Teaching Happiness - Teacher Nancy from R.E.A.L Kids Ampang

"Do you think you are happy sitting in this class now when it is raining outside?" - Teacher Nancy.

Are you aware that being happy or sad is really just a conscious choice you make and practice?

Teacher Nancy shared with us a few little moments as a Preschool Teacher that made her realize how happy she is and how happy we could all be.

- Children say you are very beautiful today because you got a HAPPY FACE.
- Everywhere you go in the kindergarten, you hear kids shouting, TEACHER Ariel I LOVE YOU!
- One of my kid in class always vomit in classroom and I need to clean up the mess and call her parent to get her home but she didn't want to go home. And when I asked her why, she answered, "Teacher I don't want to go home. I need to do assessment." I was curious and asked her why. Only to learn that she cared to do well in her assessments because she wants to stay in R.E.A.L Kids. She said, "Teacher, I want to see you next year; I want to come back tomorrow, next year. Teacher I want to come back next week to see you.." This was her comment just before school break. This motivated me and made me very happy.

A question to ponder, Teacher Nancy asked us all, "Can the state of Being Happy be of value?"

Is owning a big car, a house, having a handsome husband, and/ or fulfilling your achievements necessary for you to be happy?

Or is having a lovely husband who takes care of you and a small house, while you enjoy your life means more to Happiness?

What if you have a big car but you are not happy?

Teacher Nancy admitted that at times she could be nervous and anxious to voice out her concerns. She did so because seeing things improper or not working her right way tends to upset her. Over the years, her experiences taught her why should she make herself this way? She now consciously reminds herself to choose to be happy rather than sad.

To end her speech, Teacher Nancy took the time to recognize Teacher Zulfah for her positive attitude towards work and life. Teacher Nancy encouraged all teachers and colleagues to be positive, cheerful and happy so we can better deal with the challenges of work and life.

Blessings in Disguise - Two Ancient Folk Tales from The Early Chinese Empire - Teacher Rachel from R.E.A.L Kids Ampang

Let's spot Teacher Rachel from the crowd!

Story #1: Traveler Meets Old Woman

There was a traveler crossing a forest and he came to a river, where he met an old woman. The old woman did not know how to cross the river. Seeing that, the young man assisted her to cross safely to the other side of the river. He was surprised the old woman did not even have the courtesy to thank him for helping her but walked away right after she crossed the river.

While he is having doubt and almost cursing beneath his heart, suddenly a little boy turned up and said thanks. The boy told the young man that his grandmother is handicapped and could not express herself well. And in return, she asked the little boy to give the young man a horse as a token of appreciation.

Moral of the story: 

Resist the temptation to judge or conclude something too fast. You'll never know if something good is just awaiting at the next turn.

Story #2: The King and Prime Minister

Once upon a time, there was a King who enjoyed hunting. One day he went leopard hunting in the forest with his Prime Minister. He released a few arrows trying to hunt down a leopard but to avail. Ended up the leopard attacked him in return and bit off his finger.

The king was very angry and complained to his PM. Instead of trying to please his King, the PM said to the King, "Don't hate the leopard, maybe this could be a good arrangement." The King got more upset and he replied, "If I keep you in prison for one year, is it a good arrangement?" The wise PM replied calmly, "It's up to you, my King."

So the PM was kept in prison and the King started going out for hunting again with his other servants. Without his favorite PM, the King was not enjoying his hunts. 

One unfortunate day, the King ran into an tribe of natives and they captured him alive. It happened to be a Full Moon night and they needed to sacrifice someone to their gods for prayers. While praying, they found out that the King was not perfect. His finger was injured and they decided to let him go. The King found his way home and told this to his PM. Says the PM, "If you did not keep me in the jail, the tribal natives would have captured us both and I would probably have been sacrificed when they found out you had an imperfect finger due to injury."

Moral of the story: 

When faced with something negative, think along the good side. Maybe it could be a blessing in disguise.

How to Fix Education and Get Great Teachers?

Excellent post for any Educator-wanna-be.

Before you start reading this piece, you might want to ask yourself a few questions:
1. What makes a great teacher? Or a supremely skilled educator.
2. Can a supremely skilled educator really be trained or coached?
3. What kinds of remedial and effective trainings should be given to potentially great teachers who came unprepared?
4. Private education institutes seem to be comparatively more effective at outplacement than public ones. Why and how did they do it? Was it done correctly & professionally?
5. How to attract the best to teach in an all-time low-morale industry of educating? With low pay, declining respect and worsening conditions being top of the tongue topics.
6. How to make The School an EXCITING place to work?
7. What is Aggressive Recruitment of talented new teachers? Does it have to be aggressive and why?
8. How and who can improve our teachers' compensation system with our already constrained remuneration "source"? Any Compensation & Benefits Consulting Firm that could do this for us with minimal or no fee or with proven track record on value-for-money engagements?
9. Is there a foolproof system that can identify talented teachers in the system who is underutilized, over-utilized or struggling at any unknown reasons not under administrator's radar?
10. What did South Korea do right that made teaching a career of choice? How China, Japan & Finland created a culture that respects and recognizes teachers in this modern day of disregard?
11. How to effectively make great teachers accountable for their teaching performance? Is students' results still the most valid and viable assessment of teachers' performance?

Do advise and please do enjoy your read on Lessons of Hope - How to Fix Our Schools, by Joel Klein. =)

Suggested reading:
Pulse - Book Summary