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!
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