Happiness Journals 13/10/25
While going through the standardised exam scripts of the fifth graders, I immediately recognised one of them as my student’s. The reason was that he had used *My heart sang* and *My face lit up*, Show not Tell phrases that I had valiantly taught the class to internalise before their writing exam.
He didn’t actually pass it in the end, Nonetheless, a warm fuzzy feeling bubbled up inside me because he took to heart what I had been teaching.
Happiness Journal 15/10/25
In a previous life, I enthusiastically volunteered students for overseas trips to satisfy my craving for travel. Best of all, I barely had any competition, so I could travel to my heart’s content.
Today, in a similar vein, I eagerly volunteered to chaperone the international students for their learning journey to Gardens by the Bay. There, I was greeted by a passionate facilitator named Joyce. Anyone can tell that she loves what she does because she not only peppered her script with items that she had bought from Daiso, but also, involved students in a demonstration that showcased her home-made props. Did you know that cacti have ridges to increase the surface area in which they can absorb water with? Well, I was today years old when I learnt that.
My circumstances might have changed, but my yearning to see the world remains intact. I take it as an antidote against the ravages of time.
世界这么大，我想去看看。
Happiness Journal 22/10/25
Decided to stay back after Staff Contact Time to help two kids —who were my easy prey at the student care centre — with their Young Water Scientist SLS lesson. After that, I thought of zooming home immediately but chanced upon a colleague who was hard at work using the OAS machine. Being the loyal being that I was, I switched plans without hesitation and ate my Deepavali briyani meal while waiting for him to finish his job. Then, we strode off to the MRT station. Felt like I had returned to my schooling days in which I never had to move alone.
Happiness Journal 23/10/25
Today, the fifth graders sat for their final year exam. Although some of them have given me much grief this latter part of the year, I zoomed out and applied some empathy. How demoralizing it must be to be put through the grind and feel in your soul that you are just not as book-smart as your peers? Which explains why I went out to the nearby store to buy Yupi sweets for every one of them.
I subsequently went to their Maths lesson and put the candy unobtrusively on each of their desks. From their astonished looks, I could tell that my ‘intrusion’ was like a tiny ray of sunshine illuminating their dreary existence. I even earned a “I love you” - from a boy, no less.
It was nice shedding my usual gruff demeanour and sprinkling some kindness for once.
