My Teaching Career (Si Ling Secondary 1988 - 1992)

It was in Si Ling that I became a Head of department circa 1991. Then, there was no salary scale for a HOD, only a monthly allowance of $300. There were no clear job scope. I was asked to deal with estate management stuff, like being in charge of the school servants, repairs, grass cutting, etc. I have to deal with a variety of character among the group of school servants. There was the 'mandor' or foreman, Alwi who was a resourceful person. Then there were servants who borrow money here and there. One will disappear after lunch. Then there was the multiple repair jobs around the school esp patching up holes on the wire fences.
Technical staff at Si Ling :
the late Mr Kenneth Pereira, the late Mr Ahmad Rahman, Mr Lee See San. Mr Wong Meng, Mr Idrus (Instructor)
When I arrived to Si Ling, the staff filled me in on the happenings in and around the school. The first thing I did was to dismantle a private 'room' on the ground floor store. It was used for some 'hanky panky' by the previous head. The store in a workshop on the 1st level was a 'sacred place' as the teacher who used that workshop died earlier. I left it alone and one of the technical staff would pray there once a year.
The technical staff was also a mixed lot, just like the rest of the Si Ling staff. Each tolerated the other but good friends they were not. One thing which was regularly done was to have break or lunch at the coffee shop across the road.

Mr Singh was too 'humanistic' that many people took advantage (eg coming late, leaving early through the back gate) and there was a mess, discipline-wise. Once there was a parang wielding boy who came to school to look for a rival, one pupil who was in trouble with 'girls' was allowed to come back to school to help in organisation of activities, one boy was caught sleeping underneath the shelter of an expressway, etc.

Memories : of a pupil who died of brain tumour when he was in Sec 4. He would seek me out often to talk and would also join me once a while during my early morning run before the school starts (the route passes along the beach area). In an interclass soccer tournament, me and Mr Kenny Jones, an expat English teacher sponsored the class jerseys. They remembered us for it. Sadly, he did not survive the brain operation.
Was a PE teacher in Si Ling as well.
Built a garden behind the workshop. It is still existing after 20 years. I noticed it when passing by the school last week - early Dec 2010)
Mr Tony Tan's (the Education Minister then) car was vandalised during the 15th anniversary celebration dinner.
By 1992, things in school were so bad and topsy turvy that I thought it was time to leave the place, did not care where. There was no way I could continue in such a messy school. Again I seek the help of the late Mr Soon Eng Lee and he got me out, at the expense of giving up the HODship in Nov 1992.