final day

hey there everyone...
this is kinda out of the topic which everyone is focussing on...
sorry, i was just thinking of the agenda for the graduation day....
like what kind of food should we order, the actual plans for the day and so on...
for now, what i have in mind is something like the speech day(that's what we call it in my previous school) or hari anugerah cemerlang, is it?
so, there'll be certificates given for each kids and some kind of performances at the start, somewhere in the middle and one more for closure....
what do you think? mok, hani and i are still discussing but if anyone has any suggestions regarding this, please don't hesitate to post it here or tell us straight away....
thanks a lot!!!!!!!!!!

leaving something behind

everytime da session ends, i really hoped that at least i leave a good impression in the children's heart and leave a smile on their faces........

i'd always hoped dat we can share our hopes n stories from our last 18 or 19 years n motivate the children with these stories..... different volunteers give out different life stories n different life messages....... Yes, the children needed reading practices through this program, but i think dat they need more than that. They needed some role models so they can look up to (juz like wat Mr Yong always said) n when i heard da word "role models", i felt so proud dat i can really be one for the children.

Anyway, sharing stories sounds fun n i have a suggestion here....... this is merely an idea i came across when i read an article somewhere..... it's about writing something for yourselves n keep it in a time capsule..... den set a time e.g. 1 year, 5 years or even 10 years later, open da time capsule and take a look at da piece of paper dat you had written so many years ago...... actually, the whole idea is to write what u want 2 see urself in da future e.g. if u c urself as a lawyer, u'll write "i want to see myself as a lawyer in n years time". Dat's when after n years time, u open da time capsule up, n c whether u had achieve wat u had written n years ago...... It's some idea but the idea of having a time capsule can actually help motivate n get the children going to achieve wat they really want in the future....... n dat's wat really i want to see too..... the kids becoming what they really want in the future....

It's a great idea if u see about it. But it takes so much time (n years, any1?) n there's da problem where da time capsule may be forgotten.....

An idea from me...... haha.... but, wat most important is dat i really want 2 c da children have fun in the program and leave each session with a BIG smile :D

Values

to be kind and to have hope

hello. i thought that i wanted to leave them with this lifelong message, to be kind to others and to have hope no matter what. i'd maybe tell them stories that have made an impact on me. for example the kind prince. still searching for a story on hope though. i want to find stories which had some magical elements or something that they can relate to. i HOPE that they will enjoy it! :p
I wanted to do a little exercise on hope and dreams. It goes like this:
the kids are given a piece of paper.
they are told to write or draw their hopes and dreams (what they wanna be when they grow up, what they wanna achieve etc)
then they share their hopes and dreams wit the group.
after that, they are told to switch their papers with the person on either sides of them.
from there, they will be given a final instruction on what to do.
based on how they react to the instructions given, we can tell how much they have learn on the values of hope and kindness.
what do u guyz think?
when i did it, i thought it was kinda interesting.
that's all from me.
c ya!

lisa/fei

Hardworking+patience!!!

i gotta admit that when i read the question... i had so many thoughts running in this complicated mind. hurmm... what value? what value?

then i thought of something. something that the kids can hold on to all through out their life as a human being: the value of being HARDWORKING+PATIENCE. :) bear with me as i bore you with my long explaination...

when i look at the kids, they seem so innocent. they enjoy life so much (every second of it). they have fun as if there was not a single problem in this world. (hello???) they run around happily without knowing what the world out there is like. (we were like that, i suppose.. when young) the REALITY, can be sum up into these words: A STRUGGLE, WILD, HARD, DEMANDING, COMPETITIVE, and UNPREDICTIBLE. don't you agree? every now and then, there bound to be obstacles that are just killing. if we are not strong enough, we perish. (haha)

i thought i wanted to share with the kids what are struggles/the bad times/the hardship that i had to go through in the past 19 years i have walked on Earth (fuuyoh... this is like creative writing).. i mean.. we ALL can share our depressing moments, failures, loss. and whats more important.. how did we stand up again and become who we are today. the kids perhaps see us as abangs and kakaks who have everything in the world/ successful people. i mean... we have good education etc. we even seem to be very contented with life as that is what our happy faces portray every saturday mornings... for once, why dont we tell them how we have struggled to come this far? you all would have to agree if i say, the journey was not easy...

lets share with them the struggles we faced. i think the two values of being 'patience' and 'hardworking' pulled us through all the struggles we have gone through in life. it would be a great session. a heart to heart talk. the kids will see us in a new light or perspective. i believe so. ooooo... so touching. i feel like crying. hahahahha.

hani.

p.s. then again different ppl hold on to different values, that help us to propel through this crazieee life. share the experiences!!!!.

Another quest for y'll

Hi All,
Thanks so much for all your thoughts and comments and feedback on the previous topic. I can see that most of you are quite expressive and have lots of ideas to share.
I hope you're all prepared for the second one. After all, prizes pun sudah bagi, right?
Question: What is the 'VALUE' that you would like to impart in the lives of the children in the reading group? In other words, besides just doing activities in every session, what impression would you want to leave behind after this session has ended? Do you have a specific 'LIFE MESSAGE' that you would like to convey in order to build the character of the child? (Pretty heavy-duty, huh? But please, each and every one of you, please give it a shot!)

Posting rights for Tiffany

Riman,

Can you please invite Tiffany onboard so she can post as well. Her email is tiffany.fy@gmail.com

Thanks,

Yong

Latest updates

hi everyone.

We have a problem for the 19th of April session. We have to cancel this date as the college has organised a talk for all you prospective medicine students.

I am toying with the idea of having the session earlier or a week later (12th or 26th). What do you all think?

Please give me feedback using the chat space in this blog.

Yong

Meeting

Hi all,

sorry for the late reminder. As we discussed on Sat, the meeting today will be at D25 at 3.30pm. See you there.

Yong

Hi.

The meeting on Wednesday will have to be cancelled as quite a number of students are having their IELTS class. Hence, we can only have a meeting this Friday at C27 3pm.

I suggest that this weeks activities be the normal and we actually plan for a more elaborate session later (on the 5th April). This will give us more time.

Yong

Hi everyone.

Thanks for updating the blog. Please leave your name at the end of each entry so we (or I) can identify you.

Hope you have had a good break. We had to cancel the last meeting scheduled on Friday 7th of March as there was too little volunteers around. It's ok though.

Can we have a meeting this Wed (19th March) at 3.30pm C27 to finalise for this Saturday. Thursday is a holiday so IF we need another meeting we still have Friday.

Some of us suggested a play/ drama...i'm thinking we might want to leave that nearer the end. what do you all think?

Yong

copyrights guaranteed

hey. i thought that the things on the blog were really inspiring and thought provoking as well. i took some thoughts which some of you had put on the blog to be included in an article. hope that all of you who had put up your posts don't mind. don't worry, ur copyrights are guaranteed! if u do mind, do tell me and i will not include it in the article. Please do not sue me on intrusion on the right to privacy. (i am not joking, i am dead serious) =)
i hope that more people would put up their thoughts and experiences on the blog!!!

a penny for ijat's thoughts...

to me, this has been my most interesting experience so far (in teaching kids anyway...)... i'm actually quite used to teaching kids... coz everytime we have a long break, my house will be full of kids having some sort of like a summer camp in my house...but still, these kids in SENTUL have touched my hearts the most so far...they all seemed so innocent with such creative young minds who can bring up so many ways to cheer up my day...seriously...the whole hectic week enduring all the challenges in SAM is neutralize by just one day (a few hours to be exact) with these kids...though some are quite naughty (who's not when they are a kid themselves right???) but in their own special way they have a spot for us in their hearts...that really touches me (am i crying????).....hahahahahaha....

at one point, i feel like im a kid again remembering when i was a kid myself....i used to hate arts and anything to do with it...but then, i just LOVE doing the JOURNAL we are required to do in this programme.....it's just FUN!!!.....whenever i feel stressed about anything involving college life....i just open up my journal and start decorating it and writing.....seriously....my journal is COLOURFUL....never thought it will turn out that way....feels just like a kid....(miss those times whenever i come to think of it).....

these kids have potential to be somebody in the future...somebody who can contribute something anyhow in their lives...HENCE (as mr yong likes to say it), i am very happy and proud that i have the opportunity to be a part in these kids lives.... we might not be able to see it yet but i think that we have in a way inspired them (i pray to God that they are).... lets not look our contribution as a small one because as some people might say it...a small deed can come to be a big difference....

so, let us all just do our best for our next sessions and share as much as we can....dont ever think this project as a burden and just have fun doing it....it will feel a whole lot better to think it that way...just a way to entertain ourselves looking at these kids characters.....well, to all volunteers, i just wanted to say, FIGHTING!!! and CHAIYOK!!!!

p/s: i'm still searching for cute stickers to give to my kids....hehehehehehehehe....and also for my own journal....huhu...isn't it FUN????

My 2 cents

It's been an interesting journey so far, Lot's of uncertainty and challenges are faced.That's unsurprising since it's a pilot project. We have to slowly take one step at a time and learn from our mistakes and success in order to guide the future volunteers

But I do hope what we're doing is helping them, All we can do is be here and provide and of course make this fun for them,It is really up to them to really want to learn.

It's a good experience, now i know how my mum feels when she teaches at school (*what's worse than teaching children? teaching teenagers..LOL*) I now really respect people who do teach full time and are fully dedicated to teaching (Teachers, lecturers, etc)

I really hope that the children will enjoy this programme and really learn something out of it.Nice to know that we really can Make A Difference (United) in someone else's life and take part in their life and helping them be best that they can be in this world

What runs in Kristin's mind.......

I personally do agree of the fun part being able to join such a meaningful project. Even though these sessions does eat up my extra sleeping hours on Saturdays, but I do admit that joining the MADU team and get to teach kids how to read is really an awesome job. I never even think i'll be able to teach anyone to read but now i totally feel great when i'm doing so!

It was a scary thought at first when i found out that what we will be doing is to teach KIDS! I almost freaked out and i actually think deep before i make the decision to attend the training session (go training session = NO TURNING BACK!). but, i made up my mind and give myself a chance to go along with the project and see how can i make an impact on these kids. The end results may not be what i'm expecting, but, at least i tried my best in helping these kids.

This project gives me a whole new experience and a new meaning on teaching. Now, i can truly undersand how my mom (she is a kindergarten teacher) teaches her kids tiredlessly. To educate the children and to help them build a better future for themselves. Although I'm still new to this, i truly believe as time goes by, i'll get use to it and make myself more comfortable dealing with the kids (luckily, my group has many little quiet ones ^_^) and of course, helping them improve their reading!

Jonathan's comments

i agree with hani.. eventho i know what we're doing is right, and that i know that i do want to enjoy it. it's hard for me to spawn true interest in what's doing. in that sense, i trully admire hani. i wish not just me but everyother volunteer will have the same passion for this program and bring it to next the next level so to speak

hani's experience

i promise that i'll type something brief... (yeah ryte :P)

how do i feel about the community that i am serving?
let me be honest. at first i was really sceptical. i mean: KIDS?!!! i can imagine all the trouble and burden that i was about to carry on these small shoulders of mine. i was scared (i still remember that first session, and i was in the stuffed van, and i was getting this PANIC attack as if i was about to go for a scholarship interview... i was so NERVOUS meeting the KIDS!!!) i just had no clue what i was going to do with them, if say.. they gave me their tantrums or started doing things that i did not like. i felt too young to be a 'parent' and what?!! dealing with KIDS!!! (the sound of the word KIDS just makes me tremble at times..haha)

but guess what???? i found this community that i am serving, (yes, the KIDS) are AWESOME!!!. it shocks me to find that they have so much POTENTIAL at a very YOUNG age. the kids in my group are SO CLEVER!!! little-EINSTEINs!!! i compare myself to them at their age, and i think that they are way better of than me in terms of knowledge and reading. serious. i'm in AWE seeing how they are so THIRSTY for KNOWLEDGE and FACTS. they have this CURIOSITY that no, does not kill the cat, but kills me... because i am so FASCINATED at how their little minds work and ABSORB so fast. i'm all "WOW!"

it really does render me speechless. and happy.. to know that i am a part of something 'NOBLE'. i am actually one of the individuals that are (and hopefully..remain for a long time) shaping the future of these KIDS. they may grow up to be someone really GREAT someday and i was a part of it all (haha, tumpang gembira). i taught them how to READ. i INSPIREd them. (i think/i hope?)

i learned one big lesson through all this mixing around with the kids. i learnt that when we all were kids, we all were just the SAME. we all were INQUISITIVE little creatures that are NATURALLY born GOOD in person. and i see that in all the kids in the room at the community centre. then i think, why is that some of us turn out to be useful beings and some others turn out to be criminals, addicts, rapists? when to think again, we started out the same: nice, sweet, innocent, good when we were little children. i guess people change due to their environment, influences through out their life. but if we are able to SET GOOD FOUNDATION, GOOD VALUES in these kids from a YOUNG age, then perhaps ALL will turn out to be GREAT society members someday.

i hope to instill values in these kids so that they would not be influenced by whateva BAD things in their years to come. i seriuously want to see them successful someday. cuz they are just AMAZING!! (thought naughty+irritating+evil at times... sorry.. i just needed to spill that..haha)

conclusion... i love this community that i am working with ryte now. FANTASTIC!!

hani

my experience

hello. just thought i'll share a bit of my experience on the reading programme.
the kids seem to like it when we bring props to liven up story telling session.
i brought things that may seem as ridiculous - a crown made out of newspaper, a tupperware which "thinks" it is a drum, a guitar which consists of a box and a few rubber bands!!!
i think the kids went along with me just because i told them to! (though i really hope they enjoyed themselves)
riman really caught the children's attention through some magic tricks during the "get to know you" session. He will make a great magician!!!
The kids were also impressed with his "sound effects" during story telling.
from a scale of 1 to 10, this experience certainly gets 100 hundred!!! i like the fact that i help out in any way that i can (big or small) and now i look forward to each saturday!!!
the kids are really great and it really means a lot when they give us a warm greeting before each meeting. it is as though we are making a real difference in their life even in a short amount of time. the greatest part of all is that not only am i giving, i am receiving as well. the kids have shown me that it is important for me to still retain my "inner child" and have fun! life is not all about exams and amount of a's. it is also to live life to the fullest! we need to smile more, laugh more and care more about others.

on a last note, i would like to ask everyone who is reading this post for a little favour.
i am hoping to get an article on this activity published on the college magazine (though it is subjected to the editorial approval first).
I hope that everyone can contribute by sharing their personal experience and any pictures of the kids or yourself during the activities.
if mr law and ms tifanny can also share on the process involved in journaling, that would be a great addition to the article as well.

thnx in advance to all!!!! hope that all of u read this and will encourage others to do the same!!!

Hi everyone

Can we meet up this Friday at C27, 3pm for a short meeting to discuss some items for the enxt session on the 22nd. I know that some of you are planning to go back to your hometowns. If you can't make it it's ok. We'll just discuss with whomever's there.

The main focus will be to get a general idea of what to do for the 22nd. We will meet again after the break to finalise things.

Yong

Hi

Dear Everyone,



Now that we have conducted three sessions of the reading program with the kids in Sentul, I would like to start contributing my feedback and more so, I hope all of you, the volunteers, will make an initiative to give feedback. It's really convenient as we are already using this blog as a platform. Now it's time to make full use of it. As an incentive, first 8 (eight) contributors gets a prize (serious!) from me!



I'd like to find out how you would rate this service experience, so let's start with this first question: How do you feel about the community you are serving?

Personally I am quite inspired by the kids. It's amazing to see their enthusiasm and eagerness to learn from you. Their appreciation is most apparent through their welcoming faces, their punctuality and responsive (most of them) attitude throughout the session. Some may be more active and playful than the others but that's normal. I hope by sticking to the program for the months to come, they will experience a transformation in character towards not only reading, but school performance, behaviour at home and more.

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Kind Regards,
Tiffany Tang