Sunday, April 27, 2008
This 1 month plus of absence can be attributed to the extremely busy schedule in the weeks leading up to the exams. Friends who know me will realize that I never let work pile up. The chain of response is such that whenever a piece of assignment arrives, I would have made plans mentally to prepare myself when to start work, where to research for information and a timeline to finish it.
While everyone else is busy finishing up their ALS 101 Research Paper, I was already starting on my final year exam revision. However, there was this extremely irritating biomechanics lab report which meant that I had to dedicate some of my revision time away to completing it. Let's just say it affected everyone's revision plans, it was difficult and time consuming and instructions were not clear. Add to the fact that I had absolutely no physics background (I took pure biology and chemistry back in sec school) and a constant phobia of maths, getting seriously depressed was an understatment. Many thanks to my group members for taking time out to help me complete that 4 lab reports.
This semester was definitely much more difficult and busy as compared to the "honeymoon" period in semester 1. I would say everything was much more laidback since it's only semester 1, after all it was meant to welcome freshies into university life. Every module I felt was more or less an introductory course or a foundation-based one. That was something so different as compared to this semester. I have a habit of saving completed assignments in my 2GB thumbdrive as a form of archive and sometimes I go back to it to inspire myself when the going gets tough. Just by comparing the number of essays I had to churn out alone this semester versus last semester, one can easily tell that the current one meant business.
There was a period of time in mid-February when I asked myself when I looked at the never-ending workload whether it was possible to complete it in time to start on my exam revision. There was like ALS 101 Research Paper, GIS Reports, Biomechanics Lab Reports, Physio E Learning Week Assignment and Test to study for, ALS 101 test revision and the list goes on and on. I pasted post-it stickers on my table top to remind myself of the ever-nearing deadlines to instill a sense of urgency in me. Yes, efficient is my middle name that my classmates say that I'm always spoiling the market. I can complete a Geography essay 1 month before the deadline. No I'm not boasting, just want to bring across the message that it frees up my time for other assignments. One has to be extremely efficient in university to survive.
I realize the first year in university for any course always prepares you for the eventual day when you have to choose your major. It doesn't just happen in FASS, it does for NIE and other NTU courses as well. I've had foundation courses in Sociology of Sport, Growth and Development, Anatomy and Biomechanics, Physiology so far. Next to come will be Neuromuscular, Sports Management and Psychology (for those who hopes to be the next Dr Irwin Seet). I really hate biomechanics if you ask for a honest opinion from me. People will usually ask me where there's a need to study about bones, tendons, muscles and the filaments (actin and myosin inside our muscles) when I'm just a PE teacher. These are modules normally taken by dentists and doctors. Well, in our course, I would say we study it with relations to movement and kinesiology. For that, I would say anatomy is pretty useful and relevant.
Biomechanics - the study of the biological system by means of the methods of mechanics. It involved the use of physics terms like moment of inertia and angular motion and how it can be used to improve performance. Bring in all the maths calculations to calculate the theoratical distance the athlete can achieve, I was stumped for awhile. All the terms seemed so foreign to me. It left wondering midway through the module whether I can complete all the revision by exam time. Thankfully, I did cover enough to answer the questions in the exam.
Physiology was really a good module even though it involved lots of memorization and it helps if Mr C. Kunalan is the tutor. He's really a funny ol chap and being able to meet him in person is already quite a honour. Learnt really good stuff to enhance my own and my students' performance in sports next time. Stuff like why children or obese people tend to be more dehydrated, the way body loses heat through several mechanisms, why we wear climacool or dri-fit clothings, ATP production in the body, training programmes to enhance your ATP-PC, LA and O2 system etc. Even though I am definitely majoring in Sociology of Sport and Sports Management in year 3, physio is definitely one I will consider taking. Now my friends will know why I like to wear white colour shirts for soccer - simple stuff like taking in heat to increase already our heated body (exercise produces metabolic heat), white colour reduces the chances of it all
Well, enough of modules and assignments. On a happier note, I got my school experience posting last night. Even though I am training to be PE/Geo secondary school teacher, MOE does require us to have short stint in a primary school as well. I got posted to Yuhua Secondary in Jurong West and Keming Primary (very near my place). I'm quite pleased about my posting. Keming is quite a new school after some renovation work and Yuhua is quite an average school (with a top school band who wins the Gold medal every year). It's better than getting posted to several schools around Bt Batok area but the students' mentality cannot make it. Yuhua isn't far anyway, a direct 157 bus along the route to jjc back then is something that I've lived through.
People have asked me why I never bothered appealing back to acs(i) for this school experience. I did consider that option but I thought to myself eventually we have to teach in government schools. I am sure after 4 years of acs(i) life,I know how the school functions and the mentality of the students. This school experience in Keming and Yuhua is certainly something I look forward to.
I don't have to be teaching in prestigious school to convince people of my credentials because cliche it may sound, it's not what I'm in this line for. Students who may not be academically good enough but they are nice people deep inside. As long as they display the willingness to learn, I'll be a happy teacher. It's how much of an impact I can make that matters and I'll use it to gauge my teaching. ACS(I) students really don't need me for now, like all soccer players say "You can never say never" and I don't rule out the prospects of going back to my alma mater next time.
Quite a long entry to make up for the hiatus.
End of exams
End of semester 2
End of year 1
I need a good break after stressing myself out over this exam period. 3 months break here I come!
