I scolded them today. They were simply sitting there like 39 big huge rocks. Yes, that was how I felt. They were like rocks. No response. Let me explain what happened :

"Let's go through Paper 2 now. Take out your solutions and the question paper."
*takes out paper
"Ok....any problems with this paper?"
*no answer....everyone looking down at their own work, or staring at me, or scribbling stuff...
"No problems at all? Really?"
*no answer
"Ok let's do this page by page...Page 1...Questions 1 to 4...any problems?"
*no answer
"All ok? No problems at all?"
*no answer
"everyone got it correct?"
*no answer
"How about Question 5 to 8 on the next page...any problems?"
*no answer
"Really so good ah? You can do every question and get all the correct answers?"
*One boy asked for Qn 7C to be discussed.
"OK Question 7C, everyone.....(discuss 7C on the board, completes explaining the question)"
"Any other problems?"
*no answer. Some copying the solution for 7C from the board
"Or you have not even tried the paper yet...I think some have not even tried yet...am I right?"
*no answer. Some shuffling their papers, pretending to look busy. Others sit and stare at me.
"Would you like more time to complete this paper?"
*no answer
"......." (blood beginning to BOIL)

What the f***??? If they CANNOT do the paper, they would not tell me. If they CAN do the paper, they also would not tell me. If they have not done the paper, they would not tell me. If they have completed the paper with no problems at all, they would still not tell me. This class just would not respond at all! And it's not like they are defiant or naughty. They are just quiet. They are a bunch of quiet people who are not-so-quiet when they are on their own. But once they sit down in the classroom and on thier own chair, it's almost like some switch button turns off their voice box. I've met them in the canteen and we sit down and chat and trust me, majority of them are quite chatty when they're not in class. Put them in the classroom and voila!! -- no more voice....

I was so frustrated that I gave them a piece of my mind today. If these people are going to go out to the working world, or to JC or poly for that matter, they will NOT survive. If they don't want to learn to open their golden mouth and get over that stupid Asian-Singaporean "scare pai say" mentality, they will be left behind.

That's all. That was it. I left the class without another word, after the 10 minute lecture that I delivered.

I left because I was so agitated that I was close to tears.