first night in chicago

it's 4.30 in the morning and I'm wide awake.

we got here around 12.30 in the afternoon yesterday. the 7 of us are lucky enough to be here to attend the ascd conference. that starts tomorrow so we have about one and a half days to quickly get used to the cold and the wind before the actual learning begins.

after a quick workout at the gym, boss and i went out to look for something to eat. it was very cold walking on the streets and we missed three starbucks by the minutes before finally ended up at a mac that's still open. and we had a very good chat.

about five years ago, i made a very good decision to leave the school I was in at that time and was lucky to have been taken in by mrs chua. she's the best. in fact, she and hai siang were the best school leaders i've worked with. at northlight, i learnt the real meaning of teaching and was given the chance to do what i was good at, and had fun and was truly satisfied. it was like family and the students were like our kids. and when you think you are teaching your own kids, you only give them your best. that's how it worked. it was the best three years of my teaching life and i am very grateful for that.

fast-forward three years and i think i've again made the correct decision to come to where i am now. two reasons prompted me to want to move on: i've almost completed what i set out to do when i first joined the school and i had in mind someone who could carry on that work and bring more to the table; i considered myself so privileged to have been given the chance to be part of an amazing team and that it was time someone else be given the opportunity to experience the great stuff i've gone through. the first reason was about finding a best-fit; the second was about sharing the learning.

the school taught me many things. the students taught me many things. i've learnt that letting them learn is difficult yet totally far more necessary and meaningful than letting me teach. i've learnt that even though i've grown up in a not so well-to-do family, what i had was many times more than what some of the kids were having. i've learnt to hold my cynical adult comments so that the kids can speak first, and to let them tell me who they really are. to quote the wise leader, i have learnt that "hope and charity make everything possible, and love makes everything worthwhile".

haisiang once told me that i should be less realistic and be more idealistic. he taught me to let go the ropes and not to sweat the small stuff. he said that teachers will run and take off and that i just have to trust them. mrs chua gave me the trust i never had before and i became confident of my work under her guidance. they helped me notice the good in me even though they could always point out the spots i've missed. i remember telling myself that if that's what it takes to be a school leader, then i'll never have what it takes to become one.

colleagues were independently capable, yet worked perfectly well as a team. every child was everybody's business. the "map of singapore" project had everyone, including the school leaders, trying to get back kids who were at risk of dropping out. the principal herself marked out an area on the map and knocked on a few doors. teachers, counsellors and school leaders accompanied kids to clinics, hospitals, police stations, and even the court. they also brought them to games, movies and meals. what i liked most was that nobody spoke about who's failing which subjects. for the first time in a school, i knew the meaning of "student well being". and the best part of it all was that i felt it was real.

i've wanted to write about my northlight experience for quite sometime but didn't really know where to begin. i didn't want to shortchange the great things that have happened and the fantastic people i have met there with my not-up-to-mark writing. but cold chicago made me do it tonight :)

the short chat i had with ari gave me another glimpse into my new school leader. this guy is good. he is the right guy picked to start the new school. i am again excited about my work and confident that i have something valuable to add to the team of capable and committed staff. i have a good sense that spectra is going to be another great school. let's hope i'm right.

alright, it's almost 7 here in chicago, time to get up. this is going to be a beautiful day :)

(photo by TODAY -- thanks!)