as we drive. Currently I'm still learning how to be a leader with a good sense of direction, to be a leader whom people can follow with ease and feel safe and not afraid of getting lost.

What is leadership then? I think it's very difficult to define and explain leadership. "Leaders don't inflict pain; they bear pain." (Leadership is an Art, Max De Pree). In that case, I don't think I am a good leader, as I think I inflict pain on the other drivers. Sometimes, I refuse to give way, and I honk at others. I suppose it takes time and patience to be a gracious driver who respects other drivers on the road.

At times I would ask myself. Why did I choose to lead? Given another chance to choose, would I want to be a HOT (Happy and Ordinary Teacher)? Or still a HOD? Frankly speaking I really don't know, but I do know I still have the teacher heartbeat. I have been reading books on leadership and I think this is what fits me so far "... ... to be a leader is to enjoy the special privileges of complexity, of ambiguity, of diversity. But to be a leader means, especially, having the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those who permit leaders to lead." (Leadership is an Art, Max De Pree) We have been engrossed in making a difference in students' lives, yet we seem to have forgotten that we need to also impact our teachers and make a difference in their lives too.

PS: Please do not ask about the car plate. It was a painful lesson!

White Space

There is also white space in the timetable, the difference between white space in NIE and in school is, the former is really your own white space, you decide what you want to do with it. Shiok? No, I feel quite lost. Most of the time in school we tend to rush too fast, hence to slow down the pace seems quite weird, but aren't we always yearning for more free time?

Finally can see the sun while driving... ...

Finally I can see the sun as I drove to NIE, with sunglasses, and when I drove back home, it was still BRIGHT and SUNNY. One of the changes in my life so far... ... and more to anticipate.

MLS

The first day of the MLS (Management and Leadership in Schools) programme, or you may call it Must Learn Slowly. I will be blogging very often, in English (yes, I remember I'm a Chinese teacher), but since I need to submit 2 journal entries every week, I might as well consolidate my thoughts here. Must study smart.

I suppose this would be a good time to take a break from the toils of school work and do deep reflection about personal direction and learn more about leadership and management. The 3 Rs that I'll be doing during these 17 weeks: Reflect. Recharge. READ.

无奈

人，往往在最最最bo-bian的时候，才会去做一些事情。
你知道吗，其实我已经很久没有在家上网了。尤其是Edumail换成Edumail2之后，我的Netscape根本无法support。Netscape，你又有听过吗？
下周要回教育学院上课，没办法，只好申请Broadband（是的，之前我都在用Dial-up）。
你没想到我会这么落后吧？哈哈！
花了一小时多的时间，拼拼凑凑，终于成功把modem connect去laptop，还能连线上网。哦，是的，我要把desktop打入冷宫了。
现在，要做的事是如何把这一堆难看的wire藏起来，我不能忍受这种凌乱。

待会，我又要去做另一件bo-bian的事，去recce教育学院的路线，上周五迷路到乱，下周可不能做一只“迷途的小绵羊”了……