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The Eduplex Day celebrations were still fresh in our minds when the teachers from CSHI embarked on their own learning journey at Changi Meridien Hotel for their staff retreat on 31st August, a cold and wet Saturday morning. Of course the temptation of sleeping in was hard to resist but all the teachers surprisingly arrived, bubbling with energy and enthusiasm. On arrival at Changi Meridien, we were served a light breakfast before the start of our retreat. Thanks to the weather outside, coupled with the air-con seminar room the temperature inside felt almost freezing. Most teachers were bundled up in their sweaters and some even decided to do some jogging to stay warm. (Not a bad idea!) We started with an opening prayer, which calmed our spirits and then we invited God to come into our midst. This was followed by a video programme titled "Everyday Creativity" hosted by Mr Dewitt Jones, a photographer with National Geographic Society. He explained, using pictures so stunning that they left me in awe at GOD's wonders, how we could find the extraordinary in the ordinary in anything we do. Dewitt also proffered that if we give up after a mistake or stop at the first right answer, we would never be able to find the extra in the ordinary. This inspired many teachers to change their concepts about making mistakes and they resolved to learn from those mistakes and to make them windows of opportunity instead. The group work facilitated more in-depth sharing which facilitated the movement from being mere colleagues to friends with the ultimate goal of being family. Privileged to be in the same group as Theresa, Deepak, Martina and Michelle, we shared our motivations for joining CSHI and also our difficulties and challenges. The buffet lunch allowed me to mingle and interact with the primary level teachers too. The stories of their experiences complemented the buffet spread well! The post luncheon activity, helped us to see how the same picture could mean different things to different people, reminding us that we should therefore never approach a problem with only one perspective! The many interesting picture fames surprised me, particularly the 3D pictures (i.e. pictures outside the frame). I guess this is what it means to think out of the box! A subsequent, more sober session ensued with very personal sharing from our Principal Ms Joan Chua, Vice-Principal Mrs Lim and Superior Sister Angela. This session led us to search deep within our hearts as to whether we treated our profession as a job or ministry. Have we been losing sight of the important things? It was definitely a soul-search experience especially for me, someone so new, asking what my priorities are and whom I serve. The retreat ended on a high note with candles being lighted and sweets passed around with song "This Little Light of Mine". The candles symbolized the light from within us and the sweets were to remind us of our childlike qualities. With a final prayer and the blowing out of our candles, we left Changi Meridien with gladdened hearts! The sky was clear with the sun's soft penetrating rays breaking through the clouds. God was definitely at work here! Mrs Belinda Anthony |
