Oxymoron In The Tropics

Sitting at my PC, I'm reading an online message from a voice from the past.  From the tone of the message, that old and treasured friend is thinking of the past and all his 'what-might-have-beens'.  He is a bit sad and a bit wistful.  But I'm telling him not to look back... When I look at my students, I marvel at their 'empty' Books of Life ... they are just at the beginning of a potentially wonderful life.  It is just up to them what they make of it.  As for me, my approach to life has always been 'No Regrets But Do No Harm.'  So far that approach has worked relatively well for me.  But dare I say that I have no regrets?  Well, maybe one or two. My friend (of the same age) seems to be wishing for some things to be redone.  But I am not too sure if that is a good idea.  Well, he can't change the past.  And when we have let enough time pass, we forget why we made certain decisions.  He made decisions a long time ago that he felt was right, so why ...

Last weekend, I met some old friends who talked of the problem of undergrads who 'outsource' their assignments.  They said it was difficult to get these students to understand the importance of doing their own work.  Then we segued into the topic of degrees, universities and rankings.    I used to wonder why a degree was such a big deal.  Does a period of four (or three) years in an institution really make you a person fit for employment and induction into the officer & managerial ranks?  Can a certificate encapsulate your skills, talents and potential?? But by this 'ripe old age', I have learned what a degree represents to potential employers.  First of all, that cert testifies to a certain capacity to withstand stress while having the discipline, patience & sheer tenacity to see a course of study to its fruitful end. Second, it attests to the ability to collect data, analyse the collection of data and distill a year's worth of research &reading i...

Teaching English in Sabah, Malaysia is a major challenge. If only because some of the students won't open their mouths and say a single word in English. When you ask why, they grin shyly and say," Malu ..." (I'm too shy...) There are also contemporaries who make fun of them if they speak English or worse, accuse them of showing off. So how does an English teacher break the vocal ice? Well, if you're creative and you're open to all sorts of ideas... there's PLENTY you can do! Exempli Gratia.. a) Make them pronounce the words or phrases displayed on the whiteboard or flash cards. b) Read! Poems, articles, speeches, ads, labels...whatever! c) Do jazz-chants. d) Sing karaoke songs! e) Do choral speaking in class. f) Tell stories in relays (e.g. story chains) And here is one lesson I carried out with my Form Sixes : I presented one poem by Edwin Morgan in class (with a reasonably solemn face) and after the class had recovered their composure, I mad...

And the best way to learn this is by getting involved in debating!  Yeah, I'm a bit of a debate fan...:P  Some call me a fanatic.  Fan, fanatic, what's the difference..only four letters..heh heh heh... I always tell my students that the most important skill in life for them is the ability to speak because it is through speaking that you convey information, opinions, ideas, arguments... in fact, it is through speaking that you show people WHO YOU ARE.  Some people say the window through the soul is the eyes...yes, that is true but most people only get to 'see' your eyes after they have heard your voice. For teachers, their speaking is integral to their job specification for how can they convey information and elicit response if they cannot speak?  I am sure there are people out there who are unable to speak but are still able to teach...however, these are very rare cases and these teachers are probably very exceptional people working in very small groups with special...

The first time news came of promotional posts for Form Six teachers was in December 2007.  That excited so many people... and then news came again of Master Teacher posts up for the taking.  In Sabah, anyway.  Promotional exercises came fast and furious and forms were being filled in by every teacher.  There were even cases of teachers filling in forms because they saw their friends filling in forms and they were afraid of being left behind.  I remember when I was a DG44 Senior Assistant ( Penolong Kanan ) in school and there was an opportunity to get a DG48 post as a Form Six Academic Teacher.  I waffled for two weeks and finally gave in to the fear of being left behind and FILLED IN THE FORM!  Like so many other of my compatriots.  And the result is... so many of my Senior Assistant friends are now stepping out of their administrative posts and taking up DG48 posts as Master Teachers or Form Six Academic Teachers.  Some are happy as they have been buckling under the stresses of a...

Was reading a book this morning...and one statement caught my attention.  The author says never to spend time with people who make negative remarks, especially those who do it 'for your own good' and who 'care about you'. Old advice but I keep 'failing' to heed it in the name of friendship. Just last week, a friend asked me so solicitously how I was doing at work or in my personal life.  I replied that I was doing okay, upon which she got an uncertain look on her face and looked as if she was thinking hard.  Naturally, I asked her if anything was wrong.  What happened next was so typical. She said,"Well, So-And-So so said to me... oh no, I shouldn't say this." I took the bait and urged her to tell me.  Which she did and straightaway told me to forget it. Hah, do you  think I can forget it?  It is like a stone in my shoe.  And I feel like such a stupid fool for this is what this friend does to me on a regular basis.  She likes to tell me thing...

Hooray the School Term Timetable is out! PERINCIAN PERSEKOLAHAN MENGIKUT PENGGAL   KUMPULAN B : Sekolah-sekolah di Negeri Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Johor, Pahang, Sabah, Sarawak, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Labuan & Putrajaya TAHUN 2010 PENGGAL MULA PERSEKOLAHAN   AKHIR PERSEKOLAHAN   JUMLAH HARI           04.01.2010 29.01.2010 20   01.02.2010 26.02.2010 20   01.03.2010 12.03.2010 10         CUTI PERTENGAHAN PENGGAL 1 1 13.03.2010 21.03.2010 9         22.03.2010 31.03.2010 8   01.04.2010 30.04.2010 22   03.05.2010 31.05.2010 21   01.06.2010 04.06.2010 4         CUTI PERTENGAHAN TAHUN 2 05.06.2010 20.06.2010 16       21.06.2010 30.06.2010 8 01.07.2010 30.07.2010 22 02.08.2010 31.08.2010 22 01.09.2010 03.09.2010 3       CUTI PERTENGAHAN PENGGAL 2 04.09.2010 12.09.2010 9   ...