The "Misunderstood" Kids - We are not stupid, we are just misunderstood.

This blogpost is an English translation from Bahasa Malaysia (Malaysia's National Language), also written by the same author, Sue - Versi asli dalam Bahasa Malaysia di sini

WARNING: LONG BLOGPOST AHEAD

The Malaysian national education sistem's core is based on one mission - that is for children aged 7 to 12 to be able stay in primary (elementary) school, which is made compulsory by law, and upon completing six years in primary school, the child should be able to achieve basic skills like Reading, Writing and Counting/Arithmetic. In Bahasa Malaysia, they are called the 3M - Membaca, Menulis dan Mengira, which translates to Reading, Writing and Counting - the '-ing' in English is equivalent to 'Me-' in Bahasa Malaysia.

As far as I know, the 3M concept has been incorporated in Malaysia's education stem since the 'Learning' era before everything was standardised to 'Education'.

I would like to share some anecdotes on the Malaysian education system, especially the primary (elementary) school education in Malaysia.

Not every student age 7 (on 31 December of that year or on Jan 1 the following year), who started Primary One (Standard One knows how to read or write. Despite the trend for children to start going to pre-school before their Primary School years start at the age of 7, there are stil some families who cannot afford to send their kids to pre-school. Hence, in some areas, there are teachers who have to deal with a big gap of the level of Mastery of the 3M skills among students.

I still remember, our teachers would beam with pride when their 'good' students could write all the 26 letters in the alphabets and pronounce all the syllables in the words without any flaws. When some students kept quiet, they will be called 'stupid' and ridiculed in many manners. When I think back, I shudder to ponder on the possible trauma and psychological effects on these students who are laughed at by the whole class just because they are labelled as 'stupid' or dumb. Some teachers (only a fraction, not all), tend to laugh and ridicule others who cannot fulfill the society's requirements of 'normal' which is the basic learning standards like reading and writing properly. If the students are slower a little bit in academic performance, they will surely be laughed at and called 'stupid'.

Why am I moved to write this article?

I HAVE A GOOD FRIEND, let's call her Madam A, who shared with me her tale of her son's 'predicament' not too long ago.

Her son, N, cannot talk as a normal 6-year-old.

"Trust me, Sue, we have sought out government specialist clinic, underwent tests and our kid is normal, he is not autistic. He is only delayed in speech. Many people commented that we are irresponsible parents, we fail to teach our son to talk. However, N's elder sisters had no speech delay. We do not want our son to be like this!

"The most hurtful is when people leer at our son when he uttered incomprehensible words like 'ya ya ta ta' while pointing to something that caught his attention. To add salt to injury, There was once when a doctor acted as if our son. N, is mentally ill," lamented Madam A.

Madam A is concerned that her son N will be labelled as stupid in primary school when he is 7 in 2013.

Some teachers (not all, perhaps only a fraction) are of the habit to be impatient at slow students, some even go to the extent of scolding the words "stupid and fools" in front of the rest of the class.

This brought back memories from over 20 years ago. There was a boy named Larry who moved to our school in Standard Four from a village school. Being a school in town, our standards of education were on quite on par with those from the city. We were shocked when Larry could barely read and write. At age 10, he only knew all 26 alphabets and could not string the letters together. It was painstaking just watching him read a single word, "S-A sa Y-A ya, saya". Of course he was laughed at and he laughed at himself as well. According to my classmates, Larry returned to his village after Standard Six and there is no more news from him after that.

There are always a small fraction of children like N and Larry, yet they are not considered seriously impaired that they needed to be classified 'mentally retarded'.

How can we provide equal education opportunity for these kids in Malaysia, or as a matter of fact, in the whole world? Like in Larry's case, the remedial teacher helped to nurture him to a certain extent where he could spell out basic words and make simple sentences in that short few years (age 10-12).

Teachers cannot afford to spend more time on slower students so the 'slow' are usually left behind while 'the normal ones' are focused upon by the teachers.

This post is NOT meant to lash out at anyone, just to share some thoughts.

Prepare to be dazzled - Freakonomics

"Prepare to be dazzled." - Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point and Blink

I finally got down to 'reading' the audio CD of the "Freakonomics" by Steven D. Jevitt and Stephen J. Dubner, it is an audio CD read by Stephen J. Dubner.

The CD has been bought when hubby and I were rushing to literally buy up to the maximum limit for tax-relief purposes some more than one year ago, along with many other reading materials now lying nicely on multiple shelves at home.

I love Malcolm Gladwell, and I've heard of Steven Levitt, so that is strong enough reason for me to grab the Unabridged version of the Freakonomics - A rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything - and New York Times Bestseller (which is kinda like cheating as the co-author and the voice beind the CD, Dubner, writes for the New York Times, oh well).

Why do people cheat? Cheating may not be part of human nature but it still happens... whatever if worth having is worth cheating for - "Cheating is getting more for less".

Okay, I am not judging the authors... I am just paraphrasing from what I hear being read. Just couldn't resist the play of words.

"To catch a cheater, you have to think like one".

From the back cover of the CD case:

QUOTE
"Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? If drug dealers make so much money, why do drug dealers still live with their moms? How much do parents really matter? What kind of impact did Roe v. Wade have on violent crime?"

These may not sound like typical questions for an economist to ask. But Steven D. Levitt s not a typical economist. He is a much-heralded scholar who studies the riddes of everyday life - from cheating and crime to sports and child rearing - and whose conclusions regularly turn the conventionl wisdom on its head. Thus the new field of study contained in this book: Freakonomics.

Levitt and co-author Stephen J. Dubner showthat economics is, at root, the study of incentives - how people get what they want or need especially when other people want or need the same thing. In Freaknomics, they set out o explore the hidden side of ... well, everything. The inner workings of acrack gang. The truth abuot real-estate agents. The secrets of the Ku Klux Klan.

What unites all these stories is a belief that the modern world is even more intriguing than we think. All it takes is a new way of looking. Steven Levitt, through devilishly clever and clear-eyed thinking, shows how to see through all the clutter.
UNQUOTE

Hubby has returned from his work trip, hence I have put a hold to my listening of the 7 hours worth of audio. Yeah, it was more to entertain myself while I was home alone when hubby was away on his work trip those few days. I am hardly half way through, but I already like what I hear. Will continue with the rest when the time comes.

Worth listening to/reading. Highly recommended!

An Eventful Rainy Sunday

What a day!

It's a rainy Sunday morning, the best setting for you to sleep in and get up later than usual, but that's not to be as I needed to 'show face' at work for an event, awaken rudely from my sleep by my colleague who arrived earlier, and there's something wrong at the event.

As I was getting in my car, tried the key on the ignition and there's no roaring sound of the engine, battery weak, I guess, and my alarm went off like a mad woman roaring on such a sweet to sleep-in-Sunday morning. Grrr. Called hubby and he drove his car to beside mine and I let him handle my car while I drove to work in his car. Thank Goodness for sweet hubbies!

Everything was rather okay after that, then the last straw came - I lost my phone at the end of the day and I didn't even know how I lost it.

Called the service provider and the policy is that I would need to pay to get my number back, I'd rather get a new number with pre-loaded credit or something rather than pay to get my number back! Or just get a new number and don't even have to pay anything!

So, this ends my Sunday. I'm kinda happy though, cos many happy things happened in between these 'events'... what an eventful Sunday, and had a fun time with my family, material possessions if lost, can be bought again, families are here at this moment but life is fragile, hence treasure them while you can! Like what my colleague always said: 'Family - No.1'

Career Change? What Made Me Stick Around? Wacky Students (College "Kids")

This is a photo of students emulating the 'adults' in the working world. The spokesperson looks convincing, eh?

My students in action.

My ex-students during their Mock Press Conference in Class 2011

I think by now, if this isn't the first time you're reading my blog, you'd have known I'm a lecturer by profession, at least atm. Been in this job for the past two years and still counting, so far so good, my 'record' for the longest ever job I've held in my short life.

The following paragraph is only meant to be read if you are REALLY interested, if not just skip it. It's also to record my career progression while I still remember them before my memory deteriorates.

Been a journalist - both a news reporter and then a subeditor, left mainstream media for good, then I joined the new media and became Senior Editor for awhile, then changed to another company when the earlier new media company 'collapsed' and became Editor for another web-based company - eventually accepted my first lecturing post but the long drive to and back home (minimum THREE hours a day on the road) took a toll on me, especially my stress level and my health so I left that job. Decided to put my Masters to use (Corporate Communication) hence I took up a consultant job offer to offer Public Relations 'expertise' as an external agency to companies/organisations. Burnt out too fast in that job too.. and then I took up part time lecturing and odd jobs on a contractual basis (mostly editing and writing jobs) before landing myself this current position. 

My dad used to call me a 'grasshopper'/BM:Belalang, because I job hopped faster than you can say "change", that's an exaggeration, but when within 8 years you have had held 10 jobs after your undergrad years, I guess it has some truth to what my dad said.

So what made me stick around this time? My wacky students. They can be a pain sometimes but most of the time, they brought a smile and maybe a chuckle, and sometimes a roaring laughter to my otherwise 'dry' career. :-)

They dress up for the occasion when need be.

I think if you enlarge this pix, you will see that she's trying to be a local celebrity/supermodel.

They are certainly eye candies. Nice to look, nice to teach. I'm a female, so this is just another female appreciating female beauty. When you got it flaunt it while you still can!

The "Bad Boys" group will always be there, but without them the class gets a tad dull.

They are willing to go the extra mile to print out actual props for their assignments.

They show their potential and gave me very heart-warming moments when they showed me they get it, yes, gave me the feeling that I managed to drill that many information into their head!

They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, height, ethnicity, religion, temperaments and behaviour. 

Some are self-proclaimed "Soh Poh" (silly girl)

Some improvised (a lot) and come up with less than tasteful props like these microphones

However hard they 'worked' and 'studied', the kids are always full of smile and fun to be with.

They imitate, they learn; they practice, they learn; they play, I think they learned too.

Some are wise beyond their years, some just look wise but still playful.

Don't you think this "Golden Arch" resembles our rear end?

Some of them are really memorable, some cos they have name like Onn Rei, some cos of how they behaved, some cos of how they looked like.

But most of all, it's their guts that only a young person will have that got to me, to remind me of youth that I'm leaving behind is being lived to the fullest by a newer generation (I'm not THAT old, but still.. the sentiment is there).

Taken just today: July 19th, 2011 - they are very creative in attracting people's attention - in pajamas and cross dressing. lol. Left to right, Elaine, me and Desmond. The boobs are too fake lah!

This should be Part 1 of many other parts of my life with College Kids. :-)

WHEN LIFE GETS TOO MUCH.. time to let some things go

I seriously think it's time to let go of some of the things on my plate to fully live my life.

Who matters most in your life? For some, your career, for others, your family, love, children, parents, spouse, philantrophic activities, your belief, a cause you've pledged to, for each individual they vary. But I do know what is most important to me: MY FAMILIES.. why the plural?

1. My in-laws, my husband's siblings, my husband's clan - they are considered a separate family. And I do love them, after two years of marriage, I have embraced them as my family, not integrated with my own, the family I was born into is totally different from them, but when I'm with them I feel at home, and I am comfortable enough.

2. My own family, the family who gave life to me and raised me and the whole clan who cared about me up to my wedding day in 2007. Heck, my clan on my mother's side even flew all the way across the miles and over the South China Sea out of their own expenses to 'accompany the bride' into her 'new family' - Asian Chinese are like that, very closely-knitted, especially the traditional families.

3. My own unit cell- my family - my husband. We've been trying to make our nuclear family into three or maybe four for two years now. Taking one day at a time, and trying to adopt the come-what-may-approach. I love him in a way I have never loved anyone before, and there are times when I look at him and still pause in wonder at how love works in life. He's not my first love, but I would say he's my first MATURE love, and I find myself loving him more and more everyday, corny yeah.. but true love is overrated. Each love at each stage of your life, they are Real, true love, cos you believe it was true at that point in life, just the level of maturity could be different?

4. My friends - who are as close as you can get, to your real family. My god-daughters, they belong to my good friend whom I have known since I started primary (elementary) school. Audrey's girls look a bit like me that when I post their pix up on facebook or previously on friendster, people thought I have two girls of my own! :-D I have good girlfriends too and I love catching up with them.. but catching up is a luxury I can hardly afford nowadays.. too pressed for time!

REACHED THE LIMIT

I knew I've pushed the limit when I had to postpone a 'catching-up' session with a girl friend not ONCE but TWICE due to other commitments, the commitment you call work and other after work activities.

I reflected and seriously think I'm trying to spread myself too thin and enough is enough. Cramming too many things into 24 hours certainly has worked up to this point but I am actually at the tipping point.. I can see I'm slowly losing the balance and I need to remove many things in the form of commitment from my life.

Simple is good. Simplicity can NEVER be overrated. So I have made up my mind, clear and simple. I'm good, and I'm loving life.

Here's to a final month reflection of my whole 2009 before my birthday in October. Happy early birthday to me.

A little Bit of thIs, A little Bit of thAt

This line from a song popped up when I woke up this morning.

Yup, life is definitely a little bit of this and that and they do not say "Variety is the Spice of Life" for nothing!

Just returned from my 6th Honeymoon last weekend and celebrated my 2nd Wedding Anniversary last night. All is good. Who says you cannot squeeze in happy events while you're both working and there isn't a need to take a day or two off? Yup, we didn't take leave from work and still can do it all! Hahaha.

Modern (working) life is such that you have to keep up with the hectic pace and if you really need a break, just throw caution to the wind and pack your bag and off you go to enjoy. While you're at it... enjoying, fully live in the moment and forget the pile of work waiting for you at home and you'll come back energised.

Seriously, it worked! *big grin*

Trying to make the best of my life now. So far so good :-D