50 Shades of Grey

First things first:Grey and gray are both accepted in the English language. They refer to a color of a neutral tone between black and white, and can also be used metaphorically to convey gloom and dullness. However, gray is the more popular spelling in the US, while grey reigns supreme in the UK. (blog.dictionary.com/gray-or-grey/)

I was in the car and waiting for the lights to turn green so that I could
get moving. I am sure you have heard of: "Stop and smell the roses".
Well, being in the car meant that I could not really do that and so, I
"stop and admire my surroundings". 

That day, it was about to rain and the sky was a swirl of white and grey.
When teaching students about writing compositions to describe
impending rain, we can say "dark clouds were gathering" (for instance).
We also teach them to use Creative Expressions. 

That day, this thought struck me ---> 

The Sky is 50 Shades of Grey. 

*laughs, amused by myself*
*quite witty, no?* LOL :)

Hard Work Pays Off! :) A for English! B3 for English Literature!

The above deserves a blog post on its own because SQLC and I have been working exceedingly hard towards A for English Language. She has been scoring B3s which is a very good grade but well, B3 is not an A!

I am thrilled that she has scored her A for English (CA2, 2017). I received her text in the evening on Monday, 21 August 2017 and I grinned like a Cheshire cat that entire evening! :)

I am tremendously proud of her because she is self-motivated and extremely diligent. Although she is "Ms Complain", she never fails to complete her given tuition assignments to the best of her ability. Additionally, she prepares as well as studies incredibly hard for her examinations. She was telling me that she did not like English Literature but she did not give up on it! She persevered and scored better than her previous test with a very commendable grade of B3! :)

Whenever I think about how far she has come, I feel immensely gratified.Having taught her since P3/P4, I have seen her struggle somewhat with English to getting As in her primary school examinations.
Then, she surprised me with an A* for English Language for the actual PSLE! It still warms the cockles of my heart to think about how stupendously well she did for her PSLE English.

With her excellent learning attitude and willingness to study hard, I am sure that she will do better and better in English / Literature / Academically!!! :) :) :)

*High 5! Thumbs Up! Well Done! Awesome! Keep This Up!*

Do well no matter what! :) 27/30 for July 2017 Diagnostic Test!

I'm feeling as proud as a peacock and as happy as a lark!

Lo and Behold! :) 27/30 (90%) for English Diagnostic Test done on 20 July 2017!

I'm so thrilled that this student of mine tries her best for all her tests (no matter if they are 'small' or 'big' tests).
She always puts in her best effort to do as well as she possibly can!
Bravo! :) 

**Remember that it is always important to hold oneself to a high standard and to put in one's best individual effort! No slacking! No regrets!**

Throwback to May 2017 :)

Throwback to May 2017!
I know that I have to be way more prompt with my posts!

Congratulations to 2 of my wonderful students who shared that they performed well for Mid-Year Examination 2017!

**Whoops and Jumps for Joy**

An Interesting Read! What an Eye-Opener! COMPLICATED WORDS! (You don't say!)

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/complicated-words.html

Chanced upon this website and found myself going "you don't say", "really", "oh man", "I didn't know this" moments! 

How interesting! Have a look at these complicated words! 

(All Rights go to the Original Site and Authors.
No Copyright Infringement Intended. Respectful Sharing.) 

Gratefulness and Simplicity - Lessons taught by my little boy.

I was clearing out the junk here and there in the home. I threw out the old plastic 'eggs' that my boy had been using as containers in the bathtub as I felt that they were old and probably germy.

Then, I found these plastic containers which used to contain small little knick-knacks. I passed these 'useless' items to my 3 1/2 year old boy and he squealed delightedly, "Oh Mummy! New toys for the bath?! I'm so happy, Mummy!"

Indeed, he was truly happy to receive these 'useless' containers. That day, he could not wait for bath time so that he could play with his new toys. He had so much fun with these little plastic containers that I would have thrown out without batting an eyelid.

Lesson Learnt?
Being Grateful for the little, 'useless' things for they may be useful and fun. (One man's meat is another man's poison, I guess?)
Simplicity. There is no need for fancy toys when we can use our imagination to let these 'useless' things come alive and bring us joy! 

Love You, my little guy. <3 

Throwback Photographs of My Past Achievements!

My mother did some cleaning up and found these buried somewhere. She kept them, I believe, because she must have felt so very proud of me then.

Even though it has been donkey years, I still feel tremendously proud of myself for doing well enough in school and for doing very well in English.

As I always tell my students, it's about having no regrets after the examiner says 'pens down' and you hand in the paper. It's about putting in your best effort to do your absolute best. Success is in your hands and you have to make the most of your chances.

Doing well isn't for your parents or your teachers although they will definitely be beyond thrilled.

Doing well is for yourself. You want to feel proud of your own accomplishments and be able to smile and say 'I am awesome!'. 

30/30 for Diagnostic Test prior actual Mid Year Exam!

Another delightful piece of news prior the Mid Year Exam (2017). Student, HXC, scored 30/30 for her diagnostic test as part of exam prep and sent me a text straight after school to share the fabulous news!
My heart soars whenever I receive such joyous news!
*happy dance*

Strong Writing Skills are in Order! 94% for CA1 but...

Dear SE,

You have done so well for CA1 (94%)! I was and still am thrilled about your CA1 results for 2017.
Unfortunately, your marks dropped when it came to SA1 because there was composition writing as well as oral component and those areas pulled you down. Lesson learnt? One has to be proficient in speaking English and writing in English. One has to be able to handle all 4 papers tested for English Language at Primary Level.
I've got your back and we are diligently working on doing more compositions to pull up the composition marks for Terms 3 and 4.
We are gunning for Band One!
Also, it is extremely important to always keep the marks high, that is, to aim for the moon. In the event that one falls, at least one falls among the stars -- overall marks are still 'not too bad'.
Room for Improvement as always! :) 

Holistic Development Profile (Primary School) Mid Year 2017

Thank You for putting in the needed effort into achieving good grades!
Your hard work and diligence are acknowledged.

There is no shortcut to success, that is, there is no shortcut to attaining good results. 
It's hard work, hard work and more hard work.
Of course, one has to Work Hard & Work Smart! :)
Keep on Going!
I'm Rooting for You!

CA1 (2017) 94% WOW!

A Repeat of his Impressive Performance for 2017's CA1!
He did very well for English in 2016.
Continue to Strive for As and A*s!
Reach for the Stars! :)

My Proud Moment! :) A humble brag!

I enjoy testing my grasp of English Language and being competitive, I always 'give it my best shot' so to speak.

A humble brag here! *laughs*

CDC - CCC Education Merit Award 2016

Exceedingly Proud of TJ's Marked Improvement and Accomplishment!
Repeat this Stellar Performance, please! :)

A for PSLE English (2016) :)

Congratulations to TS! :) 

Proud of You! Keep up the good effort for Secondary One! You have come to realise that Sec One is an almost totally different ball game from Primary School. Keep on putting in good effort to thrive and do well in Secondary School! Cheers! :) 

Holistic Development Profile EOY 2016 - So Proud!

Yes, yes, I am getting down to it...
Posting the Excellent Scores of my dear students who have put in much effort into attaining such wonderful results!
Hats off and Congrats!
Let us continue to pursue Excellence in English as well as English Literature! :) We are in this academic pursuit together and we shall strive towards As!

Belated Post on Impressive Scores! EOY 2016!

I have made a mental note to be more frequent and prompt in updating this space of mine.
For now, let me do some catch up first. 

Presenting 2 Excellent Scores from End-of-Year Results 2016!!