Invest your Money - Lessons Taught By My Students / Memoirs of A Teacher 02

Years back before MOE revised the PSLE English syllabus, students had three parts to handle for the oral component.

The first part was to read a passage aloud.

The second part was to describe a picture using DIEO - Describe, Interpret, Elaborate, Opinion. (Of course, there were other similar methods for describing a picture.)

The third part was a conversation where the teacher would ask questions and the student would answer to the best of his/her ability on his/her feet. To illustrate, the examiner could ask: What are your hobbies? Why is it important for children to have hobbies? How would you encourage others to take part in your hobby? How has your hobby helped you? And so on... 

As part of oral preparation then, I asked this precocious student of mine what he would do if he received a windfall. TWJH was only ten-years-old then. He was in Primary Four. (What kind of responses do you a think Primary School student will give?)

Most students, whom I have asked, mentioned that they would like to buy toys that their parents refused to buy for them. They would donate the money to charity and so on. Honestly, they were very good responses from ten-year-old children.  

TWJH was different though. Our conversation went like this... 

Me: What would you do if you received a windfall? 

TWJH: INVEST IT. I WOULD INVEST THE MONEY SO THAT I GET MORE MONEY. My daddy says that this is the best way to handle money when you have it. I would surely invest the money so that it grows. 

Me: *mind blown by 10-year-old* *He actually remembers what his daddy says / has taught him directly or indirectly.* *calms myself down and continues to converse* How would you invest it? 

TWJH: Property is a good way to start. ... ... ... 

WOW! I really had a good lesson that day. A really good lesson. Now, if you ask me what I'd do if I ever get some money on my hands, you know what my answer is.

Now, let me think about getting that PROPERTY which he mentioned. MONOPOLY, anyone? :) :) :) 

LESSON LEARNT: 

INVEST MONEY TO GROW IT & BUY PROPERTY AS INVESTMENT

(All right, I got you, Mr 10 Year Old Smarty-Pants!) HAHA :) :) :) Well Done!! 

Methodical Mum & Mum No.3 (on a quiz) #noshortcutstosuccess

Methodical - Definitely a YES! 

Methodical: (of a person) orderly or systematic in thought or behaviour

I strongly believe in being organised and systematic. Worksheets have to be filed properly by date or subject etc. Things should have their own 'homes' and should not be 'homeless' floaters. Right angles are the 'best' angles because, well, they are not 'wrong angles'. HA HA! :) 

Clarity in the learning process is also important.
Step by correct step, please.
Don't skip steps because more often than not, skipping steps equals to getting marks deducted for carelessness. 

I am Mum number 3 based on a quiz.
I'm definitely big on getting properly educated and that there are, seriously, no short cuts to success.All of us have to pay our dues to get where we are and to attain our goals (whatever they may be). It's almost always all about Determination, Sacrifice, Resilience, Ambition, Hunger for Success, Desire to Do Well... rather than luck.

For a student to do well, it's about Studying Hard and of course, Studying Well + Smart! The student has to pay his or her dues. There is no other way around it. Others cannot study for you. 

We all naturally want to become successful... we also want to take shortcuts. And it's easy to do so, but you can never take away the effort of hard work and discipline and sacrifice. Apolo Ohno

If you take shortcuts, you get cut short. Gary Busey

There are no shortcuts to true excellence. Angela Duckworth

[The above Quotes are from https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/shortcuts.html .
No infringement of copyrights intended. Please go to original site to read more relevant quotes!]

tiny rainbows on my ceiling :) spotted by the little boy #beautifuldelightsaroundusall

It's the little things that delight us most sometimes.
#beautifuldelightsaroundusall

"Delight in the little things."- Rudyard Kipling (Poet, Author)

I left my belt with rhinestones on it on the table and when the sun came in through the windows in the morning, little rainbows appeared on the ceiling. I shall not go into details about reflection and refraction and dispersion of light and whatnot ... because I won't be able to tell you much about those.

What I want to share is the sheer delight of spying these little spots of rainbow on the ceiling. My little boy happened to look up and then, he squealed, "Mum, we have rainbows in our home! We have rainbows on the ceiling!!" His words prompted me to look up and I, too, marvelled at the sight of the little rainbows on the ceiling whose beauty I would not have noticed if not for the keen observation of the beauty around us all as demonstrated by my little boy. :) :) :) 

Lesson Learnt: 

“There is beauty all around us, 

and the light finds us when we realize, 

we are all part of that beauty and worth the cherishing.” ― Tom Althouse 

Words of Wisdom (imparted by others) - Tell Kids to 'Figure It Out' because, well, The Struggle Is Real.

The Struggle is Real.
I would go so far as to say that all of us struggle in some way or another.

Often, another person / teacher has nuggets of wisdom that I resonates with me and that I can learn from. I agree with what Jennifer Wolfe has mentioned about the fact that everyone struggles 'whether you're a straight-A or straight-C student'. I like that she focuses on the point that it is 'not always about coming out on top; it's about valuing efforts and mistakes and learning to respond to them'. 

I'm a competitive person and value the competitive streak in others and so, I would say that I am very concerned about coming out on top and being first (if possible).

However, what Wolfe has mentioned about valuing efforts is correct. It's the learning journey that (often) matters more than the destination. It's about making mistakes and learning not to make the same mistakes again. It's about failing terribly and then failing better the next time. It's about trying hard and harder still. It's about wanting to do better and better. It's about having the thirst and love for constant learning and progression. 

I love what she has said at the end: Life is hard, but you regroup and figure it out! How very meaningful! Students, teachers, children, adults ...  I think we all agree that yes, Life Is Hard BUT we shall Regroup and Figure It Out. We shall emerge wiser and better able to cope with the curve-balls that Life throws at us.   


Disclaimer: Information taken from Real Simple Magazine (September 2017 issue). Column is written by Jennifer Wolfe. No copyright infringement intended. Please go to original sources and refer to original author(s). Thanks! 

Being Biligual - Saying DILIGENCE & DETERMINATION TO STUDY HARD in Mandarin! (zi zi bu juan)

Chinese has many four 'letter' (actually, it's four characters) phrases that pack so much meaning into one short, super pithy phrase! I love this one!

I wish I had heard of or learnt of this phrase long time ago because I would, almost surely, have used this character 'zi' for my child's name. What a meaningful word and phrase! I LOVE! :) 

Words of Wisdom (imparted by others) :) -- Featuring Cynthia Koh

I took a photograph of this part in which Cynthia Koh shared in 'Simply Her' magazine (can't remember the issue) about how she would persevere and do her utmost to act well and speak well in 'Moulmein High'.

Lesson Learnt (see yellow stars) -- Good Practice Makes Perfect. Really, it is about putting in the necessary effort to strive towards excellence / one's goals. Also, it is about getting help as and when required. Many of us benefit from the formal or informal guidance of others. 

Lesson Learnt (see pink stars) -- Being able to evolve and adapt. Embracing (necessary) change to see break-throughs.

Thank you for the Words of Wisdom, Simply Her & Cynthia Koh!

Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended :) Please refer to original magazine (Simply Her) and original speaker (Cynthia Koh). 

R for Rabbit and B for BUN BUN?! Introducing Bun Bun the Bunny!!

Adorable picture of real rabbitsfrom-- http://people.com/pets/rabbit-rabbit-rabbit-first-of-the-month-superstition/. Please refer to actual site. No infringement of copyrights intended.


My son re-enrolled for Nursery classes recently. Before he was accepted by the school, the principal met him and conducted some informal tests to kind of just 'check him out', I guess. 

She pointed to pictures of various animals and asked him to name them. 

Principal: *pointing at giraffe* What is this?

Son: Giraffe!

P: Good! What about this? *points at lion*

S: Lion! 

This goes on for quite a while until the principal reaches "R for Rabbit". 

P: What about this animal? 

S: Oh! I know! It's BUN BUN! I sleep with BUN BUN every night! I love BUN BUN! (effusive response) 

P: Bun Bun??!!?? 

Here's introducing Darling BUN BUN, everybody! ;) :) ;P 

The Levitating Sloth! Power of Prepositions! :)

The Power of PREPOSITIONS!

A three-toed sloth inches UP a tree... 

(normal, ordinary sloth)

is very different from 

A three-toed sloth inches ABOVE a tree...

(sloth that has attained sainthood of sorts)

A High Level of Accuracy is required whenever we write (and speak) so that we do not confuse our dear readers (be they teachers or examiners or not).

We should always aim to convey our thoughts and ideas as clearly as possible so as not to have miscommunication and misunderstanding (which, honestly, suck).

attire (not equals) a tyre & I am Robo Car Poli / A Police Car

My darling little boy is (often) the sweetest charmer around. The things that he says can be very amusing.


SCENARIO 01 -- 

After using the toilet, we washed our hands thoroughly. Then, I told him, "Check your attire by looking at your reflection in the mirror, dear." 

Bewildered, he answered, "Mummy! I'm not a car! I don't have tyres! How can I check my 'a tyre'?!?" 

I chuckled and explained that 'attire' refers to clothing and not 'a tyre' but well, he still thinks that he does not have 'a tyre' because he is not a car.


WHICH BRINGS ME TO SCENARIO 02 --


Teacher Assistant: (in Mandarin) Hello there, what's your name?

My Son: Wo Shi Jing Cha Che. / I am a police car. (Making reference to Robo Car Poli - his idol.) 

TA: Oh! Really? What is your real name? 

MS: I Am A Police Car. 

Me: *facepalm* (thought he told me that he wasn't a car) 

Good Grades Matter (A Lot) because A equals Awesome! :)

FULL MARKS FOR BOOKLET B!! WOW!! *Salute!*

92% for English!!! Oh la la!! :) 

My older sister and younger brother 'combo' who have done so well for CA2!

*BEAMS FROM EAR TO EAR*

Receiving happy/good news is something that I really do not get bored of and would want more of!

How delightful to hear of such Brilliantly Impressive Scores! 

For people who say 'grades don't matter', I would like to ask, "Why not?!" Grades do matter, in my opinion, because after putting in so much hard work, wouldn't you want something to show for it?
Additionally, let us be pragmatic. What do people look at to see if you are considered "good enough"? Well, your GRADES! Good grades speak volumes about your abilities and your diligence. It isn't easy to attain Good Grades and so, it is much sought after!

SUPREMELY PROUD OF SQLC and SHYE :)
You both ROCK! Keep on going!
I Look Forward to Receiving Good News about Awesome Grades, because "A=AWESOME" :) 

[An aside: saw a T-shirt that had 'A stands for Awesome' printed on it. I should have taken a photo!]