Happy Teachers' Day!

Guess what, one of my students messaged me at midnight just to wish me happy teachers' day! That really made my day as it goes all the way to prove that there is someone who still cares about what I do! Here are some facts of what teachers encounter in school.

Fact 1: Just 2 days ago, one of the teachers in my school was sworn at by a student. How rude it was.... That's class has always been a trouble for every teacher who goes in to teach. Teacher after teacher complained about their attitude! What can we do as teachers?

Fact 2: The minister will be announcing some incentives for teachers. He will be announcing it during a national teachers' day celebration. Will it be a pay rise? or even some other allowances? Only God knows..... With all the inflation, this will definitely at least help lessen our burden, will it not?

Fact 3: The work of a teacher is no longer teaching! We do lots of stuff from medical care, judge, police, clerk, secretary, you name it, we got it! Really, so people seem to think that the work of a teacher is simple, teach half day and go home.... oh no no no.... that's a stereotypical thinking..... When students fall ill in school, who does the work?- Teacher! When students play truant, smoke, fight, who do all the work?- We! When the office needs to get ISO status and all... who do all the work?- Teachers! When a student needs a shrink, who do they go to? Us! Who.... When.... How.... Which... Why... you may ask...... the list goes on and on and maybe even never ending.... a teacher's job is definitely not easy as it seems.... and our pay... never mind.....

Fact 4: With all the craze about academic excellence around us, teaching is no longer a passion.... it feels more like a competition to see who gets the highest score.... Who needs fun, passion and all... when 'hey teachers, our target for this year is 15 A+s for bla... bla... bla...' reality kicks in..... Is it a passion in reality or a job just to put food on the table?

Fact 5: They say teaching is a work of the heart.... Well it is true to a certain extent.... with all the facts above, teaching is no longer the same as it was 20 years ago..... think about it... do you think being a teacher is that easy?

So as it goes, we who can teach, teach while we who can lead, change! Being a teacher that makes a difference, makes all the difference.... empowering and building human is what we are good at.... We equip our kids with knowledge and tell them life is fun and interesting.... not just academic excellence! It is nothing but a piece of paper.... what we do in class... our attitude towards them... our concern... our energy... these things make a difference in their lives and truly they will remember us... even if they fail in their papers, they will still remember us, for the good that we have done and how we have touched them....

So to teachers our there, pick up the passion, make a difference in young lives, change them, mould them, be the potter and the students the clay! let the difference making take flight! HAPPY TEACHERS' DAY!

Work!

Now that 2010 is gone, here comes 2011. It is barely a week into this brand new year, I am already swamped with tonnes of work! How can I breather! Help! Help! Help! God do hear me from above, help me Lord! I need your help and guidance badly!

It Really Does Feel Good To Be Appreciated!

It has been such a long time since I last posted something on this blog of mine... This time, I would love to talk about appreciation! Recently, I came to know that one of my teacher friend was awarded the APC and I was so happy for her! Looking at the amount of effort she put in her work was and is just amazing! Her dedication, sweat, blood and oh whatever else were to be the potion, were duly recognized! Congratulations to her! I myself felt appreciated in my school recently..... Just today, during one of my English lessons with my second class kids, one of them wrote a comment about me on my piece of paper during one of the set inductions. He or she (i am sure it was a he) wrote this ' Best English Teacher we all had. You just like a friend that so helpful, caring and always mad to. Joking man, good advicer... Thanks for help us'.. (pardon their language)..... I was just so moved to see this comment coming from my students.... Never did I expect them to say this..... All I can deduce from this is that they really do appreciate all that I have put into teaching their class..... After all the nagging like an old grandfather, hair pulling and other stuff too, they were just awesome and that little comment just made my day! Maybe it's because I am an easy going, flexible teacher, and also a person that doesn't seem to go by the books too much.Somehow I just feet more motivated to teach them..... Well, as the saying goes, TEACHING IS A WORK OF THE HEART!

A Day of Ultimate Blurness!

At some point in our lives, there will definitely be a day of ultimate blurness and mine was TODAY!!! First of all i had to attend an interview which will determine my career as a teacher. Well, the day started of well at the beginning... This great start did not last long. As i arrived at the interview centre, my blurness and confusion started! When the secretary was going through my documents, one of her statements actually sent me into deep confusion. She said that she had to ask the interview officer whether I was qualified for the interview as my degree was from foreign university. I was perplexed! Why would a government scholar be barred from interview just because his degree is from a foreign university. Furthermore, it a Federal Scholarship... So I asked her, and she explained that there were a few cases where foreign universities were not recognized by the SPP eventhough the candidates were sponsored by the government... WEIRD!!!! Well, I was relieved that I was allowed to be interviewed! Fuh! When I went in for the interview, the officer asked me to introduce myself. He asked the question in BM and before I answered him, i asked him as to whether I could answer in BI. He told me that if he questions in BM, then I ought to answer in BM and if he questions in BI then i ought to answer in BI. Oh well, i thought to myself.... So, I answered him in BM... Somehow somewhere sometime throughout the interview, something happened which I am still confused now! The interview started in BM and as it progressed on, his questions were given in BI. This made the whole interview even weirder as till now, I am still confused as to whether I started conversing to him in BI or was it the officer who started questioning me in BI..... OR even maybe, I answered his BM question in BI which made him switch language.... CONFUSED AND BLUR!!! Not only this, the questions that he posed were like out of this world! Before the interview, I was told by his secretary that the questions would be basically on PIPP, NEP and also my work.... BUT, in the interview, the questions were beyond what I expected! one of the questions he asked was regarding the New Economic Model.... NEM I thought... Hmmmm.... Well, thank God that I did read about it in the newspapers and was able to answer his questions.... There were also some other questions which made me blur and confused throughout the whole day but I wouldn't want to go into details here.... Well, interview was over and i thought to myself, I shall take my own time and take a slow drive back. I even thought of getting some breakfast and stuff first before I head back but somehow my conscience wasn't clear! Something in me told me, GO BACK TO SCHOOL!!! I was like... huh? but, I am on official duty outside of school today...... Well, I went back without having to do anything that I planned to do..... I went back, helped out at the Public Speaking Competition that was ongoing in my school and also finished up the clippings of the May exam... My blur and confused point here was why did I go back to school? My colleagues were asking me why did u come back... u should have gone back or even so something else.... I was like yeah, that's true but somehow, somewhere in my heart, my conscience wasn't clear! I know my duty in school, I know that there were some other responsibilities awaiting me in school, and that was why I went back instead of loitering around. I was glad that I followed my conscience and voice in my heart! I was glad to be back, and was glad that I could contribute to my school! That's just school..... Then, when it was time to leave, I confidently left my camera bag with all my kits in school! OMG!!! I have not done this before! This is the first time that I ever leave my camera in school! My blurness and confusion is taking over me for the day and for real!!! Even at badminton just now.... I was blur and could not concentrate on my game.... What a blow! What a day! Confusion and blurness!!! But all the more I would like to thank God and also the people around me, you know who you are, despite my blurness and confusion, I did not forget all your encouragements towards me as I face my interview! Thank you! Thanks a lot!!!!

Of Students and Teachers

More often than not, teachers are being bogged down with all kinds of work apart from their core business, TEACH! But one of the things that got me thinking this week was the welfare or even our interest towards our students. Every single day, when the bell rings to signal the start of the day, most of us would sigh, I don’t deny it myself and when the bell rings to signal the opposite, we all jump with joy! But what got me thinking throughout this week were the lives of my students! Besides being a teacher to them in class, in my humble opinion, teachers should also try to understand and be a friend to students. I find that it is through this that teachers could relate themselves better to their students and even gain the students’ respect. Why should we rush off at the end of the day when we can spend more time with our students? It is not necessarily that we should only spend time with them in the school. For example, I was in a limbo yesterday as to whether I should go for a picnic with my colleagues which involved water activities, or spend time with my students playing futsal. Picnic would have been fun, as I could relax, bond with other colleagues and even do what I enjoy the most, photography. On the other hand, futsal would have been equally as fun because I would be able to spend more time with my students. Which should I choose? In my heart I was thinking, I should go for futsal with my students. That was just simply because I wanted to spend the time with them, laugh together and at the same time get to know them better. When else would I get to spend time with my students apart from that? So I went for futsal with my students and true enough, I got to know my students better and had fun at the same time! To me, I think that that was more valuable than any picnic trip. I would prefer to invest in my students’ life than keeping it all to myself. There’s no point of keeping everything to ourselves and not giving it to other! Just like what was promised in the Bible. The more we sow, the more we reap. What we sowed into the kingdom of God, we will reap it bountifully! This just the same in this situation: If I give more attention and effort to my students, what I will reap at the end of the day would be AMAZING!

That was just one of the examples of things that happened during this week. What happened today in school really got me all worked up and disappointed with some of the people in the staff room. Being a teacher on duty, it has always been your responsibility to take charge of any events that happen in school throughout the week. Needless to say, this duty includes sending sick students to hospital.
Here goes the story that led me to my disappointment! One of the students in school was hyperventilating and having cramps all over her body! She was literally gasping for air and I happened to walk past the ‘pondok’ and some of the students yelled for me. So, I went over and asked why and there I saw this student. So, I quickly asked one of the students there, that happened to be a guy and was big in size to help her get to the staff room. Of course, I did my part in helping too. The both of us carried her to the staff room! And here the scenario starts. In the staff room, the student was complaining of having cramps all over her body! And she was literally gasping for air! My first reaction was to send her to the hospital for treatment! So I asked the teacher on duty to send her! Well, one of the teachers on duty did not have car, ok fine. Then I asked another teacher on duty. Her reply utterly disappointed me! She said “ask the other teachers on duty to send her. I have already sent one student to the hospital this week. It’s their turn to send!” I was stunned! Goodness gracious me! Being a teacher on duty, your responsibility knows no bounds! No limits! Whatever happen, is and will always be your duty! Seriously, I was tremendously let down by this teacher! What about the other teachers who were in the staff room? They came over asked what happened and just watched .
OMG! None of them lifted a finger to help! Well, there was another teacher that came to help though she wasn’t on duty! I mean, being a teacher, the most important thing is our students! They are our responsibility and how can we afford to say that we have done enough for the week and pass the baton around? To me, I felt that this just reflects irresponsibility. Not trying to boast that I am responsible or whatsoever, but that poor girl was suffering and the other teachers were just watching!

Finally, I managed to persuade the teacher who said NO to send the girl to the hospital! I piggy backed her to the car and accompanied her to the hospital. Thank God the student is all well and ok now.

WHAT WENT THROUGH MY MIND:
While the other teachers were busy watching the situation like a drama on tv, I could not be bothered about them! One of them even said, ‘ panggil beberapa pelajar perempuan angkat dia keluar ke kereta.’ Well, that was the right thing to do, but the school session has just ended and to find students to come and help would take AGES!!! Can’t you do something? I couldn’t be bothered, so I asked the teacher that came to aid, help me carry her out and the both of us did it. Just at the door, I decided to piggy back the student to the car, which was easier. At that moment, what went through my mind was ‘I need to send this girl to the hospital fast! I do not want anything serious to happen to her!’ I was not bothered about what others say about me, gossip about me or even criticize me! All I know is that my duty know no boundaries! Although I was not on duty, I still have to put in my effort to come to my students’ aid regardless of gender, race, or even religion! I am not looking for any APC or whatsoever; I just want the best for my students!

You see, teaching is not just any other career, but a work of the heart! If ever any teacher would dare to say that, I have done enough for my students this week, then I think that the teacher has chosen the wrong vocation. In order to touch the lives that we teach, we have to show them the love and care immaterial of gender, race, and religion! It is true our students come to us in school in search of education and knowledge only but at the same time they are also there to learn about life, what life is all about covertly! If we fail our students in school, what kind of people would they be in the end? Don’t you think it is a pity?