Storing up resources and making intricate plans before a major operation seems like the sensible thing to do.
And yet, there are those who have succeeded by going in lean, living off the land, and accumulating quick wins.
Neither is always the right thing to do, because so many factors are involved.
I have always been partial to the former, but I've been learning more and more to take steps towards trying the latter.
Is Mental Wellness Regarded as Unimportant?
Yesterday, I did a project management workshop for a local secondary school (of a rather high caliber). The purpose of this was to get the students into groups to promote a lifestyle to their fellow schoolmates.
They were given choices of topics ranging from increasing exercise time to smoking prevention. As there were more groups than topics, many groups worked on the same topic but managed to produce diverse ideas without consulting each other - evidence of the power of many minds.
What stood out to me was that none of the groups chose to promote mental wellness.
I originally attributed this to a possible lack of knowledge on the subject or that the topic was too broad. However, as I started to think about it, I wondered if it was simply regarded as unimportant compared to a healthy physical lifestyle, good eating habits and abstinence from tobacco and alcohol.
Perhaps this occurred due to a non-emphasis on mental health, that stress, anxiety and depression are seen as normal in our society.
There is no doubt that we are always told to 'Chin up!' and get on with what we are supposed to do, to fake confidence in the face of uncertainty and even to hide mental disorders or risk being stigmatised by others as 'crazy' or 'insane'.
Is this really the way we want the next generation to grow up believing? That nobody wants to hear about their problems and that they need to handle their issues on their own? Is this why we are becoming so cold and uncaring?
Thoughts to ponder upon...
Major Project This Week
I just ended a major project this week - teaching a series of Forensic Science workshops at a prominent local primary school (yes, primary school students in Singapore are learning pretty advanced stuff).
There being five different classes, each had its unique class culture and interesting individuals. Some were more united as a class, while others were clique-y or slightly fragmented. Some were faster on information uptake while others preferred to simply experience the activities.
As such, different teaching styles needed to be adopted for different classes. Certain concepts could be elaborated upon for certain classes while others needed to be skipped altogether for brevity.
Of course, as a result of a personal teaching style preference, the teacher will appeal more to certain types of students, and not quite as much to others.
All in all, it was a great reminder to be versatile in when teaching different groups, as well as to be mindful of the needs of my learners.
Another Book Update
I am very pleased to announce that I have finally finished writing and organising the content of my upcoming book - The Introvert Teacher: Be an Effective, Empowered Educator.
Now, all I have to do is to run through the editing myself, have someone else proofread it, and then send it for final layout and editing by my publisher.
I am currently looking for quotes. If you'd like to see your name in print, head over to my Project page for more details! Just click the link below:
