R.E.S.P.E.C.T

Looking at the naughty ones today, it made me wonder, what kind of individuals will they become when they grow up. I sometimes find it difficult to be fierce. At times, i don't know how to start. At times I feel upset with the student but I sometimes feel it difficult to be a real tyrant.

I deal with them the way I know best, through diplomacy. At times I look at them in the eyes and talk to them like an adult.

Today I had to deal with both "Ketul" and 6 year old little Miss Fantasy. Both needed my attention at the same time. Trying to get one to recognize numbers and the other one demanded attention to deal with her additions. I almost went insane....but "ketul" hugged me before he left, so that made my day.

Today I learned a thing or two about "respect".

In the classroom today, the "loud" brothers could not keep their focus on the work to be done. I heard giggling, I heard voices and I heard noises from the stationery. It went on and on for 10 minutes before I decided to pull one out of the classroom and sat down with him at a corner in our "not quite done" preschooler area. I took 1 minute to talk to him. I had to reason things out with him. I told him how difficult for the others to concentrate when they're making all the noise. I just had to go on and on about how imortant it is to just have a little bit of focus.

Anyway, Big Brother "loud" got his act together and completed his work real fast. I wonder if he did it out of respect or out of fear! or probably because he understood that's what he has to do.

Little Brother "loud" did his English with me. It was quite fun to play the memory game from the worksheets. I always find Little Brother " loud" a little bit difficult to deal with. However, today he wasn't bad at all.

I am not sure how a mother would want their children to respect them. To me, as a teacher, I want to be approachable and also it's good if they can talk to me kindly and think of me once in a while in their prayers.....maybe a bit too much to ask for the last one...but ...

I know how it's like to respect someone who has taught me in my life. I keep them in my prayers and tell my students about them whenever I get the chance to.

2 favourite teachers I can still remember : Mrs Anne for teaching me how to sing Jinggly Nona and Cikgu Ali for giving me a chance to learn Bahasa Malaysia in a fun way! Grammar, Stories, Essays.....Oh what fun!