A few things have changed since I've started teaching:

1. All kids are now my kids. If I'm trying to watch out for a wandering child or gently guiding a random child to the right direction, it's because I feel somewhat responsible for them. If I see a bunch of teenagers loitering outside the local KFC,  I think these are just like my students - I push aside the urge to go and give them a stern warning and ask them to go study.

2. I see people differently. When I saw some detainees at the police station, I thought. ..what if some of my kids turn out like this, and pray that none of them do. When my car was broken into (along with two of my other friends' ) I thought ... I guess this is why I teach for Malaysia too. And I hoped that if one day it was any of my kids who ended up in these gangs who did these things, when they realise it's my car they'll say 'This is teacher's. She was kind to us.' And stop, and maybe leave a note which said 'Sorry teacher'.

3. I have a tendency to scold people who are acting like kids. It comes from being on my toes all day keeping kids to their best expected behaviour.

4. I'm a lot more organised now. Because, all that teaching and talking to kids about being the best they can be and not forgetting their homework.  Also as a teacher being organised is a matter of survival.

5. I now envy different things. I now envy people who've done really well with their students, or who have great classroom management or see moments in their students of things clicking in the right way. I envy these and would like so much to see these happen - for my kids, but also for myself. This may or may not be good, but i guess it's better than envying how good others look or how much fun they're having.