To: Lim_Chye_Tin@moe.gov.sg
Subject: A sincere plea from your student


Good evening Mrs Lim. Sorry to disturb you. I'm a JC1 student who spoke to you at the Ceremony dinner earlier today. I apologise for bringing the issue up at that time which I now regret because I realise it wasn't the right time to do so. Thus I decided to write you an email to show you the whole picture of my point. I don't intend to include my name because I don't have the courage to do so. but if I must, I'll clarify my identity in my next reply. I hope I don't sound disrespectful to you here because I have no intention of doing that at all. Please pardon my informal language; I have no proper and consistent exposure to writing formal letters.

You see, many of us students desire very much to return to our alma mater to visit our teachers whenever we can in the year. I know we can do that anytime we want as long as we're free. But I'd like to say that we seldom get dismissed from college early enough to 'catch' our teachers on time back in our secondary schools. As you may already know, secondary school teachers, unlike JC teachers, generally knock off earlier as compared to their JC counterparts. the only occasions when we are dismissed early and are able to visit our former schools together with our ex-classmates from other post-secondary institutions are Chinese New Year eve and Teachers' Day eve. Therefore, in this context I feel indignant (perhaps this is too strong a word but I really feel it) that we Econs students are going to be kept back in school for the test. By the time we're dismissed, I reckon we'll be too late because our former teachers will have left school by then. I hereby predict that a number of Econs students will go against the system next Thursday and forgo taking the test. Instead, they will return to their former schools to wish their former teachers a happy Teachers' Day despite seeing the prospect of their actions' aftermath. I'm sure that SAJC students have such a strong sense of gratitude that they will choose to return to their secondary schools over taking the more important Econs test. I have seen many of my peers' sentimental love for their secondary schools in my 7-8 months here in SAJC.

Mrs Lim, I understand and agree with you when you said that school work comes first. However, if that is so, may I give a humble suggestion. This may not be the best alternative but because I also think that school work comes first, I suggest we do away with the Teachers' Day celebration on Thursday and hold the test first thing in the morning so that we Econs students can go back to our former schools in time. In my opinion, the celebration is of lowest priority. My 1st is school work, 2nd is expressing gratitude to my secondary school teachers and 3rd is to celebrate Teachers' Day. This time, I'm not sure if the rest of the cohort shares the same sentiment.

To be frank, I was a little appalled when you said you couldn't interfere in the affairs of the Econs department. Maybe I should have spoken to the Head for Econs before speaking to you but I reckon that it would not be as effective as telling you in the first place as letting my message be passed up the ranks of the college hierarchy. I apologise once again for disrupting your time during the Ceremony just now.

Mrs Lim, I raised this issue not because I'm against the college, but because I sincerely want our college to be the best that it can be. SAJC has been my dream college. During its construction days in 2005, the sight of it motivated me to study hard for my O levels (I live 7 minutes' walk away from the college). I just want to say that I have nothing against the college. I sincerely appeal to you to kindly understand our situation and I look forward to your address to the matter. God bless you and thank you for reading my email.

PS: I will work hard for my Promotional Exams so as to make sure I don't end up having lessons by the river next year.


Yours sincerely,
Once a non-Saint, not always a non-Saint

this is getting on my nerves.

i spoke to Mrs Lim our principal just now at the SAV official opening ceremony. it was dinner time. i had initially wanted to look for Mrs Tan cos i heard she was approachable. but she wasn't available. then i saw Mrs Lim. i tot she shd be pretty approachable too.

i raised the issue (Econs test vs visiting alma mater on Teachers' Day eve) as sincerely as i can. (i don't look threatening right?) anyway, i told her this, "next week aft Teachers' Day celebration, many of us want to go back to our sec schs to visit our teachers. but the Econs dept announced tt there will be a test aft the celebrations ... "

i had expected a very understanding answer frm her. something like "i'll do something abt it." but instead, she said tt school work comes first n tt she cudn't interfere in the affairs of the econs dept. i was thinking in my mind, "she's the principal, who can stop her frm interfering?" i forced a smile n walked away aft saying, "okay, thks."

alright i shd take into consideration tt i spoke to her at the wrong time. she must have tot, "let's tok abt this later shall we? don't affect my mood pls." n i shd consider tt she din get to see the whole pic. jerome suggests i email her w/ all the reasons stated. i agree. i shall go do tt now. if she still doesn't understand abt our gratitude to our alma mater, i'll have sufficient reason to do something like online petition cos i'm given the perception tt one student can't change the way a principal thinks, but a large number can. i'm sure the bulk of students in SAJC have the moral value of gratitude towards their alma mater (even w/o being taught by ME teachers).

the other time (online petition case), she said we shd speak to her 1st b4 doing anything rash like online petition. okay, i obeyed by speaking to her. but she didn't give me a reasonable answer. so wat's the point of speaking to her b4 writing an online petition? i see no difference at all. tt's why she was so worked up at the previous online petition case. see, u gotta use such mtds in order to educate the authorities.