Day In, Day Out

On the last observation, my supervisor commented that I have a 'manja' personality. Today was a little bit different. He said: 'Anis, you're adventurous.' And as usual I replied: 'What do you mean by adventurous, Sir?' 'Yeah. Adventurous. You did things other practical teachers will never do.' I responded: 'Is it good, Sir?' Then he replied: 'Yes, it is. Your students will miss you when you're gone.' Ouch. My students, they made a pinky promise today but they broke it. Pinky promise (~_~). It is them who introduces me to that adjectival phrase.

Today, my school had a public speaking competition. Sitting on the audience chair brought me to reminisce days when I wasn't the audience but one of the participants. Everything began when I was in standard 2. It started with story-telling competitions. Mom is my biggest fan. She sews my costumes for every contest which I am in. When I was 8, I used to have a crow costume when I was telling stories on a crow and a witch's broom when I was telling stories on witches. All thanks go to my Omie. Then I get older and story-telling isn't made for me anymore. So I involved in public speaking competitions. My journey as a participant wasn't easy. At the age of 10, I began writing my scripts. When I was 10, Google didnt do a good job alike today so I spent damn lot of time reading and mapping points. I used to envy my friends who are daughters of teachers because they always got their parents to do their scripts. I had to crack my head, worked extremely hard but the winner w...

Last Wednesday my lecturer as usual came to observe my teaching. It was good and I kind of predicted his comments. So nothing shocked me but a simple sentence not about my teaching but about me. 'Anis (he calls me that name.dont know why), you have a weird personality.' I was like gulp. Weird? Heloooo. I am not weird. Then he expanded: 'You can change your personality like in a blink of an eye.' And I was like whattt. Change in a blink of an eye? Helooooo. I am not an actress. Oh okay. Just ignore the look. People always have mistaken me as an actress by the way I look. Ahaks. Ok itu poyo. Then he continued: 'Are you the youngest of your family?' Only then I replied him: 'No sir. Im the eldest but mom says I never act like the eldest.' He continued: 'Yes. I can see it from your teaching. You've that 'manja' personality but not in a 'mengada-ngada' sense. It's just when I see you teaching I know you're the 'man...

Me: Is X the last person to submit my homework? Sts: Yessssss 5 minutes after that, 2 boys walking towards me and handed my homework. Me: (try to make a cunning laugh by producing the most annoying sound) Sts: Why do you make that sound Miss? Me: Erm maybe because I think I am cute with the sound. Sts: (burst into laugh) Btw, I believe that I have the right to say it out loud that I am cute. Ahaks.

It feels extremely good to lay on your bed. Being on my precious bed and having no one around enable me to reflect. Yeah, it may sound a little bit too academic to say that Im reflecting now but that is exactly what Im doing since this morning. And to be honest, Im having bundles of fun! Looking back to past weeks, I realise that Ive been doing a lot and applying a number of teaching approaches and strategies which I believe suit the learners well. I teach them the way I want my teacher to teach me, deal with them the way I wish my teacher deals with me and help them the way I hope to be helped when I was in school. To be honest, I want to give them world. They are motivated students who are eager to learn. However, I am just a practical teacher who just start realising the fact that it is not solely about getting a good TESL degree but it is the matter of how much you're willing to give your best and sacrifice your time, energy and money for your students. The best example o...

Some of my friends keep asking me: 'Why Wan?' Well, it's not the matter of me wanna preserve my identity as a Wan instead, I prefer Wan as I believe that it sounds more formal. Formal? Why do I need to have a nickname which sounds more formal? Ok. I know myself better than anybody else. No matter how strict I wish to be with my students, I will never be one. I want them to acknowledge the barrier between them and I. I wanna make them realise that no matter how cool I am with them (budgett), I am still their teacher and they need to give me their respect. Miss Alisa sounds to me as a cherish and easy going teacher yet Miss Wan brings different connotation. Miss Wan, to me, represents a teacher who is a little bit difficult to have fun on and stern. Yes, I want my students to have that perceptions toward me. Strange enough? That's my only reason for urging my students and colleagues (budgett utk kedua kalinya) to call me Miss Wan instead of Miss Alisa. No matter how...

Finally, I am done with my first week of my practical. How was it? I think it was hectic. I started teaching on the second day of my practical and I was damn busy since then.  My students? They are lovely little bunch. Most of them are boys and they are a little bit playful in the classrooms but lucky me that they do listen and do their work. I am impressed with some of my students' work. I expect their handwriting to be next to worst but theirs are next to wonderful. Gulp! Girls? In total (I teach two Form 5 classes) there are approximately 10 of them. Yes, they are the minority but they always get things right.  I can bet that many would be pleased if they are given the chance to teach this wonderful group of students. I  am really pleased with the fact that I am fated to teach them but the fact that I am never good in English depressed me. They deserve to be taught by a better practical teacher. One who can use English fluently and accurately. Poor them to have ...