18 Years In Education Later, I May Have To Move On

18 years in education is not a short time.

I am seriously contemplating a move out of it.

For those who’ve known me for some time, this may seem unexpected. After all, it’s what most people I know have known me for, and know that I truly enjoy.

Thankfully, though, it’s not the only thing they know me for. I do have options.

Perhaps it’s worth talking about - why I’m thinking about leaving the education industry, at least in Singapore.

Those who are parents or are educators themselves know that our local education system has mandated a fairly recent “update” to the way schools are handling class allocation for their students.

Essentially, each class is “mixed” - with students from different backgrounds, who have different aptitudes, and who likely have different life experiences thus far.

Each student is projected to learn each subject at their pace and at a level that is projected to cater to them.

The intent behind it was noble. The marketing to the public was focused on the positive. The educators themselves were informed way ahead of time and deemed prepared.

The results are, to put it lightly, not great. Even taking into consideration the usual teething problems at the start of any huge change, there is a clear lack of support and knowledge of handling rising issues.

It all looks to me like a poorly-thought-out grand experiment and I’m not confident that it will yield the hoped-for results, at least not within the next 5 - 10 years.

Some schools had piloted the move since a couple of years ago, but, as of 2024, this is now a nation-wide programme.

As an educator for nearly 2 decades, I’ve had my share of difficult audiences.

What I haven’t faced in that time is the sheer number of difficult audiences over such a short time.

I cannot speak for the teachers in the schools, but, from my interactions with them, they, too, are facing difficulties.

Add this to the tremendously unfair practices around getting school programmes, which I have talked about before, and this becomes a serious push factor away from this sector.

Yes, my current employment revolves around this sector, and a move away from it will likely entail an end to this state of affairs.

It’s not an easy move to make, and I don’t relish the potential problems that doing so will bring.

That said, I am nearly at my limit with the current situation and, unlike teachers who are bonded to the system, I can much more easily make a move. I believe that, this time, I likely will.

How Will You Spend the Last Few Days of the Year?

This is the last month but one of the year 2021.

I've been seeing a lot of posts along the lines of,

"How will you spend the last X days of the year?"

I don't think it matters unless I have been taking consistent action throughout the year, small though they may be.

Of course, it doesn't mean that I shouldn't start anything new, but I won't start something now just because of some artificially applied external pressure.

Which means that, if I'm starting something, it must have been planned beforehand, and not taken on willy-nilly.

So, the last X days of the year?

I'll be spending them as I had planned.

There will be a couple of new things and the dropping of some old ones.

It's not quite "a new chapter", but it's definitely the next page.

There's No Such Thing As a Fish? Really?

Some time ago, the term "fish" was used to categorise almost any water-dwelling creature - think shellfish, cuttlefish, starfish, etc.

Even dolphins and whales were categorised as fish at the time.

The term was later used mainly for "fin fish", which, as the name suggest, have fins or fin-like structures and are typically streamlined. This includes sharks which have a cartilage skeleton, as opposed to a bony one.

And then, a quote attributed to paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould purported that "there is no such thing as a fish".

It comes from the premise that "fish" are so biologically different from each other that it isn't quite right to place them all in the same category.

Of course, there are supporters, as well as opponents of this view. I'm not here to debate for one or the other.

I merely find the evolution of language and meaning fascinating, especially through different cultures and disciplines.

It reminds me that the words of today may mean something very different in the future, or may fall out of use entirely.

Crisis in the Middle of Your Career? There Are Ways Out!

Mid-career crises are particularly tumultuous.

There is the apprehension of what is to come, along with worrying that you won't have the time, agility, or support to transition into a different industry.

There is also the backwards-gazing of what once was, along with the dying hope that things will go back to the way they were.

And it's very easy to get caught between the two, nostalgia and uncertainty, resulting in a stagnant but sinking situation.

As with getting caught in quicksand, the first thing to do is to calm yourself. The more you struggle, the faster you sink.

The next thing to do is to slowly change your position. For quicksand, it's recommended that you try to get into a supine (facing up) position. In your situation, it may be breaking your silence and exploring options.

Then, finally, try to drift towards a safe spot.

If you have the benefit of supportive people around you, and you likely will if you break your silence, they can help you.

Ask them for for thoughts, ideas, even referrals if they can provide them.

You can face a crisis alone, but that's a choice you make.

You don't have to.