My Opening Remark on UN Day Celebration(LatePost)

For the sake of these kids, I protect the pic by closing the eyes

The last November 15 was a big day for our school since we celebrated UN DAY. We knew that it's a little late, but  we just couldn't make it at the right moment. We thought the concern was that we tried to celebrate it. 

It was different from last years celebration. This year celebration, we focused on the dance of the country we represented. My class got middle east and I chose the dance from southern part of Egypt I got after searching ones in YOUTUBE. 

And... I had that honour to deliver opening remark on the D-Day. Here is the short speech of mine.

"Peace and God blessing beyond you all.

First of all, I’d like to say thank you to the head of the school and the chairman who give this honorable chance to represent this school and to share a little bit about what we know about UN Day.

And we’d like to say welcome to our honorable guests and parents. And to our beloved team mates, the teachers and students, you did beautiful team work.

There are 196 countries in this world. All the people live in different culture, come from different races, practice different religions and beliefs, but we tend to forget that we have one purpose in this life, to live in peace and harmony.

We can’t actually deny that so many wars and tragedies we have today, in this world due to our incompetency in understanding those differences. We’ve come to realize that all those differences among us are beauty and bless, but at some point, in our daily lives we tend to act the other way around. We do labeling, judging, blaming people not because what they do, but from their race, countries, or religions.

Today, we want to lead our kids to a stage in their lives where they actually aware of these cross cultural facts. We want our kids to be wise in living life and face the differences, and later on when they grow up, to deal with conflicts that may be caused by the differences and solve it in healthy way. We want our kids to understand that we are all one. We are all family.

No matter where we are from, no matter what color our skin are, no matter what religion we practice and no matter what state we stand in believing something. We want these kids to believe that those have nothing to do with the way they treat people.

Today, these kids are going to representing the dance from different part of the world. Here, we can learn something that it is obviously not that hard to understand other people, just like it is not that hard for those kids to learn the dances from other cultures in less than two months. We all can live in harmony if only we can start to understand that we are all born different. Even ears on one head are different.

Last but not least... I’d like to quote a statement from a very remarkable man who is known for his wisdom and tolerance. He said these words for Round Square Campaign October 1996, in South Africa. “The challenge for each one of you is to take up these ideals of tolerance and respect for others and put them to practical use in your schools, your communities and throughout your lives” __Nelson Mandela

Though we come from different countries and practise different religions, WE ARE ALL ONE PEOPLE

I've been dating and about to break up

For more than two years, I've been dating him. No one knows. No one seems to notice. As most of relationship ever built, I love him. So much, that I can stop smiling when it comes about him. I like every part of him. I know how it's hard sometimes for me to meet him. Yeah...in fact, we're meeting every night before I go to sleep, when I wake up. And he just knows how to boost my mood. Hopes that he gives are just so great for me to ignore. There's not even a day I stop thinking about him. he is my inspiration. The fuel for my hard days in the weeks. He is every reason I stay up late every night.

There were times when he was ready to live with me the whole life ahead. I trusted him, I believed the words. And to make it worse, he said it so many times and failed to prove it, but I still believe him. With all of my love. I love him with every breath that makes me alive.

Now... I'm just too tired to wait for those words to be come true. Now.. and the end of this year, I know that we will break up. Though it's not him that wants this all, I am the one who got too scared to live without him.

Today, he can't make it true again...like most of the times we spend together, he came to me with joy but then he slapped me on the face with the fact, still when I put a smile on my face. How pathetic.

These two years past, I find my life so exciting to live on, with him on my side. And now, when I decide to leave him soon.. I wonder where life will turn me to.

He is still there, that is the fact. I'm the one who is leaving away. Running from him, and I know no matter how far I run away from him, he will always be there waiting for me to come back in his arms.

He is my love. And his name is Dream. Dream of getting higher education.

Today I got a very tough words from a friend. He said, maybe it's not you that is wrong, maybe it's just not your time, or maybe it's not your path, it is just not your way to walk through. Yeah...maybe I have to come to realize that sometimes to let go just ease your way. And I know it, that it is my fault to expect too much. That it is my fault, to let my dream manipulating my entire life. I can't control it. I grab it to tight that it always slips away of my hand. And maybe, I just have to release it free.. let my dream be free...

I've been dating... with my dream, but now...we're about to break up.

Ulee Kareng, August 1, 2013Song for Mia

Week 3- Being a First Grader Teacher

School year has just begun. All students were in the class, excited. There were only two new students on the sight. The rest come from the same kindergarten, this school too.

I have been teaching here since 2011. That's what some people or even teachers here don't know about. Maybe because, I wasn't here along the days, only once  week. I first taught as religion and Arabic teacher, though I graduated from English Department. I know the basic in Arabic and Religion for kids, so I agreed to teach here. Months passed, and I come and leave to this school for several times. As sub at most of the time. Now, I feel privileged yet challenged to handle the grade 1 where most of students graduated from the same school. I have met those kids before, long when they were in Kindergarten 1, two years before when I was their class adviser for two months straight. Therefore, I thought it's not gonna be that hard to deal with. Alas... I was totally wrong.

I forgot the fact that this is their very early stage in adapting a new system from Kindergarten to elementary. That is not something unimportant to be concerned about.

They now, have abundant subjects to deal with. Don't ask me, I don't like this fact too. I hate the fact that education in most of developing countries tend to ignore that kids are kids. Beside getting so many subjects to master, they  still need their times to have fun. This is not my part to complain about, but to adapt it in my own way. And this is a point where I, as a teacher should elaborate and think hard how those "subjects" can be absorbed by the kids without causing "over-burdened" feelings or "harm". I mention "harm" in here, because I am one who believe that the most important phase in constructing students' academic skills begin when they are so young. Wrong turns in approaches and methods are just gonna lead those kids into the studying habits that no one seems to expect. Unfortunately, I saw it this week.

The first two weeks seemed to be okay, I thought I just need to have teacher-student conference after school with students who need more practice. Again, this is just not enough. 

This week, most of the subjects I reviewed should actually shows improvement, yet most of them found it is okay to memorize, but when it comes to writing. They messed up. I messed up. I wonder what makes those brilliant kids end up this way. But then I come to realize, they were taught to memorize before, not to understand. However, they show excellent penmanship and speaking skill. Yeah... they are way beyond great in speaking. I mean for the kids at their ages whose first language are not English.

Now, I feel like I have to start the very new, effective way in getting into their minds. And I do believe, building such good psychological relationships are so important. Kids need to feel comfortable first with their teachers. I have to make them like me first to get their attention. Once they like me, it's just that easy  for me to conduct any approach or method in teaching them. 

Last... I feel so sorry, terribly sorry for some of the kids that need more attention from their parents. Needless to say, they all come from different way in parenting. And that leads to something crucial. No matter how great I am as a teacher, it is a certainty that no goals will be achieved without parents' supports.

 pic from http://lifeinfirstgrade1.blogspot.com/

Future's for Everyone

Realizing that you failed in some competitions, sometimes is just that hard. Its been a very exhausted days after the announcement that I failed the interview. I dont either know about my-other-scholarship certain decision. I mean, I wonder if it is real or not, do I get it or not.

But then I accept this as a very good lesson. Maybe, The interviwers wanted me to learn more, to struggle more than before, to be a better me. then I set a jump-start.

I find out some other scholarships with my other two friends. They're just like me too. We want a better future, and we come up with the same idea, that to get higher education is one of the ways. You can call us some annoying-ambitious-fellas, and I prefer to say WHATEVER!! we do good.

Now, we're discussing the strategies to get the scholarships. At least, we can be in shortlisted.There are four scholarships we're going to pursue. And I'm quite sure that number is getting increased day to day. You Bet!

Yes, this is the way of our lives. We've got dreams to pursue. We have strategies. We help each other. We motivate each other. If you're interested, just join us..

Future's for everyone! But Happiness!? This is my happiness... Keep studying and teaching is my happiness. Have you got one!?

feel alived...again.

Days are being so nice to me. And I realize that there's a weird feeling in myself when I can feel all the man_which I mean
humans can feel in a short time. Yeah...if you can live for, let's say 60 years, then a week is a short time, isn't it!? Yeah...this week is being a busy week. I got 3 days of additional class, subtituting a Philipino teacher. Facing more than 15 kids of 3-4 yo, which is for some people like a hard thing to do, well for me it's fun somehow. I've learned so many great things from the kids. They are always be a source of knowledge you can never get from anywhere else. I mentioned this on my-other-note,didn't I!?

Behind everything I got in the classes, there's always something I should pay. Energy. Yeah... I felt really exhausted since I still got another classes to teach in the afternoon. Eurgh..... But there are ones that make me feel so alived...again; smiles, cries, laughs, angers, fears, frustations, and hopes were coming up into my days rapidly. That made me think I don't really spent 7 days, but 7 month worth. Marvelous.

Life for me is to feel your own feelings in a different ways and I felt it this week.



(the last week in January 2012)