Yesterday was Teachers' Day... and coincidentally, I had a consultant at work who came to do clinical supervision with me and my colleagues.

My colleague was in the 'hot seat' as it was her turn to present her case for supervision.. and at the session, she shared that she felt she was 'being grilled' by the consultant.. i reflected to her that i felt it was more of an opportunity to sharpen our counseling skills so the consultant was trying to make her think and reflect on some of the challenges that she faced in the counseling.. but it didn't seem to bring her comfort..

Later i reflected on it and then came to the conclusion that perhaps i'm too thick skinned and 'buay paiseh' or maybe even insensitive that's why i dun feel like she's grilling but see it more as an opportunity to learn and grow...

I guess it really can be a humbling experience when we try to learn something.... or when we are being told/challenged that what we do is incorrect. I would also like to link it to being teachable and mouldable.. 

The pruning process is not easy.. and sometimes, ppl may say things that hurt us in the process.. so perhaps, it would be helpful to not only think of what we din do correctly when we're being criticised.. but also see it as a learning opportunity..

I personally find little children so teachable.. cos if we patiently explain and reason to them they are usually trusting of someone older and more willing to try and explore and venture..

in the process of learning, we may make mistakes.. but it's ok.. cos that's how all of us learn.. isn't it? i personally learn best when i make a mistake and someone is kind enough to point it out.. so that i refrain from repeating the same mistake..

This morning, I woke up feeling physically tired.. and my house seemed quieter than usual, as if it was a Saturday. Then I remembered that it's Teachers' Day, that's why my nieces and nephew are not over at my place in the morning cos they are my usual alarm clocks on a normal weekday.

I'm reminded of Teachers' Day and really it a special day where we remember our teachers... and everyone of us have had a teacher that has impacted our lives at one point or another. As I reflect on my years of study, I realised that there were many teachers who had taught me lessons in life, values.. in primary school, in secondary school, in college.. then i asked myself, who is a 'teacher'?? my answer, someone/something who (that) teaches me something, imparts certain knowledge/wisdom to me.

then it struck me that any person on the street can be a teacher to me.. 

i learnt not only academically.. but ppl on the street can teach me lessons about life.

My Sunday school teachers back when FCBC was in SLF days taught me to pray and bible stories. When I was in the children's choir, I was taught confidence and worshipping God. When FCBC moved to Touch Centre when I was in upper primary, my leader put me in Barnabas club which is for the older kids that the pastors felt were potential leaders.. and there I remember seeing a video of how children were standing on chairs, praying for adults and the adults were slain and touched by the Holy Spirit.

In Secondary school, I was taught the importance of community during cell group when we met after school for cell meetings and prayer walked the school.

College was like secondary school and it also helped me in maturing as a believer as I had better knowledge of God's word.. In NUS, it was another change before the church went into G12 and really the importance of bringing God's presence into the campus.. where the cells would meet in the evenings and I remember staying back in NUS waiting for my peers to finish their lectures before we met.. we would also gather as a community to study during the exam period and had meals together and chat with each other during breaks. Not forgetting how we would do exam blessings in different ways to juz bless our pre believing peers with no strings attached.

When serving in Gkidz, i remember the meals that I had with pastor yew lin after TCT first service where she would juz share her life with me.. and i just felt so blessed by her sharing even though time was short..

As I walked to work, I even think of animals that teach me a thing or two abt life... A dolphin teaches me what it means to be sensitive to other humans. A penguin teaches what it means to have a partner for life. A tortoise teaches me slow and steady wins the race. A sheep teaches me meekness and gentleness. A serpent teaches me how to be shrewd.