The Surest Way

to waste one's time is to invigilate. It is the most mindless, irrelevant, useless, mind-numbing, brainless activity one could ever do. You can't read, you can't mark ... you can't do ANYTHING but stare at the silly kids writing furiously as though this were the end of their world.

But I had an interesting chat with Mr Wong this afternoon in the midst of invigilation (I seem to be chatting withpeople all the time during invigilation!). Sustained an hour's conversation in chinese and was even complimented for my eloquence! But the real deal is perhaps the things one can learn from those who are older. He has seen the changes that have occurred in education and related his own experience as a student. It was quite amazing to see how the world, our world, has changed so rapidly over the last 30 odd years - and even over the last 10 odd years.

It's interesting to speak to a person whose expertise is Mathematical. You get a somewhat different worldview ... But the lament is always the same: what is happening to this generation (I hope I'm not included in that comment)? The syllabus, for math at least, has gotten simpler over the years compared to what he studied yet they aren't performing. Well, we both agree nonetheless, it is difficult to be a student today and in many ways our empathies are with them. Every generation laments about the ones that come after anyhow.

Sigh ...

I miss the kids.

Sigh ...

So many changes happening around, so little stable ground. Think I'm slipping slowly, but surely, back into 'depression' while trying to grapple, understand, and adapt to the changes - not just those happening externally but internally as well; not just the environmental, but the personal.