48th : This cikgu teaches Chinese.

she's one of my seniors in the college.
i had one memory with her in one Ramadhan two years ago. we ate together in the same talam. :)

This cikgu teaches Chinese

46th : The need for soft skills.

Sunday January 6, 2013

The need for soft skills

WHEN applying for a job, employers always want to know what a potential employee can do for the organisation. This is where soft skills come in handy and help snag that coveted job.
At the recent Memorandum of Understanding signing between Nilai University and DC Training Malaysia Sdn Bhd (which runs Dale Carnegie Training), the varsity’s vice president of academic affairs Prof Datuk Dr Sothi Rachagan explained the reason for the collaboration.
“Soft skills are critical for success. Dale Carnegie trainers focus on the five ‘drivers of success’ and this will give our students a headstart in their professional lives,” he said.
The “five drivers of success” are self-confidence, interpersonal skills, communication, leadership and improving one’s attitude.
The varsity is the first domestic tertiary education institution to enter into a partnership with Dale Carnegie. Under the partnership, the Dale Carnegie Training programme is available to all degree level students. A preview of the course was held at the signing ceremony to give students a sample of what to expect.
DC Training Malaysia Sdn Bhd president and chief executive officer Datuk Wan Hisham Wan Salleh assured students that those who attend the training would be more marketable.
He cited an example where those who underwent the course were preferred for job vacancies in Cyberjaya as employers were confident of their soft skills.
The varsity has also entered into collaborative agreements with other professional organisations to benefit its students, including the Malaysian Food and Beverage Executives Association who will provide professional certification for students from the varsity’s School of Hospitality and Tourism.

14th : wrapping up.

Sunday November 20, 2011

Teaching young Malaysians for the love of it

Teacher Talk
By NITHYA SIDHHU

They are young and eager to impart their knowledge, yet anxious if they can face up to the challenges of being transformational educators to the high-needs schools they will be sent to next year.
I WAS privileged recently to speak to the first cohort of 50 teachers selected from all over the country for the Teach For Malaysia programme at Institut Aminuddin Baki, Genting Highlands. They are currently undergoing a training stint from Oct 30 to Dec 23 before they report for work in January to serve in 17 high-needs schools identified under the programme.
Looking at them, I saw fresh-faced individuals considerably aware of being the ones whose chosen career path offered hope and promise to scores of young Malaysian students they would be teaching in the coming year.
Yet, behind their cheerful facades, I sensed too their anxiety and concern. How would they shape up as real-life teachers?
As one Business Administration graduate said in his feedback form: “I’m anxious about the fact that we’re being sent to the most challenging schools and are expected to be transformational teachers.”
In an earlier corporate job, this graduate said he “had enough of a life sitting in a cubicle and being overwhelmed with reports and spreadsheets.”
“As a Teach For Malaysia fellow, I now look forward to a life that is interesting, challenging and exciting.”
Another, an English Literary Studies and Political Science graduate, wondered whether she has what it takes to come up with effective methods and strategies to teach, motivate and inspire her students.
“Will I make a difference?” she asked.
As an old hand at the game, all I can say is while their concerns are common to any young person joining the profession, it is their willingness to give their best shot that makes them stand out.
Take the young lady for instance who said that she had joined the programme to improve the lot of the children deprived of a good education.
She looks forward to putting “a smile on the faces of kids and being there for them” and showing them how much people like her “still care”. Frankly, I was moved by the altruistic intentions of this bunch of young teachers.
Their professional goals and good intentions come from their heart and this is what matters most in teachers seeking to redress inequity in education.
But, having worked with underprivileged kids before, I know these teachers have yet to face the harsh reality of being in a real-life classroom.
When they get loads of paperwork to do, a barrage of administrative duties to perform, politicking at work to deal with and a group of highly unpredictable students with varying abilities to tend to, will they be able to cope?
All new teachers take time to find their teaching feet.
When dealing with academically disinclined students, they must also be able to hold their own against encrusted teacher attitudes such those who ask “why waste your time with this lot”?
As for students from poor socio-economic backgrounds, they must contend with parents who rarely make their presence felt in school.
Then there are those who want their children desperately to do well in school, but who just don’t know how to handle their learning difficulties.
Meanwhile, among under-achieving students, ignorance, boredom, fear of failure, learning disorders, habitual patterns of unproductive behaviour and years of cultural conditioning are serious obstacles to learning.
Some students are even vicious enough to consistently challenge their teachers. Yet, I wish them all well.
I have worked with many problematic students before and I can assure you that it is an uphill task to move students from being passive, reluctant and bored learners to active, interested ones. But, small milestones are definitely possible.
Only the throes of the life of a teacher, going to school day by day, entering class after class, meeting students one after the other, will enlighten these Teach For Malaysia graduates.
I told them, “In school, you get the lesson first, then the test; but in life, you get the test first, then the lesson!”
I related to them story after story and of the strategies I used and those that were a success.
As a teacher, I never told any student that he was hopeless. Instead, I began by being hopeful myself and I filled even the most academically-challenged child I taught with the hope that if he worked at it, education was his ticket to a better world.
I also related to the eager teachers-to-be of a Form Two student who would not pass his Science exam because he had a learning disability and was not proficient in the language.
However, never did I ever allow him to think that he was incapable of learning or understanding material in my classroom.”
In fact, in 2006, when I was teaching a weak class in a rural school, I experimented with a programme I devised called GROW.
·G for Group teaching where I separated my students in groups according to their learning abilities and taught them separately;
·R for the group to Relax, play and learn where I used various forms of games to give them rest periods between bouts of learning (due to their short attention spans, I never taught them for more than 15 minutes at a time);
·O for Oral questioning techniques and Outdoor learning to stay relevant, generate variety and boost self-confidence; and
·W — the Whatever Works approach (role play, video clips, NiE, cartoon-filled worksheets, art, music) to kindle interest and motivate.
If my teaching was transformational, it was because I gave these students a sense of self-worth and achievement they didn’t have before.
Till today, I cannot forget the 14-year-old Chinese boy who couldn’t speak good English or write a decent sentence in Malay, but could explain perfectly in bahasa pasar how river water is converted into tap water.
Then there was the Indian boy who stuttered when he spoke but could tell me orally, yet correctly, half in Tamil and half in Malay that photosynthesis is the process by which a plant like sugar cane makes sugar in the sun.
My focus was on learning — their learning — and in whatever form it took, I accepted the outcome.
Sometimes, I was astounded by their answers. As Science students, they were intelligent, curious and interested — they just didn’t have language skills to match or the ability to remember massive facts for exams.
So, to these young teachers going forth to serve the nation, when you are teaching for Malaysia, you just put your shoulder to the wheel and do whatever it takes to strive, survive and triumph.
To beat the odds, you have to seek wisdom from the experienced and learn from your own daily teaching sessions. One particular memory that stands out for me is of the pint-sized Form Two boy, who cried: “Teacher, how will I learn without you? Please don’t go.”
As Wendy Kopp, the founder of Teach For America, puts it in her book A Change to Make History, “highly effective teachers are a massive lever for influencing the achievement gap.”
I think so too. Give a child a good teacher and you make all the difference.
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it's been quite a time i haven't read Teacher Talk after my last post about it in this blog! ^__^

it's the second Friday i'm home. frankly speaking, i found that my life is like empty.. empty what? hm... tasteless cotton-candy? why cotton-candy? b'coz i've got clouds portrayed in my mind. ^__^

last nite, i posted about this second Friday at facebook in my beloved group at the campus, one of them commented to not mention about the limited time we've at home. ^__^ then, i emotionally commented back to not mentioning about those uniform unit we're gonna be in next sem/year. *freakin' out* ok. i was thinking selfishly to protect my own feelings from being disappointed? ha. ha. laugh. oit~ SOQ. ok. :) for that sister i mentioned her name in that selfish comment, hontouni gomennasai~ bianata~ am very sorry. hu. is she reading this entry anyway? =.=" uniform unit. ain't telling ya what did i get. ha. but, i didn't get my first choice; KRS. and ain't talkin' bout this as the main issue in this entry since i'm trying hard to get over those negative feelings i got - knowing the uniform i'm gonna wear in 2012 and retrieving words i said at the moment my friends and i were choosing the unit in the previous month/s.

tasteless cotton-candy. why? it seems tempting when u see it. nevertheless, it's tasteless when it touch ur tongue taste buds. hah-ha. so that my current life. i think it does look interesting from outside, yet i don't feel anything good here. deng! am actually wanna wrap up my 2011 as trainee teacher! OK. back to the main issue. *serious*

2 semesters in a year. 2 examinations. twice went to school for SBE. two different states i'd been soaked in. states; emotions.

huh! am wordless to describe the two semesters.

ah-ha! deng! why that cognitive theory came into my mind?! 2 examinations. the exam in the first semester, i did marathon in revising those subjects for exams. i had four papers in the first exam. i called it marathon although when my friends were discussing, i was sleeping soundly in their bed. second exam, ain't calling the revision i made with my beloved partner as marathon, b'coz, alhamdulillah, i managed to start revising the first two papers earlier just few days earlier anyway than the eleventh hour. that's an improvement for me. ^-^ and i only had three papers. and i had a not-so-good experience before the last paper. ok. three subjects, the first paper was about one week earlier than the other two. the next two papers had only about 24 hours gap. after the second paper, when i was about to revise for the last subject, my head was like full i tell ya! full. i felt the front part of my brain was overloaded. thus, i couldn't revise with my study partner. i just listened to her words reading the notes, understanding the notes. it's been a long time i haven't got the full-loaded-state of my brain. but, alhamdulillah, after few hours listening to her, my brain gave me opportunity to revise!

that's all about my examination... hm. now?

mangrove planting. hah. i'd two.. or three? experiences planting the mangrove plants! ^-^ i'm lovin' it. being an MC... i found that ain't recovered yet from that fear of being a chairperson. hu. i think, i want to get rid of that fear soon. until when should i be prison in that emotion trap right? hu. we'll see.. we'll see...

E1T1/EOTO... i just wanted to visit those Jeven and others.. but, hm.. i really want to see their smiles again. do activities with them again! ^-^ have the passion of being a teacher cultivated in me? ^-^ hope so!

finally i got things to be smiled of! of? should it be at? o yeah~

ok. 5 weeks left for this semester break. can u please remember me in ur du'a to make me stronger in mujahadah everyday? :)

2011.

realized me; ain't a good friend. ain't a good mate.

realized me; silence isn't good to fix a relationship. it's just worsen and destroying it.

realized me; devildemons actually is in me. silence is just adding reactivity of them.

realized me; silence actually that hurts me. not others.

realized me; to be aware of my weaknesses!

haish!

and yet, 2011, motivates me to do good next year! okeh.

btw, 1432 is already READY to leave us. T.T am gonna be 22 before Ramadhan in 1433. am old!

T^T let's do our best to be productive!

will this spirit maintain or be persistent?

let's strive and pray!

jaa~ ;)
if in the 8th entry, i felt like putting down my head on a table and won't look around anymore, currently feeling is that i'll just sit on my chair and put both hands on the table and just looking around. i think i don't wanna move. move here is not meant to change, but to react to those disturbances. yes. i'm. a. jerk. uhf. yet, i wanna be loving. ^-^"

4th : Rewards aplenty in the interior.

Sunday March 14, 2010
Rewards aplenty in the interior
TEACHER TALK
By NITHYA SIDDHU
Instead of shying away from serving in rural schools, young teachers should take pride in nurturing and guiding their charges who look up to them as a source of inspiration and hope.
TEACHERS may be required to undergo three to five years of compulsory postings to rural areas and the interior, says the Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in a report published by The Star earlier this month.

When I read the details of the proposal, I thought it was high time this mandatory requirement was put into practice.

Young teachers must remember a few things – the day you choose to enter the profession, you ought to understand its first basic tenet, which is to SERVE the children of this nation.

No matter where they are, or of what race, gender or economic status, they need your attention.

Lest you think that I am talking through my nose, I must tell you that I have served in many rural schools in my 25 years of teaching.

Yes, children in these schools may sometimes wear uniforms that may reek of smells from the river water, or may barely have had breakfast before they trudge miles to school, or have no money to buy even a pen.

But, they are Malaysian children and they deserve a rightful place in schools, and they deserve our consideration and concern.

Please do not set their needs aside. Among them, I have found creative, intelligent and curious minds just waiting to be guided and encouraged to expand.

I have found them eager, interested and in need of attention and acknowledgment.

When I think of all the rural school students I have taught, what comes to my mind is the way they looked up to me for inspiration and hope.

When you teach them well, and show them you care, they, in return, will show their appreciation and enthusiasm in learning.
Be committed
”With intention comes attention,” so says Oprah Winfrey. And I truly believe this — if you want a child to bloom and become aware of his full potential, it always begins with the right intention and a genuine degree of commitment on your part. Forget your prejudices and just serve.

Yes, I do agree that while you are in the interior, you may feel the lack of many of your home’s comforts and practical amenities, but don’t forget that many of the children you are entrusted to teach come from homes that are far less privileged.

Regular schooling and having teachers who care are the benefits of a good education for them.

You are the key to this. It is you who will open up their minds to allow them to envision a better future for themselves.

Even as you sigh, don’t lose sight of the fact that not only will you be paid a hardship allowance while you serve them, but remember, you are also one of those who belong to a profession that accords you many weeks of school holidays.

You can always go home during these breaks and get over your homesickness — but what chance do the kids you teach have of ever knowing a life other than what their little village offers them?

I think if new teachers are told right from the very beginning that they must do a rural stint, and that this stint is part and parcel of their teaching contract, then we can put an end once and for all to the many problems and “sob stories” that newly-graduated teachers come up with as to why they cannot be posted to places far away.

There are also many who buy themselves a ticket out of the kampungs they are sent to serve in, by getting married.

Imagine if soldiers or doctors refused to serve in the interior? Wouldn’t you think them selfish and concerned only about their own comfort at the expense of those who really need their services?

Come on, it’s sheer hypocrisy when thousands of young people fill in applications to be teachers every year, but start whining the minute they get their teaching posts.

When I think of this compulsory rural posting proposal, I’d like all new teachers to think of the services of Rotary Clubs.

I’m not a Rotarian, but as a teacher, I can appreciate the fact that Rotary Clubs are service clubs whose purpose is an altruistic one.

Like teachers, they are supposed to provide “humanitarian service”.
Being selfless
Rotary’s best-known motto is “Service above Self”, and its secondary motto is “They profit most who serve best”.

If you ever wondered why teaching is considered a noble profession, give some thought to these two mottos.

I strongly feel that teachers should be sent to rural outposts, but they should not be left to teach in these areas for a long time and then conveniently forgotten.

NUTP secretary-general Lok Yim Peng made it clear about this when she spoke on the subject recently.

Her request that the Education ministry has a fair rotation system when implementing rural service is not only timely, but also necessary and reassuring.

On a personal note, I must say that one of my best memories was in the early eighties when I was teaching in a quiet riverside town.

While travelling back home on a jeep through the rough laterite roads between Sandakan and Bukit Garam in Sabah, a villager suddenly appeared in the middle of the road and frantically waved at me to stop.

Not knowing what to expect, I cautiously pulled up my vehicle to the side and lowered the glass window, only to find the excited villager holding a large plastic bag of river prawns that he presented to me!

“Untuk Cikgu (for you teacher),” he said simply.

On the journey back, the live prawns twitched and writhed in the plastic bag, but my heart — it sang all the way home.

Yes, appreciation comes in different forms, and the rewards are aplenty when you serve in the backwaters.
source : The Star

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well. this article encourage me to have more passion in this field. not just to teach the next generation i'm gonna teach, but educate them and be a good role model. and i know, currently, i am role model to my younger sister and younger-little brothers. 
when i'm thinking about teaching primary school kids, my little brothers 'show' themselves in my mind. yada. it starts from home. it begins in me! 
i have my own aim by throwing myself into this field. although i have other choices before, i still choose this path. yeah. quite half-hearted at the beginning, but i remind myself to do my best in everything. it will be asked for responsibility later, at 'there' the permanent world. 
i have my own vision. i have my own mission. not that strange as all my sisters and brothers who are muslims also have the same vision. for this perfect way of life. 
myself, all the best. keep praying and asking for the best. not just for myself, forget not the others. :)
i do love reading teacher talk and anything about teachers. ^.^

3rd : L.O.V.E

Let your love flow
TEACHER TALK By NITHYA SIDHHU
It is not love and romance alone, but the tenderness, warmth and concern we show one another that makes Valentine’s Day extra special.

Today is the day I marry my friend,

The one I laugh with, dream with,

Live for. Love.

THE above words were printed on the front of a wedding card I received in November last year. The card was stark black, with a red floral design on it. Inside, the invitation touched me even more as it stated “please join the couple for a celebration of love, friendship, laughter and family; to celebrate new beginnings, new dreams and most importantly, new love.” How sweet!

There’s something extraordinary about the month of February that I cannot shake off — it is the celebration of Valentine’s Day and the love that is expressed in a variety of ways. There are cards, roses and wine, not forgetting the candle light dinners and walks along the beach or in the park on a moonlit night. Romantic, you say? Well, why not?

To me, the celebration of love only highlights how important and significant this emotion is. If we could only shrug off our prejudices and insensitivities, we would immediately find ourselves living in a much better world.

Love is prescribed as an antidote to life’s problems, but how many people choose to follow the path of love, warmth, encouragement, sincerity and forgiveness? Not many I tell you.

Taunting teachersAnd, some of these culprits are, sadly, teachers. Yes, such teachers do exist – individuals who hurt and instigate animosity.They do this either by their words or their actions, and they have it in them to taunt, abuse, humiliate and reduce to tears their young charges, whose spirit they are supposed to nurture and nourish.

I am usually upset when I hear of stories of such teachers because they have chosen to ignore their true calling and vocation, and have instead, taken it upon themselves to believe that because they are in a position to torment, they should. Where does love reside in such people?

They say “home is where the heart is”, and to me, my school — the place where I work — is my second home, and another place where my heart is.

I know this may seem strange to some, but to me, I just have to take one look at the parents who are waiting outside the school gates everyday to know this: if you show their kids some love at school, they would be grateful to you.

You see, just stepping into the classroom and teaching your bit for the day is not the same as being really there for your students.

You may think that students need you only to be a good mentor, and to teach them until they fully grasp a topic.

However, in reality, many of them appreciate a friendly face, some understanding and encouragement.

It is true that some students have everything going for them at home and lead well-balanced lives.

For these students, their teacher may be of secondary importance. But there are others who may not lead such happy and settled lives at home, and they are the ones who crave for love and affection, a kind word, a pat on the back and a definite leg-up.

A young teacher recently told me about her days in school and recalled a particularly disturbing period in her life.

“I was in Form Five when I went through a difficult time. My father had passed away and my mother went into a period of grief and I couldn’t turn to her at all. I began to mix with a new crowd of idle students at school. My grades were slipping and I was, myself, filled with inner turmoil.

“It was my history teacher who was quick to notice the change in me. She came into my life when I most needed someone to talk to and guide me. If it had not been for her timely intervention and help, I would not be who I am today.”

Lasting impressions

The young teacher said: “As an educator now, I know that I have to be compassionate — a teacher who must be firm, yet kind — someone who can advise and bring change without punishing the student.”

Frankly, I was moved. She was young, yet she had set her sights on the right track.

All it took was just one teacher who left a lasting impression on her and who changed her outlook towards life. The History teacher had brought out the best in her.

It is easy to say that teachers must touch minds and hearts, but not many have that Midas touch. However, teachers who inspire and motivate do make that vital difference in a young person’s life.

So, this Valentines’ Day, as people all over the world celebrate love, ask yourself this: How loving and concerned a teacher are you?

Think about it. You stand before a class of young students but do you destroy their enthusisam and spirit, or do you help restore and revive them constantly?

I once knew a teacher, who, upon finding out that she was posted to a school that had a majority of orang asli children and pupils from plantations, said that it was pointless teaching them as they were a bunch of “illiterate fools!”

I was flabbergasted; she could do with a lesson on tolerance, understanding and love and yes, so can all of us!

Happy Valentine’s Day to all!
Source : The Star
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as a muslim teacher trainee, i'm not encouraging you, readers to celebrate this Valentine's Day. but, read the above article. i'm touched. well, admitting that one of the reason i'm throwing myself into this field; teaching, is to build  loving character in myself. 
Abi Hurayrah (r) said, and these are all authentic ahadith, qabal an-nabi al-hasan wa ali, aqra` ibn al-haabis, “He (Prophet) was sitting and he kissed (his grandson) al-Hasan, and one leader of the people was present and he said, `indee `asharan min al-walad lam aqbal minhum ahad, “I have ten children, Yaa Rasulullah, and I never kissed one of them in my life.” (And Prophet [s] replied,) man laa yarham laa yurham, “Who doesn’t have mercy for people, Allah will not have mercy for him.”

this thing affects me so much. huhu.

i can't write more. i can't focus. :)

2nd : mottainai!

Mottainai’s the word

By ALYCIA LIM

Children at a kindergarten were taught the meaning and power of a Japanese word which has now become a universal term.
“WHAT does mottainai mean?” asks the sprightly, bespectacled grandmother.
“Do not waste!” the 40 children shout across the room stretching their vocal chords to the fullest, as Grandma Mottainai gives them the thumbs up while flashing them a smile.
Mottainai which means “do not waste” or “what a waste” in Japanese was the key word and the preschoolers of Beaconhouse, Subang Jaya, had their fair share of stories and songs on mottainai from the old lady and a team from Panasonic Malaysia which is helping to promote the catch word.

Preschoolers and teachers surrounding Grandma Mottainai as she stresses the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling.

In fact, by the end of the day, it was the children who surprised and impressed Grandma Mottainai and the other adults, by giving their own candid yet innocent interpretations of the word.
Mottainai was first promoted by Kenyan environmentalist and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Prof Wangari Maathai. It also encompasses the “three Rs” in English - reduce, reuse and recycle and another “R” for respect.
Since it carries a powerful meaning, Panasonic has decided to embark on a campaign to introduce the phrase to Malaysians.
“We have allocated RM3mil on ‘eco projects’, because we want to contribute in our own way to Malaysian society,” said the company’s managing director Tony Endoh.
Its corporate communications and branding general manager Azizah Wahid said that mottainai was a universal phrase now that the company wanted to “popularise” to Malaysians.
Although the company initiated its campaign in a kindergarten, there are also plans to hold a community forum in Subang Jaya and getting orphanages and families in the community to participate.
“We are also looking into the possibility of a summer camp so that more children from different schools could join in, and be exposed to the mottainai concept,” said Azizah.

Young artists: Five-yearolds painting their recycled “bowl” under the supervision of their teacher

The preschoolers also had a chance to listen to mottainai stories revolving around clothing, water, and paper.
Grandma Mottainai also taught them how to sing a song involving the 3Rs, accompanied by hand actions which drew much laughter. The children later painted paper bowls they had previously made out of recycled paper.
The school’s head Lily Pok said that the children had been enlightened and entertained with the stories and songs .
Asked to share her experience, six-year-old Alyssa Adam Nasir excitedly said: “I did so many things today! And I learned how to save water, which is by using only one cup of water when I brush my teeth.”
She added that while mottainai was practised at home, it was not forgotten in the classroom. “In class, we also use recycled paper to make paper aeroplanes.”
Her classmate, Ameer Sufian, shared his understanding of the mottainai concept, “I recycle paper at home, and I reuse my clothes by washing them, and wearing them again.”
While many shared their stories about how they could reduce wastage, there were also moments of honesty. Five-year-old Nikita Rose Dasberg admitted that “even though I know it is mottainai to waste food, I sometimes do so because I have a stomach ache.”
However, she was quick to add, “When I colour or draw wrongly, I don’t throw away my paper. I erase it and do it again, and then when I’m done, I give them to my mum and dad.”
Genuine, and straight to the point, we must agree that these little tots can help us make a difference.
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mottainai! let's save our environment. environment itself not just trees, animal, rivers and ocean, but it's ourselves! also including our surroundings. such as room, toilet and class. ^-^ a good reminder for me too. till then.
source : The Star Online