JB Part 3 & 4
This is what I wrote on Feb 8. Italics font is what I've written today.
Much has happened since the last time I wrote. Been 4 weeks, you realize? Time flies. Now 6 weeks.
The most repeated word before CNY (when I started real teaching): “Teacher” or “Cher”. The most repeated question before CNY: “Teacher, apa teacher cakap? Tak faham lah.”
Yes, the students’ level of English is far too low.
“Please open your book & read”
“Huh?”
“Read!”
“Huh?”
“Baca!”
“Ohhhh….!”
But of course, some of the students pretend not to understand, just so they could continue having a conversation in Malay.
Later, I realised that my students were not pretending. My lowest English class could not understand words like brave, river, calm, etc.
And another favourite question: “Teacher, teacher berapa umur?”
My answer to the question: “Ah…Itu tak penting. Exam tak tanya.”
Seems as though I’m examination orientated? How would you have answered them? =)
Talking about examination orientated, my school is always focusing on learning to pass exams. Note: To pass exams. Period. How do you suppose we go deeper than the grasp of basic language skills if students’ level of English is so poor?
Now, on to Chemistry class. Remember I told you that I was supposed to teach Biology. That was what I was told by the Principal, Assistant Head & Afternoon Supervisor in the 1st week of school. So, as a ‘diligent’ teacher (ahem ahem….hahah), I went & bought myself some books, got the syllabus, started thinking about how I’d teach Biology, even divided the syllabus into parts for the whole year, as well as prepared for my first lesson. When I was given my timetable… I saw Chemistry instead of Biology.
When I asked the Principal, guess what he said.
“It has been Chemistry all along. It had never been Biology.”
Dang!
So now, I’m teaching Chemistry, English and Physical Education. All together 7 classes & 27 periods a week. On top of that I’m the class teacher of 4S1. Also, the teacher advisor for Kelab Anti-Dadah (yeah, go ahead & laugh) & Softball.
And oh, btw, our timetable has changed 3 times. It is only February. It will be bound to change many more times. This is due to the teachers who come in & out, & teachers who are/will go on maternity leave. There are 8 teachers who are/will go on maternity leave this 2006.
So far, teaching has been quite satisfying. It’s satisfying when I go into class after preparing well, give a good lesson & see students with an eureka or “aha!” look. It’s satisfying when I give hope to weak or lazy students, when I tell them, “You know, you’re not stupid, you’re just lazy. If you put in effort, you’ll be able to do well”. It’s satisfying when they respond by trying a little harder than before.
I could name a few students but I’ll just tell you about Lufti. He’s the one who comes to school with fashionable hairstyle, bracelet & earrings on his left ear (so, nope, he’s not gay… =) ) For the first few weeks of classes, he just sat in class, chit-chatted, slept or just looked out of the window while I taught. Yesterday, when I asked for volunteers to read in front of the class, he raised up his hand real high, & read pretty well. I was surprised by his wanting to try & gave him a look of approval.
Of course, not every teaching session is satisfying. 4K5, the lowest class in Form 4, contributes a lot to my voice loss. Below is a class scenario:
I teach.
Boys make lots of noise.
I teach.
1 boy stands up to sweep the floor.
I ask what he is trying to do.
He says he wants to sweep the floor.
I ask him to sit down.
I continue teaching.
Boys continue to make noise.
I ask them to be quiet.
They continue making noise.
(On bad days) They throw paper at each other & walk around.
I yell at them “If you don’t want to study, you sit down quietly & not disturb the rest who do want to study”.
I continue teaching & realize the girls are dreaming.
I give them work to do & have to walk to every student to push them to start writing the day & date & so on.
Bell rings.
I walk out of class wondering how I’m going to handle these kids for the rest of the year.
Today, I used a portable loud speaker so I could be louder than the shouting boys. It worked. Hahaha! But I do have to admit that I don't know how to teach them & I'm praying that I'll have creative ideas to help them. There was 1 day when I had to use a Form 1 book to teach them. Of course I didn't tell them. It'll only lower down their already low self-esteem.
However, there is a student, Edham, who sits right in front & pays a 100% attention when I teach. Students like him, help teachers like me to continue giving our best even to the worst class.
Well, there are good days & bad days. Sometimes, in a single day, I experienced both the extreme high & the extreme low. There were days when I felt very tired & I’d walk into class, cover the syllabus for the day & just leave. There are days when I felt that the senior teachers were taking advantage of the new teachers. But I do know that in all these, God is with me. The lyrics of this song ministered to me on one of those down days:
If I could only fly I’d go up
And look down from the sky
I know I’d see a bigger picture
And Lord if I could sit at Your feet
For an hour or two
I know I’d ask so many questions
Cos there are so much
Going on down here
That I must confess
I really don’t understand
I don’t understand
But I know
That at Your feet
My whole life has been laid
So I won’t worry
I won’t be afraid
Cos my hope is resting on
Your higher ways
Your higher ways
Teach me to trust You
Your higher ways
Are not like mine
Your higher ways
Are the ways of the Father
Hiding His children in His love
I shall end this update with some stories of a teacher & her school:
Woke up late 1 day, got ready in 5 minutes & sped like an F1 driver to school, just to arrive on time. Whew!
Walked to class, smelled terrible cigarette smoke & found the guys toilet filled with chocking smoke. Ordered the boys to write down their names but they ran away.
Saw a mixed-race boy
“Nigel (pronounced ‘Nigh-jirl’), are you mixed? ‘Chindian’?”
“Chinese-Eurasian”
“Oh”
“Teacher, you know ah, you’re the first teacher who pronounced my name correctly. The other teachers call me ‘Nee-girl’ lah, ‘Nee-gell’ lah & so on.”
Went to Hainan Kopitiam for lunch. After eating, realized I didn’t have enough money to pay. Apologized like crazy & said I’d go to the ATM. Shop ppl say “It’s ok, can pay tomorrow”. But I insisted on paying. But HSBC doesn’t take MEPS card. Then remembered that I have coins in the car. So, paid half by notes & half by coins. Malu only. After apologizing again, I went into the car & realized I actually have my students’ fees in my handbag. Dang!
Amaro: Saya nak pergi tandas. Sakit perut.
Me: No. Sit down. (Too many students say they want to go to the toilet, but end up smoking or taking a walk round the school)
Amaro: Teacher, sakit perut.
Me: What is sakit perut in English?
Amaro asks his classmates but none can give him the term in English.
Amaro does not make it to the toilet.
Next day.
Amaro: Teacher, toilet. Sakit perut.
Me: Again?? Don’t lie.
Amaro: Teacher. I stomach-ache (well, at least he found out).
Me: No. Sit down.
Amaro just walks out of the classroom cos he really had a stomach-ache.
Well, Amaro & 12 other students from the classes that I teach have left the school for technical school. Amaro came back for sports day yesterday. He ponteng his new school for a day cos he missed SMK Tmn Molek. He came & said "Good morning, teacher, to me" & I was like "Amaro!! Apa khabar?" & went on to ask him how he is. It was really good to see him. I hate to admit that I miss them a little, especially Ghazali, the one who calls himself Mr Bean, the joker & manja one. I wished them well when they left. While wishing NurAin, I was choking back tears, cos at that time, she had tears (she had just said goodbye to her friends).
Besides school, there has been nothing much, except that Scott & Angeline have come to work here in JB. Also, I am now looking for a room instead of an apartment cos the 2 girls who agreed to share with me have decided to find a cheaper place.
Yesterday was sports day. The weeks before were busy weeks in preparation for sports day. On Wed, I spent exactly 12 hours in school, 7.15am to 7.15pm. I was decorating our red house tent together with some students. We put the polisterene castle up, the wind blew it. We enforced the joints & put it up again but once again the wind blew it down. Once again we enforced, tied more sticks to it, poke holes, etc etc. This time it stayed. I'm proud of my students who cooperated, put their minds together to do problem solving & worked with their hands & hearts.
I thought our tent looked really good from the outside. Many students & teachers thought so too. Much better than 2 other tents, at least. But we came in last. Just couldn't believe it but have to accept that judges' decision is final. Sigh. Also, I ran the 4X50m - teachers' event & came in 2nd.
God gave us good weather the last 2 weeks. A few Christian students & I met up to pray the last 3 Fridays. And 1 prayer of ours is that God would grant us good weather for the days before sports day & on sports day. Well He did!! We only had a 5 minute drizzle yesterday but it was fine the last 2 weeks. Today it poured. And the we rejoice.
After sports, the Chinese teachers went makan-ing. Lots of laughter, lots of talk, a very little gossiping about other teachers, but got love stories of students.
posted by Anne Leong @ 2/24/2006 09:58:00 pm
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