How's The Book Coming Along?

If I haven't told you, I'm halfway through... Yay ^_^

What You Said To Lao Tse?

Because the Muslim students were all taking an exam in the hall, the non-Muslims from different classes were grouped together and placed in a few classrooms. I was in charge of one such classroom and the kids were so noisy, I switched off the ceiling fans until they kept quiet. Later, one of the boys was so rude to me, I forced him to stand on his chair for more than half an hour. The other teachers who saw were amazed that he even listened to the instructions. However, there was a great deal of mumbling in Chinese, which of course I could not understand. When the next slot came, the Muslim students were still in the hall so I had another class of non-Muslims to babysit. This one was all Chinese. Some boys were sitting together in a large group, so I planted myself in the center and had them give me a crash course in Chinese swearing. They were very amused and they happily obliged. I can now say a few things which would make any mother's heart bleed but of course, I'm not going to put them here...

Study Period

Hands up those of you who couldn't bother using the little time in between papers to study! After all, how much could you possibly squeeze in at the last minute, right? These kids agree...

These girls were probably gossiping the whole time. One of them (not pictured) was actually hiding a Tupperware of fried rice (made by her classmate's sister, no less) under her notebook. They said they didn't have time for breakfast. I told them to get up earlier. What happens to your subuh if you wake up at 7a.m.?

One of these boys marveled at the fact that I was very brave to teach morning session. He said the kids in Form One were a lot tamer. I didn't tell him that I wasn't given a choice...

This boy gave me a few sheets of examination pad and saved me the trouble of running down to the exam hall for more. He's already one of my favourites. Pity I'm not teaching his class.

Okay, so we have some good eggs. This kid didn't move at all while I was in their class. He just kept reading the whole time and probably didn't even notice when I snapped this picture.

God bless this kid. Not only did he behave himself throughout the period but he was actually kind enough the sweep the classroom floor. Just when you thought the situation was doomed.

Illusions of Grandeur?

The discipline teacher walked into the exam hall the other day and was very angry to see some students sleeping or doodling towards the end of the exam. He asked me to take down their names so that he could call their parents. Maybe I'm just being slack but I think it's far better these kids sleep or draw (and they really can draw) instead of talking or disrupting the others. Bear in mind these are the kind of kids you feel grateful to see within the premises (as opposed to the other side of the fence) what more actually staying in their classrooms and taking exams.

Pity the lighting bites but I thought the dragon was pretty cool.

Art Exam

"Subjek Seni tak penting lah, Cikgu!"

The kids at school don't really like art. It's the social stigma that says art students are the bad students. What they really need to wake up to is the fact that their own school has reached a point where all students are bad students. That said, some of them really have talent.

The students were asked to re-draw a given scene (they were allowed to choose the time of day and to add in other interesting details) and to decorate a blank bag (as illustrated).

This bag was one of my favourites - I really like the bright colours.

This very clever girl asked her teacher (I wasn't in her classroom yet) for permission to go outside and pick some leaves, which she painted and pressed onto her drawing.

This particular student is also quite good at drawing beautiful manga. I've already asked her to draw some pictures for me, which I intend to use as classroom material.

This guy is probably more of a night person - I dig his style.

I've saved the best for last - this one was my phone wallpaper for a couple of days.

And The Band Played (and there was ghazal too)

Alhamdulillah I graduated on the 11th. I can only describe it as surreal. I didn't really believe I'd be walking on stage to get my degree (from Tuanku Bainun, no less) until I was actually on it and my face and name were on the screens and everything.
What could I say here that you can't read on anyone else's blog? If you regular read the blogs of my classmates (or any other graduates') I wouldn't want to bore you.
But I will say this: That day, I finally felt like I'm actually worth something. If you've ever been the one whose future any parent would worry about, the one who was looked down upon, thought of as an embarrassment, a black sheep and all that crap... you would know exactly what I mean.
Mama, Papa - this is for you. Thanks for everything. And the Masters is coming soon , I promise *hugs* I love you both...

And to every smart-ass who thought I was only good for cleaning toilets or whatever - IN YOUR FACE!

God, that felt good.

Kindergarten All Over Again

I'm thinking of making some flashcards next :-)

Has It Really Been That Long?

What are the odds that when I check this I would see a comment from Aunty Latiffa of all people reminding me that I haven't been updating my blog? Don't answer that.
Been teaching in Johor for almost a month now. It's been interesting, and I think I've just about settled into something like a routine. Here's a typical day for me:

6.30am - Wake up
7.00am - Leave for school
7.30am - 1.05pm - Teach little brats
2.00pm or so - Go home (This time will change when I have more work to do)
3.30pm - 4.30pm - Practice Hiragana (We can write quite a few characters now)
6.00pm - 7.00pm - Write novel (I'm currently on Chapter 8)
8.00pm - 10.00pm - Read books or do some reflection (No neglecting the journal)
10.00pm - Sleep (Okay, this is a lie - usually I sleep later than that)

The teachers are all very nice to me. Most of them are new to the school (my school is only eight years old) and a number of them are still young so I'm guessing they all still remember what it feels like to be the newbie. I'm replacing two teachers who have recently been transferred to a matriculation college. Their students have been warned. I've relieved their classes before and the kids are dead scared of me. But the school is full of really naughty children so apparently one has to be really strict. A few of them have been rude to me. I made them stand on chairs. They told their teacher I'm "garang macam harimau". The teachers told me to keep it up.

It's been a month and by now, some of the kids know me better. Now, they call me "Cikgu Rock". One boy was worried I might be too "rock" and he playfully begged me to go back to "makcik" mode. Whatever. To be fair, he may be thinking of the kids who still need a good old-fashioned "pial telinga" every now and then. The teachers in this school are not allowed to touch the kids, which is sad. Papa says this is why the kids are so spoilt. During practicum, the rule was "anything that doesn't kill the child is okay". Fun times... (I'm so sadistic)

Not sure what else to write about. Pressed for time at the moment because I don't have the laptop charger with me (No place to plug that in anyway). Will continue later, ya?