What do you do when you get mad? Many of us will take it out on others. Some won't talk to anyone and then harbour in their hearts the anger and over time, the anger turned into bitterness.
I am so glad my boys are neither of the two groups. We were mad but we were still logical. On Tuesday this past week, I met my students of the project group online. I need to ask if they wanted to appeal for the grandfinals. I needed to ask because I felt that the reason to do it was not right. It was because we were too angry and we wanted to smite the other group. I checked my heart as to why I wanted to appeal and I know full well I need to do it for the right reasons. So when we met, my boys were waiting and they wanted to appeal in the first place. I posted an important question, "Did you think the other group not deserve it? Did you think your presentation was better than theirs?" We then evaluated and come to a conclusion, that the other group's presentation was good and so we enter their website and we felt they deserve a high score in the web design but should we challenged them for the grand finals. I checked the names of the students in the other team and there were 3 that I taught and these were also the good friends of my project pipit team. So I asked if they realized the consequences. They said they knew and so I asked if they wanted to choose competition over friendship and if it was worth the trouble. After a long debate, they came to one conclusion. They will take the cup of friendship and forgo the competition. Now I know that they are not going to appeal for the wrong reasons. We will not do it out of anger. Friendship first, then competition. Project Pipit is a winner in many ways!
The week has actually been very busy. I was somehow drafted to work on a research project about the future school. Yesterday was the busiest with parents teacher gathering and then a Fireworks Festival to go to.
Last evening's parents teacher gathering was the second of its kind this year. I have a parent who wondered why her son slept as early as 11 oclock while his friends are sleeping at 1 or 2 am. I wondered why she asked because is it not a good thing to have her son sleeping early? I told her before and I reminded her again that her son must have completed most of his work in school so he could sleep early. Many of the parents that came complained that their sons sleep very late. I wanted so much to tell them that we teachers sleep late too and had to get up at 5 and worked through till 3pm or 4pm. I could not stand this hectic schedule so I catch an afternoon nap so I can go on working through the night. Of course there are days I took time off to breathe.
But my day ended with an explosion of lights and colours. Although we waited for more than 45 minutes for the fireworks to start, it was all so worth it. I was just mesmerised by the clever display of light and colours. I met some colleagues and their little ones. I screamed beside a little boy of 8. He giggled when the fireworks exploded in mid air. There was a moment when I just kept quiet and looked up towards heaven wondering if Mum saw the fireworks too. And I wondered if heaven was like this with surprises. But I have got to come back down to earth somehow. Life has to go on and to live each day with all the challenges is not enough. We have to carry on because it is not my will but God's will be done. It is not my strength but GOD's.
