Ahhhhh JC starts next week :O Oh my gosh I’m getting the jitters.
Here’s a post to add a fullstop to my 4 years in Xinmin. :’)
Though everyone says they hate school, they dread waking up early, the heavy workload, CCA and stuff, at the end of the day, you can’t deny not having feelings for your school. I remember not liking Xinmin when I went for its openhouse, cos it was so hot when I stood at the parade square. Haha what a stupid reason. My dad chose this school over Zhonghua (my choice), and perhaps I have to thank him for that 
I didn’t do very well in sec 1 cos I was still adapting (I guess), and those foreign subjects like Art and D&T really pulled my grades down. But I was still glad to be doing okay, like average. Then sec 2 was the year I peaked. Haha I sound boastful, but that was the only time I did well…haha! Don’t know why, but I could grasp the lower sec syllabus in that year, and it sort of became a breeze. I can still remember how I would diligently complete my homework ASAP, then vandalise my assessment books. And in sec 2, Mdm A___ (gasps) came to appreciate my English compos and after almost every test, she would ask me to photocopy my compo and pin it on the noticeboard, together with other students’ that scored well. Ha, that’s probably the only fond memory I have of her. To be honest, now that I look back on my years in Xinmin, I realised what she taught during Language Arts was so superficial, and I wrote crap during the sec 2 Lit exams…I shudder each time I read my Lit essays from 2 years ago :/
I still love 203 ’09, cos it was my very first class in Xinmin and where I met awesome friends 
Plus I think we went through a lot together, at least more than the other classes in our batch, cos of HER. Then came sec 3, which was just overload of CCA and studies :C I was practically caught in a tornado and couldn’t escape. My results went downhill (which is why I miss sec 2 so much) and I was struggling to strike a balance between Guzheng and studies. Since I was in upper sec, I think everytime after CCA, the only thing I wanted to do was just rush home and sleep. In sec 4, the first 4 months were just Guzheng, Guzheng and more Guzheng, to the extent that I became numb. The pressure was mounting, and my mid years results were sacrificed. Haha not that I did well for prelims, but since the sec 4s stepped down after SYF, it just felt soooo good to be able to focus on mugging. I know I wasn’t the only one struggling to cope, but I don’t think everyone had such a difficult time, cos some still did well in their studies…Now that everything is over, I tell myself that it was all these boundaries that made me stronger, and I did enjoy Guzheng, especially he zou
I vividly remember how demoralised I was last year, cos I was still failing every Physics test though I studied, and only just passing each Chem test. Really, Science is just not my thing, and I doubt I’ll ever touch it again But the teachers were incredibly encouraging, and I’m so thankful for them. The last 2 years in Xinmin were critical, and inspired by some teachers, I’m gonna express my heartfelt gratitude to them:
-MS ANNIE YEO
E.Math and A.Math teacher She’s one teacher I can never thank enough. I think most of the girls in 406 will admit she’s a mother figure, ever so caring and concerned for her students. Though she seemed angry with us last year, we all know she still loves us and will always want the best for us. I will never forget how she always switches off the fans in our classroom to force us to pick up the litter on the floor, how she likes to use ‘apples’ to let us understand her explanations better, how she can actually be humorous at times, how she never fails to add quotes at the end of each test, to motivate us, how she always hand writes the answer keys to our tests and exams, how she meticulously marks our assignments, tell us where we went wrong (and sometimes even do some corrections on our homework itself) and so many more…oh my gosh I miss her so much now that I’m typing this. Sorry Ms Yeo, we’ve made you angry and so tired the past year 
But we definitely appreciate all the things you’ve done for us! During the study break before O’s, when I went back to school for consultations, Ms Yeo saw me outside the staff room, and called me over. She didn’t remember my name, but what touched me was that she knew there were 2 Lit papers followed by an A.Math paper on the same day, and told me not to worry so much, and just concentrate on Lit, cos Math is a subject that needs constant practice, there’s nothing else I can do for it. Awwww :’( Also, on results day, she came over to our class and asked each of us how we did, like L1R5 etc, and she told us “Well done, well done”. She’s one teacher that inspired and gave me the drive to do my best in everything.
-MS DORA LEE
The best English teacher ever. Seriously. At first we were scared of her cos she was so strict and we had to get a note from the teacher of the previous lesson when we were late for her class, and she made those who didn’t complete homework stand outside the classroom. However, as days went by, we came to realise how good her teaching was, and occasionally she would tell us anecdotes of her life. She’s one special teacher who brings out the best in her students, and she said she would gladly claim credit if we thank her for our good English grade, but if we didn’t, it’s fine. Also, I’m always amazed by how she leads such a fulfilling life – she takes up photography lessons, does scrapbooking and goes overseas. I’m so envious of her! Although she always fell sick (hope she’s better now) and didn’t come for lessons, it was what she taught when she came that was vital. Those skills. That’s why she was always confident and not apologetic for always missing lessons; she knew what she had to teach and she had done it, so there was nothing to worry about. Haha I regret not hugging her on results day! Jiaqi did so and it must had been a touching and sweet moment. But nevermind, she congratulated me for my A1 and we shook hands, hehe 
So thankful to her for teaching me so much more than just English, and I’m motivated to work hard for GP and ELL (if I manage to study it!)
-MS CHERYL LIE
A very dedicated Lit teacher Must admit that we didn’t really have a good impression of her in sec 3, cos we were not used to her very straightforward and cool character. But towards sec 4, we understood all her good intentions. She is also a teacher who teaches beyond Lit. She hopes that we understand the human condition, which is key in understanding whatever text or prose we’re studying. She does her very best in bringing out her students’ potential, and strives to make her weak students improve. Never before has she come up with detailed and step-by-step notes for her previous batches, she did so for us. I can’t bear to chuck away her notes and answer keys cos she put in a great deal of effort and time to churn out these stuff to spoonfeed us :O Sad in a way, cos there will be no more spoonfeeding in JC… And I must really thank her for the advice she gave when I was in a dilemma over CJC and SAJC. Hopefully I’ll not let her down when taking Lit in JC.
-MS MARTIN
In sec 3, my SS really sucked. I couldn’t digest all the info and couldn’t grasp the tricks for SBQs and SEQs. Ms Martin really saved me. Okay it was spoonfeeding again, like those model essays and power packs, but Ms Martin also analysed and went through the trends for O’s and other schools’ prelims. She even went through certain tricky questions step by step with us. Furthermore, her tips were very important to prevent us from making mistakes. She’s one of the few teachers who can joke with our class, haha she always says that the girls do better. But the guys never get angry 
Such a pity she’s no longer teaching in Xinmin, cos such a fun and good teacher is a treasure. Hehe I even drew Ms Martin on a page of my model essays She’s a great inspiration!
So thank you, Xinmin, for everything. You’re indeed an above average school that offers a unique experience for students. Oh yeah, I don’t understand why everyone’s like complaining about Mrs Ong. You don’t know how much she did for us, so stop judging her and stop the stupid whining about having to sing the national anthem repeatedly. Even I feel ashamed and not angry, cos we do not take pride in singing the national anthem and school song! It’s so soft and I cringe when I hear the moans in the parade square, when Mrs Ong asks us to stand up and do it again. And don’t you find her particularly sincere, greeting and bowing to us, STUDENTS each and every morning? If she’s trying to connect with us, why must we keep pushing her away?? At least she’s better than some teachers who think they’re always right when in fact they might be ruining our school.
What a lengthy post. Shit I’m not done tidying my room!!!
