THE CREATION OF THE TEACHER

The Good Lord was creating teachers. It was His sixth day of 'overtime' and He knew that this was a tremendous responsibility for teachers would touch the lives of so many impressionable young children. An angel appeared to Him and said, "You are taking a long time to figure this one out."
"Yes," said the Lord, " but have you read the specs on this order?"

TEACHER:
…must stand above all students, yet be on their level... must be able to do 180 things not connected with the subject being taught... must run on coffee, coke and leftovers,... must communicate vital knowledge to all students daily and be right most of the time... must have more time for others than for herself/himself... must have a smile that can endure through pay cuts, problematic children, and worried parents... must go on teaching when parents question every move and others are not supportive... must have 6 pair of hands.
"Six pair of hands, " said the angel, "that's impossible""Well, " said the Lord, " it is not the hands that are the problem. It is the three pairs of eyes that are presenting the most difficulty!"
The angel looked incredulous, " Three pairs of eyes...on a standard model?"
The Lord nodded His head, " One pair can see a student for what he is and not what others have labeled him as. Another pair of eyes is in the back of the teacher's head to see what should not be seen, but what must be known. The eyes in the front are only to look at the child as he/she 'acts out' in order to reflect, " I understand and I still believe in you", without so much as saying a word to the child."
"Lord, " said the angel, " this is a very large project and I think you should work on it tomorrow".
"I can't," said the Lord, " for I have come very close to creating something much like Myself. I have one that comes to work when he/she is sick.....teaches a class of children that do not want to learn....has a special place in his/her heart for children who are not his/her own.....understands the struggles of those who have difficulty....never takes the students for granted..."
The angel looked closely at the model the Lord was creating. "It is too soft-hearted, " said the angel.
"Yes," said the Lord, " but also tough, You can not imagine what this teacher can endure or do, if necessary".
"Can this teacher think?" asked the angel.
"Not only think," said the Lord,. "but reason and compromise."
The angel came closer to have a better look at the model and ran his finger over the teacher's cheek.
"Well, Lord, " said the angel, your job looks fine but there is a leak. I told you that you were putting too much into this model. You can not imagine the stress that will be placed upon the teacher."
The Lord moved in closer and lifted the drop of moisture from the teacher's cheek.It shone and glistened in the light.
"It is not a leak," He said, "It is a tear."
"A tear? What is that?" asked the angel, "What is a tear for?"
The Lord replied with great thought, " It is for the joy and pride of seeing a child accomplish even the smallest task. It is for the loneliness of children who have a hard time to fit in and it is for compassion for the feelings of their parents. It comes from the pain of not being able to reach some children and the disappointment those children feel in themselves. It comes often when a teacher has been with a class for a year and must say good-bye to those students and get ready to welcome a new class." "My, " said the angel, " The tear thing is a great idea...You are a genius!!"The Lord looked somber, "I didn't put it there."

-- Author Unknown

SPECIALLY DEDICATED TO ALL THE TEACHERS AT PRESBYTERIAN HIGH SCHOOL!

Teacher's Day 2009 - School Concert - Preparation & Actual Day

My dear Student Councillors & Parents

The Parent Support Group would like to thank you for your time taken on Friday evening, 28 August, in the preparation of the decorations etc.  You have shown to have positive attitude with excellent team work! 

And special thanks to the PSG team who has taught the Student Councillors how to make flowers out of recycled materials like disposable plastic cups and the crepe-paper flower.... not forgetting the fathers from our team - Alvin, Ang and Bernard - now we know why God made men taller than women!

Here are some photos for the memories!

Teacher's Day 2009 - Hall Decorations

Our Bouquet of THANKS!

28th August, Friday evening - A group of Student Councillors, a team of parents & Mrs. Joyce Lim (AM) assembled at Bethel Hall, all ready to decorate the place for Teacher's Day. The theme was ASPIRE and the tagline is "Because of You, We Aspire".

What an appropriate theme for Teacher's Day!
Teachers are the constant pillar of strength, the mentor of the students, the guiding 'light' in a dark alley, they constantly need to recharge just to shine bright and far for the students. So this Teacher's Day, we salute you!

Here are some the photos of the Hall decorations, inspired by the PSG and transformed by the students.

BLESSED TEACHER'S DAY 2009!

PHS Evening Academy

Look at those happy faces, don't they just melt your hearts away?

After such a long school day, these students persevere to put in extra hours for revision or various subjects with their school teachers.

Simply providing a little snack coupled with a drink, continues to energize them and allows them a little study ' break' in-between.

They look forward to have the PSG as part of the Evening Academy, they feel your love, care & concern.

Those of us who are currently working, our energy levels may drop at the end of the work day, but if you keep these photos in mind, consider energizing yourself by serving at the Evening Academy.

For those who are not working, why hesitate? All we require are 2 hours of your evenings.

A duty-roster will be worked out, start volunteering - as many hands make light work!

For more info, email us at presbyterianhighpsg@gmail.com.

The above photos were contibuted by Mr. Ang Lee San (yes, a father!) who has volunteered to serve the students.

COME AND SERVE,

AND NOT BE SERVED!

A Note to All Parents ... we need your help!

THE PHS EVENING ACADEMY IS NOW ON!

So, what is the PHS Evening Academy?

Annually, a batch of ‘N’ and ‘O’ Levels students are putting in the extra effort to study within the school compound, alongside with their subject teachers in an informal manner. Students are encouraged to ask their teachers for any help they require pertaining to their subjects.

Presbyterian High School opens its doors from 6pm to 9pm nightly starting from 11 August 2009, to encourage the students to study within a conducive environment with dedicated and self-sacrificial teachers who will accompany them during this examination ‘fever’.

If the students and teachers are so busy, what can the Parent Support Group do?
To share our love and care. HOW?

The Parent Support Group extends our invitation to you, to be part of this program. We need your commitment to a date or dates that you are available from 6pm to 9pm. With your commitment, a duty roster will be written.

Our duties:
• To ensure that snacks are delivered to the School’s canteen during that period, so that the students can have a night-snack.

• To serve the students their night-snacks* along with a healthy drink (barley, Milo, juice, Ribena etc.)

• All the foods and beverages served must be ‘halal’ as a respect to our Muslim students.

• After the snacks are served, to tidy up the PSG corner that is set aside for beverage serving or food preparation. Please ensure personal hygiene during the preparation of food & beverages.

Note: A nightly turnout is approx. 20 to 25 students/teachers. You are encouraged to bring sufficient snacks with a little extra for the Security Guards and the School Attendants.

*Some classification of night snacks:
Sandwiches (remember, no pork and must be halal)
Little cakes, brownies, muffins
Sweet potato soup / Green bean soup
Basically, finger-food

# All cups, paper plates, serviettes, forks/spoons need to be provided by the Parent-On-Duty.

Remember: Your child will eventually be an Evening Academy ‘candidate’.

For any clarifications, please let us know either by email: presbyterianhighpsg@gmail.com or give us a call.

Parenting Workshop by Glenn Lim

Dear Parents

Please be informed that the Parenting Workshop by Mr. Glenn Lim has been cancelled due to the current situation on H1N1.

Thank you for your understanding!

Warmest regards
Parent Support Group

NDP 09: Come Together – Reaching Out, Reaching Up

Our National Day serves as a reminder and a celebration of our nation’s history and achievements, and it also looks forward to our future. Although our independence was attained amidst turbulent times, we have defied the odds and not only have we survived, but we have thrived. We should be rightfully proud of our independence and our way of life. We should not take it for granted. As we are facing challenging times, it is perhaps even more significant that we rally round and reach out to our fellow Singaporeans. And we should be confident that we can and will continue to reach up to our hopes and aspirations

Our theme for NDP 09, “Come Together – Reaching Out, Reaching Up” draws inspiration from our Pledge. It is about our coming together as ‘one united people’, to Reach Out to all Singaporeans regardless of ‘race, language or religion’, and to Reach Up towards our hopes and aspirations articulated when we pledge to ‘achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation.’ When times are tough, we know that Singaporeans will rally together, support each other and believe that things will work out fine.

At the end of the day, let's reflect on what does National Day means to us!

May God continue to bless our nation on it's 44th birthday and many more to come!

National Day 2009 - Reflections

Nothing is politically right which is morally wrong.

—Abraham Lincoln