Friday, January 30, 2009

Oranges and Lemons Kinda Feeling

You remember the rhyme , oranges and lemons ? Well I can't remember it and that's not the whole point . I have been having these oranges and lemons kinda feeling for some time now . Do I need help ? Yea and No . Now if I were to tell you what is it that has been bothering me all this while, ................ before I forget oranges and lemons go very well in your salads and cooking . Okay , you see I have been invited to attend a reunion with my primary school friends and mind you , not just any friends . We have not seen each other for over thirty years . Don't ask me where the years have all flown by !!!
Thing is, you see, I am a big coward . Yup I say it proudly . Not because of anything else but only one reason that I HATE DRIVING ! You see I can't get the gist of driving , and coming home at night alone on a very lonely highway is way too heavy for me. Because of this, that is why it has been 'yes' and 'no' kinda feeling . So a few of my friends have been asking me why and ...................hey I just got an ang pow !!! Okay back to where I was, but I have not said anything to them about how I feel and yes my situation is just a very lame excuse. I am not ashamed anyway or anymore cos there dozens who probably feel like I do . So now you know the reason why I switched jobs ................... to drive as little as possible and to arrive home early . Hey , before I go I am a good driver , it's just that .............................
So, with all of the oranges and lemons that I have been feeling now, I would say that I feel better now , and too bad if I am not going to make it . There's always the phone , face book , email to stay connected with each other and with that I am a happy curry nanas kinda girl . I will hold my head up high and I will not let this little , simple thing thing bother me .

The Thought Never Crossed My MInd

I never thought that I would be a teacher . I am not an ambitious person , I did fairly okay in school . I have had failures along the way but I seem to resurfaced from the bottomless pit and I went on . I was never appraised for anything I did or have done in school . My teachers never paid any attention to me or maybe they thought that I was a waste of time and not worth the time . I don't know and i never asked or even tried to find out either .
I remembered when my teacher asked me what I wanted to be when I left school , I could not give her an answer . My ambition, went from a policewoman , fire fighter , etc, etc ,etc but I never thought that I would teach and be a teacher . Even when I left school , I was uncertain of what was to become of me . One thing is for sure , I enjoyed art in school very much . I did quite well in this area . So it was decided then that I was to enroll for a Graphic Design course .
Now , at this stage, I had no idea what is / was Graphic Design . I just went head on with it . As I began my journey in college , it got tougher and tougher . No one said it was easy . First year went on okay till I reached the third year and finally , it was time to graduate . well , it was nothing to shout about my graduation . All I knew was ,that I had to attend the ceremony and receive my diploma . I was excited however , I felt deep down in my heart that "this " was not my calling . Something is missing ( before graduation , I was working in a kindy ). Even when I worked in an office , it was not the same . I hated working in an office . It was no fun at all . Okay , okay working in an office was not suppose to be fun right ? Wrong !!! That was what I thought . For six months I was beside myself , trying to .... just shout or do something just so I could "get out" but I just didn't know how to .
I decided to quit . I ran like hell away from the office job . I went back to teach . It was fun and I was smiling again . I never forgot my mum . She did not say or do anything ..... she cried when I told her that I wanted to be a teacher . As upset as she was , she let me be . I went every single day to work and continued working in the kindy for the next thirteen years and today she says proudly to me that her wish was for one of us to be a teacher . She understood why I had to do it . I did for me to be happy and she has seen what I have accomplised . Thanks mum and dad .

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

The Story Of The face

Once upon a time , I was asked this question , infact over the years many have asked me this question . The question came form a five year old little girl . This was what she asked me , "What happen to your face ?" Well I could have explained to her all of the details , but she was just five years old and here I was trying to think of a way to tell her what happen to my face . I actually wanted to tell her to come back to me when she turns thirty !! But then again , I felt that I ought to tell her . So this was what I told her .
One day up in heaven , God asked me what kind of face would I like to have . So I told God that I wanted to look just right and pretty . Fine He said and it shall be done . During that time , there were many babies being born , so we all had to be patient and wait for our turn. When it was time for us to meet our parents on earth , He would call us and bring us to a special room . In that special room , is where He made us . It's a face, hands and limbs 101 kinda room . A room that Jesicca Alba would love to have !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was so busy that day , and He was in and out of that room . Babies were going out of the tunnel by the minute . I was excited as it will soon be my turn to get my face and meet my new parents on earth . The next day I asked God if he had prepared the face that I wanted to have . He told me to be patient because these things takes time and it's a work of art . Okay , if I have to wait I will wait . But you see, most of my friends have gone down to meet their parents and I was getting impatient . I went to see God the next day and He told me to be patient again . I just can't ,I told Him .
He took me and sat me down onto his lap . With a gentle voice He told me that I was going down to meet my parents . I was so excited , I could not sleep that night . He knows that I was quite impatient so He reminded me not to enter The Room . I was called to Him the next day and He told me that ,today, being a wonderful day , He would be in The Room to create the face that I wanted .
While He was busy creating my face , there was a red alert in heaven . One of the angels had a broken wing and needed her wing to be patched up immediately because she was in the midst of saving a little boy . I saw how chaotic everything was and took matters into my own hands for I entered The Room , and wanted to create my own face . Something that I was not allowed to do . I mixed a little bit of this and that . I poured stuff and mixed it up again . It did not go on too well for there was a loud explosion in The Room and I was left with this face.
God was not angry with me , he forgave me and he understood my impatience for He had made me wait for so long . I am now left with this face , but I kinda like it . It makes me special . My face taught me how to be caring , humble and compassionate to others. I feel nice in my own skin , thanks to one above .

Sunday, January 25, 2009

I found

I found a clown in a box the other day.
I found an airplane in my bedroom that went up and down !
I found a mama bear in my treasure box with a grin ,
I found an elephant in my shower .. having a shower .. opps !!!
I found a great white whale having an ice cream in the palour.


I found ziggy with a twing in her hair.
I found marmalade jam on the kitchen table and wonder who it belonged to ,
I found the craziest monkey swinging here and everywhere,
I found a lion tamer in my back yard , and what's he doing ?


I found a snake charmer having tea with grandma,
Bears and uncles , I found a big book and jumped right into it !

Jaq And The Surprise

I received a call yesterday from my friend Jaq . It was quite late and we were all getting ready for bed . As I answered the phone , she told me not to go to sleep just yet . It was late and why on earth was Jaq telling me not to go to bed ? I mean it's nearly eleven at night and I want to sleep !!! So okay, I asked her why again . She finally told me that she has a surprise for me . At this point I was thinking maybe a very cute chinese guy for the coming new year !!!!! Well ............ nope it wasn't that at all . Sigh............. ( better luck next time huh !!). She told me to go downstairs and wait patiently for her . I went and waited . From upstairs I could her dad asking me if I wanted some company and also if I needed my handphone . No to both questions by the way .
In two seconds flat my dad was already downstairs waiting together with me . I decided.... to call her( dad brought down my handphone ) . So I called her and made her tell me what was the surprise . After much digging she finally told me . This is what she said . " We went for a reunion dinner , and we booked two tables there's a lot of left overs and we did not want to waste it so ,I thought of you and now I am on my way to bring you the left overs . " Wow ! Sounds good eh ? So with open arms , I took the delicious food from her and thanked her and her beautiful family for thinking of us . For today ,our luch will be restaurant style except that the rice will be cooked by mum . I can't wait to chow down and taste those wonderful dishes . Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm !!! .
I am so thankful to all of my friends out there who are kind enough to share with us their humble offering . I find that in this world , we are lacking in this . Simple acts of kindness goes to show that there are those who are kind enough in this world and for that , I am truly blessed to have friends like all of you out there . Regardless of race and creed , and I say amen to that !

Friday, January 23, 2009

I Was Mad

I was mad , as mad as a hornet ,
They made me so mad that I could yell,
And yell was something that I could never do ,
For I was mad , as mad as a hornet.


I was mad , as mad as a hornet ,
For my homework was never done ,
I asked why and they said they were busy watching Ben 10 !
I was mad , as mad as a hornet .


I was mad , as mad as a hornet ,
Someone had stepped on a pinky finger
And that made her cry,
For I was mad , as mad as a hornet .


I was mad , as mad as a hornet,
All I wanted was some peace and quiet ,
Till someone said , " I Love You Teacher,
and then I wasn't mad as a hornet anymore !



I Made Two Boys Cry Today.............. and I Loved It !!!

I made two boys cry today in class and I could not understand why. All I asked was for a little time , just a bit of time as I was not feeling too well . I asked them to read their flash cards while I took a five minute break , that was all I asked for . It was alright for awhile . They were spelling and going on and on until I heard giggles coming from a group of boys . I told them to be quiet and ................. that did not work out . Their giggles soon turned into laughter . The laughter was okay . But it got out of hand . They started to move ........... in all directions and the whole class ended up making so much noise . I looked at my watch it was 11.15 am . Another five minutes I would dismiss the class but no,me and my big mouth got the better of me . Here's where the action begins...............
I told all of the girls to get their school bags and line up . There were nine boys . I told the class that these boys were not going home . They were pretty cool alright . I got to give them some credit here . So out of the nine boys ,I told two boys to go get their bags . I went on till there were three boys . I proudly said to the three boys that they were not going home and that ........ before I could finish my sentence, the waterworks started . Okay I had no heart to see them crying so i gave them an option , apologize or just don't go home . We had a happy ending . They stopped crying and apologized to their one and only beautiful teacher !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In times like this , I feel sad to say thing like this to them but then again they leave me no choice at all . I mean , I warned them ( gently of course ) . Then I waited and gave them some time . But if all else fails then they leave me no choice . I have to do what I have to do . The great thing about these children are , no matter how angry you are with them or at times when you scold them , they do bounce back and they will approach you . Children are very forgiving towards their parents and teachers and for that I love working with them.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Mission Accomplised

Mission accomplished . Just the other day , I was thinking of ways to teach math to my students . I felt that I could go faster with my morning students however I really need to go slower with my afternoon students . I made a huge mistake last year . Thinking that they were ready , I gave them some excersises to do but boy I was wrong . It was a disaster , First of all I did not plan my lesson plan well . Without thinking , I took advantage of the situation and it went bust . This time I was prepared for the worst in fact . Don't get me wrong it was not all the bad .
Today , I asked them to complete four pages of math. You may think that four pages is a lot but frankly speaking more means good and it makes good practice as well . Don't you think so ? Well , as I began my lessons , I wrote down all of the equations on the board and thus my journey to mathematical thinking began............................. It was not bad as I began . At first they were shaky and a little noisy . Yup this happens each time I get them to begin their work . I went as slow as I could and as I went along , I got them to participate . Slowly , I could see that , they were beginning to understand the concept of addition . I went on to the next page . I began to encourage them , and moved on to the next page . By the time I reached the fourth page , three students out of thirteen , decided to attempt the equation on their own . I felt a little sad ......... only three but then again the students that I have with me are all from other kindergarten and some have never been to a kindergarten . It's not that bad and it's okay , I kept telling myself .
I am not too worried as I know eventually they will 'get it' and move onto the next level . It's just a matter of time and practice . I know what I need to do , that is to continue, to encourage them and make them believe that they can do it . It will be a long road ahead but I am prepared to work hard for them .

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

I Can Never Understand

I can never understand that you don't trust me at all,
I can never understand for all of the lame excuses that I give ,
I can never understand myself like how you seem to understand me,
Please do try , for I am telling the truth.

I can never understand how my dog ate my homework.,
I can never understand it at all , how you seem so nice towards others,
I can never understand when they do it it's okay and when I do it , it's not.
Look , look at me with your eyes and tell me , please don't just look at me and say nothing .

I can never understand friends who don't seem to understand me ,
I can never understand it when they add and get it right ,
I can never understand it when you don't seem to understand me,
Just tell me , be kind to me . That's all I ask of you.

The Drill

No, it's not a drill that I am talking about . It's more of how my new students digest all they can and all they want from me . It was a very slow ride at first . I was feeling anxious too . The reason was , I just could'nt wait to see how well they will perform academically but then again ... who was I trying to kid here , they or me ? So my journey began once again with alot of oral drilling . I got them to count 1 - 100 , say their days of the week , months of the year and sukukata drilling . It was quite though to get them to do it but I kept on encouraging them day by day .
Today after three weeks of school , I can only say that they have improved not a lot but a little and I am so proud of them . I have also observed that there are a few of my students with leadership qualities . One of my students approached me the other day and said that she would like to teach her friends to do the oral counting for the day . She has been doing it ever since I gave her the green light and as usual , children learn by imitating others and now all of them wants to be the leader in the class !!!! My , what a great thing to see .
I try to tell my students that they are special and they can do it . Lessons gets harder as they go along and I tell them also that they must try at all cost and it is okay to make a mistake . I see the determination in their eyes to do well . I also remind myself that these are young children that I am dealing with and if they should ever make a mistake in their work , as a teacher , I must guide them instead of hitting the roof !!!!
Children learn by examples of others . It is the same as , for example , if we want our children to grow up being good , What do we need to teach them ? The answer is simple . Don't fret , we ourselves are good examples to our children . They see through us and they know how much we care and love them .

Sunday, January 11, 2009

New Kids In Da Class

Before I begin , I was suppose to sit down and write however ,I have suffered from a case of writer's block . I am not a writer and I am sure this can happen to anyone . As we all know good things come to an end and yes my long month holidays are up and we begin once again the much awaited new year 2009 . I might as well add that it is the year of the Boar . So as I have said earlier , here I am now still fresh from a week of crying , sniffing , tantrum throwing from the children and whatever else may come , I am ready for the coming week . This time , it will not be over till the kids say it's over !!!
I really must thank my lucky stars for all of the children that I have thought over the years . Some were nice , extra nice , extra crummy but I managed . For this beautiful year ...... yup it's going to be one , I was once again put in charge of a group of nineteen special students . Why you may ask . The answer is simple . It's because they can write , count , colour and willing to listen to instructions . There , now my work gets easier . Since they can do all these , I just have to brush them up a little bit more and I have been smiling since school started !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so overjoyed that I see signs of wanting to learn from these children and I have plans for them . I have encouraged my group of children and they seem to get my drift . That's not all , my afternoon group are not too bad as well . With one not sure how to write , I find the rest amusing and charming . I have some mix fruits in my class which I think are workable and I hope to turn them into polished mix fruits with an attitude plus with a dollop of good cream cheese on the top before graduation takes place .
I am prepared to face the worse and as a teacher if I don't do my best , it only could mean one thing , that I have failed . Before that could happen or take place , I am ready as ever to see to it that my students get the best from me .

Thursday, January 1, 2009

The New Year 2009

What will the new be like ? I wonder what is in store for me . For one thing nothing is in store . I believe that how we want it to be , is chosen by us . I wish for a good year and a peaceful one . I want to be happy in the things that I do or say . I want to do the things that I have never done before . Stop the worry in my head and go forth like the wind .
How ? I can only say that if I were to allow a tiny seed of hope in my heart and I know that when I nurture this hope , this tiny seed of hope in my heart , it will soon be bigger than the whole universe and that would only mean one thing , to rise above and beyond .To rise to the maximum height of confidence . I would like also to open up my mind to new things and explore what ever comes my way .
All of these that I have just spoken about will not be easy however as I pray and believe in faith ,that I know that I can do this . With small little strides , it will soon be a giant leap . A leap of faith , to a beautiful awakening to something so amazing that only one can touch the skies . I hope to a new beginning and a new tomorrow .