Teacher Talk

07 September

We are a profession where the event title immediately tickles those who are in the service. Held on 7 September at NUS College, Teacher Talk brought together alumni teachers and undergraduate teachers-to-be on a cosy evening, where they were also joined by undergraduates who were interested in the teaching profession.

The evening started off with chats over dinner and moved into a more structured conversation time. There were pre-submitted questions from participants before the session. A quick poll was also conducted at the start to gauge interest in the various topics related to teaching. While what and how to teach floated around the participants’ mind space, the top three topics of interest were Life as a Teacher, Career Considerations, and School Culture and Environment. Insights on the Ministry of Education ecosystem; experiences on striving for work-life harmony; questions on career progression and exiting the service – the session was enveloped with honesty and sincerity.

Teaching is a job that almost anyone intuitively knows, but few outside the profession intuitively understand. The teaching fraternity holds a very special bond built over shared joys, pains, and concerns – sessions like this build connections and consolidate support for the unique journeys that each teacher and teacher-to-be is on.

For us alumni, it was an opportunity to take stock of how far we have come from holding our breaths; for current students, it was a glimpse at varied versions of their future. The communal resonance was perhaps attested by how post-session exchanges morphed into a life of their own, extending to almost 2 hours after the session had ended.

In my time as an undergraduate in the then-University Scholars Programme, I had participated in a few teacher-networking sessions, as both an uninitiated bright-eyed freshman and also a mentor in my senior year. It is extremely heartening to know that the college continues to bring together distinct communities of interest, like teachers! For a profession that works hard at supporting the various stakeholders of education, may we always hold space for our peers and support those who come after us.

Submitted by Mr Lee De Yi

• Others - NUS College Residential Student Life Team