Teacher's Day has just gone by. To some, it is just another boring Sunday, but to people who call themselves educators or TEACHERS, it is a day to celebrate. But I often ask myself, what is there to celebrate?
As a teacher myself, I often look in the mirror and asked the image which is looking back at me, "What have you done, Masuri, that has changed your students' perception towards life?" This question is the reason why I wake up every morning and go to work. Trying to find the answer is not as easy as it seems. We often think that just by going to class, stand in front of the students and babble about today's topic is sufficient enough to leave an impact on their lives. But it actually takes more than that. It takes a lot of time and effort and a whole lot of dedication to achieve such a goal.
I wish that I have more time so that I can listen more to my students. I wish that I have the strength to deal with their pleas and problems. I wish that I have more compassion to understand what my students go through everyday. I try my best to do all this but at the end of the day, I am just a mere mortal. A human being who is incapable to operate 24 hours a day non-stop like a robot in an electronic, Japanese air-conditioning assembly factory.
I want to become a super-teacher, one who is capable of doing everything that an ideal teacher can do. I want to be able to celebrate Teacher's Day with pride, knowing that I deserve to be celebrated because of all the hard work that I have put into to educate the nation's children. I want students to remember me for the education that i have given them. But no matter how much effort I invest into this profession, I still feel that it is never enough. I want to help my students but sometimes I wonder, do my students want to help themselves???
Monday, May 17, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Poco-poco...oh poco-poco...
"Melenggang patah patah...na na ne goyang pica pica..." For those who are familiar with these lines would know that they come from the classic song of 'poco-poco', an Indonesian-based line dancing made popular by Yopie Latul. The dangdut beat to the song is rather corny to some, I must admit, but once you listen to it and follow the steps, it's not that corny after all. In fact, the dance steps and the song makes sense and they compliment each other.
What is so interesting about poco-poco is that I used to feel disgusted just the mere mentioning of the word but now, I'm an avid fan of poco-poco. Don't ask me why because I could not answer it myself. You see, I try to avoid, as much as I can, whatever is 'in' at the moment and poco-poco is really the talked-about thing in town.
Being an aerobic-workout enthusiast, I used to look down on the power of repetitive, simple dance steps thinking that it doesn't do much good to the heart and the body since it doesn't involve rigorous, sweat-pumping movements. But after trying out poco-poco myself, it is actually fun and the steps don't really have to be simple. You can add on some 'spice' to it by using different songs which are more upbeat and adding some kicks and punches to the routines. It is basically up to the individual on how complicated you want the steps to be. The more complicated they are, the more rigorous it will be.
I went to a poco-poco practice two nights ago at Kem Sungai Besi and they already have a set of routines that they keep improving week by week. The steps are getting more interesting and complicated. I, being the novice in this matter, could barely keep up with the steps and to tell you the truth, I basically ran out of breathe by the fourth routine! The rest of the more senior ladies were doing it smiling and cheering us the more inexperienced ones. In the end, we were sweating so much that my friend's gray shirt turned black with sweat! It was INVIGORATING!
So, for those who still think poco-poco is nothing but a bunch of middle-aged ladies jumping about doing the hokey-pokey, take the advice from this new-found follower: YOU HAVE TO TRY IT OUT!
What is so interesting about poco-poco is that I used to feel disgusted just the mere mentioning of the word but now, I'm an avid fan of poco-poco. Don't ask me why because I could not answer it myself. You see, I try to avoid, as much as I can, whatever is 'in' at the moment and poco-poco is really the talked-about thing in town.
Being an aerobic-workout enthusiast, I used to look down on the power of repetitive, simple dance steps thinking that it doesn't do much good to the heart and the body since it doesn't involve rigorous, sweat-pumping movements. But after trying out poco-poco myself, it is actually fun and the steps don't really have to be simple. You can add on some 'spice' to it by using different songs which are more upbeat and adding some kicks and punches to the routines. It is basically up to the individual on how complicated you want the steps to be. The more complicated they are, the more rigorous it will be.
I went to a poco-poco practice two nights ago at Kem Sungai Besi and they already have a set of routines that they keep improving week by week. The steps are getting more interesting and complicated. I, being the novice in this matter, could barely keep up with the steps and to tell you the truth, I basically ran out of breathe by the fourth routine! The rest of the more senior ladies were doing it smiling and cheering us the more inexperienced ones. In the end, we were sweating so much that my friend's gray shirt turned black with sweat! It was INVIGORATING!
So, for those who still think poco-poco is nothing but a bunch of middle-aged ladies jumping about doing the hokey-pokey, take the advice from this new-found follower: YOU HAVE TO TRY IT OUT!
To Master or not to Master...
I have always envisioned myself owning a Masters Degree since I graduated in 2003. Actually, my life plan was to own a Masters Degree by the age of 25, which was supposed to be 5 years ago and to carry on with a PhD by 30. But now, I'm 30 and no signs of a Masters Degree in the near future. Another plan goes down the drain...
What is it about owning a Masters Degree nowadays? It seems like to get a good, decent job, you must at least have a Bachelor Degree plus a Masters Degree. If you don't have both, then you'll be one among the thousands of mediocre candidates and knowing that now, finding a job is all about standing out from the crowd. It's not that I don't have a good, decent job, but there is no satisfaction in it if I don't have a Masters Degree to back it up with.
I love studying. In fact, if I am given the choice whether to work or study, I would opt to study rather than work. Work is just too tiring and monotonous but studying...well that's a whole different matter. You'll never know what new stuff you'll learn today. But the current trend of post-graduate studies is not about the love of studying. It is now more towards just taking it so that I can brag about it to my colleagues, or so that I can escape from work-related matters and use my Masters' classes as an excuse or for the benefit of getting a bigger paycheck. There really is no more passion for learning. People who really want to learn would not normally get the chance to do so, but people who don't even want to attend classes but have the means (in this case, money!), can easily get a Masters Degree in a little over 2 years. Life is so unfair!
I really want to take a Masters degree course but for now, I'll have to settle not taking one yet. There are too many other stuffs that I have to commit to. But who knows, maybe someday God will give me the break that I deserve and finally I'll get what I wish for...I hope...
What is it about owning a Masters Degree nowadays? It seems like to get a good, decent job, you must at least have a Bachelor Degree plus a Masters Degree. If you don't have both, then you'll be one among the thousands of mediocre candidates and knowing that now, finding a job is all about standing out from the crowd. It's not that I don't have a good, decent job, but there is no satisfaction in it if I don't have a Masters Degree to back it up with.
I love studying. In fact, if I am given the choice whether to work or study, I would opt to study rather than work. Work is just too tiring and monotonous but studying...well that's a whole different matter. You'll never know what new stuff you'll learn today. But the current trend of post-graduate studies is not about the love of studying. It is now more towards just taking it so that I can brag about it to my colleagues, or so that I can escape from work-related matters and use my Masters' classes as an excuse or for the benefit of getting a bigger paycheck. There really is no more passion for learning. People who really want to learn would not normally get the chance to do so, but people who don't even want to attend classes but have the means (in this case, money!), can easily get a Masters Degree in a little over 2 years. Life is so unfair!
I really want to take a Masters degree course but for now, I'll have to settle not taking one yet. There are too many other stuffs that I have to commit to. But who knows, maybe someday God will give me the break that I deserve and finally I'll get what I wish for...I hope...
