Day In, Day Out

Last Thursday, I decided to do something different with students of 4 Ibnu Sinar (the first class of the form). I went into the class and invited students to share on things that they do when they feel frustrated or emotionally depressed. I made efforts to direct the discussion to the word self-talk and yes, the objective of the lesson was to study and improve on students' self-talk.     Self-talk provides a kind of program that our subconscious minds respond to. Our minds work something like computers: Our brains are the hardware, and what we say to ourselves is the software.   (Isaac & Ritchey, 1989, p.3) Self-talk was chosen because from readings, I discover that positive self-talk helps to raise students' confidence. Scholars believe that raising students' confidence is essential as self-perception predicts learning and student performance. Thus, self-talk can be of much help to my group of student as I discover that the students are suffering fro...

Since the Government introduces MBMMBI, many are complaining on the limited amount of time students are exposed to English or the L2. As an English teacher, or a going-to-be an English teacher, I was made believed by media and people around me that MBMMBI is a policy that will, in a long run, result in the deterioration of English proficiency among Malaysians. However, today I realise that some people who are proselytising the above are being selfish as today I discover that the efficacy of MBMMBI should not be solely judged on its impacts on Malaysian English development but also on Malaysian Malay language development. From my point of view, MBMMBI is indeed a brilliant policy as it embarks on preparing a good foundation to uphold Malay language among Malaysian students as their standard of Malay language is disappointing. Whilst Malay language teachers in major cities in Malaysia are reading Malay language essays that are filled with bahasa rojak and language of texting, Malay ...

This school has a routine in which in every two weeks, there will be an informal assembly; basically, a formal whole school meeting where teachers can bash students . Though assemblies are the most useless school agendas for me, I find no harm in it yet there is something that really bothers me. It is the routine of calling a 'misbehaved' student on the stage and bash him/her in front of the students and teachers. Last two week, I saw a girl student standing on the stage and was scolded for wearing a slack insteaf of a tracksuit. Though I consider it as a public humiliation, I take it positively. I make myself agree to call it an act of reminding students on what they should wear. However, today's story hit me. A 13 years old boy was bashed for his hairstyle. It was not that bad. It was an everyday boy hairstyle that one sees in their everyday life. I wont mind if the boy standing there is a 17 years old boy with scars everywhere on his body as that kind of boy mi...

Student 1: My father is too old for work. I am the only child so I am not so much a burden for my family. Student 2: My father refuses to work. Me: Is he? Student 2: (silence) He works, sometimes. Me: So your mother is the breadwinner of your family? What does she do? Student 2: She sells kuih in a nearby wet market. Me: Oh. She must be making a lot of money then. Student 2: Just enough to keep the business going. Me: Okay. Do you have brothers and sisters? Student 2: I am the eldest of 4 and the youngest is 6. Me: Don't you get any scholarship? Student 2: I have one from the Kebajikan Masyarakat. They give me RM300 every month. Me: Oh. Okay, that's a lot of help. Student 2: My family uses it to pay the house rent and utilities. Me: (speechless) Let's fight poverty in our community first. Whilst we might be spending RM100 for another pair of heels, there might be a family who need the same amount of money to buy sacks of rice, sugar, salt an...