Let us Fly!

What will you feel when people put a high expectations on you? It is difficult to tell how I feel. But I know that it makes me nervous and feel a little bit worry. Yeah, I will start asking myself on how good I am, will I be as what people expect and will I perform as what they think I am. This type of questions will start to play in my mind.

But I believed that as long as we have a strong belief in ourselves on what we do and why we do it, we are in the right track. I do doubt about performance in teaching sometimes whether I will always do my best in the future or not. I know that we need to live at the moment we are rather than think how we are in the future. It is better to finish what we have now than keep worrying about something that we do not know what will happen yet.

Same to my pupils, I believed that they also feel nervous when I started to put a high expectation on some of them. I learn this after a few months I teach my Temiar pupils. I cannot really show my expectations on some high achievers learners to the whole class. I think it is better to tell the pupils individually because they feel shy when I told it in front of their friends. So, I better give motivation to the pupils individually and tell them how much they can learn if they really work hard. I think they appreciate it more than just show the expectations in the class. It just Malaysian way I think. We just shy to accept positive compliments sometimes because it is rare to happened. I admitted that I have the same feel also :)

As long as we have vision and mission in whatever we do it shows that we are in the positive track. We just need to prepare our own wing, make sure we know how it work and then fly high up in the sky!

I also believed that we need to take risk sometimes to make a huge impact in everything we do. Do not just be like a donkey. When tie a carrot in front of it, it just run towards the carrot without realized that it cannot get it. Wake up and let’s fly!

p/s: Thank you to the person that had given me that airplane!

The Final Year Examination 2010

Today is the first day for the examination week start! I am so nervous to see my pupils achievements in mathematics. I did not put a high expectation but I do want to see some of the pupils can at least perform well in their mathematics paper especially to year 5 pupils because next year they will be in year 6. I need to accept the ability of my Temiar pupils.

I do observed my pupils behaviour during the examination today. I can see a little bit of change of the attitude now. Some think seriously and make concern of my advices. If you still remember, i had make an answering questions campaign before to make all the pupils try to do something with the questions given. I think it help a little bit. I can see that mosty of the pupils write something on each of the questions. That is better than just sent back a plain paper!

I also had a chat with some year 3 pupils regarding their ambition. Most of them still scared to say that they want to be a successful person in the future. Most of them still said that they want to be just as same as what their parents do now. I want them to be brave! I do not like to hear they give up before they try it first. I hope they will realize this as soon as possible.

I hope all the pupils had prepared themselves to face the examination week! Good luck to all of you and may successful will always be there! Good luck!

p/s: Let us put positive things first! Throw away the negative!

Responses to the Questions

I had received some questions from Bernice’s students from University of Hertfordshire regarding to the school and education in Malaysia. Bernice is one of my lovely, sweet and kind lecturers that I know when I was study a degree with University of Hertfordshire twinning with Kota Bharu teaching Institute before. I am so glad that I have the opportunity to share some information that I have here and my new experience in school with them.

My answer will basically base on the school that I teach now. The school that I teach now has a bit difference from the main stream school in Malaysia. The school is situated in a rural area. The pupils are not Malay pupils but they are 100% native pupils. Schools are quite new to them. These pupils also not use Malay language as the main language. They speak Temiar language and Malay language is their second language. English – of course is something alien to them. So, I do not want you to get confuse about it because my answer will be much on what is happening here.

Here are the questions and answers from me:

Is there a national curriculum?

I believed that it is important for each country to have own national curriculum for primary school so that the curriculum will be secure. Same to us, we have our own national curriculum for primary school. For my school, we use the same curriculum with all the other school in Malaysia. We had been provided with the same syllabus, the same teaching materials, the same buildings and so on.

However, there are some different that our school have. Our pupils needs lots of needs including attention from the teachers, foods, clothes and any other helps that can help them to learn with comfortable and happy. I believed that the most important thing is that the approach of the teaching to them. They live far in the jungle and up the hills. So there are many things that they had left behind.

At what age do the children start school?

The pupils start the school at 7 years old for year 1 just as same as the main stream school. They will finish primary school at 12 years old. So, it will be 6 years for primary school. The special things about the pupils in my school are that some of them skip the years that they come to school. One of my year 1 pupils for example should be in year 2 this year but because she never came to school last year, we need to put her in the year 1 to let her learn a bit and not shocked!

Oh, we also have pre-school in our school. It opens for the children age 5 and 6 years old. Pre-school also having problems with the attendance. Some pupils did not come to pre-school because of the distance of the house and the difficulties for the parents to send their kids down from the hills.

How do young children cope with having to stay in the hostel?

The other special thing that we have here is the hostel for the primary school pupils. There are some reasons that the hostel was build like to make the pupils easier to come to school everyday. Their houses are far away and hostel will help them a lot. Then, they also can learn in proper condition because there are proper electricity in the hostel compared to their home. They also will be provided with healthy foods so that they can grow better.

There are 2 teachers that called as hostel warden that take care of the pupils. The wardens also get help from 4 teachers’ assistant to make the job easier. Pupils will be guided to do their daily routine in the hostel by the teacher’s assistant. They will be like the mother and father for the pupils when they are staying in the hostel. Most of the pupils are very independent only some young children like the year 1 pupils sometimes have difficulties to suit in the hostel life. But time by time, they will feel better.

Does the government influence education?

Government does have influence in the education especially the ministry of education. Sometimes we need to follow the changes made. For example, few years ago, they decided to let the pupils learn mathematics and science in English but recently it had been change into Malay language back.

Does religion affect education?

Majority of the pupils in this school are Muslims. So, Islamic ways of life do affect some activities in the school. For example we always start the school day with reciting prayers and sometimes we celebrate the important days of Islam in the school. If you see the school uniform also, most of the girls will wear hijab to the school.

I hope that my explanations help you a lot. If you have more things to ask, just do it and I will happily answer what I know and experiences. Thank you very much and take care!

p/s: I wish I can just explain it live rather than using writing because I prefer talks than write! haha

Which way to follow?

We always need to decide which way for us to follow. It happens like everyday. Although sometimes it is just a small matter, but we still need to decide and choose the best one to make sure that we are on the right track always.

Being a teacher means that you always to be careful on choosing the way you taking. You will always be observed my your pupils specifically because you meet them every week and by the community around you commonly. what you choose to do will effect what appears on your spectators (i mostly mean the pupils). Like the behaviour for example, if you choose to appear easily to smile to your pupils, it will effect their acceptance to your teaching in the class. Another example is what you wear to school and how you wear it. if you looks messy, it will turns the pupils messy too.

Actually, I wrote this entry just want to share about the difficulties to choose the correct way sometimes when you are in a new place. Yeah, I am not really new in this school anymore but there will be some things that I do not know which one to follow. For example, when you were teacing in a new place and know the community in the school, you will also know some of the behaviour that already turn into the culture of the school. You may like it or not like it. You need to choose whether to like it and follow it and you will be accepted or you can choose not to like it and not follow it and be ignored by the community.

For me, the good things is always good to follow. It will lead into many others good things that we never expected. but if we make wrong decision and choose the bad things to follow, it will effect ourself like we never notice it at all. Same like the principal of the toilet. when you enter a toilet that is a smelly, you said you cannot stand with it but when you already in it for like some minutes, suddenly you feel comfortable and no more smelly things around you!

p/s: Lets think wisely and be honest with self!

Turn to something interesting :)

I always emphasized my pupils in year 3 and year 5 to remember the multiplication table from multiplication of 2 up to the multiplication of 9. I believed that all mathematics teacher know how important multiplication are for the pupils. It is important for the pupils to know the basic concept of multiplication but if they can remember it, that will give an easy way for them to tackle lots of mathematical problems.

So, started in March (for year 5) and July (for year 3), I begin to let the pupils read the multiplication from the book before started my lesson. Yeah, I just let them to read it every time I enter their class. I don't want to expect a huge thing from them so, I just let them read the multiplication loudly together. My aim is just to let them be familiar with the number that always appeared in multiplication. I believed that repetition have its own power where one day, i will see the impact.

My Temiar pupils are also special. they did not bring any boom back (most of them) and did not really get support in learning when they get back home. so, without choice, school will be the only place that they learn something formal like Mathematics. So, I need to use my time properly to make sure that it will help them.

Back to main topic discuss, I let the pupils read the multiplication. For 2 weeks, its just fine for them to read the multiplication. But after that, I can see that they change. They do not really like to read it anymore and found it was a boring thing to do. yeah, I admit it that it was no fun to read the multiplication again and again each day. iI really need to do some changes.

Then, I got an idea to put action while reading the multiplication. They still read the multiplication but they will also do some action. It turn to be fun! (that what I observe). I asked them to read while move their legs, I let them read while clap their chest and sometimes I just do some exercises that I learn during my degree before too. The pupils started to love to read the multiplication after that. Especially when I tried to make new movements every time I entered the class. It was difficult to think new movement but because I like to watch their happy face reading the multiplication, the difficult part just fade away from my mind! hahaha

I hope that one day they will get the multiplication and can use it in the future. I do not know whether it is good to let them memorized it but I found that when i was in primary school before, memorized the multiplication helps me a lot!

p/s: one more week before final examination! Lets prepare gun, swords and everything! It's a war! haha

Barefoot

Every Monday morning, there will be a formal school assembly. Same to this week, all the teachers and pupils will gather at the assembly court. It was a cold morning because last night was raining heavily. The pupils started to make line according to their class. The teachers sit in front of the pupils and wait for the assembly to start.

After a few minutes managing the pupils, the assembly started as usual. We recite prayers and then sing national anthem.The teacher that was on duty started to give his talks and advises after that. Everything went smoothly like every other weeks.

Suddenly, one of the teacher had see something interesting in the year 1 pupils line. Somebody was playing hide and seek with the teacher. I sit beside the teacher, so I noticed them. Suddenly the teacher whispered to me that he had saw Romzi smiling to him and what attracted him was that Romzi did not wearing any shoe!

We just let the assembly finished first before we approached Romzi. We do not want to disturb the ceremony. After the assembly finished, we tried to ask Romzi about his school shoe but he just smiling without telling anything. I knew he is sad inside. We gave him a pair of a new shoe to him. He running happily again. Luckily our school have a store that keeps all school uniform to give to the pupils for some of this reasons.

Actually, Romzi stays in the hostel. Maybe his friends had borrowed his shoe or maybe he left it somewhere and forget the place. He just year 1 pupil that still learning to manage himself. If you come in the evening, you can see lots more pupils barefoot. It is not because we did not give them slipper, it just because their careless. Some of them, when they got a pair of a new slipper they keep it in their house and choose to barefoot. They want to keep the slipper to look new. It is something I never think people will do before!

Watching Romzi still wearing school uniform that morning makes me feel proud of him. He still want to come to school although he do not have shoe. He still want to learn although he is far from his parent. I hope Ramzi can learn well in the class too. :)

p/s: Another courses to attend this November :) Yay!

Another 3D shapes activity :)

Just about 15 minutes before enter the year 1 class, suddenly I got an idea to strengthen my pupils with the ability to remember the name of 3D shapes. I was sitting on a chair doing some work at that time and had see sticky note on the table. The idea just came in after that.


First, I write down one 3D shapes on the sticky note. Then, I gave it one pupils each. The pupils will need to read the name of the shapes written. After that, they need to draw the shapes on the paper (we had draw the shape in the previous class, so this time is like reflect what they had done before). I also had put down the 3D models in front of the class so that the pupils can get the picture of the shapes in their mind. They need to colour it and then paste the stick note on the wall according to the shapes that they draw.


The class turn into active while doing this activity. I was quite amazed because the idea just came to my mind just a few minutes before enter the class. I believed that sometimes we do not have to think so hard when we want to do something good. Sometimes the simple things can give huge impact too. Just used materials around you and available to you but just need to be creative to make it relevant and meaningful to be use in the class.


I am proud with my year 1 pupils now with their ability to remember the 3D shapes name. Most of them can pronounce it well when they been asked what they had learn. Although they have difficulties in spelling it, but be able to pronounce it correctly is also a good thing for my Temiar pupils.

I met with the remedial class teacher and have a chat with her. She asked me hat topic did I teach now. Before I answered to her, she already told that she know it is about 3D shapes. She said that she knew it from the pupils that came to her class. I was so happy to listen to what she said. She told me that Romzi can said 'sylinder', Shukri can tell about "pyramid". That is so great to know. The slow learners pupils also can said it correctly now. :)


p/s: sometimes I just keep smiling when I remember about how the pupils acted in the class...haha...

Playing with the clay :)

As what I said in the last entry, I had used clay to give another concrete experiences to my year 1 pupils on 3D shapes. I was quite strict in handling this activity because this activity involved with something that attractive to the children. They might doing something out of my imagination like eat the clay. Kids sometimes always do something we never think they will do it especially this Temiar pupils So, I better take caution before something like that happen.

I had borrowed the clay from the pre-school class. There are lots of interesting teaching materials in pre-school class that still suitable to use in my year 1 class. I was quite always went to pre-school class to have a chat with some teachers there. So, while I chatted with them, I also observed the materials there that I can make use in my mathematics class. Luckily, there was some box of clay can be borrowed from there. I just had been told by the pre-school teacher that the clay had been given as presents by some people from Health Ministry that came to school few weeks ago.



This activity had been done individually so that all children in my class can have their own experience and their own way of making the shapes. they just need to make the shape that I show to them one by one. It was interesting to see how they observed the 3d shapes and then try to interpret sing the clay. Some pupils can do it so quickly but some struggle to make it. Sometimes, it is not about they know they know the shape or not, sometimes its all about their confidence. Some pupils were just scared to do it and shy. That is the main problem.

However, the activity was done nicely as I let the pupils do the shape one by one. So, if some pupils had finish make a cuboid, they cannot continue to do cube yet but need to wait for their friends. I just want all of them done it and learn to be patient. Although I know that the clay cannot really make a precise 3D shapes, I just want to see my pupils' views on the 3D shapes that they already learn in class.


Before we end the class, I let the pupils do a free play activity from the clay. I asked them to make a robot. I told them to use the shapes that they learn today as possible. So, I can see many types of robot had been done by them and it was interesting!


p/s: Just 2 weeks more before final year examination start! I am nervous! I hope my pupils feel it too...

Family Visit :)

This weekend was so fun and great! After a few days I move into my new house, my family had came to visit me here. Not only my father and mother but also including my eldest sister and her husband and son, my 2 brothers and also my younger sister. So, it was like a family gathering in my house.


They came for 2 days here to have a short break and holidays. As my work place which is the school is situated quite far from my hometown, so it is a huge thing for me to get visit from them.
I was quite busy with school this weekends because there were still activities will be held in the school in the morning. Luckily my father likes to travel and it was not a problem for them to go visit the Kuala Kangsar town without me.

In the evening, I had brought them to my school. My sister was excited to go because she is a teacher too. So, she likes to see how orang asli Temiar school. I had be my school tour guide for a while. We visit the class, the hostel and some rooms in the school. It was great for me to share what I do here with my family.

p/s: Sometimes I have difficulties to write down what I feel and what had happened. I will try to elaborate it again next time :P hahaha :P

3D shapes

It's time to move to a new topic that is 3D shapes to year 1 pupils. i really excited to teach this topic because the resources to use is available around the school and accessible to the pupils. It is easy to find shapes around us and the make connection with the name of 3D shapes.

I am not expecting something much for my pupils to know the shapes and memorized the name yet. I believed they will need some time to remember the name of the 3D shapes especially the name was quite difficult to pronounce and sound too scientific for them. So, the main purpose is just to let them see the shapes, touch the shapes, hear the name and make simple connection with their surroundings.

So, I begin the class with simple questions about shapes that the pupils know. Most of them give me answer of 2d shapes like triangle and rectangle. Then, I asked them whether they ever heard about 3D shape. They begin to silent. I just smile because I know they must not sure what is the thing I talked about. I can observed Farizan (a girl who always active talking) suddenly open her mouth but do not said anything and make a confuse face. I just keep smiling.

Then, I take out a pyramid from a box that I bring to class and again begin to ask them questions. No one can give the correct name of the pyramid but I was happy to hear some pupils keep trying to give the correct answer. Most of them said it is a triangle. I did not continue the class by telling the name yet but I give the shape to one of the pupil in front of me. I let her touch the pyramid and then pass to the other pupils. They keep passing the pyramid until all the pupils touch it and feel it themselves.

I do not know why the pupils were so excited to touch the pyramid actually. They were so happy talking in Temiar(about the pyramid I guess) and smiling when they get the opportunity to touch it. Suddenly when it came to a boy name Masyadi, he kiss the shape! haha...he just over excited I guess but the whole class was smiling to him.

After every pupils get the opportunity to touch it, then I told them the name. It is a PYRAMID. I let them repeat the name several times and then asked them to say it loud by group and individual.

After a few times repeat the pronounciation, I begin to ask them the other things around them that look like a pyramid. So many hands had been put up to answer my questions. some said it is like nasi lemak (a famous food in Malaysia), some said like a tent and Razal suddenly stand up and said it is like a 'jelmol'. and this time I was the one who keep silent and confuse. He was standing with lots of confidence to tell his answer that I do not know what it is. I asked him what is 'jelmol' but he refuse to answer, smiling and hide his face behind the table. So, I let him be and asked Aisyah (a brilliant girl sit near to me) what is that mean. she said "jelmol" means mountain in Temiar language. I just smiling and said Razal had given a brilliant answer. We give him a clap and he begin to smile again.

Then, I had continued the class by repeating the same activity but using the other 3D shapes. It was a great day for me to teach this new topic. I think at least this activity open a bit views of 3D shapes to the pupils before I relly stressed about it in the future class.

p/s: I am planning to use clay in the next class.... :)

Staying outside: A huge decision

I had decided to move and stay outside from the school after about 9 months staying in the school (in the hostel with the pupils). I had found a house to rent about 20 minutes from the school by car.

It is quite a huge decision for me to make because living in the outside will make my access to my pupils will be limited. Yeah, I can meet and them in the morning in the school session but not as much as when I stay in the school. I have the ability to meet them in the night too. But, it is not really a problem because I still can come in the night if I want.

I make this decision because of some reasons. First because of the difficulties to contact my family that live quite far from me. The only way is by using phone and the connection is not clear when I stay in the school. Sometimes, I did not even know that my parents had called me or text-ed me. The situation became worst when weekends came where no people in the school anymore. Pupils of course will go back to their village, and the other teachers stay outside of the school. So, I will be the only one who left to stay all alone there.


Then, I also need to learn to be independence now. I think it is a right time for me to learn living on my own in a house, alone. haha...its quite funny but it important to learn and experience. I feel too comfortable staying in here. So, I better make some changes so that I will experience and discover new things in my life.

Just as same as a story of a frog that we always heard. When we put a frog into a hot boiled water, the frog will jump as quickly as it can to save itself. But when we put the frog inside the cold water and boil it without it's conscious, the frog will not even notice and then died in the hot water. Yeah, a good story to remember in living our life.

p/s: I had start planning for activities to do in the holidays to come in a few weeks.