It's just one day before the enrichment programme runs, and an idea sparks in my head for an activity that, though straightforward, connects 3 of the modules that I'm teaching. That's pretty hard to come by!
Because I'm the one who wrote the programme, I can integrate it right away and see if it works as well as I think it will.
And because it's a simple activity that doesn't require a lot of additional materials and because I don't have to ask anyone to provide these materials or explain it, it's also much easier to implement.
As I've mentioned in an earlier post, I love testing new activities out.
I can't be sure this (or a modified form) will stay in the programme or in another that I've written, but, at the very least, I'll know that it's been tried out and I would have seen the response first-hand.
Very exciting! I love my work.
The Training Industry (at Least in Singapore) is Filled with Fear and Mistrust. We Have to Change That.
I once talked to a few fellow trainers about education and the current ‘landscape’ of training opportunities. One of the things that they brought up resonated deeply with me.
They said that training companies that they work with/for aren’t very open to sharing resources, collaborating with one another, or sharing freelance trainer databases.
I asked them if they, as trainers, are open to these things and they responded with a resounding yes!
As a long-time trainer myself, I cannot help but agree with their assessment.
It felt strange that there was such a disconnection between the attitudes of the trainers and that of the training companies.
But I get it.
The prevailing concern is that of intellectual property "theft". And at least one of the companies I've worked with seems to have a crippling fear of this.
Even after working for so many years with them, readily sharing material I come up with on my own, it still feels as if they don't trust me.
The truth is, in the post-information age, information is so readily available that it's impossible to completely protect your lesson plans and curriculum, unless you ban all recording devices and recording methods, including webinars and online classes.
Further, even if someone else knows what you train, can they deliver it the way you can?
If they can do so easily, maybe your material isn't that good or original to begin with.
In which case, is it really as valuable as you think it is?
I'm Leaving the School Enrichment Market. Here's Why.
If the market you've been in for over 10 years is deteriorating into a race to the bottom, and showing increasing instability, on top of a refusal to do things in new ways (i.e. innovate), would you stick it out?
Or would you look into a new one, possibly even create your own?
This was a dilemma I started to ponder upon 3 years ago. Things were so unpredictable, that I sometimes went months without substantial projects.
And then, the pandemic hit. And projects vapourised, with only vague promises, constant postponements, and non-committal nods.
This was the kick I needed to decide to get out of a market that I'd been clinging on to, both because of fear of the unknown and fond memories.
And thus, I am exiting the school enrichment market (in Singapore).
I would have loved to stay, but there are too many things wrong with it, and too little being done to rectify them.
Perhaps I'll expound on these things in a future post and hope for improvement for the sake of those still in it, but, for now, I'm looking towards a future that is, though still clouded, full of potential.
To those I've worked with, and are still in it, I wish I didn't have to go, but I cannot be part of this swirling maelstrom anymore.
Take heart. Things will eventually look up.
And I'm sure we'll meet again, though likely in different capacities.
This isn't really goodbye.
Is the 10,000 Hour Rule Something To Keep Track Of? I'm Not So Sure.
The 10,000-hour rule.
Popularised by author Malcolm Gladwell in his book 'Outliers', I suddenly saw it being mentioned everywhere. You've likely heard of it, too.
If I recall correctly, it's also splashed out over a wall in our Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI) building (in Singapore).
When I first heard of it, my immediate response was to think about something I was good at (or, at least, thought I was good at), and estimate-calculate the number of hours I'd put into it.
And...
I didn't quite hit 10,000 hours.
Did that mean that I wasn't really good at it?
I couldn't tell for sure, of course, and I didn't really want to go around asking whether I was good at teaching.
That seemed embarrassingly self-indulgent.
So, instead of wondering, I decided to double down on getting even better at it and, some time later, I started getting more and more positive comments and feedback about my style of teaching and my delivery skills.
I've stopped counting the hours.
Not because I think "I've arrived", but because teaching is something that I love to do and I've been consciously and purposefully testing methods and techniques over the many years I've been doing it.
Even if I'm not yet a "master" (by I-don't-know-whose standards), I'm certainly better than I was 15 years ago.
And that is good enough for me.