My First Year In Education

-
taken from pinkcakebox.com

First of all...
YAHOOO!!!!
YEEHAAA!!!
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Yes, you guessed it...
It’s the holidays!!!
HOHOHOHOHHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!

Yes, being a teacher has not taken the joy out of holidays.
No, dear students, we do not enjoy prowling around in school.
Yes, teachers are also capable of fun & some really stupid things.
No, you may not do the same in our presence.

2009 will be remembered in history.
It’s my 1st year as an overseas graduate.
It’s my 1st year in the workforce.
It’s my 1st year as a full-fledged teacher.
It’s my 1st year making my own money & spending it anyhow or anywhere I like... YES!!

It has also been a really challenging year.
I was placed in a school in the middle of the jungle accessible only by water.
I suffered a year of lousy internet & no cell-phone coverage.
I worked with students who have little interest & ability in my subject matter.
I had to learn from scratch the mechanics of classroom management & the art of workplace politics.
I had to work my ass off as a new teacher aka slave in the school.
I had to cook, clean & iron... I feel like such a housekeeper.

It has also been a year of achievements.
I produced a high-quality school magazine.
I survived the worst class.
I made monkeys sit still, learn & do better in their examinations.
I made students speak English to me.
I was an excellent educator, motivator, amplifier, secretary, clerk, subordinate, manager, housemate, chef & photographer.

Despite all the difficulties faced, I’d say this has been a good year.
I’m looking forward to more.
But first… I need a break.
HOLIDAYSSSS!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Comments

  1. kenwooi20/11/09 13:43

    haha.. survived the worst class...good! =D
    enjoy the holidays!

    kenwooi.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. kisahdreamer20/11/09 14:03

    congratulations =)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Poh Lin20/11/09 14:38

    Well done Ah Kam! =)

    I bet 2010 will be quite a breeze for you now that you know how things are done.;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. tasha20/11/09 17:52

    ahhh the holidays. sweet smell of liberation. yess, while you can now shake you booty and ronggeng I have to endure another month of invigilation. it's okay, it's your turn next year! happy holidays jarod!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Trishomachine.20/11/09 20:05

    yay! you've completed a whole circle and made it a wonderful one too!

    looking forward to seeing you again very soon =)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Violacea Low20/11/09 22:19

    i wonder do teachers get paid during the holidays ?

    anyway , happy holidays . at least you established your presence at the school by popping up everywhere to get the job done .

    so , planning on a get together in kl anytime soon ?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Me21/11/09 05:27

    Congratulations! Im sure your proud.
    Im going to make an educated guess here and say that: you'll definitely be going to KL ;)


    Enjoy your hols! Think of people like me, toiling away at school...

    ReplyDelete
  8. mimisyamimi21/11/09 09:05

    Happy Hols, Jarod!! Kinda feel the same excitement~ hehe..

    ReplyDelete
  9. Jessica21/11/09 17:23

    Happy holidays Koko, :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. ah^kam_koko'22/11/09 15:22

    Ken: Thanks!

    Dreamer: Thanks!

    PohLin: Not quite. Just like a good TV drama... There will be new & exciting challenges coming my way next year!

    tasha: Well, Thank you dear dedicated teacher for your sacrifice.
    Your actions have made another life better! MINE! hahaha~~

    Sawi: Thanks!

    Vio: Of coz I get paid!
    I'll get in contact with you guys soon.
    Wud definitely love to beat all of you in a game of bowling!

    Sarah: Do your best, Sarah!

    Mimi: Yup! =)

    Jessica: Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  11. ENGLISH REVOLUTION22/11/09 15:31

    glad that we've made it!

    congratulations Jarod!

    -farah azmi

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous23/11/09 10:05

    A journey of a thousand li begins with the first step! Congrats, keep walking!

    ReplyDelete
  13. justanothertragedy23/11/09 22:32

    id like to be a teacher one day. although i dont think i'd be a great one but all that holidays :O

    ReplyDelete
  14. cyrildason24/11/09 02:31

    congrats! May the spirit burn again and again..

    -cyrildason.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. ah^kam_koko'8/12/09 14:18

    Farah: YES! Congrats to you too!

    Arthur: Thanks for supporting me, Arthur.
    You are an inspiration!

    June: Dont be blinded by the holidays. They are there because they are DESERVED.
    Now, why would a teacher deserve such long breaks? Go figure!

    Cyril: Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  16. aziezainal3/1/10 00:56

    I ADORE YOU..

    Congratss.....:)

    ReplyDelete
  17. ah^kam_koko'3/1/10 07:36

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My CPT Results

-
Image
Dear English language teachers!
If you're like me, as in you have no clue what your CPT results are, I have good news for you! You can now check if you've got C1 or C2 here (http://apps.moe.gov.my/abpg/cpt/)!!
If you've got a A1-B2, your name will not appear in the list on the site.

This website was released early this week & already on the very day itself, this jungle teacher has received more than 5 notifications about it! BEFORE 8AM!!! Talk about an affective & efficient cascading model for the dissemination of knowledge amongst education professionals!
I've even had a strange lady spam my FB page for me to reveal my results! Thankfully, I removed the unsightly posts & will satisfy her curiosity here tonight!
Open Full Post »

2019 TJ Comics: Monthly English Comics

-
Image
When I found out that the students at my school: (1) read at levels several years below their current age, (2) don’t read in English, & (3) don’t have English language reading materials easily available. I decided to print essays from students for students every month & have them pasted in every class.

What if I have students who can barely read due to years of academic neglect & literacy drought? My students hail from all over Sarawak, including rural areas and low-income communities. Unlike SMS/MRSM/Kolej, our sports school does not turn away students who perform poorly in their studies. We have accepted and kept students with straight Es as long as they have good discipline & they show commitment to their sport. Where they come from does not determine where they will be in the future. I believe my students have the ability to face their fears, improve, and win.

What kind of reading material would such students be able to comprehend & benefit from? After …
Open Full Post »

2019 TJ Writes: Monthly English Bulletin

-
Image
As a teacher, what do you do when you find that the students at your school: (1) read at levels several years below their current age, (2) don’t read in English, & (3) don’t have English language reading materials easily available.

After some consideration, I decided on a monthly English bulletin with contributions from the student population. These contributions come in the form of essays of any topic of any length. The bulletin will be printed & posted in each classroom.

Why? Besides addressing the problems described in the first paragraph, I wanted students to (1) have both short & long model essays easily available to the students, (2) see their peers write in English & think that it's possible for them too, (3) celebrate students' writing in English, (4) flood the school with English, & (5) provide an avenue for the critical & creative use of English. [I was so happy when Jessie Abbygil submitted the only critical essay of the year expressing her …
Open Full Post »

What To Do If You Miss A Megabus Ride & How Was The Ride

-
Image
As an ESL teacher, it's a dream come true to attend the legendary TESOL convention. This year, it's in Baltimore, Maryland. Look me up if you're there too!
As a grad student, money is scarce & any kind of travel will need to be bootstrapped. So, I'm travelling by bus (4 hours) & staying at a hostel (in a bunk room).

Rushing from my last class of the day to the bus stop after saying goodbye to my beloved missus, I missed the bus by minutes. I actually watched the bus leave the stop with my friends (who were there much earlier) staring blankly at me behind the large windows as the bus bustled by. I was pissed. I was also wondering... what's next?
Open Full Post »

2019 Pen-Pals From Sarawak With Love (And One Nightmare!)

-
Image
As a teacher, what would you do when you find out that a staggering majority of your students lack basic writing skills & would rather copy from their friends who have copied some random essay in the textbook? Do you, (1) call them names & blame them/their circumstances/their grandfathers, or (2) figure out how to make writing more relevant to their lives? The answer is kind of obvious, right?

In this day & age, what kind of long-form writing do people still perform? For most people, it’s emails. I could do an email exchange program for my students, but I don’t like how I’m unable to vet every reply to ensure that (1) respect was shown to the recipient, (2) effort was put into the reply, and (3) content is appropriate. The best equivalent to emails is snail mail letters. Since this was my first year at the school, I did a pilot program to see how pen-pal exchanges would work in my current context, since it worked spectacularly for my previous school in rural Sarawak.
Open Full Post »