OPSOC @ CPTC

Time flies....I have been teaching Mandarin OPSOC at CPTC for the past few years. Not the most charming audience that I would like to have in this course....as they are mostly50+ yrs old uncles from S'pore n Mal'sia. There are some younger audience in the 30s and also geting more of Chinese National workers about 30s also.

I know I just cannot deliver the lesson in a typical classroom manner...if not the uncles will just simply fall asleep. And that, as the person who trying to conduct the lesson, hurts. Instead of reading though the slides, it was more like a story telling and case study and joking session....when I remember...I even bring some mentos along too.

There will be a major restructuring in CPTC and we will be pulling out of that place very soon and another commercial training professional will be taking over. I don't think they will be interested in conducting such course nor need me to go over to deliver mandarin lesson any more.

So I considered this Wed is my last lesson of OPSOC with them. There are 22 "uncles" in the class...and as usual I ask them if they can understand mandarin as this is a Mandarin course. Also then I ask them they know how to read Chinese as later there will be a chinese MCQ test.
3 of the uncles actually raised their hands and tell me they dunno how to read Chinese...or very little only.

I pretend to be angry and ask them how the hell then they expect to pass the test and get their cert for working in the chemical industry for the next 3 years....to my surprise...their answer is :
"teacher, u forgot liao ah?? We are here 3 years ago, that time we told you we cannot read and u raed to us the 30 questions line by line and we answer accordingly lor. That is why we come back here again. er...how come today u never bring mentos??"

Oh what the.....stupid thing that i do when I was younger now actually come back to haunt me!!!
That time I really think the Chinese MCQ questions grammer sucks and must be translated directly from the English script and by a computer and checked by a non- Chinese.

So no choice, and hopefully for the very very last time....I got to read the questions line by line to thses 3 jokers after the lesson, while others do the test. this time I only read the 1st 20 questions...the rest they have to self-help, anyway they only need to pass..not score perfectly.

When passing the cert to them later, I kind of curious and ask them seriously : "Uncle, 3 years later...do you serioulsy expect to pass the test again??" The just smile and shrug their shoulders and say..." No choice lah, we will try our luck at Bukit Merah Centre lor...thank you you ah...".....

Though I wish them good luck....I really hope those of you who are reading this can remeber : Never allow your livelihood to be based on someone else mercy!!!