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Hi, everyone! I have finally managed to write something. I hope 2017 will bring many great things for all of us!
-TM, 2nd February 2017

Saturday, December 29, 2012

New (School) Year Countdown: Weird Dreams

   I have always found it odd how when I'm looking forward to or am constantly thinking of something, it ends up in my dreams. Of course it's probably not odd since studies have shown that dreams are usually affected by what you think and do (eceh jadik saintis pulak tetiba). You know what I mean though.

   And guess what. School is about to start in less than a week.

   And last night, I had the strangest dream.

   I dreamt that I was getting ready for school. Then I realised that I was late for school. I quickly jumped on my bike (what the... a bike?) and pedalled as hard as I could. Then suddenly the tires went flat. I cycled home (apparently I was supposed to pick her up. Wait. Where did I cycle from in the first place??) and informed her that we had better  go to school by car since my bike had managed to get flat tires. Then a man suddenly came and knocked on the window and asked if we were planning to move out since he was looking for a house to rent.

   I don't think we went to school at all in the end.

   Complete rubbish.

   As if I would EVER cycle to school. Crazy kot. Mungkinla jauh.

   Hehe. Happy end-of-holidays and let's get ready to get back to school!

   Anybody been lucky enough to get your own share of weird get-back-to-school dream/nightmare? Do share.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Big Bad Wolf Book Sale

   Are you afraid of the big bad wolf?

   Don't be! Because the big bad wolf is just one of the millions of bad, fictional character out there (okay, not the most comforting thought). But best of all, the Big Bad Wolf I am referring to is not the furry beast that hunts Little Red Riding Hood. Instead, I am talking about this Big Bad Wolf:













   As Ducky would say:

















   Yup, yup, yup! It's a Book Sale! I have been looking forward to this ever since my sister told me about this. Books, books, books, where would we be without books? One of my ideas of meeting and falling in love with somebody is in a book store. Haha. I always think that a person who carries a book around as the most interesting sort of person I'd like to talk to. Unfortunately, people who are immersed in reading aren't usually interested in talking! I should know. Anyway, people who bury their head in books are so much better than those who bury their heads in tablets or Ipads and the like. I think.

   So save the dates! I will be going to KL next week, and I CANNOT wait to visit the Big Bad Wolf and give him a huge hug. Hopefully he'll hug me back and let me return home with plenty of goodies. For more information, visit their official website or/and blog and don't forget to like them on Facebook.

I'll see you there!

Thoughts for the day...

   Assalamualaikum and hello everybody! I know I have been very unproductive, both on this blog and on my baking blog. The thing is, once I stop posting, it's a little bit difficult to get back on track.

   However, I recently turned 24 (Happy Birthday to me, yayyy!!), on November 24th to be exact, and I thought I might as well set a few goals. One of them is to post at least once a week (my hands are trembling slightly at the thought as I type this). Ahhem. Can I do even that? But I must! After all, the purpose of this blog is to share as much knowledge as I can. If I don't post anything, I might as well just put the blog to sleep.

   What a year I have had! From getting the posting results on January 10th, to getting briefed on the 16th, and going to school on the 17th, all the way up to this moment. I have had a lot of good moments, some bad ones from which I've learnt a lot of things and some very unforgettable and funny ones, mostly involving my pupils of course. You will doubtless have read about 2 Delima and their main star, Haslina. As of this moment, I have been appointed to teach them again next year. The horror! (gasps) Haha. 

   But it's all in good fun. I have learnt so much from just being with them. They, in turn, have improved so much. As the term ended, I noticed how much more thoughtful they have become. I too, have learnt a little bit on how to manage them without having to shout all the time. They've settled to the idea of working first before playing. They still insist on playing, I'm afraid, but I suppose it can't be helped.

   Haslina, though, is a different story. If I'm to teach them next year, I pray that Allah grants me a lot of strength and patience. She is a bright girl, and I am sure she can even be clever if she tries, but I'm afraid she doesn't get much discipline at home. I've learned that what happens at home will have a huge impact on how children behave at school. We do what we can at school, of course, but that's it. It's 1 teacher : 60 pupils vs. 2 parents : 5-10 children. You get the idea. Maybe I don't understand because I am not yet a parent. I don't know. I just think parents have to put in more effort in bringing their kids up. It's not just about feeding and clothing them. It's about helping them to become people. 

   And those are my thoughts for today. I hope you're having a great time. Make sure you try to do something fun during the school holidays. Go on a trip, write a book, or several, or a poem. Eat nice things. Keep healthy. Be productive. And never, ever forget to do your ibadah

-TM :)

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Hello School Holidays!

















  School is finally over!!!!

   For this year, at least.

   I've had so much fun, and learnt so much that my brain feels like it can't take anymore. Which is not true, of course, as the more you learn, the better it is for your brain. Anyway, I'd like to catch up with my writing on this blog, but for now I'll just wish Happy Holidays to everyone. Happy Holidays! Have a well-earned rest for those who will also be on holiday. Let's hope we'll do better next year, Insya-Allah. Take care!


Sunday, August 26, 2012

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!

   I am late as usual. Nevertheless, I'd like to wish all my Muslim friends and readers Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri! Maaf zahir dan batin. May Allah bless you, whoever and wherever you are, Insya-Allah!

   -Teacher Mayah a.k.a. Miss Sumaiyyah

Monday, August 6, 2012

Alif's (Not So) New Look

   Remember Alif? He's now in Year Four and is a prefect! He looks so cute, I wonder if his voice is as shrill as always. I do miss him. There's nobody quite as dear as he is, I've yet to find a pupil I like so as much as I liked him (biasness alert).


   Take care, dear! I hope you won't be embarrassed to find yourself on this blog, if you do ever find it one day :)

Friday, July 27, 2012

Happy Ramadhan!

   I'm late, as usual, but I'd like to wish all my Muslim readers a Happy Ramadhan! May this blessed Ramadhan help us to become better Muslims. Hopefully we'll become more productive through the training we're getting throughout this month. Insya-Allah!!!

   Remember...
Credits to www.brotherhoodarts.com


















   Take care!

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Teaching of Phonics Course: A Sneakpeek

   I really enjoyed the Teaching of Phonics course I went to and I wish that I could really get down to posting about what I've learnt there. For now, take a look at these pictures to have some insight into what we did there...

   We got some really great ideas on how to teach phonics:










 













  Okay I may be a bit biased here so feel free to disagree. I simply think that English teachers are just the best sorts of people to be around. Even when I was in school, I always felt that vibe from my English teachers. They were just different. They were fun, creative, full of energy and I always looked forward to my English classes. I had the same sort of experience during the two courses I've attended which involved English teachers. Things were never boring because everybody was just so enthusiastic. I met so many lovely people there and I feel truly privileged.

All the CPs with our wonderful instructors.
All prim and proper.


That's more like it.

My crazy, energetic and fun, fun fun group mates. You guys rock!
 

















































   Good luck dear friends! It seems like the world is so much better with people like you in it, and your pupils are truly, truly lucky getting you as their teachers.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

School-Based Oral Assessment (SBOA) link

   I found a helpful blog post on School-Based Oral Assessment. It explains the types of models used for assessing pupils together with some examples. The post actually explains SBOA for secondary school, but I haven't found any links for primary school. Check out the post anyway, I think it's still helpful.


   My own assessments are a bit of a mess, but as soon as I clear them up I'll try to share them with you (ughhh I hate making promises these days, I just ever get around to fulfilling them!)

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Delima Diaries: Struck by a Pen

   Being with 2 Delima is always a challenge. I never know what to expect, no matter how carefully I have planned a lesson.

   Last week something rather funny and more truthfully painful (for me, anyway) happened. The bell signalling the end of my two periods with 2D had rung, and I was sitting by Mat Syaf and observing while he finished his work. He was rather quiet that day due to his own actions and I felt rather sorry for him.

   Meanwhile, Haslina and the other three girls were, as usual clamoring around me and fighting over who was going to take teacher's things up to the staff room. Haslina had taken possession of my stationery box and was going over the things in it and tidying them up (a habit she had taken up recently). She was standing (or sitting, I can't quite remember) right beside me and was engaged in trying to get the lid of a red pen off the bottom end. It was rather tight and she struggled with it for a few seconds when suddenly it came off and wham! struck into one corner of my left eyebrow. I was quite shocked by the sudden unplanned 'attack' and the sharp pain led me to give out a cry of pain.

   I immediately pressed my palm over the wound and put my head on the desk. My head was reeling a bit from the shock and it was honestly quite painful. The girls were crowding around me and trying to get a look at my face. When my head had stopped spinning I lifted my face and gingerly touched the area where I'd been hit. Horrors! There was blood! I had no tissue on me so I made do with the inside part of my headscarf.

   The news spread like wildfire among the children. Quite a while later, when I'd had a chance to sit down and relax, I discovered the wild stories that the children had spread, like how I had got into a fight with Haslina which ended in me being viciously attacked by Haslina with a pen. It turned out to be a rather funny incident and I couldn't help but laugh about it.

   Haslina herself was quite unaffected by it. I suppose she is still too small(?) to know how to feel guilty, because while I was washing the blood off my face (okay, don't worry, I didn't lose that much blood, haha), she innocently spoke one of her favourite sentences, "Teacher, I only brought RM 1 to school today..."

   Who knew teaching eight-year-olds could be such a dangerous occupation?

   p.s. I made sure to tell everybody that it was an accident, because it certainly was. Haslina may be problematic sometimes but an accident is an accident.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Delima Diaries : Of Pencils

   My pupils eat pencils. Figuratively, of course. Since the start of the year, I've gone through at least 7 boxes of pencils. Most of them never bring pencils to class, and if they do, they'd lose them in five minutes. They don't seem to have an appreciation for their own things. If they lose something, it's either borrowing from somebody else or simply buying a new one. And then losing it all over again.

   That's how 2 Delima is. In fact, that's just a tiny piece of what defines 2 Delima.

   My pencils either go missing. The ones that come back are either broken into two or three pieces, or are whole but with the leads inside broken, or split into two,etc. Some of them even look as if they'd been chewed on.

   You may say, why pamper these children? I should be strict and insist that they bring their own pencils. Well, I've tried and it doesn't work. I'm just not at the level where good teachers are yet. I feel that what's important is that pupils are able to do their work, and if it means I should bring pencils, then I will.

   A month ago, I stumbled upon twelve boxes of pencils sold at around RM 12.00 (less, I think). In exasperation, I bought the whole lot. 12 boxes times 12 pencil equals to 144 pencils. That should last at least three months, I thought.

   I'm happy to report that after two weeks, I've only has to use and am still only using one box of pencils. All twelve pencils from that box are still in good condition. None is missing. Only one has a broken lead but it's still usable.

   I guess 2 Delima has grown up a bit. Maybe I'm getting better. I don't know. What I do know is that in this profession, you should never, ever give up. Never. Ever. Your children need you. You need them too.

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Phonics Course in KL

Guys, I'm going to KL next week, Insya-Allah! Monday to Friday. I hope I'll be able to share lots of interesting information with you. Take care!

Friday, June 29, 2012

It was never between you and them anyway...

Sometimes you feel down in the dumps.

Sometimes you just cannot take it anymore. Why must people always look down on you? Why must people always have something bad to say about what you do? Can't they just focus on their own work and leave you alone to do yours?

Sometimes you feel like giving up on human beings. Why can't they be nice to you when you've been nice to them? Why? Why?

The thing is...
Source: https://www.facebook.com/iloveallaah
The thing is, it was never and is never between you and them anyway.

Do it for God. Do it for Allah.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Holiday Notes

Note 1: I heard that a lot of people finally got their posting after waiting for nearly a year. Some were lucky to be sent to school in their own hometowns, while some have to brave their first school in a completely new environment. Whatever happens, remember our purpose in this profession. Remember!

Note 2: It's the...... (drum rolls....) school ho-ho-holidays! While I love being at school, I have managed to maintain that part of myself that simply loves the word 'holidays'. As I write this, I must painfully remember that there are only about 9 days of this blissfulness to go. There is so much to do, even during the holidays. Yet I am luckier than many, many of my friends have to be on duty, for some reason or other (mostly due to tuition classes) at school. 

Note 3: Weddings. So many invitations. I managed to attend one so far, and I've had a blast. I'm happy for 4 of my Cohort 4 Pretties who got married. May Allah bless your life and shower it with blessings and happiness in the years to come. Insya-Allah!

Note 4: I need a new laptop. I need a camera. I need a new phone. I'd love a new stand-mixer. I already look forward to my next gaji (oh dear, I never thought I'd finally come to this phase). I have too many blogs that need updating. There you go. Happy holidays.

Friday, May 18, 2012

A Late Happy Teacher's Day Wish

      I know I'm two days late but I'd still like to wish Happy Teacher's Day to everybody who has ever contributed towards somebody else's learning! (Why must I always make sentences that confuse people?)

   So far, this year has been a blast. I got my posting, started work as a teacher and also discovered that there is so much that I don't know about being a teacher. Every little thing that happens in school is a reminder that I must never stop learning, and that being a teacher does not mean I have stopped being a student. My goal is to help everybody around me, especially my pupils, learn something that will help them to become a better person than they are now. My ultimate goal in teaching is to gain Allah's pleasure.

   There is so much that I'd like to share with you. I'd like to tell you how much better 2D has become... how much happier and more confident i feel now when stepping into a class. But for now, I'd just like to wish all my teachers and  lecturers and even Mum, Dad and my family members who have taught me so much about life.

   Happy Teacher's Day! May Allah bless you :)

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Kursus Pemantapan Guru Baru

   A few days ago, I got a phone call from JPN.

   Yes folks, I'm going for a three-day course at Kuala Terengganu! Yehhu! It'll be nice to go on a trip and be with friends.

   I'll take lots of pictures and blog about it.

   Terengganu... here I come!

   Are there any blog readers who are also going?:D

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Tutorial: Colour Printing

   Assalamualaikum and hello everybody! I hope you're all well.

   Even though I'm busy with school, I don't mean to abandon this blog. I could write a lot of random posts but that won't be fun, so I decided that I'd do a series of tutorials that might be useful to you. They're actually not really tutorials- just ideas and tips that I have learned while doing my work.

   Let's start. Ever since I entered my training institute, I've been used to having my own printer and computer or laptop. Life doesn't feel complete without them. To date, I've bought/owned (and disposed some of) 5 printers. Yeah. All were colour printers, and 4 were Canon ones. My favourite printers are definitely from the Canon series, I think they have the easiest user interface and they're also easy to handle.

   Anyway, whatever brand of printer you use doesn't matter in this tutorial. What I want to yalk about is how to make sure that what you print is the exact shade of colour that you want. Let me explain. A lot of times I find that the colour that I selected/used in whatever documents that I create using my laptop is not the same on screen and off screen. For example, magenta sometimes come out as red, dark blue comes out as a different shade than the one you see on your laptop screen and so on.

   This is what I did.

   Step 1
Select font colour


Step 2
Select 'more colours'

 Step 3
This is what will come out

Step 4
To ensure a sharper and better quality image, enlarge the pop-up screen by dragging at the corner.
 
Step 5
Click on 'Print Screen' (or it may be written as PrtSc on your keyboard).
Open Paint.
Select 'Edit' and 'Paste'.
Edit as necessary.

   But hey, you know what, I decided to make life a lot easier for you. Below is the picture of the colour diagram that I got. I printed it out (you can either print is an image or paste it into word before printing it out). I paste it on my wall and I refer to the colour that HAS BEEN PRINTED before choosing the colour to use in my laptop. This way you can determine the shade of colour that you really want and expect it to come out.
 

   I realise that my explanations are all over the place, so if you can't make out head from tail on this post, shoot me a question and I will do my level best to answer!

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Dreams

   I wonder if I'll have received my wages by the time my blog gets to 50,000 views. I could do something fun like a giveaway. Woooohhh....

   Yeah. Dream on.

It's not wrong to dream, huh?

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Teachers: Jack of All Trades

   Yes. That's what we are. Sometimes I wonder how I'm ever going to manage all these things that I have to do. There's so much work, aside from teaching. Teaching makes up just a tiny bit of what teachers have to deal with at school. Sometimes I wonder if the tasks teachers have to complete (apart from classroom activities) defeat the purpose of their original job. At the moment, I don't have as much to do as the seniors teachers do. They are so busy, that I wonder how they manage their own personal lives. 

   I found this somewhere on the internet, and I thought, how true! I'm not married and of course have no kids of my own, but after I started work it's like I gained a whole bunch of children to look after. 




















Tuesday, March 6, 2012

SPP Appointment Letter

   Alhamdulillah! Yes, how could I forget? I finally got my appointment letter from SPP! The PT handed it over to me on Sunday. Some  of my friends had already received it last week, but whatever the case, I'm happy I got mine.

   Included in the packet are the following items (sorry I'm typing some items in BM- too lazy to translate):

   1. Appointment letter from SPP or in BM Surat Tawaran Pelantikan Tetap Jawatan Pegawai Perkhidmatan Pendidikan

   2. Surat Setuju Terima Tawaran Pelantikan

   3. Surat Akuan Sumpah

   4. Surat Aku-Janji

   5. Borang Pemeriksaan Perubatan untuk Pelantikan Ke Dalam Perkhidmatan Awam

   I'd like to share the contents of the letter with you, as I'm sue you'd  be interested in knowing about the amount of gaji etc., hehe, but I'm not sure if it's supposed to be confidential. Anyway, I've to complete the medical check-up and all a.s.a.p. I'll keep you updated.

   And I promise this is the last post for tonight!!!

   Take care everybody! Two days to go before the school hols... I'm already in holiday mood!!!

Tarikh Bayaran Gaji Tahun 2012

   Awat ta tetiba rajin dok pos macam2 malam ni.

   Bear with me.

   Anyway, found this somewhere on the internet... hehe.


   I did a search on the net and found a download link to the original 'surat pekeliling' (I have no idea what the hanky panky smanky term for surat pekeliling is in English), so I feel safe saying this info is valid. As soon the correct date arrives, let's all go and line up at the nearest ATM, shall we? Hehe. Hey. Yes we do teach for the sake of Allah, but gaji is still gaji right? We teachers are human beings too!

   However, our school PT said the best he can do is to process my 'gaji' for April. If that includes all the wages I'm supposed to be getting starting from the day I reported for duty, it means a 3 1/2 months worth of wages.

   *faints in shock

KSSR - Instrumen Pentaksiran Tahun 2 links

   I'd just like to share some links I found at KSSR online. Thanks so much to the people who shared these documents- Insya-Allah they'll be really helpful for PBS!


Included are:
English
BM
Music
Maths 
Bahasa Cina


   Don't forget to include the wonderful people who shared these useful materials in your du'a! :D

   You can browse for more materials and news related to KSSR at www.kssronline.com.

Flowers Are Red(?)

   I love this song. It was originally by Harry Chapin (remember 'Ohhhhh the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon, little boy blue and the man on the moon...'), but there's a version sung by Zain Bikha and friends. I think it's a great song- it gives teachers a lot to think about. 


   I hope I won't be like the first teacher. Imagination killer.


   

FLOWERS ARE RED


The little boy went first day of school
He got some crayons and started to draw
He put colors all over the paper
For colors was what he saw
And the teacher said.. What you doin' young man
I'm paintin' flowers he said
She said... It's not the time for art young man
And anyway flowers are green and red
There's a time for everything young man
And a way it should be done
You've got to show concern for everyone else
For you're not the only one

And she said...
Flowers are red young man
Green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen

But the little boy said...
There are so many colors in the rainbow
So many colors in the morning sun
So many colors in the flower and I see every one

Well the teacher said.. You're sassy
There's ways that things should be
And you'll paint flowers the way they are
So repeat after me.....

And she said...
Flowers are red young man
Green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen

But the little boy said...
There are so many colors in the rainbow
So many colors in the morning sun
So many colors in the flower and I see every one

The teacher put him in a corner
She said.. It's for your own good..
And you won't come out 'til you get it right
And all responding like you should
Well finally he got lonely
Frightened thoughts filled his head
And he went up to the teacher
And this is what he said.. and he said

Flowers are red, green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen

Time went by like it always does
And they moved to another town
And the little boy went to another school
And this is what he found
The teacher there was smilin'
She said...Painting should be fun
And there are so many colors in a flower
So let's use every one

But that little boy painted flowers
In neat rows of green and red
And when the teacher asked him why
This is what he said.. and he said

Flowers are red, green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen. 



But there must still be a way to make our children say:
There are so many colors in the rainbow
So many colors in the morning sun
So many colors in the flower and I see every one

   To all teachers out there- imagination is a great gift so don't kill it!


Listen to the song below:

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Cursive Writing Worksheet Generator

   I found this great worksheet generator for cursive writing exercises. You can either create a blank worksheet like this:




or ones with traceable words or sentences:




   Isn't it great? Following the introduction of KSSR, 'by the end of the 6-year primary schooling, pupils will be able to form letters and words in neat legible print including cursive writing.' However, I think cursive writing is also a required skill in KBSR since it's included in the KBSR Year 5 textbook. You can visit the worksheet generator at the link below:




   I plan to use this generator to produce some worksheets for my lesson with Year 5 Z tomorrow. Some of them have rather terrible handwriting, even using normal handwriting, so I'm not quite sure how this will turn out, but you won't know until you try huh?


   I hope the week is turning out beautifully for everybody. To all teachers and future teachers, ganbatte ne! Remember, do everything for the sake of Allah and NEVER expect to get rewards or anything in return for what you're doing for your pupils now... only ask that Allah blesses you in all that you do. Otherwise, you'll end up being disappointed every single day of you life (imagine a class like the one I have to teach- 2D!) Take care!

Friday, March 2, 2012

My Famous Friend... hehe

That's her in the blue baju kurung

   My good friend Sarah was sort of mentioned in an online NST article recently. Sarah  is one of my Cohort 4 girlfriends, and we have a strange connection with each other... hehe. Anyway, her school, SK Pulai Perdana, was featured in an online NST article and they mentioned her as one of the English teachers there.

   You can read the article here:


   Tomorrow my school is having a Mini Larian which is sort of like a cross country. I'll write more about it later.



Friday, February 24, 2012

My Duties at SKST

   Assalamualaikum and hello,  everyone! I'm sorry that I have neglected this blog for so long. I've been meaning to post about so many things, but these days I don't go online much, and if i log on to Blogger I only manage to look at the list of recent posts by the blogs that I follow. I usually spend what time I have resting... hehe.

   Anyway, since I can't spend a lot of time here, I thought I'd share a list of my duties and responsibilities at SKST:

1. Teaching English to Primary 2D, 3Z and 5Z
   - Teaching 2D means following the latest syllabus which is KSSR. I'll be honest and say I still have not much of an idea of what to do
   - 3Z is a good class, but only a third or even a quarter are proficient enough to follow instructions in English.
   - 5Z is also a good class, and since they'e going to face UPSR next year, I have to really prep them up for it.

2. Class teacher for 5Z
   - recording the class attendance everyday
   - updating their personal files, which is quite a lot of work.

3. Supervising teacher for English Language Society
   - I have to help plan activities for this year. Help!

4. Supervising teacher for Pergerakan Puteri Islam Malaysia
   - also have to plan activities for this.

5. Netball coach (gulp)
   - So far there has only been 1 meeting, ,and apparently this school has never really had any achievements in netball- they're more into hockey

6. Penyelaras LDP (Latihan Dalam Perkhidmatan)
   - I was appointed by the Head a few weeks ago, but so far I haven't had to do anything. I'm supposed to be taking this task from another teacher, who said he'll explain what I have to do

7. Setiausaha Unit Keselamatan
   - I have to make a 'Buku Pengurusan' for the unit.


   There's more, which I'll add later. TTFN.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Plan Pembangunan Guru Baru

   Last week, I found myself at Pejabat Pendidikan Daerah (PPD) Gua Musang for a briefing on PPGB that I'd already attended on 16th January. It's a long story, but basically the briefing was ssupposed to be for KPLI teachers who were posted in October last year, and somehow missed being briefed about the programme.

   However, it was a good thing that I was there as I managed to gather some more input on what to do. When I was at the JPN briefing, I didn't hear much because the hall was buzzing with noise and excitement.

   Another good thing about the briefing was that I had the chance to meet up with a good friend (my IPG-IIUM classmate for 6 years!), B, who was also posted to a school in GM. It was fun listening to her describe what she's going through (her school is further in than mine- in fact she has to take a boat to get there, which takes about an hour o so!). I'm sure Allah will reward her for her work and patience. It's no easy matter, surviving in the place where she is now. She also happens to be the only female teacher at her small school i feel for her, and I hope we get to meet again soon since we're the only 2 from my class who go posted to GM.

   Back to PPGB. Apparently, PPGB (Plan Pembangunan Guru Baru) is a new programme which the developed to observe and keep track of the new teachers. There have been stories where new teachers had not written in his record book for 6 months or so, arrived at school late, and much more. The pilot programme was conducted in 2010, and was found to be successful, so they decided to launch it in 2011.

   The briefing was small, there were about 28 (I think) KPLI teachers and 3 'sesat, newly-posted-on-January-16th-and-not-supposed-to-be-there-because-they'd already-gone-to-the-briefing' teachers- me, B and her colleague from school, a preschool teacher.

   This is a brief account of what I gathered from the briefing:
 
1. You can find out more about PPGB by downloading the PPGB module from the link below. I couldn't connect to the link given to us during the briefing, so I did a search online and found these links at PPD Jeli's site. It's the same thing for all new teachers, so you can use the links to download the module:


   The documents are in Bahasa Melayu. You can right click on the 'DOWNLOAD LINKS' and click on 'save as' to straight away download the documents.


2. Basically, new teachers have to go through PPGB for 1 year. It's an important requirement for getting your post confirmed (syarat pengesahan jawatan). People from each PPD will observe the teachers in the schools within their district. I took this to mean that they'll start dropping surprise visits sometime soon. Scary! What's important is that you need to always be prepared.

3. New teachers have to prepare a portfolio. A thick-practicum-in-likeliness portfolio. Our office-in-charge En. Z who is from the Unit Latihan at JPN Kelantan took the liberty of taking photos of one of the (almost) best folio from last year, so that we'd have a good idea of what we're supposed to put in our folios. I think it's a valiant effort and most certainly helpful for us! You have to compile all the documents in a ring file, and that's your portfolio. Tada! Easy. Uh-huh.

4. Each new teacher must have a mentor of his or her own. The mentor must be a senior teacher- and senior here means that the teacher has been teaching for several years. New teachers, albeit ones who have only been in service for one or two years cannot be mentors. The mentor will be responsible for doing most of the observations on your teaching, as well guiding you throughout the year.

You MUST ask the school to prepare an APPOINTMENT LETTER for your mentor, and a copy of the letter must be faxed to the officer-in-charge as well as included in your portfolio. A sample of the letter required is included in the attachments section (bahagian lampiran di belakang) in the module.

5. Schools are advised to appoint a New Teachers Committee to make sure the programme runs smoothly. I need to find out more about this. I will get back to it when I have.

6. You have to be observed during teaching (dicerap), and it's advised that the observation is done at least once a month. The observation will probably be carried out by your mentor, but you can actually ask any senior teachers, including the PKs and the GB to do it.

7. You must keep your portfolios with you at all times (or anyway, make sure you bring it to school). You're not supposed to leave it at your PPD o JPN or school when PPGb is over. This is what the officer told us. This is because if people (as in BPG officers, I suppose) come and ask to see it, you can show it to them. You do have to hand it in to your GB at the end of the programme, so that he/she can evaluate it. The GB has to produce a written statement (in simple words: a letter) which states whether he/she is satisfied with your work and whether it is satisfactory for your post as a teacher to be confirmed.

8. You have to fill some form online. Here's the link:



   And that's it! Whew. I'm sorry for any odd sentences, I was struggling to find the best way to explain things. I hope it helps you somehow.

   Have a good weekend. I only have one day off tomorrow- Saturday's a school day to make up for the CNY holidays. Take care and be happy, whatever happens! :)

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

My Pupils - 2D

   I enter smiling.

   I leave ten years older.

   2D. Everyday after leaving their class, I'd sit back and stare into the air, thinking of how and what i could possibly do to manage them. They are a handful. No, I take that back. They are a hundred handfuls! (If that makes sense). I'm too tired to write a detailed story on them, but here's a few details tat might help you picture what they're like:

   1. They walk on the desks. Yes. When I'm in class. I can't chase them around in case they trip and fall. They're nimble too. They run around on the desks as if it's what they do everyday. Wait. They do do it everyday.

   2. One boy (WMDA) treats me like... well, like I'm not his teacher. He hangs on to my hands as if they're branches. He just will NOT listen to what I say. He likes to pretend that he's sick and exaggerates and puts on acts all the time. Sometimes it's funny. At times.... arrrggghh!!!! His books are clean as slates. He has done any work at all. He cheeks me.

   3. One girl (H) is a bit strange. Some teachers call her 'special'. Well, some of the special things she's been doing in my class:
- going through my stuff without asking for permission
- walking on the desks, and running away from me (nimbly too!) when I try to catch her. I'm just afraid that she'll fall and hurt herself.
- following me around after class, and when I tell her to go back to class, she sticks her tongue out at me
- these few days, she's been dabbing paint on her hands and going around trying to dab paint on everyone else. One day I caught her going around the class, intending to dab blobs of paint on every desk. I caught her before she managed to complete this interesting ritual. Every time she dabs paint on her hand, I have to drag her to the toilet and help her clean them off, because she also puts them on her lips and I'm afraid she'd swallow them. She gets paint on her clothes, tudung, kain. She seems to enjoy the ritual of dabbing paint on her hands and having me to take her to the toilet to help her wash them. Every time we go to the toilet, half the class would tag along. This morning, I ended up singing "This is the way we wash our hands, wash our hands, wash our hands" with them. At the girl's toilet.
- She hasn't quite developed... well, any embarrassment. She lifts her kain, showing her (thankfully) shorts underneath. Thank goodness for her shorts. She keeps pulling off her tudung too.
- For the most part of my classes, I run after her. During the last fifteen minutes or so, after I've manged to 'catch' her, I'd make her read or write or do something, and she does them all surprisingly well.

4. As soon as they see me come in, they'd either ignore me or start running around. They shout, kick each other, jump on the table at the back of the class, play with the brooms, and they find it fun to kick just about everything they can get their hands on. Crushed tin cans (new ones everyone I enter), bottle caps, erasers, even crumpled up paper.

5. There's no table for the teacher in their class. instead, there's this trolley with a vase on it. Today, they climbed up ad began pushing each other around.

6. While I'm teaching or looking at some pupil's work in front, half the class is either running around at the back or running in and our of the class.

7. I've tried the Silent Treatment. Only worked for a few minutes. I've tried shouting, scolding. They're not afraid of me. I try coaxing, bu I have to do it pupil by pupil. It works, but while I do it, they others kick up chaos around the class.

8. Nearly everyday, at least one kid will cry. They don't cry silently. It's usually an all-out, I-want-everybody-to-know-that-I've-been-wronged sort of crying.

   And yet, even with all that, I still want  to find a way to make them interested to learn. I've found some to be such sweethearts, and in the two weeks  that I've been with them, most have started doing their work. They still run around and fight, but at least I go back with books filled with some written work. At least I know that a few can read. They're just kids, most come from difficult family backgrounds. They need my help.

   I didn't write all of this with the intention of complaining. I just want you to know that being a teacher, especially when you're just starting out, is not easy. If you're going through difficulties in managing your class, know that you'e not alone. Know that other teachers face problems too. Know that you will one day work them out, though you may have to work (really, really) hard to do it.

   I have such a long way to go. I don't know how I'll manage to cope with 2D but for now I won't stop trying. I want people to stop saying, "2D? Ahh... they've always been like that." "Unmanageable." "Hard to get through to." And the lot.

   2D.

   *collapses in exhaustion

Monday, February 6, 2012

Feeling down in the dumps?

Don't

let

negative comments

bring

you

down!


[Source]
Thanks for letting me use it, Lela! ;)

Monday, January 30, 2012

KSSR Year 2: Listening & Speaking (Animal Sounds)

   Two posts in a day! Rajin pulak I, haha.

   As I have mentioned in my last post, I am teaching one Year 2 class. Since KSSR was first launched last year (2011), this year's Year 2 pupils are the first ones to follow the KSSR. I have gone for a course on KSSR when I was in my training institute, but it was merely a brief introduction and though it helped, I am still a little hazy about the whole thing. Thankfully I have some notes given by our very kind lecturer Madam Is.

   I prepared this lesson by following an example provided in the KSR Year 2 Teacher Guidebook. I am not sure if what I have done is right, but as I told you before, I was not able to carry this lesson out. If anybody is currently teaching Year 2 pupils and would like to try this lesson out, I welcome you to use my idea and please do come back and tell me how it when. I'd love to know.

Subject: English
Level: Year 2 KSSR
Skill: Listening & Speaking
Topic: Animal Sounds

You will need:
 Flashcards of animals
Audio files on animal sounds
Worksheet

STEPS

Set Induction: Talk to pupils about their favourite animals. If they do not know the English word for it, ask them to say the name  of the animal in their mother tongue. Then tell them the English version and make sure they repeat after you.

Step 1
1. First show pupils pictures of animals. Tell them the names of the animals and ask them to repeat after you. Go through all the picture you have.
2. In the second round, ask the children to make the sounds of each animal.

Step 2
1. Play the animal sounds, one by one. In the first round, ask them to guess what animal it is.
2. In the second round, play the sounds again and this time tell them the animals that make the sounds. repeat as necessary.

Step 3
1. Distribute the worksheets.
2. Explain to the children that you will play one animal sound. They must try to guess which animal makes the sound and write the number '1' on the box next to the picture of the animal.
3. After they have done that, play the next sound. Go through the sounds one by one and let them write the number before playing the next sound.
3. Check the answers with the whole class.


I believe this lesson is quite simple. If you try this out, do let me know, and  I'd love to hear you suggestions on how to make the activities better, more interesting or more suitable for lower/higher ability pupils. Thank you! I hope you enjoy this post!



RULE NUMBER ONE: Teachers MUST Like Their Pupils

   So begins my life as a teacher.

   I have spent 5 days in service at SKST. There is so much that I do not know. So much that I must learn.

   I received a temporary timetable on the second day I was here. Apparently, I was sent to SKST because I was supposed to fill in an empty spot left by a teacher who was supposed to report here earlier this year, but never did (she got a transfer to another state). Mr L's words were, "We are so happy to get an English teacher. We need another female English teacher." I feel wanted. Hehe.And needed.

   I was assigned to take over the classes which were supposed to be taken by the Teacher Who Never Came. Three Classes. 2D. 3Z. 4D. You'd better remember them since I predict i will be talking about them a lot. A LOT.

   Each grade is streamed into two classes- the Z classes for the higher ability pupils and the D classes for lower ability ones. You may have noticed that I go two D classes. It's all right! I thought It is best to start with the more difficult classes. You learn and gain more experience that way.

   I want to talk 2D.

   2D.

   The first time I entered their class, they managed (or I managed to make them) stay in their seats. New teacher alert. (Nearly) all was good.

   The second time I entered was two period before the final bell rang. They were already wearing their bags, ready to go home. They yelled, kicked, ,banged the desks and simply ran amok. The Silent Treatment did NOT work. I began to get a foreboding of doom. Grey clouds. Heavy rain. I was determined. When I next entered, I would be strict. Garang. These children need to learn that I was in charge. I prepared for battle.

   Every time I talked to my friends or other people, I would describe the horrors that these children had presented to me. 2D this. 2D that.


   The third time was yesterday. I'd received the permanent timetable and I was ready to rock these kids' socks. In short, it was a total flop. A huge disaster. I went back to the staff room and brooded at my table.

   Mr L happened to be there, so I started talking to him. He's my mentor, so I told him all about it- how my planned activities never got carried out because the children would not listen to me... and so on. We talked about it for quite a while. I was down in the dumps and not ready to climb back to the top. Though I nodded in agreement to what Mr L said, the words did not enter my heart.

   Then, Mr L said something that struck me right at the core of my heart. It was such a simple statement, but it shocked me right back into existence. He said:

   "You must enjoy (being with) the children. Then you will enjoy the class."

   Realisation flooded into me. I was dumbstruck. Just with those words, I began see things clearly. It was as if a door had been unlocked and I was walking out of it, meeting sunshine and fresh air and all good things.

   I had made a mistake. When I was at SKP, however bad things were, I knew that I loved and cared for the children. They were special. I did not only want to teach them and help them learn, I also wanted to be their friends.

   With 2D, I had fallen into a trap I fell into the Teacher vs. Pupils trap. It was me against them.

   It should have been me AND them. Teachers and Pupils. I had set myself apart, and I did not try very hard to remember all their names. I did not even think about  whether I liked  them. Whoever they were, I just wanted to teach. It was wrong. I was wrong.

   Today, I entered and smiled. I joked, and laughed and teased. I began to learn their names, and I could feel that I liked being there. Let me tell you it was no a total success. We're a long way from there. However, I think whatever happens, I won't want to stop trying. These children are special. They need my attention, and my help. I want to look forward to going  to class. I don't want to dread the thought of meeting them every day. In order to execute change, I must change. It starts with me.

   2D, let me be your teacher. Let me be your friends. Let me into your world. Let's make learning fun, shall we?

Saturday, January 28, 2012

5 Rules in English Class

   [UPDATE: Rules for Year 2 & Year 3]

   I've yet to write about my school, but I've been a bit occupied recently so I hope this post will do for now.

   Remember the '6 Rules' thing that I posted about last year? Well, I never did get around to carrying them out so I could not update you on the results. However, I'm quite determined that I'd do it for at least one of my English classes at SKST. I fact, I've already started it for one of my classes. Here are the rules:

YEAR 4

YEAR 3


YEAR 2

   Since my pupils are all Muslims, it seemed appropriate for Rule Number 1 to be set. Technically speaking, they are NOT all exactly rules, but I believe they will help in setting some sort of goals for the children to achieve. Besides, it'll help them memorise some lines in English, and get them used to the idea of actually using the language.

   I'm currently at home and will be returning to GM tomorrow, Insya-Allah, If I have time, I'll write a bit about some more stuff later. TTFN.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Posting: More on JPN Briefing

   After spending 3 days at school, I am back. At home. Yes. Yes!

   Anyway, to continue the news on posting, I thought I'd write with more details on the JPN briefin. you people who hope to be posted to Kelantan may want to take note since the procedure and all might just be the same.

   The briefing was held at Dewan Bestari. Pink building. Next to an orange building. Ground floor. We signed our names before going into the hall. They did not ask for any documents. My friends Shima, Ipah and I wore blazers, just in case, but it wasn't really necessary. Parents were allowed to go into the hall, so my Mum sat with other parents at the back of the hall.

   The briefing started off with a long introductory speech from some important person. He spoke of thigs like how important our job was, how lucky we were to be placed in Kelantan since it's  so hard to get in, you get the idea. He also put a lot of emphasis on how ENGLISH teachers were placed in ONLY RURAL AREAS since we were needed there. He mentioned it a few times. In fact, pretty much everybody who spoke in front mentioned this little interesting fact. The first place they filled up with new teachers was the 'jajahan' (district) I was sent to. GUA MUSANG. Yeahhhhhh. Yay for me (coughs).

   The second speaker also spoke about similar things, after which he officiated  the ceremony. We were like, what??? Baru nak rasmi? Bila nak bagitau dapat sekolah mana ni? The secondary school people already knew where they were posted to, since the name of the school was listed beside their name when they registered. W primary school people fidgeted an sat on the edge of our seats, giggling nervously.  Thank goodness nobody went hysterical.

   Finally, they started calling our names. We went to the front, received our placement letters and our fates were sealed. From the 9 TESL girls from my training institute, 2 were placed in Gua Musang (guess who one of them was. I'll give you some sweeties if you get it right), 1 in Jeli and the other 6 in Kuala  Krai.

   After that, they called out the names of the schools and the Heads of each school came out to meet their new family member(s). Two of my friends were posted to the same school! Lucky them. My Head didn't come (okay that sentence makes me wanna crack up), but the PK HEM (Senior Assistant Teacher for Student Affairs) did, and he was (and is) a very, very nice man. He's in his fifties, and is going to  retire in about 3 years, I think. Mr L. Mum came and sat with us, and he kept telling her not to worry, that SKST (my school) was the safest, most comfortable school there is. He said, "Oghe2 situ jughus2 blako." (The people there are nice people). Did I mention that Mr. L is Chinese? And that he speaks using the Kelantanese accent when he speaks in Malay? Yeah.

   There was also a short briefing on Badan Ehsan or Ihsan, but I couldn't hear much because the hall was so noisy, with everybody being excited on getting their new schools. What I did hear was that new teachers should register, because they have some sort of donation(?) for new teachers who are posted to places like Gua Musang and need money and stuff. I'm not sure if I heard  about this correctly. I will try  to find out more and share with  you.

   One more briefing was on the Plan Pembangunan Guru Baru. This was some new programme they came up with in order to get new teachers oriented to their school, as well as to monitor them to make sure we're doing our job. I still don't know much about it, but when I do, I will tell you more about it.

   That's it for now. TTFN!

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Posting: JPN Briefing

   I'm tired, so I'll only write a bit. In short:

   -Kelantan received 74 new teachers today

   -the Heads or their representatives were there to welcome the new member(s) of each school

   - the new English teachers were all posted to either one of these 3 districts: Kuala Krai, Gua Musang or Jeli

   - we received our memo/placement letter (surat penempatan). The offer letter (surat tawaran kerja) will only be ready after 2 weeks

   What? You want know where I've been sent to?

   Gua Musang. Hehe.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

New Pages for Easier Access

   If you're a regular reader. you may have noticed that I've added some tabs under my header/banner/whatever. I decided to because it seems more websitish (what word!) and professional ((huh?). It will also make the blog more accessible for all my students, namely you. Uh-huk.

   Anyway, some pages or tabs may still be empty or in progress, but I'm putting them there for now anyway, to see how they turn out. I hope they prove to be useful!




Reflective Practitioner: What Should Teachers Think About?

   My supervisor during practicum was Madam Jane. She was an excellent supervisor and I could write one whole post about her. I feel blessed to have had her guidance throughout practicum, and I've yet to buy her a gift to thank her! I hope any juniors who get her will learn as much as they can from Mdm J.


   Being the 'rajin' sort of lecturer that she was, she wrote down these question while observing my (or my partner's, I don't remember) class. These questions are really good, and help you to think and reflect upon your teaching. It would be good if you take the time to answer then, whoever you supervisor is. You could also include this in your portfolio




Reflective Practitioner

1.     How can teachers create instructional opportunities that reflect an understanding of how all children learn and develop?

2.     How can teachers adequately address the enormous diversity of today’s learners and approaches to learning?

3.     How can they use a variety of formal and informal assessment strategies to support the continuous development of each learner?

4.     How can we encourage teachers to be reflective, to inform their practice with a deep understanding of how children learn and develop?

Reflective practitioner:     
-   theory and experience continuously informing and shaping each other
-   constant back and forth between the teacher’s theories about learning and what is really happening in the classroom
                               
5.     What teacher behaviours contribute to students’ achievement and success?

6.     How can teachers engage in systematic inquiry that can help them improve their teaching in a way that is more likely to ensure that kids ‘get it’?




   Being the nice person that I am (ahhem!), I've also uploaded the questions in the form of a Microsoft Word document. You can download it using the link below. Included is a mind-map, also by Mdm Jane.






Thursday, January 12, 2012

How to Write Your Reflection After a Lesson

[I am still waiting for news on posting. While I already know which state I have been posted to (Kelantan, in case you didn't read my last post), there's still no definite news about which school it is etc. I suppose there are a lot of meetings going on about it, so I hope we will have news soon, Insya-Allah.]

   In the spirit of posting, as well as the fact that my TESL juniors are going to start their first day of practicum this coming Monday, I'd like to write a non-news and practicum-based post, hoping it will be useful for the girls and also anyone who will be going to practicum as well. I wish to share what I experienced, and i hope it benefits anybody who needs some tips.

   Basically, during practicum every teacher trainee has to keep and update a huge and heavy record book which contains all your lesson plans. After each lesson, you must write a reflection in your record book. Below are some tips and guidelines for writing your post-lesson reflection:

When to Write
This is important. Unless you have a class, meeting or other important activities, write your reflection immediately after your class has ended. Find a nice and quite place to do this, but of course you could do this in the staff room. I found the canteen at my school the most peaceful place to write a reflection (but of course during lesson hours, if you were to do this during break when students run amok while filling their tummies, it definitely wouldn't work!), though I only went there for this purpose once or twice, which I regret. It's good to have some peace and quiet to mull  over things. Most importantly, you need to write while the memory is still fresh in your mind.

What to Write
Your reflection does not have to be too long. If it is, then it's fine but make it focused, don't ramble on and on about unnecessary things. Don't make it too short either. Your main focus is on:
  • the weaknesses of your plan- perhaps how something you planned didn't work, or how you forgot to include something in your plan
  • the mistakes that occurred in your lesson
  • strategies on making improvement for future lessons
By focusing on these areas, you will have a clear view of what to write and it will also benefit you in planning your future lessons. You may also write about positive things that you noticed about the lesson, but I like to focus on the mistakes because it helps me a lot and I don't want to write a 3-page article instead of a simple reflection! Besides, you can write a longer reflection and include it in your porfolio (find time to do this if you can, and you don't have to write by hand, you can always type it!).

Typing vs. Writing by Hand
My first reflections were typed because i didn't particularly like my handwriting and I also  did not follow my the tip, hoho (I waited until I got home to write the reflections! Bad idea.) However, it is better to just write the reflections since you need to do it right away. Trust me!

Sample
To sum this post up, here is a sample of one of my own reflections, taken from my practicum record book. It is not that good, but since it includes some feedback from my lecturer on it I think it suffices for a sample. 

UPDATE: I no longer have my practicum record book as one of my lecturers borrowed it and I don;t think I'll be going back to my IPG in the near future to retrieve it. However, if anybody reading this would like to share their reflections, please feel free to do so. Remember, we all learn from one another!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

POSTING RESULTS

They said:

So I typed in my ID:

And here it is: 
[click on the images for a bigger view]

So where'd you get? Do share!