Yo Mista!

In the past few weeks, I've spent the better part of my spare time helping some students with their college applications. They are doing whatever it takes to delay getting started on their essays. Makes sense, the college essay can be intimidating, particularly for those students who never thought college was an option. Around Thanksgiving, it occurred to me that I am not exactly getting paid overtime for the extra time I'm putting in to do this shit. So why am I doing this? Well, I guess if you know me (and I don't even know if I even know me, so don't feel left out), then you must know that I didn't really join the teaching gig to roll around in wads of cash. Side note: Instead, I write this blog with the hopes of an editor from Penguin randomly finding it and offering me a book deal. Holding my breath. Starting now... It must be Monday evening because my mind is all over the place. It's been a long fucking day and now I'm sitting in grad school, freq...

I wish I had a mini-Arnold Schwarzenegger in my classroom that would go around saying this when appropriate. Dear Santa: make it happen.

Don't be scurred kids. Sometimes, change can be a good thing.

A good friend of mine recently sent the transcript of a convocation ceremony speech by Adrian Tan for the graduating class of 2008 at NTU. I really liked it and thought it was inspiring. Here it is: Don't Work. Avoid Telling the Truth. Be Hated. Love Someone. " I must say thank you to the faculty and staff of the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information for inviting me to give your convocation address. It’s a wonderful honour and a privilege for me to speak here for ten minutes without fear of contradiction, defamation or retaliation. I say this as a Singaporean and more so as a husband.   My wife is a wonderful person and perfect in every way except one. She is the editor of a magazine. She corrects people for a living. She has honed her expert skills over a quarter of a century, mostly by practising at home during conversations between her and me.   On the other hand, I am a litigator. Essentially, I spend my day telling people how wrong they are. I ...

It's almost mid-November and I guess that means it's time for the students who weren't 100% serious about change to start going back to their old ways. I'm beginning to have the same old conversations with different students. I had an epiphany last week and it kind of took me by surprise: my students will always be in the same age group every year I teach. It doesn't matter if I continue to mature or get old, they will still be the same. That's kind of discouraging.  I can't just one day decide I'm sick of having the "school is important for your future" conversation or the "life sucks for everyone, you just have to push yourself" conversation. In this age group, everybody thinks their problems are simply the worst. "No one has problems like me, Mista. You don't know me." Sometimes, depending on the student, I really just want to respond with: "I don't want to know you, brah. Can you please just do your hom...