Target achieved

Cheer 2011 is over. We competed yesterday and achieved our target. D*starz managed to hold on to top 10 position - we were number 8. Baby starz was able to be 25th and beat a few teams along the way, including Gemz. I have no complaints. At least where their achievements are concerned. Will be taking a break from Cheer for a while. Next to occupy my time will be helping out with the drama by production club.

3 days to go - 2011

In less than 72 hours, we will know who have done their teams proud and win various prizes in Cheer 2011. In less than 72 hours, my girls will find themselves lost, without a competition to look forward to anymore. In less than 72 hours, I will regain my life, and my children regain their mother. In less than 72 hours, I will suddenly miss those divas who have been occupying so much of my time and energy.
In less than 72 hours, I will find myself ... missing the action.

When is a No not a disobedience?

When we are told to do something, go somewhere or just plain be something we are not, are we allowed to say NO and not be branded negative or disobedient? Or are we to become the ultimate YES-man / YES-woman before we are considered good or effective? Are we NOT teaching our young to THINK and be CRITICAL about things they see/hear/learn? Are we walking the talk then, if we teach our young to master critical and creative thinking skills but we ourselves do not show that WE have those skills? Is it so wrong to say NO when we know we are not up to it?

Not allowed

As a civil servant, I am not allowed to utter words of criticism towards the government of the moment. That was what I was told, what we were all told. That caused me more anger and resentment than I could have imagined. I felt like a fool who needed to be reminded to be loyal to my boss.
As a civil servant, I am not allowed to be involved in politics. I have no interest in politics, truth be told. I am not interested in having a hand in the governance of this state and country. But to be told to the face that I am not allowed to do it - that pushed me a little further from what I used to believe in.
As a civil servant, I am not allowed to appear anywhere near public rallies and demonstrations. My boss was told to monitor her staff members and make sure none attended any rallies. As if SHE was allowed to go. What are we being told, honestly?
The whole "not allowed" issue is leaving a very bad taste in my mouth. I am no historian but ...
weren't the forefathers of this country, the ones who fought for independence and the right to govern this country to be returned to the people ... weren't they civil servants? Weren't many of them teachers and academicians?
Misunderstand not. I was not about to attend any rallies. I was not about to try and wrestle people for power. But I hate being told I am not allowed to do this and that and most of all, I hate being told I have no right to wear a certain colour, or use certain words. Have I suddenly lost the basic right to choose my clothing all of a sudden?

Out of blindness you caused me to see

I felt sad today. Well, not entirely true. I was proud but at the same time, sad.
I was proud to see how some people have let the scales fall from their eyes and see things as they are. I was proud of some people who have shown solidarity amidst tough times. I was proud that some people have restored my faith in what the future might hold.
But I was sad. I was saddened by the lies that are spread around so easily. I was sad that some people do not bat an eye when they lie. And I was sad that many people believe those lies.
To tell the truth, I never did like bringing a cause to the masses. I was never one to go to the streets. I still don't condone it. But that does not mean I do not appreciate what happened today. I shall not say more. Suffice to say that I, too, had scales fall from my eyes.

Commitment Issues

Seems like it is an annual thing for me to complain about commitment issues among my students. Specifically the cheer leaders. Sometimes it's not about them, but their guardians. But the root of the problem is they themselves. Every year it is a struggle to get this group of girls to understand what commitment means, what it entails and why it is important.
Every year, I have a few girls who just exasperate me to no end. If it is not lack of attendance, it is being tardy, or needing to leave early. Other than that it has to do with finances. Payment of money for coaching, for uniform, tshirts, this and that. It never ends.
It saddens me when I see these girls, who, initially show such potential, slip into the category of people who cannot commit themselves to what they want to do. The saddest thing, of course, is that it affects the entire team. The morale of the team dips. The annoyance among those who DO commit, is apparent. And this breaks up the team.
The other thing that truly annoys me is guardians who cannot understand why their charges' lack of commitment affects other people. Time and again, I have had to stress the importance of team work. I would rather have 12 people who truly commit, than 16 people consisting of 4 dead woods. I have less of a headache.
It is sad. I can see this trend continuing for a long time to come. This boils down to the ME culture. It's all about me, myself and I. This is the culture that is being passed down from those who should know better to those who are impressionable. The other problem is the focus on all things academics. Other types of learning no longer seem to be important. This is SAD.