Feeling It

This is just one of the those days.

Some days go by very peaceful and serene in school. Today was not one of them.
They say it doesn't only rain; it pours.

They also say good and bad things happen in 3; though I don't really believe.

1. We were reprimanded for negligence.

2. Reluctant learners kept us moving in circles till weeping mothers were called in; they told me the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. How do you reconcile with males bigger in size than you and the need to be literate?

3. A newcomer almost like a misfit had us worried when his guardian roamed round the school to protect him.

Dealing with teens who are vocal, active and boisterous can sometimes prove to be a challenge and yet the challenge has to be handled in the best possible way. Let love be the basis of action and matters can be solved better ? I heard this over the radio on the way back and it evoked a thought:

" Do you always want to be kind or right?"

That really made me reflect.
What do you want to be known as?
Compromise? How much? How many times?

Just one of those days when you don't have time to sit down before the next challenge came.
Feeling my age.

I want to watch American Idol now.

A Surprise Treat

Table D' Hote

Today we had an invitation to visit the hospitality and culinary department of a private university in town.

Host Norsham Bin Omar, an experienced captain in culinary skills gave us a course on how to behave if we were invited to a meal with dignitaries all around us ! Oh teachers ! We love the norm and find much discomfort when we are out of orientation.

First we must understand and use the appropriate cutlery for a Western Set Menu of 5 courses ; forks on the left and spoons and knives on the right. The bigger set is for the main course whereas the smaller one is for periphery courses.

Yea the students marched in using the 'dragon system' ( circular ) and starting serving as elegantly as they could.

Using the American way, she served from the right.

Our first course; the appetiser. Since the occasion was supposed to be very formal, I wondered how I should squeeze the lime juice. I did not dare to ask but finally someone bolder asked the captain how to do it. Guess what ? We could use our fingers ! On a scale of 10 I gauge the first course at 6.

See, I was not too sure on how to get the juice out without causing a mess. Hey, Norsham next told us that after the appetiser we are not to be too noisy; that would be rude. Also, we should not try to apply lipstick after the meal !

Next he told us both ladies and gentlemen to use the napkin to wipe our lips with the corners and not right across the mouth ! Hahaha...some of us already wiped the wrong way.

A participant asked if there is a particular way to hold the goblet glass and he reiterated that just with the five fingers ... and make sure we don't drop it.

The appetiser done and they started to place the bread before us. Why the bread now? How come not earlier, we asked? Oh he told us that it was good to serve because it is the safest moment when eating the dry appetiser. Should it be served after we were given the soup it might just disturb the soupy course if there is a spill.

The cream of mushroom soup was the second course. Yummy warm and tasty; I believe it was ground fresh mushroom ; really good on the scale of 9. Perfect one.

Oh yea when scooping the soup, make sure you scoop outwards and drink carefully. The bread is to be taken with the butter separately; never ever soak the bread in the soup. I always do it with my favourite ox-tail soup !

Yes, don't soak your bread; no style we were told.

But this gentleman in front of me kept forgetting the rule and even said he doesn't know how to take the bread without soaking it in the soup ! Hehehehhe

When we have finished with soup, we were asked to place the spoon beside the bowl to indicate that we are done. That's an easy one.

Nest came the third and main course ... pan fried chicken, potato wedges, sauted vegetables with black pepper sauce. Before anything else we have to make sure the plate was orientated precisely. We were told not to be noisy with the cutlery and eat with our mouths closed !

The sauted vegetables were too well done !

The black pepper sauce was the saviour of the day ! Oh yes, we were told not to ask for chilli sauce, tomato sauce or any other sauce except that which was served ! It will be an insult to the chef; especially Italian Chefs.

When done, be neat and place the cutlery appropriately; now they will remove all main cutlery as the main course has been served. It was on a scale of 6.

The fourth course; the dessert. Bread Butter Pudding with fruit cocktail. It was so 'eggy' I could not take it in.

That's about all I could digest. I have yet to acquire the taste; so the scale is at 4.

The final course to wrap up the meal ; coffee or tea.

Don't use the spoon to taste the beverage. Use a dry spoon to scoop the sugar. Remove the spoon before drinking. Don't drink when you are chewing something.

Coffee was too lukewarm and it did not give that oomp!

So at a scale of 4 too.

The whole meal took us about an hour and half; protocol plus manners and everything .

We were told to leave the table lifting ourselves from the right and to place the napkin neatly.

Great lessons for the day.

Great sharing to be done with those interested in the culinary course.

But I really did not enjoy such formality.

I wish to do things in the natural way; drinking soup from the bowl adds flavour; scooping the soup in an outward manner before it reaches the mouth is tedious. I may give up.

But protocol is protocol; glad I am a simple ordinary person with little engagement with the royal and rich !

But it was indeed a good experience.

The Gap

You will be surprised how vocal teens of 14 and 15 can be. When I asked them to talk about the gap; they asked me : "What gap, teacher?"

I challenge them to speak on whatever gaps they deem fit to talk about. Sure enough they talked about so many gaps; physical, emotional, economic, social and most talked about the generation and parental gap.

They told me that they have differences in opinion with their parents. They have been too much under control and they want more freedom. Yovisha related a truth : Children will say their parents do not get it whereas the parents will say the children do not see it ! Finally she conceded to the fact that parents look into practical matters but the children will ask for the ideal...the infamous gap.

When I asked one of them what do they mean by social gaps, she told me that it was more of the have and have-nots gap. She said that she feels it when her friend has a handphone and she doesn't and after that a comparison of brand. It went on to include clothes, shoes, bags and others. This reminded me of the days when my girls too wanted some items and I chose to refuse them because I wanted them to make decisions that are worthwhile. This has gone a long way as they are making decisions each day on their own now. Doesn't it go back to character building days like now? There are choices to be made the moment you open your eyes each day. But Por Por is wise; she always told me not to deprive the children too much in the name of discipline as it may result in some negative effects; it's always wise to give in at times as parents but not all the time.

Kenn spoke on the gap in education opportunities and how they will end up in gaps in job opportunities. Then Samuel said that there was this racial gap especially in a multi racial country like Malaysia and the need to close it for racial harmony and development. I was pleased that they could verbalise matured feelings and thoughts.

At the end of the hour session every child spoke his/her turn and mind ; another indirect way of assessing them orally before the final mark is penned for them. I could see a new sense of achievement and confidence at this second round. Hopefully they will be able to public speak at impromptu places and not fear the challenge. One has to learn to speak publicly to want to speak later in life.

An orator and school debater, Sara is telling me that her field of interest in law is to advocate; to speak her mind and not really to sit in an office and do mundane chores. She is what she is today because of the opportunity she had in school when she fought in the debates and when she spoke in front of assemblies; take it that all skills have to develop from a base; the classroom and school is one.

So, let us train our protege and let the natural in them surface.

I can see a couple of advocaters in 3 Hormat.

At 56

I am humbled by the many wishes, song sang, thoughts and kind gestures; really it was quite a bit to handle.

I first thank my God for giving me a vocation where I can be in contact with so many people both young and old; enriching my earthly existence. If you were to ask me which vocation would I choose when given a second chance; it is teaching.

Thank you dear friends, colleagues, students present and past for being a part of my life.

I am glad indeed on this happy day.

The beautiful thing about this blog is I can be in contact with all my girls who are away from me as Esther just called a moment ago and pleaded : Ma let me see, let me see. Please I want to read. This blog has been a connecting point for the 3 siblings separated by international waters but yet brought closer in thoughts and heartbeats as we read about one another's feelings and well-being. Somehow there is much comfort drawn as we share. My parents never had this opportunity with their children. So here girls; mama showing off her well wishes.

I don't know why OCBC gave ne this gift...

Flowers from daddy...

Fruits from a silent observer...

A gracious gesture from the principal and staff of the school...

Last but not least, the sunny blooms from you and your boyfriend...

It is indeed a happy day

And I thank God ... I am living each day by the promises of God's words.

Thank you dear friends, students and loved ones.

Sharing From the Heart

Pass it on

Saturday last was another day which I believe should touch the hearts of SMK Seafield teachers as we sat together to hear the experiences and testimonies of some caring people. We learnt to understand the peculiarities of some learning patterns of dyslexic children and the use of the Adlerian therapy for low esteem children.

Puan Sariah Bt Amin, a fighter for the cause of dyslexia spoke in the capacity of the President of Persatuan Dyslexia Malaysia and coyly teased us that some teachers could have been dyslexic in our younger days except that we did not recognize the symptoms then. Dyslexics are passionate about what they do and will go all out to accomplish though they seem to be learning slowly in class. If you tend to get dates and time mixed up ; you can be dyslexic ! I am guilty of that now ! She proposes that parents and teachers who come across children who seemingly get confused with alphabets, speech and interpretation of numbers and would like further tests can contact them at 0342515618 and they may be able to offer some help. The society is funded by foreign banks to her chagrin as she lamented on the lack of local funds. From her heart she told me that being an ex teacher her passion is on the slow learners not on the fast ones. She remembered that as a student from the Malay Medium stream, she found great difficulty in learning the English Language when she was placed in St. Mary's Kuala Lumpur. But someone touched her. That someone was a nun in the school and took pains to privately teach her after school hours and today her fluent discourse is proof of the connection. Puan Sariah told me " I want to be like her (the nun) when I grow up and help others ." So she's doing what she has always wanted; to help others. In her 60s I believe, she told me that how one leads one's life will be revealed during one's wake service. Aha... who comes and how many come to pay you the respect will signify the legacy you leave behind. What great truth. So live a life whereby people will remember you fondly by; not by the amount of money you leave behind; that's' her cheeky advice. How true.

This robust mama Puan Faezah Salleh, assistant to Puan Sariah shares from the heart of a mother as she witnesses the strengths and weaknesses of her dyslexic son.

Faezah says that her dyslexic son is creative and more of a right brainer. He develops skills kinetically and are good with his hands. The computer and architectural studies are other avenues of development where dyslexics are best at. Their passion in areas of speciality cause them to be focused in the fields they love. Faezah says her son is simple, generous and gives freely as compared to his siblings ; she loves him for that. Here is one mama who goes all the way out to confront the learning pattern and believes that dyslexics are full of hope as testified by a renown architect in a local multi national firm. He joined the Malaysian Dyslexic society after finding out that he was dyslexic at the age of 42 even after a post graduate program from the University of Melbourne. So, there is hope.

The teachers of the school were further treated to a professional talk from the heart of UKM's Professor Dr. Zuria bt Mahmud and her protege Madam Chua Lay Nee on the Adlerian method of counselling low esteem children.

Prof Zuria says the position of the child in the home plays an important role in the self esteem of the individual. Most first borns are responsible and take the role of the most responsible sibling and some even avoid marriages to take the role of the mother and father. The second one is most different and plays a more cheeky role but when the eldest in the home fails in her first born role, the second one rises up to the occasion. Therefore self esteem in a child has a strong connection with their position in the family line. Her outstanding statement is ... it doesn't matter how you were born , where you were born... more importantly is what you do with your life and what you become. She fell in love with her spouse on the first date after he told her that he was employed as a grass cutter during semester breaks to fund his own university studies. That's what she looks for in a man; one full of integrity and and capable of hardship. Adler, was a champion for the cause of the low esteem. The Adlerian principle is basically coined to help the less motivated overcome the inferiority complex. To apply the principle effectively, the teacher must first strive to make the students love them so that love becomes the basis of change and trust. Her protege, Madam Chua spoke passionately about her findings and studies. A counsellor in a Chinese vernacular school, she shared how she grouped a particular Malay child who being low in esteem in the midst of Chinese students became a story of success after using the Adlerian Approach.This Malay child after sessions of peer collaboration, sharing and encouragement passed a public exam the following year with scores of distinctions with particular mention on the Chinese Language which was a feat. Many learners and speakers of the language among the Chinese fail to acquire it. She was overjoyed and believed firmly on the Adlerian Approach. So she invites the counsellors of the school to use this approach to help the low esteem.

She had us in stitches when she shared how difficult it was to coax some Chinese students with low esteem to study as their favourite backup phrase was : My father never went to school and yet he is making big money ! How close to our hearts the statement was! But yet it is our challenge to change the mindset and advocate literacy...

So it was a day of learning, sharing and encouragement to the teachers. The teachers can go berserk at times seeing to the many needs and wants in an enclosed classroom but at the same time having to rise to the occasion. May we remember what has been taught in moments of discouragement through their success stories.

All in the name of love.

Earth Hour

Today marks the 5th year since the inauguration of this campaign which originated from the land of Down Under. After witnessing so many unprecedented catastrophes over such a short span of time from the floods of Australia to the earthquakes of New Zealand and the tsunami of Japan; you sometimes wonder what are the causes of them.
Is our dear earth crying for help?
How have we been mistreating her?
Have we been sinning unconsciously?
How do we reconcile with facts and happenings?

So on this earth hour day; I will just do my little part; insignificant though it may be.

• Use less water
• Use less electricity
• Switch off all plugs if not in use
• Don't cook for dinner
• Will go to the mall this evening so we can switch off the lights for some hours.

See you in one of the local malls this evening; come together to save electricity.
The appointment time is 8.30 to 9.30 pm; even if it means not watching American Idol's rerun.

A Tough Nite

Who will go?

American Idol's choice tonight will prove to be a difficult one ; so I think.

They all seem to put in good effort and dad and I actually feel it will be really tough tonight.

By the way, do not think I am the crazy one; dad watches the competition more intensely than I.
Will the judges use the precious vote to save?

After the weeks of watching we have picked our favourites among us at home; I mean dad and I.

Casey is dad's favourite. Pleasant and matured dad likes his weekly presentation.

I am enthralled by Scotty's clean , country sound music. He is so tidy and every mama's boy. He is unique; isn't he. Can you try to sing like him? Not easy.

I don't know whether it is too early to guess. But I think Jacob and James should make it to the finals. Oh... have I caused a furor?

But tonight despite a good performance last night, someone has to go ... Lauren?

Or will the judges use their precious vote?

This evening at 6, we will eat fried rice in front of the box.