An SABK

-

It has been a while since my last post. I have been very busy adapting and getting comfortable with my new life that I literally do not have time to sit, reflect and write. My life seems to flash before my eyes.

Among so many things that have happened in the last few months, the following stands up the most:

starting my first real job.

On April 1st, fate brought me to a religious school in Tumpat, Kelantan. At the point of knowing, I was in favour of neither the type of school nor the county I am placed in. To cut it short, I was not interested whatelse eager to be there. My father managed to locate the school after a long haul travel down the one-way road cuts through paddy fields and villages. It was not a pleasant journey and the school was not the kind of school one who graduated from abroad would expect to be placed in. I am not trying to be proud but the school is NOT the kind of school one would see in their everyday life as the school I am in can be considered as an impoverished school.  

The school which is affected by flood at least 3 times a year is a school for 198 students. The school maximises the usage and shares its limited school space whilst praying hard for the government's fund to build proper school facilities. Though the school is fifty years old this September, the buildings fail to send the message across. There are only 8 classes available (the school doesn't have form 5 due to the limited number of classes), the student's toilet is literally everyone's toilet (including teachers, cleaners, clerks and so on), the halls are only halls when the binders between classes are being put up, the gent's staffroom is also being known as the meeting room, the ladies' staffroom is also the co-op (which is located under the school's mosque- the place to store everything when the school get flooded) and the school's office is not only the place where you can find the management staffs but also the place where you can get your teaching supplies. 

For a new teacher who did not want to be there, nothing seemed to excite me.


Some people claim that the first impression plays a significant role in influencing how one is treated and viewed. Honestly, the school makes a bad first impression. However, as time passes by, as I get used to the way the school is, as I've gained a lot of valuable experience from dealing with the deficiencies, I start to enjoy and best, feel lucky to be a part of the school and community as a whole.


Of all the things that the school and poverty have taught me, one that stands out the most for the time being is:
Never limit yourself to being a mere fountain when you can be an ocean just because you believe you aint got enough reservoir. Just believe in yourself and stand your dream.




Looking back, fate brought me to a place of my least interest. The news about my first real school failed to excite me the way it did to my dear friends who are posted to either a school near to their home or a very good school in a prestige town. Worst, the school God send me to is not a well-equipped school in which I could practice all the ICT knowledge that I learnt throughout my 6 years TESL course. However, in the school called here, I am able to grasp thousand lessons which have helped me to discover myself, strengthen my personality, build my career from stretch and most importantly, be the light that may help the poor to get out from poverty.

Here, I learn more about humanity than teaching English. 
I can't tell how to be one of those proficient English speakers but I can tell how to be one of those students who survive poverty.
(April 26, 2014)

Comments

Post a Comment

You say:

Popular posts from this blog

Parking Lot

-
Image
Parking Lot has been considered as one of the best practices in the 21st century classrooms besides the famous group seating arrangement. In Malaysian public schools especially in Sekolah Amanah, it is a mandatory  to prepare a space or an area in the class to put up a Parking Lot. Per contra , to date, teachers are having a lack of proper guidance on the use of Parking Lot as a consequence of  the non-existence of a blueprint or a printed guide from any Malaysian education departments on this practice . Worst, the knowledge of Parking Lot is succinctly dismantle to teachers while they are having courses on 21st century classroom or learning, during Professional Learning Communities (PLC) sessions or during department meetings. It is through these short sessions or meet-ups that Malaysian teachers are made aware of the benefits of Parking Lot. Even the practice could benefit both teacher and students, the lack of understanding on the practice  results failur...
Read more

Use Malay (L1) instead of English (L2) in English Lessons?

-
Image
The debate on the use of L1 in L2 lessons has been going on since forever. Different scholars come out with different theories and hypotheses yet no one theory or hypothesis has become the most significant. After all, it all depends on the teaching context. The use of L1 has always been a contentious issue. Teachers have choices whether to: ban L1; minimise L1; or maximise L2. Again, it all depends on the context the teachers are in. It is best to also mention that even so, teachers who resort to the L1, despite their best intentions, often feel guilty for straying from L2 path (Cook, 2001). However now, let's not talk about teacher's use of L1.  Let's look at student's use of L1 in L2 lessons.  Should we ban the use of L1 among students in L2 lessons? If not, why are there a lot of suggestions given to cut or limit the use of L1 in L2 lessons? I remember when I once made it a rule that students should only talk to me...
Read more

Nadia Anjuman

-
Image
What should I do with a broken wing Which does not let me fly? I have been silent too long, But I never forget the melody. Since every moment I whisper, The song from my heart. Reminding myself of the day, I will break free of this cage. By from this solitude, And sing with abandon. I am not a weak tree, To be shaken by any wind. I am an Afghan woman, It only makes sense to cry. Nadia Anjuman was a talented Afghani poet who was beaten to death by her husband at the age of 25.  Al-Fatihah.
Read more