A Challenge to Myself

Time for my second post after the resurrection of my blog on the 16th of September 2017. This new post would be the announcement of a challenge which I have set for myself, which is to write a 100-word short story a week. This all started during the Access English Teachers' course which I mentioned in my previous post, where we were told to write a 100-word essay. I found this activity quite interesting and I told myself that this would be a great way to challenge myself to think and write. Perhaps, it may also help those who stumble upon my writings and be inspired to write some 100-word essays for themselves. Oh well, just for fun, why not? Let's hope that I can keep up to the challenge, be disciplined and write around 20 stories for now.... If I succeed, I might even extend my challenge.... Oh ya, by the way, do please leave some comments in the box below... I will leave my essays untitled, so do please leave suggestions on what title you think they should be.... Enjoy....!

Here is the first piece...

Once gone, never to return. Joyce, Arifah, Shah, were never seen or to be heard again. Legend has it, Gregor, once sentenced to death by lethal injection, is still alive, lurking in the neighbourhood, in search of helpless maidens. Some said that he died and was buried but his remains were never to be found. Some also rumoured that he walks in the shadows, slithering like a snake in the dark of night, entrapping the hearts of his victims. Some even witnessed shadows chowing down what appeared to resemble the limbs of humans. Is he really alive? No one knows. 

Re-Alignment....

Just as promised, after a 3-year hiatus, I am finally back slowly into the blog sphere after being inspired during one of the camps that I attended during the recent holiday in Langkawi. It all happened during the Access English Teachers' Workshop which was organised by SMKA Rompin in collaboration with the United States of America Embassy. How it all started was my participation in the AE-Teacher course under the sponsorship of the Department of State. It was truly a great opportunity for learning as the course opened my eyes to the ample resources available online for English teachers to improve their pedagogical and professional practice in the classroom. The best part of this course was that it is an online course throughout a span of 8 weeks and conducted at our own pace. However, 'our own pace' means that we have a week to complete each module at our own time, convenience and commitment. First few weeks were great as I was able to complete every single assignment and quiz with ease and had no difficulty in finding time for it. It was after the first few weeks that it became heavier, especially with all the work commitment. Well, when there is a will, there is a way..... I pushed myself through each of the modules and eventually managed to complete all of them with an exceptionally high score! At one point, I even had to do in the wee hours during one of the CEFR Master Trainers' courses which I had to attend in KL. I managed to complete all of it and I am now one of the alumni of the AE Teacher programme.  We had a wonderful certificate presentation ceremony, and that was when I met Intan, a lovely lady from the US embassy. Very friendly and sporting I would add.

After the presentation, I received a text from Intan, asking whether I was interested in attending the Access English Teachers' workshop in Langkawi, which I mentioned earlier. I told her, I had to check my schedule before I could give her an answer, of which I eventually accepted the offer. Thanks
for giving me this wonderful opportunity.

I was Langkawi-bound on the 26th of August 2017, and was truly excited to see what lies ahead. It was not really a pleasant journey there as there was a huge hiccup but I was glad that I arrived there in one piece.

Throughout the 5-day 4-night workshop in Langkawi, I have gained a lot of insight regarding the world of English. I learned a lot about how to exploit newspapers in the classroom, employ 21st-century teaching methods in the classroom and testing and evaluation opportunities for learners to undertake to gauge and improve their English language proficiency, just to name a few.

Above all the knowledge shared and gained, I have met many wonderful individuals which inspired me and showed me how one's commitment could do wonders in the lives of others. Just to name a few, Intan herself, Farah Jasmine, Azyanti, Hani, Syahidah, Pravin (my brother from another mother), AB, Ezani and Mishkat. We had fun and laughter with each other and we even went around together. It was truly a great time of knowledge sharing and networking for me. Amazingly, I also discovered that we were very similar and some of us even had multiple mutual friends! It is indeed a small small world.

Here, I would like to express my gratitude to the organising committee for doing such a wonderful job in organising a wonderful workshop session which I truly believe had opened our eyes towards the opportunities which lie ahead of us in our strive to improve our students' English language ability and proficiency. Not only that, thanks for providing us with the opportunity to network with each other throughout the workshop and above all, thanks to Intan and the US Embassy of Kuala Lumpur for presenting me with this wonderful opportunity to meet such wonderful and amazing individuals which make me feel that I am not alone. I am truly looking forward to more workshops and courses in the future. Thank you and God bless!

Here are some photos of the AE-Teacher certificate presentation function and the Access English Teachers' workshop. Till then, cheerios....

For all those of you who are interested, there is a programme which will be starting at the end of this month for a span on 5 weeks entitled, Teaching English Communicatively. You can head to www.aeeteacher.org/MOOC to register for the course and I am sure it will benefit all of you. See you there! 

A Friend In Need Is A Friend Indeed

When I was down,you were there to pick me up, 

When I was down, you were there to stand by me,

When I was down, you were there to listen,

When I was down, you were there to lend me a shoulder.

This is what friendship is all about. Regardless of race, religion and even gender, my friend was there with me through my happiness and sorrow. My friend was there with me just as I was there during their time of need. Why should we judge a person based on the differences we possess, when solidarity could be instilled through a humane heart. Have faith in each other, learn to see beyond all factors and  attend to each others' needs. Even animals have compassion towards each other, what more us a human beings, who have the brains, hearts and a sense of humanity. Aren't we called to love each other? 

Just A Quote...

I came across a quote today from Patch Adams. It says:

You're focusing on the problem. If you are focusing on the problem, you can't see the solution. Never focus on the problem. See what no one else see, see what everyone else chooses not to see out of fear and conformity and laziness. See the whole world anew each day.

Did student R see something? Maybe that's why I could lay myself down and help others despite all the negativities which I carry with me. Maybe that's why I became a teacher, to improve the quality of life; not mine but others!

*Who am I as a teacher?

Sights Around Sydney

 Sydney Harbour Bridge

  Watsons Bay

A teacher, always a teacher

This is another account on the social media. My ex-students posted something on her wall. It read: 

My English teacher said, when I feel nervous while doing presentation or in front of a lot of people... don't look at them. Look at things beside or behind them. You just need to pretend like you are looking at them, but actually you're not! Hahaha... It's a very good idea!

Reading this, I posted:

Didn't I say that before?

She replied:

Yup.. and what you've said is really useful now. Hehe! Thanks for sharing your idea with us last year. At first, I felt so stressed for presentation! But after I remembered what you said..It made me calmer than before.. hehe!

This made me wonder: Who am I as a teacher?   

Once a Teacher, Always A Teacher..

Last night's account:
I was just scrolling through social media and I stumbled upon a post which my ex-student put up. It read: Hate this feeling. Calm down calm down calm down. Just stay stupid, act stupid, do stupid. Arghhh. Fcuk! It's my fault. Instinctively I replied: What happened? So he pm(ed) me telling me that his dad left the family. Student R was distraught at the thought and would constantly think of the incident whenever he is alone. So, I encouraged him to hold on and stay focus on whatever he was doing and telling him to accept the truth and move on with life. Then slowly the conversation went on to ask me about my masters. It went like this:

R: Oya sir. When will u finish ur studies?
Me: Nov this year.
R: Wahhhh.
Me: Coming back 23 Nov
R: R u staying in Pahang, Sarawak or Sabah?
Me: Nt sure yet.
R: hahaha. How bout ur ahem sir?
Me: Complicated...
R: I see sir.
Me: Tough times ahead. Oh well... That's life...
R: hahaha. No wonder u still the same Mr J.
Me: Why?
R: Keep smiling, chilling, laughing even u r having ur hard time.There's still 2 assignments need to be done by tomorrow. hahaha
Me: That's all I can do. Why make the world suffer in your sufferings? Try to find joy in the joy of others... When you can make them smile and laugh, you would have made a difference. And u will be happier. All the best!!!
R: hahaha. Thanks again sir
...and the conversation went on...

Having to talk to him, having to hear him mention positive things about my character, made me wonder; who am I as a teacher?