occupational hazard(s)

since i just blogged in my other weblog, i shall be fair and not neglect this one :)

to me, one of the occupational hazards is bumping into students when you least expect to. today kenneth (i am still not used to this) talked about how we shouldn't try to differentiate our public and private selves too much lest we drive ourselves mad in the process. i agree with that...but i'm still trying to adjust to the fact that i can have students coming up to say hi anytime, anywhere.

mostly it's around my neighbourhood. about two(?) years back i was at braddell-westlake, for all of two weeks but it was enough to have some students waving at me at the braddell Macdonalds just when i was kind of underdressed. before all you people start imagining other things, i was in my sloppy tee and shorts, the kind of clothes i lounge around in at home and the kind i wear to my neighbourhood fast food joint to grab a bite.

sigh.

it was already a few weeks after i'd left to go back to NUS so it was indeed gratifying to have them come up to me and ask "cher, where you go? how come you don't teach us anymore?"

of course it wasn't my first time but i just can't get used to it. previously it was at orchard where the rgs girls hang out. i should have guessed..but no, again it was a long time after i'd left the school. there i was strolling and obviously thinking i blended in very well with the youthful crowd in town when i heard, loud and clear over the many bewildered and curious faces of strangers....."misssss huang!"

we couldn't stop and talk due to the river of people that separated us but i was not surprised to receive a sms from one of the girls later asking me about the guy whom i was walking with.

sigh.

most recently, yesterday in fact, i was waiting for the train at toa payoh to go to school and there was a group of girls twittering away animatedly behind me when i heard one of them ventured, "is that you miss huang?"

i turned around to be greeted by a bunch of grinning IJ girls who excitedly told me they were going to catch a movie at orchard (lucky them!).

i feel bad that i don't remember their names but man, i love this job. even if they aren't exactly saying things like "you know miss huang, you were the one who changed my life" yada yada blah blah etc, i still find my heart doing a little happy skip each time i have students coming up to say hi.

it's all these little things that keep me going...and going and going. i hope i don't lose sight of all these seemingly insignificant things because sometimes it's exactly these that matter.

maybe, just maybe, in ten years' time i'll really have that one student telling me i made a difference. then, i can die a happy and contented person.

until that happens, i shall make a mental note to quit walking around in too homey clothes when i'm around the neighbourhood.

sigh!