Be Kind, Be Grateful, Be Engaged

Dear Guys,

This semester is an important period for all of you. I hope you have at least got the message I was driving at this morning. It is time you guys get serious with your work; with yourselves.

Remember, this is going to be a v short term and semester. It will past in before you know it. Let us not look back in time then with regrets that we did not do our best or we did not treasure the time we had.... time will not wait and neither will it return. Hence, it is important that we make every moment a fruitful one and live everyday as if its our last and give it all a 100%.

I am reading your posts and comments on how much you hate OPW / D&T / Art or even Homec... Some of you dislike some subjects, including the core ones because you dislike the teacher, or for reasons I probably cannot comprehend. You hate it and hence you complain about it... (its fine... that i can understand)

The thing i too, want you to understand is that these subjects are part of your study. Study of which will increase your knowledge and make you work better for the future. Some subjects require alot of hands on application of learning and of course, many of which may consist alot of project based assessments. In order to do well guys, it is important to be consistent and to submit work on time, to take great pride in your work..... to have the drive and intrinsic motivation to want to make it.

There may be subjects that you deem unnecessary but such subjects are what is important, perhaps not in your academic study... but rather to complement your academic work and inculcate values to ace in other areas in your lives. Such subjects, besides the knowledge, help you learn to be persistent and resilient. Like in home economics which the boys are currently taking, there are alot of oppposition to needle work, but what i can assure you is that, though you may not use it in future, there are values inculcated in you and that is the pride in producing good work even if you do not enjoy them. Anyone can sew, not just girls and as long as you aim to do your work well, like it or not, you will succeed and persist and through this process and become resilient in character.

That said, in our recent class outing, some of you were not present. It has been countless of times that I urge you to be active in school and in class and I shall say this yet again that: Learning should not be confined to subject and knowledge but the value to learning and being able to apply that knowledge in life. A fruitful school life should not be just about academics, but about the people we meet and the experiences we share. The exposure to new experiences alone, as compared to in the company of friends will help us learn to work well with people, foster firm friendships and create a sense of belonging that is important in the growth of every individual.

Think about it. It's your life.... live well, live strong.

Regards,
Mrs Melissa Lim