I have many things on my plate, but I focused on finishing my annual performance review report today. Over the years, I have come to streamline my thought processes and sell my brand better, so it’s no longer such a pain in the ass, but still…
In Singapore, as in the UK, civil servants are pitted against one another in a performance ranking exercise. This means that the key personnel of my school sit around a conference table and discuss the grade under which our performance falls under. Our bonuses next year will depend upon the ranking we have attained in this exercise. Kinda like the Leaderboard, if you think about it.
The thing is, this ranking exercise is typically conducted before my work review with my boss. I may invest my heart and soul into curating my work review, but it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things because the key personnel would have formed their impressions of me. This is a case of me feeling the lack of control in my career because the things I write in my review have little bearing on how highly I am ranked. I won’t go as far to say that the review thus becomes a meaningless exercise, but it is hardly motivating.
Oh well, until I make tons of money from my blog and set up my content creation business, I will have to suck it up and not let my work review be an aggravating factor in my life. I hope your work review is done in a more meaningful way.1
  1. Instilled good mindfulness habits, such as box breathing and positive visualisation, to bring out the best in the dancers before their performances. 2. Updated Dance CCA website after every performance. 3. Enhanced public speaking skills for 8 students by training them to present in front of the entire school. 4. Joined the PandAI Net Exchange WhatsApp group, led by Singapore Sports School staff, to share and exchange insights on AI-enhanced teaching practices with fellow educators.
  2. Sustained my efforts to educate EL colleagues on relevant AI tools, such as Twee and NotebookLM, that could boost their productivity.
  3. Facilitated a learning journey for PSB personnel, enlightening them on the socio-educational circumstances and challenges faced by our students. 7. Developed a comprehension exercise on chilli crabs to evaluate the impact of the Simpler app. Delivered a lesson walkthrough of the exercise with 1S6, observed by 4 external HQ personnel. 8. Attended two seminars on reading strategies led by Dr. Sharon Vaughn and shared insights with English colleagues to enhance teaching practices. 9. Enriched the learning experience by targeting 10 rules and suffixes, and instructing staff and students through posters and Kahoot! quizzes. 10. Served as the Presiding Examiner for the N(T) EL exams and coordinated various personnel to ensure the successful completion of logistical and admin tasks. 11. Teamed up with colleagues to present a well-received performance at Homecoming and Youth Day events

Footnotes

  1. These are some things I wrote in my review, if you must know.
Actually I don't think I've ever done one of those...
And these days I doubt anyone would let me into a fiat mine in the first place! ;-)
Wish you luck on the content project, great to get started on things like that when its still early...
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