My Kelab STAR Team

My Hardworking Kelab STAR Team

This may be a bit presumptuous, but, since I will not be around to bask in aura of the annual lunch organised by me and the Kelab STAR team, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have made a concerted effort to contribute to the success of this event.

Each and every one of the team members have played their part extraordinarily well, not just for this particular event, but also for all the events that this club has managed to organise and conduct, right from the beginning of the year until the last day of school. When I look back at the minutes of the first club meeting, I noticed that out of the many activities suggested, we did not manage to carry out two, which to me is an achievement in itself because we have managed to carry out the other eight!

I hope I have not offended anyone from my team whom I have not included in the composite picture that accompanies this entry because there is just not enough space. However, I must stress once again that some of the team members have indeed done more than their fair share of responsibilities throughout 2010, and for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I hope you all have a wonderful time at the lunch. It doesn't really matter if I am in attendance or not because what matters most is the event that all of us have planned for months prior to this date, has finally materialised. Insya Allah, we will meet again in next year's annual event under the organisation of another team, lead by another chairperson; perhaps one who is better than I am!

Responsibilities

Responsibilities Amongst Friends

There is not a single person in this world who is not bogged down by responsibilities, be they young school-going children or working adults. The only difference is whether those responsibilities are simple or difficult ones that involve other people around you.

It always makes things a lot easier when people around you are willing to cooperate in completing certain tasks. Even though, things may look daunting initially, but after some discussion your friend or colleague begin to see the light of things and start to accept his or her responsibilities. Of course, you will be able to exhale a sight of relief, knowing that this person, who earlier on started off by giving many excuses not to carry out his or her responsibilities, eventually agrees to them, after realising without that person, things will not go as planned.

But, how do you handle someone whom, after many discussions and giving alternatives and suggestions, is still adamant in not contributing to the success of a planned activity. You give the person every possible way for her to carry out the task, but she still comes up with excuses not to carry out her responsibility. Worse of all, she starts roping every body around her to agree with her demands; people who initially had agreed to their own responsibilities.

The way I am feeling now, is I am thinking of just letting go of the whole planned activity and just let that person handle the whole thing as she wants. Perhaps, the good thing about being called for a meeting on the very date that we are having the activity, is that I will not be around; and she can rope in as many people as she wants. Since I can't do things our way, I guess she should be able to do things her way!

Well Done, Tarsians!!!

Girl Power!

With a sigh of relief, I exhaled, as the Form Six State Level Sports Carnival came to an ultimate close at 4.30 p.m. on the 23rd of October! I can finally let my guard down and let my shoulders droop a little after weeks of hardwork, struggling to see the success of this event.

This event actually started off in September when our school was unceremoniously chosen to be the host for the District level of this sports carnival. Even though there are only three schools with form six in the district of Tampin, organising the event was an Herculian task for some one as green to this scene as myself. Unashamedly, I have my colleagues to thank for helping me run the programme and making sure that it went along smoothly!

After the district level, we started preparing for the state level. The respective teachers who were assigned to train the students did their jobs well, except for one, unfortunately. I, on the other, hand took it upon myself to make sure that the students were assured of their pocket money, food during the competition and transport to the venue.


To tell you the truth, I was just as happy to have managed to get my students to the venue to take part in the competition and assuring them of their food and drinks after a tiring day out. But, when two of our teams won and became the victor in two games, it was the icing on the cake for me! And, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you all!

Teachers' Club Annual do

Well, it's that time of the year again folks! The SMK Tuanku Abdul Rahman's Teachers' Club committee members will be busy organising it's annual do, which will either be dinner or lunch. As the Chairperson of the club, I am happy to say that, my committee and I have managed to organise many activities all throughout the year. Starting from our participation during the school's sports day right up to this year's Teachers' Day celebrations.

Undoubtedly, with all the activities held earlier this year, one can only expect that a substantial amount of money has been used from the club's coffers. And now with the biggest event of the year looming in the horizon, the main thing on every one's mind is, do we have enough money to pull this thing through. We initially had illusions of grandeur of having our annual do at a hotel! But as the illusions turned to reality, the venue started to get more realistic starting with the local golf resort, then the local b-and-b and finally the school hall!

Well, the school hall it is! Unless of course every single teacher agrees to add another RM10 to enable us to have the do at a hotel! As of 1.00 p.m. no one has agreed to that additional fee. The main thing is, we have fun, even if it is in the school hall!

Form Six Students

Are Form Six Students A Pampered Lot?


Ever since the inception of this new format for Form Six which involves everything from the teachers to the school hours, words have got around that there are many people from the main stream, teachers and students alike, voicing out their dissatisfaction. They say that the Form Six's go home much earlier than their peers in the main stream and that their time-table is more relaxed. The Form Six teachers are not safe from these dissatisfaction's also. They, this time the main-stream teachers, say that the Form Six teachers are having a happy time teaching adult learners who do not seem to pose any disciplinary problems and that teaching is a breeze. The dissatisfied teachers from the main-stream also attest that the Form Six teachers can also go home earlier than they do. In essence, they say that the Form Six teachers can do whatever they like.


Well, I would like to take this opportunity to put to light a few misconceptions. First of all, the Form Six teachers are not leading a happy teaching life. The main-stream teachers are welcome to check out time-table which bear witness that the Form Six teachers' are jammed packed with activities other than teaching. We have slots for group Research and Development sessions which take up to periods. Then there is the Exam and Evaluation section of the time-table which takes up three periods. If a Form Six teacher already has 23 teaching periods, when you add the five periods mentioned, he would have 31 periods! On top of that the Form Six has 160 minutes of co-curriculum compared to the main-stream that is 150 minutes. Worse of all, when there is any activity conducted for the Form Six, we are not allowed to involve the teachers from the main-stream; but when there is any activity organised by the main-streams the Form Six teachers are forcefully involved.

So, I say to these main-stream teachers who complain, go ahead and pour your heart out. Form Six teachers have never complained about their lack of opportunity to become the Head of Departments, Senior Assistants or what ever administrative posts that you are holding. So, to be fair, don't hold a grudge against us.

Welcome Back To School

First day of school after the break!

After two weeks holiday, everyone including teachers and students, return to school with spirits anew. Well, at least a handful of them revived their spirits to face the next second half of the year, with a few more months of toil. I say toil because as you know, whether you are a teacher or a student, your task is never done, even though people seem to think you have all the time to lie under the sun. Not that it is a suitable time anyway, because it is terribly hot nowadays.

Well, back to the subject of the first day of school, I would say that if I were a student, I would like to hear my teachers welcome me back to school, listen to them lifting my spirits and giving me meaningful advise. Very little of that actually happened today in the hall during assembly. What the students got were lashings of warnings and tons of reprimands from one teacher to another, much to their boredom and, not surprisingly, disgust.

I mean, it is only the first day and already you are being verbally scolded from all sides. I could only stand so much because after one of the teacher's speeches, I started to switch off. And I am a teacher!!! You can imagine how the students reacted!

School Holiday

It's that time again! The time when students and teachers alike rejoice because it is the end of a semester! Finally! Time for teachers to sit back and relax and forget about work and especially students who have been a proverbial pain in the neck! I suppose that is why teachers always complain about back aches, painful shoulders and aching necks! We now know for sure the cause of these ailments! I suppose these students are totally oblivious to this to the point that they always wonder why their teachers breathe a long sigh of relief or smile from ear to ear after the end of a lesson with them. It is no wonder that these teachers hasten their pace or even take longer strides to be as far away from these students as possible! And a two-week's absence from these students is sheer bliss! The proverb 'absence makes the heart grows fonder' does not apply in this situation! Happy holidays teachers! You deserve it!

Should Corporal Punishment be Implemented in School

What does a teacher do when they are confronted with an unruly student who only has disrespect for the teacher, never does his school work and disturbs the class when the teacher is trying his very best to teach. In a nutshell the student is trying his very best to be a pain the neck. On top of that he repeatedly does it over and over again. A teacher's hand is proverbially tied and thus hinders him from lifting a single finger to reprimand the student when in fact the student can even go to the extent of giving the teacher a heart attack! Something should be done to this kind of student. This student should be caned. We must remember that manners is something thought at home since birth and not when they enter school seven years after birth. Thus, his parents are to be blamed for this student's rowdiness. Come to think of it, maybe the student is not the one to be caned, but his parents!