Hani's Comments

Firstly, it is really hard for me to abide to word limits. my apologies.
Secondly, it is merely opinions.
Thirdly, on an overall scale, this is the best experience yet since i enrolled in Taylors.

My best experience as a volunteer

I feel that the best experience would be seeing how much I can influence a child. I feel proud that I succeeded in understanding the children, and from being distant, we became close ‘kakak and adik’. The best example would be Shin Chan (Syaqizal). He was very distant before (everyone knows), and I thought that I will never be able to get him open up to me. The best moment was during the third week when before he went home, he made the effort to come to me and daniel to shake our hands. I felt that I achieved something. I felt that I meant a lot to these kids.

What the children benefited the most

My opinion is they finally have someone to look up to. They have a good role model now. I once recall Shin Chan writing in my book: ‘you go to college’. I translate that he looks up to me because I am an educated example. I hope that it drives him forward to do the best in his education. Same for all the kids. The children also benefited in the sense that they now know that anything is possible. Drawing is possible. This was mostly instilled during the journaling. Other than that, they also now know that reading is not only in form of books but also singing, role-playing and story-telling. They now can diversify their source of reading materials.

What the children benefited the least

I feel that the children lacked the instilling of good moral values like sharing and team work. This was not really stressed on during the reading time. I also think that in terms of reading, as this is the main objective of the program, the children in the Level 1 benefited the most while for Level 2, the aim was not really achieved as most of them took it lightly. If to be specific, they did learn new facts from the reading activities, but they did not really in a profound way, improved their pronunciation and vocabulary due to the short sessions and yes, lack of man-power to have a one on one reading session.

The most effective activity

I would say the most effective activity that I have so far done is… well.. to be honest, I don’t think there is any that I can really regard as ‘effective’. There always had been an obstacle every time I planned something out. Haha. Let me see… I think it was the story telling for ‘around the world in 80 days’… because I prepared so many pictures for the story and this really did attract the children to ask and ask what/where/who about the pictures.

The biggest challenge as a group and as an individual

Biggest challenge as a group is that trying to get them to pay attention to one activity and keeping quite. Believe it or not, they just love to wonder off doing something esle. We did try to discipline them. I should have implemented rules and discipline (like what was adviced ms.tiffany in the first session) earlier. The biggest challenge as an individual is having not to feel guilty. Every time after a session, I would be rendered quite in the van contemplating back what I could have done better for the session. I would get angry with myself (lisa would be the ear, of course) thinking why I lost control of the group, why the kids still complained “kak hani.. nak buat benda lain boleh tak?” then, Mr.Yong words would pop into my mind, “we try our best”. So.. that is my biggest challenge: not feeling guilty, thinking that I have not done the best for the children.

What I would have done if I was given a second chance

i would plan and plan. I would come up with all these sorts of amazing games and session for every session. Kids tend to get bored easily. I would also try to learn to be more flexible in handling the kids. I would have more volunteers to attend to one on one reading. And more healthy food (haha).

Love,
Hani