Math and Science blues, again..

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First of all, I applaud the Ministry of Education for (finally, after a friggin' long time) deciding on which language Mathematics and Science will be taught on. But you'll have to ruin the applause by saying it's gonna revert back to Bahasa Malaysia.

For your information, I'm the first batch if students learning Maths and Science in English since it's introduction 2003. The transition had indeed given me a hard time to cope as I'm not good in English at that time. And nope, my English didn't improve due to the switch, but from fanfictions reading/writing which I took up later on.



Even if it were to remain in BM, it won't necessarily mean I'll be better in it, nor will I use it more often in my daily conversations. Even if we're forced to 'speak' Maths and Science in BM, at most we'll just mention the terms in BM, and then revert back to the language we're comfortable speaking in; English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien , Tamil, Hindi, Japanese Korean Indonesian you name it. Tell me, how can 'national unity' be enforced this way?


Didn't anyone realise we're so good at rojak-ing? I find it more of a pride than a disgrace of languages, as it defines who we truly are. Yes I'm proud of rojak-ing. Has it eroded my grasp of languages? No. But hey, that's not the main point here.


I hear that some parties argue that Mathematics and Science being taught in English is harder to understand and thus, the reason many students fail in their tests and examinations. I also hear something like this: "When teachers teach these subjects in English, students cannot understand and concentrate, so they sleep in class." If they teach in BM but if students still don't understand it, would they still be awake too? You guys jduge.






Now now, I'm sure my batch has also experienced problems such as teachers who are unable to teach properly in English. While it is true that we might not learn much (or should I say, properly) from them, a student who really wishes to learn do not get their knowledge solely on the teachers alone, but they find their resources elsewhere too. Rather than listening alone, they will 'help out' during the lessons, pointing out the errors and such.



There's nothing embarrassing to have students correct teachers, because no one's perfect. My Physics teacher previously struggles with English sentences during her lessons, often spitting out sentences with missing 'is', going "What the measurement of vernier clip..", "What the result you all get ah?" Laugh, but remember we have our own weaknesses as well.




Ask any students my age "Do you find learning Maths and Science in English helpful in college/university life?" and you'll find that most of the answers are yes. Obviously. All the terms we learn here are in English. Perhaps other government universities or matriculation centres had it in BM, I don't know. However, it would be easier for us to go further with a strong grasp in English (the terms at least). I'm having a headache right now so I can't think of the right words but anyway I meant it benefits us in the long run, in the futuristic view.




After more than six years of using us as guinea pigs (which, thankfully, beared fruits for me), I really wonder if they gathered statistics fully from ALL of us. If they're not listening to the voice of the people, I wonder whose voice do they listen to then.


I have no power by myself, but I do hope we can have our children learning Mathematics and Science in English too. Not to 'erode national unity', but for their future's sake.




This is my generation, and this is OUR voices.


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Teacher's Day reminiscence - Outstanding teachers

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Just felt like posting up pics of some of the outstanding teachers during my secondary school year time. =)


Pn. Ameza - Class / Modern Maths teacher

One of the most timid teacher's I've ever had, Pn. Ameza's both my class teacher and Modern Maths teacher of class 06/07. In fact, I've come to know her since Form 1, as she, too, teaches us basic Maths since then.

She's one of the friendliest teacher around, and her patience in handling our wild 5 Utarid class deserves a recognition. By us at least. =)

She's fun to be with, very bubbly, and dedicated in her work. I'm very sure most of us in the class loves her. =D


Pn Ruzina - Bahasa Malaysia teacher

Pn. Ruzina is perhaps the teacher that possess the most motherly quality. She, too, patiently guides us through the complex Bahasa Malaysia grammars, correcting every single mistakes that we make. As a result, most of us managed to score our Bahasa Malaysia papers, all thanks to her dedication and hard work.

This happened durng exam time.. *dang*


Pn. Maslinda - English teacher

Undeniably the most sporting teacher to ever teach us, Pn. Maslinda's a very straightforward person who will speak her mind out and no one shall stop her from doing it. Aggressive yet sporting, she's one of those teachers who you'll either love or loathe, depending on which side she shows to you most. She's our English teacher, and you could expect shoutings most, if not all, of the time.

Her famous quote: "Rule 1, Pn. Maslinda is always right. Rule 2, if she's ever wrong, REFER back to Rule 1."


Pn. Rohana - Discipline / Physics teacher

Let's be frank and neutral. A LOT of students hate her. The simple reason: She's the school's discipline teacher. Normal lah. =]

Though as aggressive as Pn. Maslinda, she's not too well-received by the class perhaps due to the way she conducts the class. I will not elaborate much on that here.

Nevertheless, she's my boss (I'm a prefect ma ==) too. On a lighter note, only few of us saw her softer side. Perhaps.. that's why that 'us' could get along with her. =)


Pn. Banon - Current Senior Assistant

Pn. Banon's pretty much the combination of everyone above. Though she doesn't personally teach our class, we're still pretty much attached to her due to her involvement in the disciplinary board in the past.

She's as aggressive as she is passive, as strict as she is gentle, as big as she is small. We love her. =)


En. Shahrin - Discipline teacher

Ask anyone in the school which teacher they fear most and most probably you'll receive "En. Shahrin" as the answer. In the school, he is as strict as a solid steel bar; hard to bend, and hurts if hit.

Outside the school? It's a whole different story.

Sing with me! 1 2 3 4~


If our school and country permits use of torture during interrogations, he could easily be the head of it. =]


En. Abdul Aziz - Scouts teacher

En. Abdul Aziz is perhaps the teacher I respect the most. Though he did not presonally teach me anything in the class, he's my Scouts teacher. And gosh he's just so patient.. Since the Scouts troop in our school is highly immobile due to lack of leadership, he's really trying his best to bring it up to the state level. And with me as the president of the club.. I just feel hopeless. Cuz I know nothing bout Scouts. =/

This may sound gay, but I actually miss him. As my teacher. XD


Tuition teachers

Pn. Leong - Physics teacher

During the period of year 2006/2007, Pn. Leong was my Physics tuition teacher. She's perhaps the most prominent among the other two tuition teachers at that time (Add Math and Chemistry), most probably due to the personal and undivided attention that she gave to us. Her class was always filled with nifty gadgets and experiments rather than focusing on theories alone.


And among the two other tuitions I mentioned earlier, I'd only managed to make friends in her class. Julian, Samantha, Caleb, Yet Han, Woan Jen, and few more.. =)


Mr. Muniandy - Tuition teacher since Standard 1


*no pics LOL*


Take note: He's my tuition teacher since Standard 1. =D That sure is a long time eh.


I remember him most for the advices he always give us.. and he's always correcting every small mistakes that we make. Our handwriting, our behaviours in class, our methods of learning.. All these small little things that impact our lives later on. His classes never feel like a cage. It is always our home.


He'll difinitely be a teacher that I'll never forget. =)





I think that's pretty much all. This post is.. long. ==



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Teacher's Day reminiscence - 2 years ago

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Teacher's Day was yesterday! And I felt bad for posting something about them a day late. T_T though its not like I MUST update something bout that. It's just an obligation Oh well.


Thinking back, I do have some really good teachers who had done so much to shape me into who I am today. Yeap, I AM close with many many teachers especially during secondary school days, but only a handful among them are the closest to me. They are more like a friend to me than teachers who just lecture in front and ignore everything else. In short, I just love my teachers! Though not everyone does. =]


Without further cliches, let's take a look back at my school's Teacher's Day celebration 2 years ago. I just happened to come across these in my photo album and as usual, nostalgia kicks in. =P


Farah and me, emcees of the day. =)

Look, so many gifts for them!

Even a cake for them too!


Shortly after, the event begins!

The waving lady's my school's then headmistress.

Teachers taking their oath.

The happenings..

See? We're so serious in our work. Either that or I dozed off. XD

Indian dance =]

The teacher in the centre is the Senior Assistant in the school.. The rest are my juniors (all except 2). I miss each and every one of them. =(




I actually sang on this day.. But I've decided not to upload it. It's not just embarassing, it's gonna super bore you! And you wouldn't understand what I sang anyway. =P



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School's Past Memories (SPM) Day

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I actually thought of another abbreviation for SPM. O.o





Yup I'm one day late.. The result's was released yesterday, and while I'm planning to go to my old school just for fun, I decided not to. Personal reasons. Not important anyway. =)




To all those who's got good results, congratulations! To those who're disappointed with it, be thankful because it's finally over. Your SPM result slip is not everything, though I do understand it could be used as a tool to brag about your achievements. I'm not denying the fact that it does show something. XD







Anyway, this day does mean something more than just receiving your results after that 11-years(or 10 to some) study. Depending on how people look at it, this may be a happy or sad day with various reasons.




School days ended on the very day your final SPM paper finished, yes, but the results day may be the very last day you'll meet your schoolmates and teachers, at least together in the school. God knows when someone's gonna plan a reunion party or how many more years it would take before an alumni is finally established.




Being in college already, the "College life is different from school life" cliche kicks in. Not too sure why, but I'm the only one, if not among the few others, who actually missed it. Heck, I really enjoyed my school life. It is the bitter coffee with extra servings of sugar for me.





Even til today.. I still miss school. Haha. =)








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