TEACHERS' DAY SPECIAL FEATURE

"Don't play, play with this teacher!

He knows our tricks!"

Sudhesh Vasu Dash
Head of Department, English Language
ACS (Primary)

My first taste of teaching was a short spell of two weeks as a relief teacher in a secondary school before doing my National Service. The experience was somewhat strange and exciting at the same time as I had to be in front of a group of students and I had to teach them something. I still remember being asked a particularly challenging question by a precocious Sec 2 student. I had to ask him to repeat the question twice to buy time so that I would be able to give him a decent answer. I did and I was proud of myself for having “risen” to the challenge.

On the last day of my short stint as a relief teacher, I wrote a poem for my Secondary 1 class and flashed it on the transparency for the class to see. From the look on their faces, I could see that the students were impressed and my suspicions were confirmed a few days later when I received a letter from one of my students expressing how much he had enjoyed my lessons.

When the opportunity to teach in the GE programme in ACS (Primary) arose years later, I ‘grabbed’ it immediately. The decision was easy because I have such fond memories of my time at ACPS (as it was known then). I decided to return to give back something to the school that had given me so much.

The school seemed very different to me when I returned as a teacher. The whole campus seemed huge compared to the small little compound with two main buildings at Coleman Street. In fact, I was a little lost and overwhelmed as a new teacher in the GEP during my first few days in ACS (Primary). I must say that it was my colleagues who helped me settle in and the fact that I was an Old Boy made it easier for me to understand the school culture and ethos.

Initially it felt really strange to be back in ACS (Primary) as a teacher. A few of my former teachers are still here! And the culture was very different from that of other schools that I have taught in. Fortunately, I was able to adapt quickly to the changes and settle in.

Being an Old Boy is definitely an advantage. I know what it is like to be an ACS boy and I know what’s expected. I also know or at least I can empathise with the challenges that today’s ACS boys face. That helps me connect with them and get my message across to them. From their perspective, they see an ex-ACS boy standing in front of them as a teacher. This inspires some of them while others just think, “Don’t play, play! He knows all our tricks!” Either way, it helps me in my role as a teacher.

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