Category: Teaching

Using song to teach grammar_Part 1

When I did my Latihan Ikhtisas, I used songs to teach grammar.  It is normal in other schools, but in my school, the teachers are skeptical to use English songs to teach grammar.  Why?  This is a school which emphasises on religious studies.  But, what a heck! 

This is not a love song.  This song is famous (well, coincidentally, the movie “Bohemian Rhapsody” was premiering at the time when I taught the form 4 using this song).   Alhamdulillah I am not the typical teacher and they never consider me as one so when I did something “unusual”, the GPK and principal just let me off the hook   😀 That’s the perk of being a lecturer-cum-teacher at school.   

But, I am not the Miss Goody-Two-Shoes teacher.  So, I did use a breakup song and “motivational cum uplifting” song to teach grammar.  😀 .  

An offer they can’t hardly refuse

I taught them last year when they were form 4 when I did Latihan Ikhtisas.  Now, they are form 5 taking SPM.  Last year, when I offered them an external reward (using operant conditioning principle), only three of them got the reward.  This time around, I also make the same offer.  But, of course, it would be slightly different from last year.

Seeing the empty page with only “Target SPM” written, I bet they are thinking very carefully about it.  I know perhaps all of them are thinking how on earth they can achieve the target that they set for themselves.  I want to instill self-belief in them.  It is not easy to do so but I am doing my best here to help.

I went to school today.  Like what I have expected (based on previous experience), only the girls did the homework that I gave two weeks ago.  How time flies!  The second tuition would be this coming Friday.  Ita asked me what we should bring for them (another external reward).  I was thinking buying the biscuits that I bought for the teachers so they can eat that during the break.  They are 43 students.  So, a packet or two of biscuits won’t be enough for everybody.   Let’s see how it goes.  We plan to do summary activity.  I need to find some examples and make copy for both class.   I guess the SUB printing shop would be opened a bit late since tomorrow, we are going to have gotong-royong.  

It is challenging to be educators now

The recent incident about a student who was canned by a teacher because she called him as “aqua” (Translated: effeminate person) has caused an uproar among teachers, students, netizens and whatsnot. 

The way I see it if I were the student, I would definitely get “double” from my parents.  That’s why I never told them if I was punished by my teachers at school.  Their perception is I must have done “something” to make the teachers to punish me.  No explanation needed.  I would always be the one who have done something wrong, not the other way around.  Parents now?  Well, they are different.  The parents who are like my parents are extinct.  This is the reality now.