Relationships

When all is said and done, perhaps the only lasting joy of having been part of an organization is in the relationships that are formed, especially those that have endured the test of time and distance.

For me, that's almost 12 years of relationships built at St Nicholas, with colleagues and students. Some colleagues have become very good friends, and we have continued to keep in touch and meet up regularly even though some have moved on to other jobs over the years. Some other colleagues have, sadly, disappeared from the radar, while there are others I have never worked closely with. And then, of course, there are those who, to put it simply, are best kept out of sight and out of mind.

As for my students, gosh, if I count all those with whom I have had some form of contact over the years—those I taught, those in CCAs and other groups I was in charge of, those I accompanied on overseas trips—there are easily more than 1000 of them! As groups and as individuals, they are what has kept me going all these years—the very reason why I became a teacher in the first place. Sure, there has been a lot of sweat and tears (I don't think there was any blood!) and numerous heartaches, plus long lectures, stern reprimands, and brutal scoldings. But there have also been many moments of joy and fulfilment, witty jokes and funny incidents, which have made the experience worthwhile.

Some of my ex-students have got married, some are on their way to getting their PhDs, some have become teachers themselves—it is heartwarming to see how they have grown and matured over the years. Thanks to the wonders of social networking tools like Facebook and instant messaging, maintaining contact with everyone has been made very easy.

We can only hope that all these relationships that we have formed over the years will continue to enrich our lives somehow.