Monday, November 03, 2008

Of forehead injuries and nose bleeds!

As clumsy as I often am, no, I wasn't the victim of those terrible 'catastropes' this time... It happened to two of my students within the last two weeks (the third, or forth.. after the head bleeding and swollen nose incidents).. and during my lessons too!

I wish I could snap photos as proof of how bad things can be at primary schools these days... but I was just in such a bloody shock! I mean, hello, imagine the horror of seeing blood oozing down your student's nose! Well, the closest I can think of is this:




Or worst still, streams of blood gushing out of some eyebrow wound on a female student.. here's just an example:



The nose bleed incident wasn't too bad.. one of three kids (I'll call him Terror 1) who often got into trouble during my lesson, got angry with another student and pushed him. Naturally, the victim fell down, knocked his nose onto the desk nearby and bam, the bleeding started!

The forehead injury case which happend just last Friday, was much worse... Terror 1 was fooling around with Terror 2 even after getting a 10-minute screaming session from me (I couldn't cane him cos caning isn't allowed these days), and decided it was fun to throw pencil cases at a few of the students nearby. Round 1-the pencil case merely smacked some kid gently on the forehead. I stopped him and yet... while I wasn't looking, he decided to try out Round 2... well, this time, he wasn't too lucky...

The pencil case came flying through the air and landed on a girl, just slightly above her eyebrow. The next thing I knew, someone was screaming, "Teacher, her forehead is bleeding!" I rushed to the victim... and horror of horrors, nearly one-third of her face, from the injured site, down to the nose, mouth, chin and part of her neck was covered in blood!

I tried my best to wipe off all the blood... called a student to inform the form teacher and brought victim, witness and perpetrator to see the afternoon session supervisor. To cut the long story short, the mothers of both victim and perpetrator came to the school, and the victim was brought to the clinic.

What still irks me most is I got insulted by both mums. Perpetrator's mom said I must've been too gentle and didn't scold her son at all. Yeah right, you call screaming at the top of your lungs while pulling two or three kids apart constantly for nearly 2/3 of the lesson time too gentle! Maybe I was 'too gentle' cos I didn't punch and whack her kid with the biggest cane I could find till he was blue black (not that I wasn't tempted to do that!).

Argghhh... the great horrors of teaching!!!

Where God wants me to be.. I'll go!

Well, Abraham must have said it, and I believe countless prophets and great men and women of God, the missionaries of God's Kingdom must've said it too! It's painful, it's dreadful, and in many ways a sheer agony to utter those words (as I've realise recently), but well, aren't God's ways higher than our ways? And besides, didn't He promise those of us priviledged to be called His Sons and Daughters that He'll never leave us nor forsake us?

Oh yeah, but still, I can't help those terrible thoughts in my mind... those horror stories about Johor.. ARRRGGGHH!

Frankly, I'd be a hyprocrite if I said I'm not too worried about my posting to Johor. It really wasn't something I was looking forward to, since I'd just made that tiring move from Sarawak to Selangor. But still, some things just cannot be changed. Yeah, I was quite dissapointed when my appeal letter to the MOE to be re-posted back to Selangor was rejected. But I guess, God's hand was behind it all...

Just the night before the news concerning the results of my appeal came, God very specifically spoke into my heart that I was to go to Johor- He had a great plan for me there, and that it was to be my mission field for the next few years. And I kept being reminded about the faith Abraham had, as well as his obedience to God, first when He was asked to move away from his homeland and later, when he obediently heeded God's command to sacrifice his son Isaac and passed God's test of faith. So, when the call came from KPM the next morning, I was ready to face the news (dissapointed, but still ready)- and as expected, my appeal was rejected. I had to go to Johor.

Yeah, I've cried a lot thinking and agonizing about this. But I know it's just God's way of testing my faith. I've been going thru many things lately, which I realise now was God's way of preparing me for my new phase of life in Johor- shaping a more Christlike character within me cos no longer can I be that fearful, sensitive, spoilt, overly-emotional and at times irresponsible and immature person that I was before. I had tasted God's goodness and well, it's time to change... time to rise up to the calling God has set upon my life.. TIME TO MOVE ON!!

So, move on I will... just pray with me, people! =)
Who Am I - Casting Crowns