Wednesday, 9 May 2007
Dear Wee Yong, Bryan, Jacob, Zhi Yong, Kimby, Damien, Jonathan, Jun Yao, Jeannie, Donald, Nicholas Koh, Yan Tian, Adriel, Qiuyu, Rachael, Xian You, Melanie, Nicholas Sim, Sarah Soo, Sharon, Sarah Sim, Stella, Jeremy, Ren Yang and Jack of 07S69,
When I first came back to Hwa Chong, I didn't quite know what to expect. Gone was the time when I would walk through the corridors and expect to bump into a familiar face. The uniform was still the same, but the warmth of friends that I've come to associate with Hwa Chong was missing. I was quite alone amidst all these activity that I was once part of. Yet this loneliness could never be shown, for I was supposed to be older, wiser, an army officer and past all these "youthful silliness" of bygone times.
Now that I'm leaving, I'm leaving it the same way I left it 2 years ago - with a fond remembrance, a tinge of sadness and the rush of many happy memories. And I wanted you to know that you guys are partly the reason why - and for that I sincerely thank you.
All of you have become the centerpiece of my life for the past 10 weeks that every aspect of my life seems to revolve around. Sleep becomes of lesser concern at 1am than adding the finishing touches to each script. Answers need to be prepared and re-prepared to make sure that everything was the best possible. And I was so happy when I finally finished using my 4th red-pen in 7 weeks. I make no reservations about telling you this not to vindicate myself, but because I want you to see how important each of you is to me. I enjoyed the entire process (I'm surprised Hwa Chong pays me for this) and that wouldn't have been possible if you guys were not the class that I've come to appreciate.
You class has a great many talents. Some of you are medal-winning sportsmen and women, some have found their niche in the performing arts, and yet others have pursued their passions in service and leadership. Whatever your chosen field, always remember to enjoy yourself. Seriously, life’s too short for anything less. And it is when we apply ourselves to our passions and interests that we find our greatest satisfaction and reward.
I’m going to nag - do study hard now, because the ‘A’ and ‘O’ levels are really two different ball games altogether. (basketball vs volleyball?) You are not going to be able to do the last-min cramming like you did for the ‘O’s. Doing well in your subjects will determine your course in university and ultimately, your occupation for the greater part of your lives. Something else that I realize after becoming a teacher is that at the end of the day, teachers are there to help you. It matters not whether or not you like your teachers, but don’t mistake their good intentions.
I have a list of unsolicited advice that I would like to give to all my juniors, that I share looking back on my own Hwa Chong experience. Things that I appreciated doing, mistakes that you hopefully won't make, and in general, just anything that I wish I knew when I first came to Hwa Chong. The list is attached below. Happy reading!
Friendship is not the natural cause of things. It does not happen merely by chance or fate, but by the heartfelt desire of people to come together. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have about econs, life in general or anything you think I might be able to help you with. My e-mail is marinesplendour@gmail.com, or add me on MSN at darkselenium@hotmail.com.
It was a privilege to teach your class and once again, thanks for all the many happy memories. Wishing you guys all the best that life has to offer. Cheers!
Your friend always,
Shawn Low (03S71)
Treasure your Friends - I've been harping on this, but true friendships are really hard to come by, and yet I found so many here. Friends whom I know will be there with me for many years to come. 2 years on, I don’t remember much of my reaction kinetics or solubility constants, but my friendships made in Hwa Chong are still holding fast.
Learn from One Another - The non-muggers should learn from the muggers how to mug, and the muggers should learn from the non-muggers how to get a life. But seriously, there’s just so much that we can learn from one another if we’re willing to take a step back and admire each other for who they are.
Another application of this is for econs essays, what I use to do what to form study groups of people of varying abilities. Then we’ll sit down and set a topic for the day, in which we would take turns to orally present our essay outline for all the TYS essay questions for that topic. Everyone gets to present, and everyone gets to be critiqued.
Be Humble, Don’t take Yourself Too Seriously – Hwa Chong students tend to swing to extremes. They are either terribly arrogant or terribly lacking in confidence. (see, another example of how you can learn from one another). To the former, please always remember that this is but part of your journey in life, and there’s still a long way ahead for you to trip and fall. For the latter, pull yourself together and go for it! Always believe in yourself, because if you don’t, you’ve already lost without a fight.
Always Clarify Your Doubts ASAP – Don’t let misconceptions snowball because it WILL affect your understanding of topics to come. Imagine trying to do price determination without understanding demand and supply?
Don’t be shy to ask, because even though everyone will appear as though they understand during the lecture, actually many of them are probably as confused as you are. Really! I found that I really only understood what went on during lecture when I do my own revision. What’s 15 minutes with your tutor instead of slacking at the class bench just to make sure your get your concepts right?
Never Ever Skip a Lecture Unless…- You are very sure that you already know what’s being taught AND the lecturer’s teaching style doesn’t really suit you. (euphemism for boring). I stress the AND condition because it is never worth skipping a lecture only to find yourself having to spend more time trying to understand what was being taught in your own free time. In general, it’s hard to be sure that you really know everything there is to know, so unless there’s a really good reason, do go for your lectures.
Never Study for Block Test/Promos only the Week before – This seems quite evident, though year upon year there are always people who believe that a miracle would help them pass the exams if they only start studying the week before.
Scientific fact: Long term memory triggers gene expression. If you do regular revision, you actually increase the number of synapses in your brain. If you think of synapses as pipes, regular revision helps to build more pipes in your brain. Short term cramming essentially tries to force a larger volume of water through the same number of pipes.
We are not defined by our gifts or abilities, but by the choices we make.
MATH STILL SUX AS OF!__
23:50
