Pictures Pictures...only Pictures...

p/s: Let's just pictures tell the story...

The 1st Year of teaching!

Yay! I had completed my first year of teaching. It was so great and I am so happy and pleased with what I had done. There was up and down but that is the normal life of living a life. Sometimes everything goes smoothly and right and sometimes its not. We just need to appreciate all the events.

What I learn through my first year teaching? What I can tell is that I learn a lot! Really really a lot! I don't know how much I learn, maybe thousands, maybe millions or maybe its unknown! Everything happened to me in school or after the school were the things that I learn. Until right now when I doing typing and writing, I still learn! Learn to make sure I can express my feelings in the correct way and honest.

If you follow what I had written on my blog throughout this year, I believed that you also can learn the things that I get. I learn about getting confidence in teaching where I feel so difficult to do it in my first few months. I learn about my pupils characters so that I can tackle their interest. I also learn how to bring myself in the community which is a new place for me. And most of all, I learn to manage my inner self to maintain the motivation and strengths.

The one part that I really found about myself is that I love kids. Yeah, I found that just by seeing or observing the kids makes me feel happy. Sometimes I can't stop myself to laugh and smile to see young kids playing and behaving. I love to see how they react to something happened in front of them. I love to see how they pretend like they were grown up. I love to see they try their best to answer the questions given. I love to see their smile, angry, sad and express their feelings to their friends. I love to see and observe young kids!

First year is so important to anyone in any job. I believed that for sure. First year will be the main base and the main foundation for anyone to choose the correct path of their working life. It will effect what you will feel to what you do. Especially to all the graduates, after a long time you been study in the university, first year will be the first time to apply what you learn. You will experience to the real situation of working life. Let's choose the best way to follow and not regret about it later!

When you really honest with what you doing, there will be a lot of opportunities will come to you. Something you never think in your mind. Something that out of your imagination. When that happen, grab the opportunity, and give your best towards it. And always be grateful and thankful...

p/s: don't think and worry too much about the future, solve the present problems!

Work and stress...

Just a few days before I went back home for school holidays, I had attended another short course about the new syllabus for Mathematics for Year 1. The syllabus will start to be use next year, 2011. This new syllabus are more exciting and great. It suit with what I learn in my study before. It is simple but support active learning and the usage of concrete materials.

I do not want to focus on the syllabus much because for me, its already been developed and I as a teacher need to accept it, and learn about it and apply to my pupils soon. During the short course, I had met with one of teacher that I know from several course that we attended together before. Yeah, quite a few times we met this year. We had been like a good friend now.

He teaches in a small school in the same district with me. For me, he is a nice guy and I believed he is a good teacher too. On the day that I met him, he was so stressful. I was so pity to him. He said he was given a lot of works in his school as he the only male teacher in the school. He told me everything that had burden his thinking. I was really sad for him.

Honestly, I do not really know how to help him but I hope that I help him by listening to him. I told him to be really strong and have a lot of patients. This is the reality of being a teacher. Some people that never been in this job always said that being a teacher is an easy job to do but the reality is not that easy. I told him that I really support him and I believed that he can handle it with nice and great soon. I believed he will find the way out from it. Every school have its own story and we need to deal with it and hopefully that we deal it nicely.


The second day I met him, he looks better than the fisrt day. I think he must feel a bit relief and fine. Good for him because too much thinking about the work will only stress himself. Before we split to our own destination, I remind him to be strong and patient again and he can always tell me whatever he struggling from anytime ;) I believed we will meet again next time :)

p/s: Just want to share my experiences :)

Mathematics Tools Kit for School Holidays (Year 5)

School holidays are just around the corner. I know that I need to prepare some activities for my pupils to do during their holidays. As you know, these Temiar pupils are special. They did not have any other support in learning mathematics instead of what they get from the school. So, I need to take actions as fast as lightning to make sure that they have some benefits activities to do while enjoying their school holidays.

When I was studying my degree before, we need to prepare a kit that called as teacher's tools kit. It is a kit that contains some important aspects to be an effective teachers. Taking the idea and change it a bit to suit in the school, I had prepared something similar for my pupils that I called as "Mathematics Tools Kit for School Holidays". I do not know if this name is suitable or not for this materials but let me describe a bit about this mathematics tools kit.


I had prepared a set of mathematics questions in the kit. The questions are in various topics that they had learn in Year 5. I had choose the questions carefully to put in this kit because I do not want to burden the pupils when they in home. So, the questions are simple and basic but cover all the topics in Year 5.

I had put a fixed date for every exercises. it started from 20th November and end at 31st December 2010. I have my own reason to do this. I want my pupils to do different types of questions each day. I want them to not only good at certain topics but I want them to go through all the topics that they should know. In the end of the exercise paper, I put a small picture. when the pupils finish doing the exercises, they have to colour the picture, cut it out and paste it on the calendar that I had provided in the kit. i believed that this is another interesting activities that the pupils like to do. More than that,its also can give me advantage later. I do not have to check the pupils on which exercise they cannot do but I just need to check their calendar. When the calendar is missing with the picture, that mean they have problems in solving the specific questions.
On the top of each exercises given, I had wrote down some important points that the pupils need to remember when they want to answer the question. I also give examples for them to remind them again on what to do when they encounter the question. When they get back to home, they will not have enough help, so I hope my note that I put there can guide them to remember and reflect what they learn in class before.

It will take some time to prepare this kit. I take about 3 days to make sure its complete and satisfy. To make sure they will not have problems with stationery I also put pencil, eraser, glue and scissors in the kit. luckily my school have provided the pupils with all the materials. so, I just take it from the store and put it in the Mathematics Tools Kit.


I had given the Mathematics Tools Kit to my pupils. earlier than I expected to give because I will not have time to meet them later because I had to attend to a seminar in Kuala Kangsar. I had give them explanations and hope that they really do it in home later. Still I need to remember not to expect much from them but as long as I had provided them with something useful to do this holidays, I really glad. let just hope the best and I will meet with them next year in Year 6! Good luck guys!

p/s: I feel happy with my 1st year of teaching. Too many unexpected things happened! :) Thank you so muchhhhhh!

Sports Day Celebration

It was the sports day celebration in SK Kampung Kenang! yeehaaa! I can saw the pupils smiling, laughing, giggling, running across the fields, screaming happily, shouting their friends name and moving here and there anonymously. Yeah, they were so excited today.

We had started to practice the sports according to the group given right after the end year examination had finished. Unlike the other schools in Malaysia, our school choose to run out sports day in the end of the year. we had our own reason for this. We want to attract the pupils to come to the schools after the examination ends. Many pupils choose to absence after the examination finished few years ago and it had make the teachers to have initiative celebrate the sports day after the examination finish.


I can observed that the Temiar pupils really enjoy this sports day celebration. The attendance of the pupils had increasing significantly especially to year 6 pupils. After they finish taking UPSR, most of them choose to stay home but because of the sports day, they came to school. The sports day can be assumed as the big event for the end of the year. I can feel how excited my pupils during the day and also the weeks we had training before.

Sports day can be one of concrete prove that Temiar pupils really like to involve in active activities. If you can see what i see, you will be amazed. I saw how Nakhaie, my year 3 pupil who is really quiet in class and not much giving attention in learning mathematics suddenly can do a high jump with confidence and brave. I saw how my little Farizan in year 1 suddenly take part in 4x50m run. I observed Razal can take part in long jump although he just year 1 competing with year 2 and year 3. That were so amazing!

I really love to focus my observation to year 1 pupils because they are in their first year of schooling. just as same as me. They have lots thing to learn and to adapt. So, when i observed them, it makes me feel excited. I like to see the development of confidence in them. how they build their courage to do something and if I have the ability to support them, I will do it. To see Syamira can run and smile makes me happy!


The Sports day had been held as smooth as we had planned. Lucky for us that the weather also nice and great. Few days before this day, its always raining late afternoon. But it was sunny. Standing at the middle of the field while doing some technical work make me realized the beauty of my school. The hills around the school and the cloud makes the view outstanding! I keep saying what i saw to the other teachers and sometimes told my pupils to see what I see. i want them to appreciate what they have here. I feel so thankful with what we have here. :)

p/s: I'm not really good at sports but I will do and support what I can :)

SK Kampung Kenang Family Day :)

Yesterday, one of my friend asked to see my camera. He wanted to look at the pictures that I had captured. I gave my camera to him then. After a while looking at the pictures, suddenly he talked about the pictures of our Family Day celebration! Oh, suddenly I realized that I forgot to make a reflection about that celebration. Thanks to him because accidentally reminded me! haha...
Yeah, on 30th and 31st of October, we all gather at Teluk Senangin. Some of the teachers and staff brought their family together. We had done some activities together like doing barbecue, karaoke and play mini games. We had have some fun and happy time together.

I really like to be at the seaside especially when its night. The feel is so great with the wind and the scenery of the sky and the ocean. I can stay staring at the sky and the ocean doing nothing for hours. I love it! hahaha


Went together and have the happy time together doing the activities was one thing. The other part of it that ,ore important is that it strengthen our relationship. We can know each other better and this can give a huge impact to our relationship. Especially we work in the same roof, its better for us to feel comfortable to each other. When all of us feel comfortable, it will lead to the good quality of work. I hope this type of programme will be continue in the future.


p/s: Its amazing to see the nature!

exchange the knowledge and experiences with others

I had attended a short course a few days ago (2 - 4 November 2010). The course was specially made for all year 1 mathematics teachers, year 1 Malay language teachers, remedial class teachers and the headteachers that teach in Orang Asli school in Perak. So, there were 28 schools involved altogether. The main objective is to give input about the teaching methods that can be use to help the orang asli pupils in the school later and also to see the impact of LINUS programme after a year.

It was so great to learn some techniques in teaching the year 1 pupils. They had given us lots of ways that can be apply in our class. The singing way of teaching had really attract me to try in the class later especially when Mathematics will be teach in Malay language again. It will be easier for me to create my own mathematics song by using the familiar song that my pupils know. To have the chance to see and hear what they do to their class was a great input that I can take and try in my class later. (I am sure I will use it next year as I already get some ideas about songs to use in teaching numbers)

I know that they tried to help us with lots of ways of teaching the children. But I believed that the people that are in the situation know more than the people that just observed. But I really appreciate the seminar and love the input that they give to us. It helps me a lot and open my minds on lots of creative ideas.

However the best part of this course was when I have the chance to meet with the other teachers that teach in the orang asli school. We have a lot of commons with the problems that we face in teaching and also the great things that we get when teach in orang asli school. I really feel thankful to get the chance to teach in SK Kampung Kenang when I compared to some other schools. They have lots more difficulties than me especially on the way to go to the school. Some of them have to travel by boat and walk for hours to arrive to the school. That is so challenging!


We need to open our mind. if we just stay in our school, we maybe not get enough information. We may think that our school is the best or the worst. We may think that we had experience the most difficult things in teaching. But when we go and meet with others, we can hear lots more things that we never think would happened to anyone.

I came back from the course with lots more input about teaching the orang asli children and about self - motivation too. I believed that as a teacher, we always need to brush up our mind and thinking by attending this type of course that can help us to share our ideas with others, listen to others opinions and also do critical thinking. The more we think the more we use our brain the more great ideas can be develop!

p/s: I got a shocked news from BPG! A visit from them? Let just wait and see :)

Numbers!

I had finished teaching all the topics in Mathematics for my year 1 pupils. They already sit their final examination. Yusri and Armin had performed very well while Aisyah and Faziah also showed a good understanding in answering the questions. Some of the pupils were average in understanding and some of them were still confuse with numbers. I had to accept that I do not have much time to help these kids actually this year because we only have a few more weeks to go now. I really wish I have more time for them.

This few days, I had emphasized my year 1 pupils with their ability to write numbers correctly. I really believed that year 1 is the important foundation to learn to write numbers well and correct. I want my pupils to develop confidence in writing the numbers, avoid from doing mistakes and misunderstanding especially when it comes to the numbers that have more than one place value. They need a lot of exercises in this.

So, I had asked them to write numbers from 1 to 100. Everyone needs to do it on their own on the square paper. The highest learners will do it without so much problems but i want them to strengthen their ability. I also want them to learn to write the number properly. For example Aisyah, she can write the numbers well but her written is quite messy. so, I told her to learn to write it neat and tidy.

For the intermediate pupils, they sometimes have difficulties to remember the arrangement of numbers. I believed that by doing this activity a lot, they will remember more about it. They will gain much more experience. I will go to observe these pupils because they need to be correct as fast as I can before they start make lots of mistakes. Like Wani, she always get confuse to write 21 and 12. She sometimes get confused about this numbers. I get a better chance to correct her when I do this activity. She looks more confidence now at least.

After a few times doing the same activity on the square paper, I do some other ways to attract my pupils interest to repeat the same activity. For example, i gave them a plain paper, and then we fold the paper for few times to get lines on the paper. Then, I asked my pupils to use colour pencils to make the lines and it looks beautiful and different from the usual square paper that we use before. Now, he pupils have another positive spirit to do and repeat the same activity.

Other than that, I also let my pupils to do some movements before they started to write it down. We claps our hands while counting the numbers in 10 and then do some simple dance. We change the movement every 10. It was so great to see everybody involves in it.

I hope that they will not struggle much to learn numbers next year. they will learn more numbers for sure and more place value to come to be learn in the future. I wish I still can teach them next year but I had already been told that I will teach a new batch of year 1 and two classes of year 6 next year. Sounds like a huge responsibility are waiting for me next year!

p/s: Happy to see year 1 this year looks happy in their first year of schooling! Stay the same pupils :)