Going Camping

Last weekend (Apr 8-10, 2011), I had to join my school's Kem Kepimpinan Pengawas. Below is what I had written when I was there.

X X X

9 April 2011

6.00 pm

The mood is light. Everyone seem relaxed. A group of boys are singing songs with one person strumming the guitar.

They were crooning popular songs like the evergreen 'Belaian Jiwa' and 'Kau Ilhamku', as well as more contemporary songs like 'I'm Yours' and 'Grenade'.

A bigger group of boys are playing rugby with the facilitators. They have a coconut husk for a ball. Earlier, I saw them playing 'baling selipar'.

Maghrib is roughly 1 hour away and for the first time since I came here, I'm enjoying myself.

Yesterday was a stressful and tiring day in which I was caught in the middle of an ugly dispute between an untrustworthy man and a hot-tempered one. Later that same day, I had to deal with a very irate parent.

The multiple crises made me want to pack up my things and leave the camp site immediately. I just hate confrontations and being in the thick of all the unpleasantness made me sad and angry.

Why oh why can't I spend my precious weekends in peace?

But being an adult means that I can't really call my mum/dad to come and fetch me, can I? (Although it's very tempting to do so)

I need to put up a brave and cheerful front to the kids and so that's what I did.

The kids are marvelous by the way. At first, I thought they were not the camping type.

When they got off the buses, I saw some students carrying strange items - things that aren't normally associated with camping like: a guitar, a stuff animal, a poncho and even a Louis Vuitton luggage!

Some people just have way too much money if you asked me...

But they proved me wrong. The kids rose to the occasion pretty well. They behaved themselves even though they were bored during some of the talks.

Further, when food ran out, they waited patiently (for roughly half an hour) for it to be replenished.

And at noon today, they scoured the length and breadth of the camping site for the fluorescent stickers the facilitators had hidden earlier. I could see that they were tired but they still performed the task energetically.

And later, when asked to get the facilitators' signatures, they sang, recited Rukun Negara, performed silat, dance, etc with much enthusiasm.

Nobody complained incessantly nor behaved like a spoilt brat throughout the camp. At least not that I noticed.

I didn't like the camp. Once I get home this Sunday, I'll breathe a huge sigh of relief and celebrate my return to civilisation.

Nevertheless, I'm glad that I came and stayed.

I got to know the students that I teach a little bit better and meet the acquaintances of those that I don't.

We got to pray, talk, laugh and go jungle-trekking together as well as share food and mosquito-repellent patches.

The kids impressed me by staying positive even when the situation is less than ideal.

This is one of the instances when you learn more from your students than they do from you.

X X X

Pictures from the camping trip (courtesy of Wee Na):

Beza Guru dan Murid

Last Monday, while waiting for the previous teacher to exit my class, I wandered into an empty classroom. I perused the class' bulletin board and stumbled upon this poem. The title immediately caught my attention.

Beza Guru dan Murid

Kalau cikgu sembang,
Cikgu bertukar fikiran,
Kalau kami bersembang,
Kami mengata yang bukan-bukan.

Kalau cikgu berbual-bual,
Cikgu bual isu semasa,
Kalau kami berbual,
Kami bual Akademi Fantasia.

Kalau cikgu bergaya,
Cikgu jadi lebih berkeyakinan,
Apabila kami bergaya,
Kami nak 'contact' kawan idaman.

Kalau cikgu senyum,
Cikgu seorang yang mesra,
Kalau kami senyum,
Senyum kami ada makna.

Apabila cikgu menulis,
Cikgu tulis laporan pelajaran,
Apabila kami menulis,
Kami lukis gambar syaitan.

Apabila cikgu pejam mata,
Cikgu fikir silapnya di mana,
Kalau kami pejam mata,
Kami tidurlah tu jawabnya.

Kalau cikgu ke tandas,
Cikgu melepaskan hajat di hati,
Kalau kami ke tandas,
Itu, dah memang hobi kami.

X X X

I thought stanza 5 was particularly hilarious. "lukis gambar syaitan"?!?

I guess the moral of the poem is to give your students the benefit of the doubt; To not jump into conclusions. In other words, kena khusnudzon.

I mean, you've got to admit that we are rarely occupied with "[menulis] laporan pelajaran" kan?

Not According to Plan

Last week, I was unexpectedly called up for MSSD duty. I was assigned to be one of the track officials for a 5-day Track & Field District-Level Championship.

Now, some time away from school after 4 weeks of relentless work is God-sent.

But since it came out of the blue, I was a bit flustered. It's like what The Joker said in The Dark Knight:

"You know what I've noticed? Nobody panics when things go 'according to plan'. Even if the plan is horrifying!"

And I - someone who's utterly dependently on to-do lists - couldn't agree more.

The timing just wasn't right. The students have just completed their February Test and I was planning to review the test with them this week. The call up had effectively derailed my plan.

Besides, I was also on a "rectification" mission. I recently experienced 2 light-bulb moments which made me realise how much of an ineffective teacher I had been.

The first moment was provided by Cikgu S. We had a talk last week and she told me about her (disastrous) experience learning Arabic. Cg. S attended an SMA (Sekolah Menengah Agama) which made Arabic a compulsory subject for all of its students. From Form 1 until 3, she had 2 teachers who would teach Arabic without using any Malay. The entire lesson would be completely in Arabic which was an alien language to her. Needless to say, she was left clueless and scraped a Pass in her SRP (the PMR-equivalent in those days) by memorising essays. She said that she didn't even know what the questions were but she just regurgitated what she had memorised.

She said, "Sampai ke sudah, saya tak tahu 'Fiil Mudhari' tu apa".
I have a sinking feeling that my students feel the same way when I keep on harping about verbs/past simple/past participle/other grammar items.

She said the whole experience has made her a better language teacher because she can empathise with students who are struggling to master a foreign language.

When I listened to her story, I realised that I lack that empathy. Oftentimes, I would automatically look dejected when students couldn't answer a simple question. That look must have crushed their already fragile self-esteem. Thus my rectification mission #1 was borne:

I promise to be a more patient teacher who doesn't mind explaining the most basic and simple questions even when the questions have been asked before.

The second light-bulb moment happened last Saturday (Mar 5, 2011) when the English teachers had LADAP (Latihan Dalam Perkhidmatan). The course was held to familiarise teachers with the literature component's new texts. The speaker, Puan Suhaila, is a Guru Cemerlang from a school in Shah Alam.

Courses are rarely fun, even less so during a Saturday. But I really enjoyed the course conducted by Cg. Suhaila. I particularly liked the part when she taught us how to teach Drama. We had great fun doing the vocal, facial and whole body warmups.

For poetry, she had slides with lots of visuals which would definitely help students in comprehending the difficult prose.

I was just amazed and inspired by the effort put in by the teacher. My excuse had always been: I have no time to plan really good lessons anymore due to the punishing workload. But if others could do it why not me?

So mission #2: Plan more fun and enjoyable lessons (with educational value of course!).

These missions have been put on hold due to the MSSD duty. Hopefully toiling under the hot sun for 5 days (and getting significantly darker because of it) will not completely melt away my new resolutions.

A Fine Balance

Classroom management has always been my Achilles Heel. Some students do as they please in my class because I can never intimidate the more rebellious ones into obedience.

Ive somewhat resigned myself to this fact and I'm happy just to teach those who want to learn. I've already got my hands full attending to their needs. I really don't need the extra drama that comes with scolding/begging/reprimanding those who don't want to learn.

I'm forced to reexamine my 'you-can-lead-a-horse-to-water-but-you-can't-make-it-drink' teaching philosophy when I met a former student of mine last month. She was in Form 5 when I taught her in 2009.

I loved teaching her class because though the students were weak academically, they were not disrespectful (during exams, most of them would only answer the MCQ section, leaving the rest [structured and essay questions] unanswered).

The teacher-student boundary grew blurry as we became close and they started to confide in me stuff about their family and personal lives.

But when I saw this student of mine last Jan, it wasn't a joyous reunion. Yes, I was happy to see her but I was taken aback with the noticeable change in her appearance.

Remember 'The Necklace' by Guy de Maupassant? Mathilde used to be a beautiful, youthful and charming girl but after the whole necklace ordeal, she became a "strong and hard and rough" woman.

My surprise mirrored Madame Forestier's. What had happened in the 2 years since she left school?

She's working now and when I asked; "Kenapa tak sambung belajar?", her reply made my heart ache:

"Kalau result macam saya, macam mana nak sambung belajar?"

I didn't know how to respond to that and felt guilty about not preparing my students for the challenges of the real world (but would they have listened?).

I wished I could make my current students see that the real world out there is nothing like school, which they've become so familiar and comfortable with.

In schools, they can afford to - come late into class, play truant when they feel like it, neglect their homework & break myriads of other school rules - with little consequences.

But they can't do so in real life. Who would want to employ a tardy+lazy+unreliable employee? And what sort of job can they procure with minimal qualifications?

The encounter made me resolve to be a different kind of teacher. By hook or by crook, I will MAKE my students do my work and LEARN!

It took some time but my long-dormant sinister side is awaken at last. For each lesson, I mentally assumed the Cruella de Vil persona - my glare became more venomous and remarks more scathing - to make my students more compliant.

The tactic seemed to work for I noticed an increase in the volume of work submitted (though I still couldn't get 100% submission).

I was happy with the result but teaching suddenly became unenjoyable and depressing. It's tiring to frown and look angry all the time. I felt like I was walking with a huge chip on my shoulder, ready to pounce on the slightest hint of misbehaviour.

That's when I realised; "OMG, I've become THAT kind of teacher!" *horror*

So, it's back to the drawing board. I cannot keep on teaching like a Dementor - sucking out all the happiness out of people - yet I cannot go back to being so laid-back either. I need to strike a balance because though more students are handing in their work, I know that their compliance is only superficial. They do it because they fear my reprisal, not because they're engaged with my lessons. Thus, no meaningful learning has taken place.

It's still a work in progress but now I know that I need to achieve that fine balance.

I may not get it right all the time but I hope my students know that whether I'm mean or buddy-buddy, I always have their best interest at heart.

Life in a Boarding School

The Form 4 students in my school have started getting offers to enter boarding schools. Their excitement made me remember my own experience attending a boarding school when I was at their age (16).

I had always wanted to study in one. The desire probably stemmed from reading Enid Blyton's Malory Towers and St. Clare's series one too many times. I was fascinated by the idea of a school picturesquely perched on a cliff, surrounded by the sea, where the students wear spiffy uniforms, pay lacrosse, have midnight feasts, enjoy horse-back riding and put up plays at the end of the year. I mean Mallory Towers was the coolest school ever before Hogwarts came along.

So, I was over the moon when I received the offer to study at MRSM Jasin (renamed MRSM Tun Ghafar Baba in 2006). And though it's nothing like what I had (unrealistically) imagined, the 2 years (2001-2002) I had spent there was one of the best times of my life.

I didn't fit in right away. The school has a rigorous academic programme in place. And I, far from being the studious type, struggled. I couldn't cope with the overwhelming amount of homework assigned. Other students seemed so driven while I was more laid back. I remember calling home using a payphone (mobile phones were prohibited) a week after registering, crying uncontrollably, begging for my parents to come and fetch me home. I just hated the place!

Things gradually got better. I made friends and fell into the school routine. In a boarding school, you hardly have any time for leisure. Your whole day is structured from the moment you wake up until 'lights out' at 11pm. Back then, we didn't even have access to TV or the internet except during IT lessons. But some students did squeeze in some TV time in the evenings, watching popular Latin American soap operas at the canteen (I remember Rosalinda & Yo Soy Betty La Fea being all the rage back then).

There were many other things that took time to get used to. Communal bathroom was one. Living in a boarding school does make you appreciate the comforts and luxuries of home that you previously took for granted.

Further, you learn to stand on your own 2 feet. You wash your own clothes by hand, do your own shopping on outings, participate in the weekly gotong-royong, fend for yourself when you're sick, etc.

Your roommates and classmates will become more than friends. They are like family. My best friend in Jasin was Hasnoor. She sat next to me in class and we got into all sorts of scrapes together. When we were in Form 5, we were often late for the daily roll call. As a result, we were sentenced to jalan itik, ketuk ketampi and other medieval punishments that are now outlawed. Hahaha. I learned that if you're going to get into trouble, it's best to have an accomplice. That way, you can face the repercussions together. So thanks Hasnoor for being the perfect partner-in-crime :)

And since we were always late for breakfast, Hasnoor and I often tapau-ed the food from the canteen and ate them in the classroom. We always took a big portion so that we could share the food with our classmates. During lessons, the food container would be passed discreetly around the class for all to enjoy.

There were no midnight feasts, but we had durian feasts when the fruit was in season. And for Biology class, we had to catch our own frogs for dissection. Fortunately, the boys in our class gallantly took charge of this operation.

Boarding schools also provide a more conducive learning environment. The smaller class size allows teachers to give each student a more personalized attention. My class consisted of only 26 students but some public schools have up to 50 students per class! 50!!

I love the 2 years I had spent there. But times have changed. Boarding school may not be the best choice for everyone in this time and age. Life there can be quite insulated. You hardly get in touch with what's happening in the outside world.

I guess boarding schools and public schools afford different sets of experiences; but neither one is more superior than the other.

Would I recommend my students to go to a boarding school? I would say, YES but they would need to toughen up a bit. Some students can adjust to the lifestyle straightaway while others will require more time but in the end, everyone will love their school and have fond memories of their stay there.

The Song of Sparrows

Karim works at an ostrich farm outside of Tehran, Iran. He leads a simple and contented life with his family in his small house, until one day when one of the ostriches runs away. Karim is blamed for the loss and is fired from the farm. Soon after, he travels to the city in order to repair his elder daughter’s hearing aid but finds himself mistaken for a motorcycle taxi driver. Thus begins his new profession: ferrying people and goods through heavy traffic. But the people and material goods that he deals with daily starts to transform Karim’s generous and honest nature, much to the distress of his wife and children. It is up to those closest to him to restore the values that he had once cherished...(synopsis taken from here)

Karim's family leads a simple but happy life together. Their tender, funny and precious family moments are beautifully captured by the director, Majid Majidi. I just love scenes like the children jostling one another to clean Karim's bike and draw on his leg cast. The children are so adorable especially Hussein.

The movie shows that you really don't need to have a lot of material possessions in order to be happy.



Though it was Reza Naji who won the Best Actor award for his portrayal of Karim (in the 2008 Berlin Film Festival), I was more taken with Hamid Aghazi's Hussein. He provides most of the movie's comic moments when he stubbornly insists on cleaning up an abandoned water-storage area. This results in him being chased all over the place by his father.



Barring this one act of disobedience, Hussein and his two sisters are the most wonderful kids you'll ever come across.

Haniyeh pretends that her hearing aid is working fine so that her father need not buy her a costly new one. Hussein works hard (until his palms become calloused) to earn some money and gives the whole of his salary to his mom. And later he bought an orange juice for his father while they were waiting in the hot afternoon sun.

The above incidents and several more made Karim realise his mistakes. Mistakes that most of us fall prey to when we imagine that money can buy happiness.

In 'The World Book of Happiness' (ISBN: 978-981-275-243-7), there's a chapter which deals with this particular issue.

Ercih Kirchler, a professor of psychology at the University of Vienna, wrote that; "money has little capacity to make us happy, and that happiness gained through material wealth fades quickly".

He also said that, "happiness originates from satisfying, loving relationships and reliable and trustworthy friends; from the ability to enjoy the pleasures of life; and from a meaningful and socially relevant job".

We've been told from young that money cannot buy happiness but few of us really do believe it. I mean who doesn't want a bigger paycheck, right?

Humans are such that "if people had enough gold to fill two deep valleys, they would wish to have a third (valley)" (Hadith reported by Muslim, Bukhari).

But watching this movie will make you realise that we already have everything we need in order to be happy :)

[photos taken from: rottentomatoes.com]

The Song of Sparrows is now showing in GSC Cinemas (International Screens)

Teach for Malaysia

While I was browsing HuffingtonPost this morning, this headline caught my eyes: Depression at Work: 10 Careers with High Rates of Depression. My immediate thought was; teaching has got to be one of them! And sure enough, teachers appeared at number 6 with this description:

The demands on teachers seem to be constantly growing. Many work after school and then take work home.
In many areas, they learn to do a lot with a little.
"There are pressures from many different audiences -- the kids, their parents, and the schools trying to meet standards, all (of which) have different demands," Willard says. "This can make it difficult for teachers to do their thing and remember the reason they got started in the field.”

Hardly the stuff you want to read with only a day left before school reopens...

Later that day however, my sister told me about the Teach For Malaysia programme. I looked it up on the internet as soon as I reached home.

In a nutshell, the programme aims to enlist university graduates to teach in high-need areas in Malaysia for 2 years.

Teach For Malaysia is part of the Teach For All network which has chapters in 16 countries all over the world.

My mood was lifted after perusing the sites. They made me remember why I had chosen to teach in the first place. Like all potential Teach-For-Malaysia recruits, I had the same lofty ideas about making a positive difference in the world. But as explained by the Depression-at-Work article, the idealism fades when one is consumed by work, its pressures, frustrations and the accompanying stress.

This entry is not meant to pour cold water on the initiative. Rather, I really hope that the programme will be a smashing success. Educating the future generation is a big responsibility and we need all the help that we can get.

I do need to warn interested applicants though. The classrooms that you'll be teaching in will not be so ideal as portrayed in the video.

I mean, you're unlikely to get a classroom full of well-behaved, angelic-looking, eager-to-learn kids.

Maybe it's because I teach in a secondary school but the students that I normally encounter are prone to be disruptive and they don't look quite as eager.

In fact, to quote Frank McCourt in Teacher Man; "In every class there's a pest put on earth to test you". Haha.

But it's okay. They'll grow on you and you'll grow on them :)

And despite of all the occupational hazards associated with it, you'll learn to love teaching as well.

Oh, and another thing, you won't look as smart and immaculate as the teachers in the video look. More often than not, you'll look tired, overworked and harassed. Haha.

Again, that comes with the job ;)

Seriously, do apply to Teach For Malaysia despite my fear mongering. Why? Because... (to quote Albert Schweitzer)

"I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve"

PMR

School will reopen in 12 days. *sigh*

Just when you thought that you can get used to having a relaxing and mundane life, the real world comes knocking back.

Yesterday (22-12-10), SMKTM teachers had their 1st meeting for the 2011 school session. This 1st meeting is also the most important because we will get to know what responsibilities we'll be assigned to next year and which classes we'll be teaching.

Most of what I am put in-charge-of aren't so bad except for BSMM (the Red Cross Society). I mean, what do I know about providing medical aid except for perhaps how to apply a band-aid?

Though the tasks given were fair (everyone got an equal share), I still feel a bit scared. Can I do the jobs well? Will I survive another year of teaching? Belum apa2 lagi dah kecut perut...

Anyway, yesterday's anxiety was somewhat subdued by today's excitement; The PMR results were announced this morning (23-12-2010)!

The PMR slips arrived at around 11am. The class teachers took around 30 minutes to sort them out. The slips needed to be clipped together with the candidates' PEKA certs and a handout detailing the Form 4 elective subjects.

By the time we, the class teachers, went to the hall, it was already packed. The students sat on the floor while their parents were anxiously waiting at the sides. Tables for the class teachers were arranged at both sides of the hall.

Before the students can collect their slips, our Penolong Kanan announced the school's result. Our overall pass percentage increased but the number of straight-A students took a dip. The pass percentage for most subjects (including English) also increased! :)

The students clapped wildly at the good news. Then, our principal gave out the slips to the 67 straight-A students. Loud applause and cheers accompanied each name but you could see some faces grew more and more anxious with each passing name.

After the ceremony was over, the class teachers started to hand out the rest of the slips. A few of my students cried upon seeing theirs. And no, they weren't tears of happiness. I was at a lost of what to do. Tried to comfort them but what could I have said?

After the slips were handed out, I finally got to mingle with my students. Absence does make the heart grow fonder and after weeks of not seeing them, I was surprised at how much I had missed those brats :p

They thanked me and gave me a hug/shook my hand. Chatted with them a bit. I asked them what they plan to do next year; whether they want to move to SBP/MRSM/Teknik or stay put at Melawati. The students also have to seriously start thinking about the electives that they want to take next year and whether or not they are eligible for the stream that they've opted for.

I felt bad about a few students who would've gotten straight As if it weren't for English. N told me that it wasn't my fault; "Memang saya yang tak buat kerja Teacher". But I felt bad nonetheless like I had failed them somehow...

X X X

Congrats to all who did well. We are all very proud of you. But those who didn't, do not be so devastated. You still have a long journey ahead of you. Learn from this experience so that SPM will be a different story altogether.

I like this article published in The Star 3 years ago.

A small stop in the journey

Comment by SOO EWE JIN

The Star Online

Friday December 28, 2007

The results for the PMR are out today. Sometimes we forget that the Form 3 students come from the length and breadth of the country.

Not every student will have the privilege of being ferried to the school in a nice car, accompanied by an equally anxious parent, to see how many As will show up on that slip of paper. Not every student will have the privilege of being featured in the newspapers or TV station jumping for joy. Or being interviewed about their study techniques or the rewards that await them.

The majority of the PMR students, if you put things in their proper perspective, will quietly collect their results and prepare for Form 4. Some may not even be able to collect their results because of the floods, but life still goes on.

The obsession with As is primarily an urban phenomenon. It used to be crucial only at the pre-university stage, but over the years has crept downwards so that even 12-year-old children sitting for the UPSR are subjected to unnecessary tension.

I am reminded today by what my Form 3 teacher advised all of us in her message in our class magazine.

She wrote:

Put in total dedication in your studies,

Pursue learning with real interest

It is such spirit which will carry you

Far deep into fields of knowledge

Be humble in your achievements

The truly great man is never puffed up

Rather he stands in awe

In realisation that there's still so much

To know which is beyond him

Never be discouraged by failure

Not all are born great

But many achieve greatness

Through sheer industry, determination and perseverance

School time is also the time to build up

Precious, meaningful, lasting relationships

Be interested in the world around you

Be intelligently informed

Don't develop into scientific recluses

Remember sports, music, literature and the arts

Have much to offer to help build you up into well-balanced individuals

Able to understand, know, enjoy, better

The world you are living in

This teacher has touched many lives. She has helped produce her fair share of multiple-A students but she also knew that the ordinary students without the As can go on to lead meaningful, rich lives, if they are well-rounded caring individuals who recognise that results are not the be-all and end-all of the school journey.

To all students taking the PMR results today, by all means rejoice in your distinctions, but do not despair over your credits and passes.

Life is a journey, and the PMR is just a little stop along the way for you to pause and reflect, and to move on.

X X X

F1 Technology Challenge

After spending 3 days and 2 nights at Brisdale Hotel, KL, I am finally back home.

Was there as the team advisor for Avanzanto-R, who qualified for The F1 Technology Challenge, Petronas National Finals 2010.

When my colleagues found out that I had to be away for the challenge, they all seemed bewildered.

"But why?", they would ask.

Cikgu Hisyam is normally in-charge of anything F1-related. And even if he's unavailable, there are other more suitable teachers who know a thing or two about aerodynamics, drag coefficiency and what-not.

I mean, what do I (as an English teacher) know about such things except for perhaps how to spell them?

But since I've always had a hard time saying 'NO', Liau, Samuel, Hakim & Diana managed to get me to agree to be their team advisor.



So that was how I found myself in Brisdale Hotel last Friday. The competition spanned 3 days (Nov 14-16, 2010) but the bulk of the work began weeks ago.

In a nutshell, the challenge requires the students to: 1) design, 2) analyse, 3) make, 4) test and 5) race miniature F1 cars. A more detailed description of the challenge can be found here.

But manufacturing the cars is only part of the challenge. The students are also tasked to find sponsors to fund their various expenses. They need custom-made tyres, axles, bearings, lubricants, lacquer and paint for the cars. Further, they also need banners, buntings and various merchandise for their display booth. And not forgetting the all-important crew uniform.

Thus, the students have to find companies willing to either sponsor the said items or donate some cold, hard cash.

Besides the cars and booth, the students also have to produce a portfolio and give an oral presentation on their project.

To mount this multi-disciplinary challenge, each team member is given a specific role. The roles are: Manufacturing Engineer, Design Engineer, Graphic Designer and Resource Manager. The 4-member team also has to choose a Team Leader from among their ranks.

The F1-in-Schools Challenge is conducted in over 30 countries. The various national champions will then battle it out at the World Finals/Championship. In the 2006 World Finals, the team Aerobreaker from our school won the Fastest Car title. We have never scaled those heights again since...

DAY 1 (NOV 15)

We had an inauspicious start. You see, our cars didn't look sleek and smooth like our competitors' cars. We ran into all sorts of problem while manufacturing our cars. It was a last minute job. We sent the cars for airbrushing on Friday night with just one day to spare before the competition day!

The painting job was horrible (through no fault of the airbrushing company). Since we didn't have time to sand-paper the cars adequately + apply wood filler + sand-paper the cars again + apply lacquer, the end product looked really pitiful.

During the oral presentation, one judge even laughed when he saw our display car (ouch!). He asked whether we had sand-papered the car. When the students replied in the affirmative, he asked again; "Are you sure?" (double ouch!)

But the students took it all in their stride. They were a bit down but not completely demoralised. We were still hopeful that the car would perform well. Who knows? Maybe what the car lacked in aesthetics, it made up for in speed.

DAY 2 (NOV 15)

Today's the race day! All the cars were lined up beside the 20-metre race track. You can easily spot ours - the roughest looking ones of the batch. Haha.



Before the racing started, the students were given exactly 1 hour to set up their booth.



There were 2 types of race: The Time Trial one and the Reaction Race (I'm not sure what's the difference though).

We were up against the team 'Flash Infinity' from Malay College Kuala Kangsar. We won one race but were later knocked-out. Our car clocked 1.17sec which was quite respectable. We felt sort of vindicated; Our car may not look like a racing car but it sure performed like one! :)

That night, we went to Pavilion. The students belanja-ed me Old Town because it was my birthday. Hazelnut White Coffee and Kaya+Butter Toast had never tasted so good :)

DAY 3 (NOV 16)

The final day of the competition. VIPs came to see the final race, inspect the booths and give away the prizes.

There were many categories -some of which have really funny names- but we didn't win any of them. I wished my team had won something. Didn't even care if it were one of the funnier-sounding ones!

But we didn't. Samuel put in all in perspective: "Takpe Teacher, we may not win any prizes, but we've won many friends".

"And many hearts", Hakim quipped. I wasn't sure whether he meant the judges' hearts or some female ones...

Here's the list of winners:

Overall Champion: Team Velospeed F1 (SM Sains Hulu Selangor)

The team also won these subsidiary titles:
-Best Newcomer Award
-Best Team Portfolio Award
-Petronas Knock-Out Champion

1st Runner-Up: Team Adroit (SMK Aminuddin Baki)

Adroit also won Best Verbal Presentation Award.

2nd Runner-Up: Team Celeritas F1 (SM Datuk Abdul Razak)

Celeritas also took the coveted Best Engineered Car Award.

Team Excel Vision from SMK Batu Lintang was also a big winner, grabbing 3 titles which are:
-Innovative Thinking Award
-Fastest Car Award
-Best Team Sponsorship & Marketing Award

To round it off, Team Extreme Flash (from SMK Kuala Kubu Bharu) took home the 1Malaysia Best Team Collaboration Award while Team Shockwave (from Kolej Sultan Abdul Hamid) won the Perseverance in the Face of Adversity Award.

CONCLUSION

Though we lost, I think the students have learnt a lot from the challenge. They've learnt to be more resourceful, creative, patient, persuasive and cooperative (at least that's what they had written in their feedback forms!).

I really think that this challenge yields many benefits. The students learn things they wouldn't have experienced in a normal classroom - things that would serve them well in the real world.

So, any form 3 students who are interested to join the challenge next year, do your preparations early! You can consult your seniors for any assistance. They'll be m0re than happy to help because on our way back to school the team vowed; "Kita mesti bersihkan balik nama baik sekolah kita".

It's a gruelling challenge, but you'll enjoy it, I promise. Just find yourselves a more qualified team advisor, not some clueless English teacher.

Oh, and I'd like to thank Avanzanto-R's sponsors for their generosity:

Thank you KPS for your cash contribution, Proseeska for our crew uniform, Wang Display Solution for the banner and buntings, THT Mould Engineering for our nylon tyres and Advanco for the 50% off printing. We would never have made it to the Finals without your support!

The Essential 55

Have you ever seen the movie The Ron Clark Story/The Triumph? It was one of those inspiring teacher movies. In the movie, Ron Clark transformed his "difficult" students into high-achievers by introducing a set rules.

Creating rules in order to manage students' discipline might not be a particularly novel and groundbreaking idea. But as a teacher, I know that creating rules and successfully implementing them are two completely different things.

In his book, The Essential 55, Mr. Clark shares with readers his tried-and-tested rules and how they work in his classroom.



For me, the rules themselves are not the main attraction of the book. But the stories behind them are. My favourite chapter is Rule 11: "Surprise others by performing random acts of kindness. Go out of your way to do something surprisingly kind and generous for someone at least once a month". Coincidentally, it is the longest chapter in the book. The chapter details one of the most amazing projects Mr. Clark's students were involved in and how going out of your way to do something wonderful for others is oh-so worth it.

As evident with Rule 11, the set of rules does not only concern classroom dos and don'ts (e.g. Rule 19: "When homework is assigned, do not moan or complain"). They also encompass eating etiquette, good manners, kind acts and living you life to the fullest.

It always annoys me when my students litter, forget to say 'Thank you', cheat during exams, curse, etc. But I haven't really done anything about it other than verbally reprimanding them.

Sometimes, I even choose to ignore the acts. I mean, if I had to reprimand each and every misbehaviour, I would never get to classes on time. I would have to stop every 2 metres or so to ask students to tuck in their shirts/use the boys' staircase/ pick up the trash/etc. I figured that I need to choose my battles, no?

My lack of action maintains the status quo or may have even exacerbated it.

Therefore, I was really impressed with what Mr. Clark has achieved. I concur with him that "kids need and like structure" but I guess, sometimes I'm just not strong-willed and steadfast enough to implement one.

Oftentimes, when I grew frustrated, I just complained; "Don't their parents teach them these things at home?"

Now I realise that though parents are ultimately responsible for instilling good values in their children, teachers should do their bit too.

Another major thing that I got from reading the book is how dedicated a teacher should be. Ron Clark is an award-winning teacher and it's not hard to see why. He typically spends hundreds of dollars a month on books/contest prizes/other items for his students, take them on 25-30 small trips a year, bake them cookies, learned to double-Dutch, etc.

Wow. My effort seems meagre when compared to his and yet I often complain about burnout and tiredness.

Lastly, I was struck by his teaching philosophy. When he was about to take over his first class, the teacher before him said; "As long as you can affect the life of one child, you've been a success".

He disagreed with that stand. "[He approaches] each year with the knowledge that [he has] only one year to make a life's worth of difference in each child in that classroom, and [he gives] it everything [he's] got".

Feeling inspired already? Then, do get hold of the book and read it! :)