North Shore: TEE Success College

I/my dad decided to sign me up to TEE tuition classes at this supposed success college called north shore. My first impression: seemed like it was filled with a studious bunch of fellow yr 12s/they were ALL Asian.... Economics is taught by Mr Banks, who teaches at Aranmore Senior High School. He's a great guy. Knows his stuff. The thing is, he thinks i play hockey, and contantly ridicules me in class because of my lack of punctuality. Talk about encouraging the student....Now that there is only 4 gifted Econs students left, it's a lot easier for Banksy to point out me (the dud) from the rest.

I had my first Chemistry class today. My friend Jason said everyone quit Chem, except for Irene. Thinking this was going to be another small, tight class, i thought i might turn up to class without any socks on. Living a 5 min walk away, the risk was definitely worth it. It wasnt like anyone there would care anyway. Being the hobo that i am, i turned up with only my pencil, knowing well that my sweaty feet could not be comforted without socks. i guess there won't be too many people complaining...

Entering the centre, it seemed all too quiet. I checked which class the Chem class was assigned, and walked in only to see the teacher talking gibberish (later i found out it was Physics) and i saw a few familiar faces. Irene, Dennis, Vinh (the kid i copied answers from for Intro Calc last year at the "college" who happened to be 2 years younger than myself....how disgraceful.....), Kevin, Yenni (from highgate primary) and Janet (from Rossmoyne). Half of these left. In the end, there was only 6 people sitting in for Chem. Irene, Joanna, Dennis, Janet, her friend (i forgot her name...), Mei ling, and myslef.

Turns out, the Chem teacher is the same as the Phys teacher. No lost respect in that, until he failed to correctly explain core Chemistry fundamentals... In the multichoice section, there was a question: "How many electrons are there in Zinc at it's ground state?" My logic was ground state means the atom in question is not excited. Regardless, it should have 30 electrons since it has an atomic number of 30. WRONG! For some reason, the answer is 2....I felt the urge to stab him, but instead reasoned that it was not the teacher's incompotency, but the typist's because it was not typed correctly. It should have read, "How many valence electrons are there in the ground state of Zinc?".

For one of the short answers, we were discussing reaction processes, and drawing the graph concerning potential energy after reaction. "It's an endothermic reaction" Mr S tells us, only to draw an endothermic graph (Those who do not do Chemistry, he drew the reverse diagram). Ok, somy dad is paying this guy about $20 an hour, and he can't draw a simple diagram for me....

Apart from the teacher, i feel like the dumbest person there. I'm the only one asking questions to clarify the answers, and everyone seemed to have finihsed the booklet before i started the 2nd question. Despite all opf this, i like to think i outsmarted the whole lot of them on one equilibrium question.

"What can decrease the percentage of ionisation of a weak acid?"

As i was drifting in and out of consciousness. i remembered my great Chem teacher, Mr Hay, saying something about a strong acid can decrease the rate of ionisation of a weak acid because of competing equilibrium, or somehting of the sort. Not too sure, i decide to throw it out to the group. "i think it's A...what do you guys think?". Most of them said C. Well they were wrong. Mr S called A, i felt a surge of arrogance get the best of me and as i decided to let these A-grade students acknowledge my awesomeness. Janet's friend (and i will find out her name) looked back at me, "i don't listen to anything you say...".......I can't tell what's worse. To have my spirits crushed like a bug, or to get hit in the crouch by Paul Ramondo....

Classes go on for another 5 weeks. These are the joys of a Yr12 student.....

Graduation Breakfast and Assembly - CANCELLED!

In the last period of class, the principal came personally to each classroom to present to us all, a letter of apology (/reason to blame the year 12's) for the cancellation of the traditional graduation breakfast and assembly. We were expected to turn up at 7:30 to eat breaky with our fellow friends and family, in the Trinity spiritual nature. But because the executives of Trintiy College feel our recent sporting achievements has essentuated our youthful arrogance and sense of invincibility, rational decisions were made swiftly.

It all started yesterday, with the commencement of the Prefects vs. Teachers soccer match. A tradition that is held year-after-year, what alternative could strengthen the relationship amongst the student body and teachers than to put them into seperate teams to fight head to head.

Prefects drew first blood as we took one away from the teachers. Overcome by emotion and a great sense of achievement in the air, celebration rose up from the crowd and a rumble erupted. Students ran onto the field, jumping joyously at the goal, only until the teachers left the pitch 10mins early due to the lack of discipline of the crowd....

When the students returned from the game, they went to their lockers reluctantly. Not only were the students upset by the lack of playing time on the field, but were met with a powerful stench from the end of a corridor. Turns out, God forbid, someone had decided to chuck a dump on a Year 12 Religon Test Paper. Not only did they decide to make our prestigous school smell like a toilet, they decided to make their mark on a religon test paper. Since religon is the core foundation of the school, the top dogs were not too happy...

Turning up to school today, i find eggs splattered all over our lockers. Of course, it is "Muck up" Day afterall. Some of the yoke got on my discrete book. You can tell i was shattered -_-...Called into a meeting, the Year 12 cohort was interrogated, and were told explicitly: "If no one is going to confess to these actions, there will be NO reason for you to turn up tomorrow. UNDERSTOOD! No breakfast, no graduation ceremony, and none of you can get their T-shirts signed, is that clear?"

So here i am, typing up the events of that took place, knowing there is absolutely no reason for me to be in school tomorrow. *sigh* If those responsible were to 'fess up, we would have listened to Head Boy, Barbas, give an honourable speech, and i could've enjoyed a FREE breakfast. Now all i have to look forward to is the term break holidays, which comprises of my wonderful MOCKS exams and playing Ping Pong with PK and Pette....