F is for Fun

Notice how in school things seem to become bleaker as you grow older. From easy-peasy UPSR you aim for PMR. Not long after you feel triumphant of the good results you get from shading the correct answer on the Objective answer sheets, teachers and parents began harping on the importance of doing well in SPM.

Notice how the hill gets steeper from there.

Questions are harder, tasks more difficult.

No more Big Books, not so much of drawing (except in PSV-Visual Art) or singing or play time. Story Telling is influenced by horror stories of career options went wrong.

Notice how fun is sucked out of these kids alive.

So, note-to-self:

Next time, at the beginning of the year, start with something enjoyable but stress on SOME tips to do well in the tasks. For example, instead of starting their Composition book with drab-y essays like Letters of Complaint, or describing a National Day celebration or heavy argumentative essays on topics they rather not deal with, get them to discuss matters from their own point of view or from their everyday life. Get them to tell you details about themselves (yes, we all like to yak about ourselves, what makes you think kids are any different?). Get them to write in an enjoyable way. Give them a lot of materials to read, pictures to ogle at, world-ly ideas to gape about.

I mean this is JUST FOR STARTERS. As the school term progresses, go back to the prescribed syllabus, making sure their needs for the exam is met. Because by the end of the Malaysian schooling day, their achievement in exam is what THEY are worried about. So help them see to it.

Every now and then, go back to some fun. Give them a chance to get heated in silly yet provoking topics. My boys love that. Especially if I give topics like "Girls are better than boys".

Makes little sense on the surface I know, but if helped through it they will come to the conclusion such as this: "Teacher, we are created equal, this is not even an argument!" or, of course, something similar expressed within their vocabulary level.

Here are some ESL ideas I would like to remind myself:

Instead of:

'Write about the dangers of smoking'

Do:

'Imagine you are a sufferer of a fugly mouth and throat cancer/gangrene/emphesyma, write a letter to your brother/mother/Persian cat while on your deathbed.'

or, if your students are good, (like mine) give them

'This house will ban cigarette smoking in public places because cancer is not for sharing'

Instead of:

'Read the long-winded, confusing text filled with words you have never seen before and would probably never-ever use in your entire life, and answer the 10 thousand comprehension questions that follow'

Do:

'Label the human anatomy below with examples of how tobacco smoking can affect the organs. Then, answer the questions that follow'

Instead of:

'Write an impossible speech about the importance of dam / Write why you oppose to dams'

Do:

'You are the leader of the Kenyah tribe in Sarawak. Write a speech about how the Bakun Dam has brought misery to your people'

or

'As the representative to the tiger/orang utan/phyton colony who live along Balui River, write a journal about your plight for being removed from the forest.

*if your kids are anything like mine, they'd be all smart-ass and said "Tok Batin cannot speak English la teacher!"

Fortunately, the secondary school English language syllabus is topical. So we can work on the themes suggested (im gonna heavily emphasize on the word 'suggested' here). Emphasis must be given to reading texts. So that they get ideas to talk/write about. I vow not to restrict myself to boring articles like the ones in the text books only. I shall get info from Wiki (sometimes i require them to wiki it themselves prior to the class), use videos from Youtube and show loads of pictures relevant to the topics.

Word of caution: Sometimes however, things don't really go as I plan. The above are just some of the successful ideas. It may or may not suit your students' level of proficiency.

A lot of my days are just trial and error. By the end of the day i like to believe that what matters is that i HAVE tried. Good luck future me!

LO_ER

Found written on a piece of scrap paper lying at the bottom of the stairs at school:

"Im loser you know"

Running through my mind instantly:

"You sure are. You cant even write a dejected note-to-self right. You missed the article 'a'."

Guess if I was a counselor I should probably seal all windows to my office tight for fear of clients jumping to their demise.

humble pie

Complaints by my colleagues about some of the students I'm rather close to have dimmed my opinion of them causing me to cast disapproving looks towards their way.

But i wonder if we adults are just too quick to judge

One of my senior panel member who is teaching the class i was in charge of last yr said the kids are "devilishly rowdy, rude, ignorant and downright disgusting". She is having trouble getting these kids listen to her, much less cooperate and do her work.

In 2009, these very same kids inspired ME. I enjoyed teaching them so much it came to a point where i decided then and there that kids like them are MY reason to stay and educate. One day after a good round of class discussion, i stopped to tell them how proud i am of them, how i sometimes think of them during school break and how i finally learn to LOVE teaching, because of them.

They clapped and hooted and i think i saw hints of blush on their cheeks. I know they love me and they know i care about them.

This year i reluctantly hand them over to a senior staff much to their dismay. They still come by asking me to take them back. Sorry, but its their final year and they are probably better off with a much experienced teacher. Or so we thought..

Personally, i think the kids could have showed more respect. But then again it speaks volume when one teacher finds them inspiring while another has hit her limit and well, kinda hate their guts. Maybe if we are to approach them in a different way it might result significantly different?

Another case was between a senior male teacher and one of the students from the class I'm in charge of this year. The kid was late to the lab so the teacher wanted to punish him as well as several others who took approx. 30mins to go down 1 flight of stairs fr Physics. Everybody else was caned but this particular kid threatened the teacher. Apparently the word 'sue' was used but I never know fr sure coz the kid denied it upon investigation.

The senior teacher was VERY upset when he told me of the account. This kid seems to think he's some kind of a big-shot because of his family background - said the teacher.

I was disappointed in this kid so I approached him during class a day after. I contained my anger and showed him empathy instead. I made sure he noted my disdain. But I also make him tell me everything from his point of view before i guided him to see it through the teacher's eyes. Obviously the kid got defensive but left home that day with a lot that I gave him to think about over the weekend.

Come Monday morning he slinked to my desk looking dejected: "Miss, i think of what you said over what happened with Mr X. I cant study all weekend!"

Indeed the boy seems miserable but intent on making amends with the other teacher. I told him I'm proud of his realization and nudged him in the right direction. He left not without asking first how to go about "apologizing" - something he said he has never done in his entire life until today.

I thought i was to choke in tears. His actions today warmed my heart.

These two incidents made me wonder what else that happened between us and the kids that has skipped "second chances". I wonder what else are we wrong about them? What other incident has caused them to react in a way that they themselves are not proud of but has little control of their own feelings? How many other times have we failed to really stop and listen to them, guide them and EDUCATE?

worthy of being loved

what do you do to make yourself worthy?

I always believe that

if you have very little self-respect, how do you expect others to respect you?

If you feel that you are not good enough in something, well, then yeah, you ARE not good enough.

If you feel unhappy of your own achievements, then, they really are not enough for others to admire.

Point is then, u must work to improve yourself.

If you want progress, for heaven's sake, find opportunities.

You want improvements, fix what is not working.

If you want to find that special someone to love, make yourself available, minus the negative vibes. or bad odour. or that high wall you fenced yourself in. or that annoying mopey face.

Or rather, find the heart in you and love being in your own skin.

Because you cant fix or set up everything around you.

Because some things just wont go the way you want them to be.

time tattle tale

and she deliberate

to authenticate

when in truth she just

procrastinate

not a talent

well justified

unless displayed?

-how very shallow.

she hesitate

cos she wants to captivate

true beauty

the best she can create

so she deliberate

until everything lost

time due eliminate