like having a 2nd birthday

Teachers' Day was a blast. Here's all about it:

My Favourite SMS

Without TEACHERS--
days are
sadday,
moanday,
tearsday,
wasteday,
thirstday,
fightday,
shatterday.
So, HAPPY TEACHERS' DAY

Favourite Card

A tie between Khaidir & Lukman. They both wrote such sweet (and funny) messages.

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Most Perplexing Gift

What is it and what it's for?

Hadiah misteri

Most 'Sebak' Moment

When they read the dua before the start of the celebration: "Ya Allah, berikanlah guru2 kami keikhlasan bagi menjalankan tugas yang berat ini..."

Meknot

My cat of 12 years died yesterday (13-5-09). We think she was hit by a car because there was blood spatter on the road in front of our house. She must have staggered to the sidewalk after the collision and laid herself there because that was where we found her.

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-Years ago, Meknot was a skinny stray cat who picked our house as a place for her to settle down.

-I don't know why we called her Meknot. Our family has a knack for giving odd names to our cats.

-Meknot was most attached to Papa. She would follow Papa to sleep, to the bathroom, the TV room, etc.

-We have another cat: Aeschylus (or AC for short). But only Meknot is given "special access" to stay in the house. AC has to be put outside after her meals because she's too noisy.

-Meknot liked to accompany me when I had to stay up to finish my assignments (back when I was a student). She would be awake until I turned in myself.

-Meknot liked to sleep in the most unlikely places. She's not skinny anymore but somehow she managed to twist and curl herself into confined spaces.

Meknot sleeping in a flowerpot

-At other times, she liked to sleep while in full stretch. She always adopted the most comical positions.

-Meknot was passionate about grooming. She looked immaculate most of the time.

-She likes to be the centre of attention. So, if you were reading the news, or typing on the computer, you could be sure that Meknot will land exactly on the newspaper or the keyboard.

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We love you Meknot!

Chicken Soup for the Teacher's Soul

In the run-up to this year's Teachers' Day (only 3 days' to go!), I would like to share a few stories about the rewards of being a teacher.

Sure, you're underpaid, bogged down by paperwork, stressed by unruly kids, losing your voice, etc.

But there are a few incidents that make it all seem worthwhile.

Incident 1:

My former student called me today just to say: "Cikgu, kami semua rindu kat cikgu..."

Incident 2:

A student gave me his mum's Mee Hailam recipe (it's his mum's specialty). I didn't ask for it, mind you. Agak random but comel juga!

I should have named this entry Mee Hailam for the Teacher's Soul!



Incident 3:

I received this letter on my last day at Hillcrest:

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Dear Miss Rosyada,

Greeting from 2 Amal. Thank you for teaching us we say with the most sincere words that we have ever said or written. You have been truly a wonderful teacher. These past three months have been so wonderful that even thinking of an English lesson without you makes our hearts to be filled with immense sorrow. We are crying inside because your time as a practical teacher is up. We will truly miss you and remember you as a great teacher from now till the day after forever. We wish you a sincere good luck in whatever you hope to achieve. Please do not forget us here in 2 Amal because we will surely remember you. As I am writing this letter on the behalf of my class, I am struggling to hold back the tears. But I find peace because I know that you will become a great teacher in whichever school you get assigned to (hope it's Hillcrest). I would like to elaborate the reason why your teaching was so wonderful. You see, you teach us in a fun and creative way. Everyday feels like a trip to the zoo because of your fun, fresh and exciting activities. Besides being very educational, it is also fun to do for the whole class. It kills us to say farewell to you but we do know that it is for the better and must be done. And with that note we say farewell to you, Miss Rosyada, the greatest English teacher ever!!!

Without wax,
The Whole Class of 2 Amal 2008

P.S. If you wanna know what without wax means, e-mail me at---

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Sure, the tone is too melodramatic but reading it never fails to make me smile from ear to ear.

KONWANIS 2009

KONWANIS used to be the acronym for Konvensyen Wanita ISMA. But in its 3rd edition, it stands for Konvensyen Wanita Muslim, as it was opened to non-ISMA members as well.

The 2D 1N convention was held at INTEKMA Resort, Shah Alam from May 1 - May 2, 2009.

There were around 400 participants from all over Malaysia. And they came from all walks of life. The youngest participant was 17 years-old while the oldest was 60+.

I really enjoyed myself there even though I was a bit malas to come at first. I had a very busy week and thought that I really deserved to spend my labour day doing nothing.

But alhamdulillah, by Allah's Grace, I did come to the convention and I gained so much from time spent there:

1) I was able to meet friends (Kakak2 & Adik2) whom I haven't met for a long time.

2) Dapat kad istimewa from a friend *wink2*

3) Dapat banyak pengisian yang bermakna.

The theme of the convention was "Jiwa Tenang, Hidup Sejahtera". So, a lot of what was discussed knocked sense into my head. Lately, I was highly-stressed by my increasing workload/responsibilities. I felt so constricted by them. At one point, I was thinking (in a rather dramatic and hysterical fashion): what do these people want from me?

After listening to the talks, I realised that I was too self-absorbed in my problems. EVERYONE has his or her own problems and things that they are stressed about. The (simple) remedy for my predicament seemed to be: Be less self-absorbed and be more thankful!

And never underestimate the power of positive thinking (husnozhon)!

Another sister reminded us that instead of stressing over the "usual" stuff: work, money, etc, we should be stressing over more important stuff such as:
-our solah (are they on time? khusyuk ke tak?)
-ibadah
-our inability to prevent kemungkaran
-etc

*dush*

Other reminders:

"Truly, man was created very impatient;-Fretful when evil touches him; And niggardly when good reaches him;- Not so those devoted to Prayer;- Those who remain steadfast to their prayer" (Surah Al-Maarij, Verses 19-23)

X X X

Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest! (Surah Ar-Rad: Verse 28)

X X X

Dari Syuhayb bin Sinan r.a. katanya: Rasulullah s.aw. telah bersabda: Kagum sekali keadaan seorang mu'min kerana semuanya membawa kebaikan (pahala) baginya -- dan ini tidak mungkin berlaku melainkan kepada orang mu'min. Apabila dia mendapat nikmat maka dia bersyukur -- dan ini adalah kebaikan (pahala) baginya. Apabila ditimpa kesushan maka dia bersabar -- dan ini juga adalah kebaikan (pahala) baginya. (Hadis riwayat Muslim)

X X X

Sekitar Konvensyen:

poolside dining

membeli-belah

MNS Camp

The 3D 2N camp was held from Apr 27 to Apr 29, 2009 at the Pusat Kokurikulum Sepang, Bagan Lalang, Sepang. I had 4 students with me: 2 boys and 2 girls. We took off from school at 12.30pm and reached the place 2 hours later. The students didn't know each other (they are from different forms); so the trip was a quiet one.

I was shocked to see the place: it was "padang jarak, padang tekukur". It does not look like a "proper" campsite at all. The Dewan Ceramah (merangkap Surau) and Dewan Makan are just makeshift tents. I instantly regretted having agreed to come here.

The sparse ground

The makeshift Dewan Ceramah/Surau

Dewan makan

After registration and Zohor, I took the students out to lunch. It was just a small eatery overlooking the ocean. We didn't stop anywhere on our way there, so I was really hungry. Many schools went there too, so by the time we arrived, only mee, mee hoon and kuey teow were available. All of us ordered kuey teow goreng.

After our late lunch, we went back to the campsite and were just in time for the briefing session. The instructors introduced themselves and asked that we not have pre-conceived notions about the camping based on the unpromising outward appearance of the place (macam tahu2 je). Afterwards, we were given tents to put up. The students shared a tent among 4 people, while the teachers shared among 3. But not many teachers chose to stay at the campsite. Many opted to stay at one of the many chalets nearby.

I shared my tent with 2 teachers: Masturah and Kavitha. We became fast friends. Around 6pm, we went with another teacher to walk along the beach. The tide was high and the wind was blowing hard. It was a nice respite from the VERY hot and stifling afternoon. We walked along the beach and was surprised to find a dead fish. We took pictures and continued walking. Then, we found another one, and another, and another.

The dead fish lying on the beach

I stopped counting after 50! There were that many dead fishes along 100m stretch of land. We were busy taking pictures and discussing the probable reasons for the fishes' demise. I felt like a scientist doing a field study... haha (later, when the other teachers proposed eating ikan bakar at one of the many seafood restaurants there, we declined. We were paranoid that the fishes might be polluted too!).

We walked until we reached the newest resort there. It is still under construction but its restaurant is opened for business. We didn't eat there because the place seemed too posh (read: expensive) but we looked around the place. It was beautiful. The landscape was further accentuated by the sunset. It was perfect timing

The beautiful Sepang Gold Coast Resort

The next morning, we woke up early because we were scheduled to go to the Paya Indah Wetlands. We were supposed to leave at 6.30am. The bus came late, so we had time to eat breakfast leisurely and left for Paya Indah at 7am. There were 3 buses. The journey to Paya Indah took 1 hour. I was still sleepy so I slept throughout most of the journey.

Once there, we were divided into 2 groups; one group was going jungle trekking, the other kajian air. I opted for jungle trekking. But due to transport problem (Paya Indah bus was unavailable while our drivers went for breakfast), we didn't get to do the actual jungle trekking. We went sight-seeing at one of the 14 lakes instead. One of the rangers showed us around and gave a very informative tour.

The tranquil Lake Typha

We had a break before rejoining the kajian air group. Next stop: the hippopotamus enclosure! The 3 hippos are from Botswana. They are Kundra (14 years old), Cendana (12) and Juwita (11). Kundra is the only male in the group and is the heaviest (1 ton!).

A few students got to feed the hippos. They are amazing creatures: intimidatingly huge but also adorable!

meet Kundra

We were shown around the place some more before leaving at 11.30pm. Oh, we also got to see the yellow pythons: Bobo and Mimi before we left.

Back at the campsite, we had our lunch, performed our prayer and got ready for the next activity. We walked to the beach and the students had to build a sand castle. The scheduled water-confidence activity had to be abandoned because the tide was too low.

While the students build their castle, Mas, Kavitha, Faizah and I went to a nearby shop and bought ice creams. We ate and talked under a shady tree. Once we got back, the students have already completed their work. This was the nicest creation:


Later, we did a paintball target practice at the campsite. It was my first time holding a paintball gun. I hit the target once! Yeay!

The boys getting ready to fire

Later that night, we had the Malam Kebudayaan. It was fun when the instructors kept teaching the students various tepuks: tepuk semangat, tepuk terima kasih, tepuk saedah, tepuk sate, tepuk anak dugong, etc. The students did an OK job (they hadn't had much time to practise). But I wished they had figured out a more original storyline than a group of people admonishing another group because they were throwing rubbish everywhere. About three versions of the story were acted out by the different groups.

On our last day, we pulled down our tents. Put our bags in the car and converged on the Big Tent for the Closing Ceremony. It was a nice camping experience. The instructors were very cool, the pace relaxed, the food delicious and I really enjoyed the company of Mass and Kavitha.

I wouldn't mind going for another Kelab Pencinta Alam Camp :-)

KBAZ

The Israeli bombardment of Gaza lasted for 22 days.

The Palestinian people were cornered, unable to flee anywhere and were subjected to relentless air strikes.

The total number of casualties is estimated to be around 1300 people.

Throughout, and after the war, we read and learned of the unspeakable horrors inflicted on the Gazan people: the use of white phosphorous, the bombing of schools and other supposedly-safe areas, the killing of civilians, and the blockade of aid, humanitarian, and rescue efforts.

Back then, all of us were enraged by these reports. We felt helpless to help our fellow brothers and sisters there. So, donations poured in for the funds specially set-up in aid of them. Many people even started to boycott Zionist products.

What about now?

Many of us have moved on.

Have stopped donating, stopped boycotting...

Have we stopped caring too?

If we haven't, let's converged at PWTC this 9 May 2009.

There will be a convention entitled: Berakhirnya Agenda Zionis (The End of the Zionist Agenda). The convention aims to give another perspective on the Palestinian issue; that the Gaza's misery is not a few weeks' old, and it has certainly not ended following the ceasefire.

The convention also aims to discuss the roles we all have to play in bringing an end to the Zionist's agenda.

The talk will be in English. And the registration fee is RM10.

The hall could only accommodate 3000 people, so do register early. You can pay later, on the day itself (walk-in is allowed but preference will of course be given to: 1) those who have registered and paid, 2) those who have registered but haven't paid).

Lastly, don't forget to visit: www.kbaz.net to learn about the panellists and the title of the presentations. Feel free to promote the event in your respective blog, facebook, friendster, twitter, YM, etc.

Vicious cycle

I have "good" classes as well as "challenging" ones.

When lessons go well, I feel so elated and can't wait to do it again.

But when my students gave a lacklustre response, I feel so demotivated.

So, the next time I'm racking my brains, to plan a lesson for that class, I can't help but think: "Why bother? The students won't appreciate it anyhow..."

Thus, I'll end up with a half-baked, uninteresting, ineffective lesson plan.

The lesson will of course disinterest the students further.

Thus, I'll get MORE demotivated.

Get the picture? It's a vicious cycle. One that is essential for me to break.

It isn't an easy thing to do, I tell you.

Each time I'm ill-prepared for a lesson, I just pray really hard that it will go well.
And I try to portray my enthusiasm as best I can... never mind that sometimes the enthusiasm has to be faked.

Haha

That's my mechanism for survival.

Then and Now

Then, I taught only 2 classes, now I teach 5.

Then, I taught 10 periods per week. Now, it's 25.

Then, I knew all my students' name (85 students). Now, after three months with my students, I wonder if I will ever be able to remember all 209 names.

Then, I gave instant feedback to my students. Now, my students' exercise books are gathering dust on my workstation.

Then, I rarely used the textbook, relying more on handouts adapted from various sources. Now, I think I rely on the textbook too much. There's nothing wrong with the textbook, but I don't put in as much effort in finding current, interesting materials anymore. Plus, to make copies of handouts for 5 classes is not really financially viable for me.

Then, I always had a set induction for each lesson plan (a set induction is meant to attract the students' attention - to hook them into the lesson). Now, I've dispensed with it because of time constraint especially during single-period lessons. Many times, I went into class and straightaway wrote on the whiteboard without any introductory address.

Reflecting on my past and current practice, is it any wonder that students seem to love practicum teachers more?

Why am I employing a different approach? Suffice to say that full-fledged teachers are simply SWAMPED with a multitude of tasks (which practicum teachers are unencumbered with). And rarely do these tasks have anything to do with teaching.

*sigh*

I feel bad because it seems like I'm shortchanging my students...

Star Power

In educational theory, we learned about the effectiveness of a reward system. Students will be motivated to do better if they are given a reward for their effort. So, teachers can give out small presents (such as chocolates and sweets) to students for this purpose. Alternatively, teachers can give them stars in the form of a sticker or a stamp. The theory notes that this reward system is more effective with younger learners (i.e. primary-school children). It might not work with older students.

I've been using a star stamp since my practicum days and I can vouch that it WORKS with secondary students too. The students can get pretty competitive with regards to how many stars they get. It creates funny situations such as this one:

Aiman: Cikgu, kenapa Azfar dapat 2 bintang?
Ms. Syada: Sebab dia dapat highest.
Aiman: Saya dapat 100% dalam paper Maths tak dapat bintang pun...
Ms. Syada: Saya bukan cikgu Maths awak.
Aiman: *looking dejected*
Ms. Syada: Aiman, awak nak bintang ke? Awak ada bawak kertas Maths awak?
Aiman: Ada. Kejap ye Cikgu... saya pergi ambil.
Ms. Syada: Berapa bintang awak nak?
Aiman: Bagi 3 la Cikgu...

Several minutes later, Azfar held up his hand to ask a question. I didn't notice. Aiman, who sat next to Azfar, made himself useful by saying this loudly:

"Cikgu, budak 2 bintang nak tanya soalan"

Besides using stars, I also write "GOOD!" in my students' exercise books. To avoid redundancy, I sometimes write "Well Done!" or "Excellent!" instead.

I could never have told that it would create a contentious issue:

"Cikgu, GOOD lagi baik ke, Well done lagi baik?"

How are you to answer that?

One student, not to be outdone, added something to my remark so that the end product became:

"WELL GOOD!"

(!)

Moral of the story is: Never underestimate the power of a small reward/a nice comment!

Miscellaneous

Met up with my cohort 3 juniors: Amrien, Syikin, Fina and Riza today (5-4-09). After parting ways more than 1 year ago, we finally got to see each other again.

It was a happy occasion. We traded stories about Macquarie, teaching, mutual acquaintances and IPBA.

They are finishing their Year 4 Sem 1, and are about to embark on their practicum in the next semester.

The conversations about Macquarie; Macquarie Centre, Easyway, our lecturers, the Macquarie University Village, etc - made me feel that I've left Macquarie yearssss ago.

Working has aged me prematurely I think... hahaha

X X X

Yesterday (4-4-09), I went to SMK Seri Kundang for the Pertandingan Kawad Kaki Badan Beruniform Sekolah-sekolah Menengah Daerah Gombak. My school represented the Pandu Puteri Unit for the competition.

I left home at 6.30am and only came back at 3pm! It was an exhausting Saturday which was supposed to be my off day!

Tapi, takpe since I got to meet my former students and the teachers from Hillcrest. They represented the Pengakap outfit.

I think all my students have grown 2 inches taller! Rasa terharu that they still remember me.

X X X

Last Thursday (9-4-09) was a bad day.

My day started well enough. But everything changed after the staff meeting. I hate it when the "higher-up" people place unreasonable demands on teachers.

Today, we had a briefing about how to keep the class register. It's tedious enough to write (by hand) the students' FULL name on a monthly basis to record their daily attendance. As Najib has pointed out: today's kids have very long names!

"If I ever have kids their name will only be 1 word and 6 letters tops" (Najib, 2009)

I'm with you Najib.

Then, at the end of each month, we have to do numerous statistical calculations. Fine - I can live with that.

Now, the "higher-up" people are splitting hairs about the students' data at the back of the register. For Tempat Lahir, we have to be more specific: we mustn't write KL or Selangor only. We have to include the Daerah as well (e.g. Gombak, Selangor). Oh, and we mustn't write in short form: not PJ but Petaling Jaya please...

And for rumah sukan, we musn't put Biru/Merah/Hijau/Kuning/Ungu. It should be Panglima/Pendekar/Perkasa/Pahlawan/Perwira instead.

APEKAH??

Teachers are swamped with a lot of tasks as it is. Creating further unnecessary work and stress is not really a good idea. And please stop from threatening us with Surat Tunjuk Sebab to make us toe the line.

We work very, very hard. It would be nice to get a pat on the back once in a while instead of the unrelenting pressure. A good manager is someone who knows how to bring out the best out of each of his/her team members right?

I'm so going to take Educational Management for my Master.

After the meeting, I felt like I was ready to explode. Coincidentally, my first class for the day was 1N a.k.a. Kelas Yang Paling Mencabar Iman.

They were supposed to have their Ujian Pendidikan Seni Visual but many turned up late to class; Many did not bring their test questions to class (which were given a week earlier); Many did not bring the necessary equipment to do the test (e.g. pencil colours, geometry set, water colours, paint brush, etc).

The class was very noisy despite it being a test because the students were sharing test questions, equipment and even basic items like erasers!

So, my patience was wearing VERY thin. I scolded the offenders but at the back of my mind I kept thinking: Was I reprimanding them or was I taking out my anger at them?

Deep down I had to admit that the latter was true. Though the students deserved to be reprimanded, my words were harsher than usual. The realisation hit me hard. I was immensely regretful.

:-(