I am grateful

I am grateful to the boss of my boss. Our Supervisor is understanding and flexible. More importantly, she is able to make me know my mistakes.

Teachers are experts in picking up mistakes made by students as well as others other than themselves. I know this Archilles heel and am grateful to students and friends who are generous enough to point out my mistakes. It is a precious gift.
Moreover, my cheek is thick. I have no qualms about admitting my mistakes in front of my students, especially when I was teaching RS in Chinese. Very often, I asked my students how to write a certain phrase in Chinese. I am aging. I tend to forget how to write the first word of a particular Chinese phrase though I remember the second!  I was not a bit embarrassed when students pointed at the mistakes I wrote on the blackboard. After all, to err is human. As students, it is not their faults to make mistakes. They should make mistakes!

My boss meant what he said. He did bring the matter up to the Supervisor. So, I was asked to see the Supervisor during recess time on Monday. Sr. Michelle was direct. She expected me to know why I was summoned and she would like to hear my side of the story.
She was very understanding and knew most of my points. Perhaps she had already read my Sunday blog entry. As the Supervisor of a Diocesan school, she should uphold the mother tongue policy of the Diocese. Turning to me, she threw me the following queries.
Isn't it easier to talk to the hearts in mother-tongue?
Don't I share in the parish communities in Cantonese? What makes it so difficult for me to teach RS in Chinese?
My reply is this.
In the parish, we share the same faith. We speak the same language. However, my students in Shung Tak are Band One grade-conscious non-believers. Bible and RS did not help them enter S6. Or in junior forms, grades in RS do not affect their class positions. It is challenging indeed for RS teachers to make RS relevant to their school life. However, if I teach them in English, at least, their English proficiency will improve. Don't forget, much of the English language is the outgrowth of the Bible. Many English idioms and allusions come from the Bible. Bible and the teachings of the Church will creep in imperceptibly. Had Shung Tak been a Band Three school, I would not have insisted using English to teach RS. I am sure the Diocesan policy makers at the Catholic Education Office have taken this into consideration. When the heads of schools implement this policy, they forsake the ethos of their schools and blindly follow the wishes of their bosses at the CEO.

Have I won this battle hands down? Not at all. Sr. Michelle made me realize my mistakes. I took matters into my hand and bypassed the panel head and the school principal. I realize that I have put Adrian, my panel head, in a difficult position and may jeopardize his promotion. I have not thought out the consequences thoroughly enough.
Sr. Michelle suggested conducting a survey to find out how much my students have benefited from this switching of MOI. These data would justify my actions and allow me to identify the difficulties the students may encounter. Of course, I have no objection, though I found it paradoxical to justify using English to teach RS in an English school!

Dear Lord, I am grateful to Sr. Michelle for her tolerance and flexibility towards me. I am also grateful that she makes me realize my mistakes. It is a precious gift. Thank You, Lord. Amen.