2026 isn’t my year because shitty things kept happening to me at work. So, I needed to invigilate the preliminary exam paper for two students with access arrangements.

Based on my years of experience with AA students, I thought that they would definitely have 15 minutes of additional time to complete their exam. The instructions to invigilators stated so. Extended timing in bold red lettering.

Except that theirs was a unique case. Because they got to wear wrist promoters, they were not given the extra time. And I gave them 15 mins of extra time, thus causing them to have an unfair advantage over other candidates.

I should have been more vigilant. The email sent to all invigilators prior to the exams did clearly state so. But alas, I was preoccupied with checking my invigilator timing, so the notification escaped my notice.

It was a hellish week. My actions were investigated and I eventually received a warning email from my principal. Did you hear me say that 2026 isn’t my year? Sigh.

But I guess every cloud has a silver lining. Since I have worked in several schools before my current workplace, I reached to as many as five ex-colleagues from my last two schools. Some told me to let bygones be bygones; others expressed indignation on my behalf. It was great that I could confide readily in them because they had my back. I still keep thinking about my oversight, but if it weren’t for them, i would have been ruminating about this more despondently.

Guess life could have been worse