How shall I put it?

Emily…

Today is a pretty sad day for me… It’s Emily’s last day. Her whole family will be moving to Hong Kong for good. As We were getting to know each other better, it has to come to an end, i guess this is what every teachers have to endure and live with, and be strong hearted about it. We, heavy hearted to say goodbye, have to learn to let go. After all, they are other parents’ children.

Surprisingly, she behaved very well today. There was a difference in her, especially her attitude… She was happy, talkative, knows how to let me know that she wanted to ‘pee pee’, and asking me to tie her hair for the last time…. *SIGH*…

She was happily telling me that she will be going to Hong Kong with daddy… without knowing that she will never see her class mates or Miss Chan and Miss Wendy again!!!! “Emily go to Hong Kong with daddy and mummy ok?” said Emily while eating her biscuit. With a sparkling smile! I was heartbroken….:( She was the last to finish her snack today. I guess in her little way, she wanted to spend some quiet time with me Usually she eat pretty fast as she will be rushing to finish off her snack so that she can go out and play! She did not even cared if she missed the playtime today. When I told her that I won’t be waiting for her and that she will miss her play time with other children, she simply said “Don’t close the door ok?” I just did not have the heart anymore to leave her behind while she sat alone enjoying her biscuit. I ended up sitting with her and chatting with her on just about anything… It was the best time I had spent with her since I started teaching.

It was time for me to leave when she finally finished up her snack and got out to wear her shoes. I helped put it on for her and she just flashed me a huge smile…. I hugged her and told her to be a good girl when she goes to Hong Kong and that she has to listen to all the teachers there and make new friends. Believe it or not, she started pouting… That’s when I guess, she somehow knew that it’s a farewell speech to her… When i got out of the gate, all she did was stood watching me… I had to tear my gaze away from her and just walked away.

SIGH….!!!

I hate when people leave
Its way too hard to say goodbye
when tears are running down your eyes
Whether they have died or gone somewhere far
Its too hard to bear
To know they wont be there
And the only way you’ll see them is
if you think back in time
With the memories you have shared
now  embedded in your mind
There’s no way you can forget them
because the impression they left behind
And now you long to see them or
hear their voice again
But you know it mite not happen
It makes me sad and that’s why
I hate when people leave…..

It is Katerina’s birthday today too. I guess you can say there was a balance of ‘YIN’ and ‘YANG’… Katerina had party packs for her classmates and my yellow class kids… Here are pictures of her giving out the party packs to each of the students. She seemed mixed with emotions today. Came to kindy crying but was happily smiling away during photo session…

the birthday girl…

yellow and red class waiting for their party packs with Ms. Chan

getting impatient…

Red Class angels… (Aged 3 to 41/2 yrs old)

Casper and Katerina… and Elias

Michael….Ammerys

Ruben… Tisha…

The Twins - Sheyna… Sneha

Valentina…Ru Yi

Summer… Keia (J.Lo’s sweety)…

Sterra…She was sulking coz we made her wear her specs…

My Yellow class angels: (Aged 1/12 to 21/2 yrs old)

Kellan.. Hanna…

Elie (J. Lo’s 2nd sweety)…Sashi….

Sweet Indy…Cutie lil Aishah..

last but not least, our dear Emily and Baby John…

Her signature pout…

Little baby John joining in the hoo raas…

Baby John…

Ain’t this adorable? Hanna taking care of John…

“Directress, you have to learn up the Para Para dance so that you can teach the students for the up-coming family day at Titiwangsa this Saturday!” said Ms. Theam (our kindy principal). “You have got 3 days to get it right!” We, directress all stared blankly at her, wondering how in the &)&&#)($&(* are we going to achieve that!!!!

We had discussed and agreed to doing Para Para dance like a month before hand. I had downloaded the videos from Youtube with the help of Ed converting and burning the files so that I can bring it to kindy for viewing and ‘practice’. As usual, dilly dally to the last few days and panic buttons were pushed and all of us Directress are running around like headless chicken.

Probably is talent that we have in us, we managed to get the hang of how Para Para is being danced. I chose the simplest version with a nice catchy tune (in fact, all of us were humming it now and then - LOL, it got stuck in our heads!!!! Dang!) I think we would be ‘eating’ Para, ‘drinking’ Para, ’shitting’ Para and ‘dreaming’ Para these few days till Saturday!

We managed to ’show’ and ‘teach’ the children - it was a funny sight. We trying to keep up to the beat and movements (also trying our hardest to look like we have been doing it for years!!!!) Children being fast learners, some of them actually got on quite well!!! In fact, they could be better than us “old farts” with rusty bones…. ;P

Here is some info on what ‘Para Para’ dance is:

Para Para is performed using mostly arm movements; very little lower body movement is involved save for perhaps moving one’s hips or stepping in place, although a few routines require more detailed leg motions. It has been speculated that it is a descendant of the traditional Bon Odori dance, however there is no known link. The dance originated from the early days in the 80’s when men working in the VIP room in clubs would choreograph dances to impress the women. The dance style then grew from there. The dances are performed to fast, upbeat music such as Eurobeat, Hyper Techno and Eurodance. Fans of Para Para dancing often call themselves “Paralists”.

The dance we are to do:

**KING KONG…KING KONG….**

As promised, here is an introduction of what Montessori is all about. (with reference to my post ‘A day at My Montessori’)

‘The name ‘Montessori’ derived from the founder, Maria Montessori.

Maria Montessori, born in 1870, was the first woman in Italy to receive a medical degree. She worked in the fields of psychiatry, education and anthropology. She believed that each child is born with a unique potential to be revealed, rather than as a “blank slate” waiting to be written upon. Her main contributions to the work of those of us raising and educating children are in these areas:

· Preparing the most natural and life-supporting environments for the child

· Observing the child living freely in this environment

· Continually adapting the environment in order that the chid may fulfill his or her greatest potential, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

In 1907 she was given the opportunity to study “normal” children, taking charge of fifty poor children of the dirty, desolate streets of the San Lorenzo slum on the outskirts of Rome. The news of the unprecedented success of her work in this Casa dei Bambini “House of Children” soon spread around the world, people coming from far and wide to see the children for themselves. Dr. Montessori was as astonished as anyone at the realized potential of these children.

One distinguishing feature of the Montessori method, at the pre-school age, is that children direct their own learning, choosing among the sections of a well-structured and stocked classroom, the curriculum including Practical Life (fine and gross motor skills), Sensorial (senses and brain), Language, Mathematics, Geography, Science, and Art. The teacher’s role is to introduce children to materials, and then remain a “silent presence” in the classroom. Montessori schools pride themselves on seeing and meeting the student’s personality and intellectual needs, rather than viewing them as part of a classroom process. The students are encouraged to teach and to help each other.

Primarily applied in preschool and elementary school settings (and occasionally in middle- and high school), its method of education is characterised by emphasising self-directed activity, on the part of the child, and clinical observation, on the part of the teacher (often called a director, directress, guide) — to stress the importance of adapting the child’s learning environment to his or her development level, and the role of physical activity in the child’s absorbing abstract concepts and learning practical skills.

The potential of the child is not just mental, but is revealed only when the complete “Montessori method” is understood and followed. The child’s choice, practical work, care of others and the environment, and above all the high levels of concentration reached when work is respected and not interrupted, reveal a human being that is superior not only academically, but emotionally and spiritually, a child who cares deeply about other people and the world, and who works to discover a unique and individual way to contribute. This is the essence of real “Montessori” work today.

“Supposing I said there was a planet without schools or teachers, study was unknown, and yet the inhabitants - doing nothing but living and walking about - came to know all things, to carry in their minds the whole of learning: would you not think I was romancing? Well, just this, which seems so fanciful as to be nothing but the invention of a fertile imagination, is a reality. It is the child’s way of learning. This is the path he follows. He learns everything without knowing he is learning it, and in doing so passes little from the unconscious to the conscious, treading always in the paths of joy and love.”

- Maria Montessori

Glad to be back at kindy!!! Been a way for a week due to fever, cold, cough and throat infection!!!! This is the first time i looked forward to going back to work! How can anyone stay away from those lovely and adorable kids for even a single day?

I was afraid none of them will remember me, but as what Doe said (my principal) they definitely will and can remember! Silly me!!!

Schedule in a brief:

8.30am :
Arrived @ kindy

8.30am - 9.30am :
Children’s arrival and outdoor play

9.30am :
Circle time (this is when we teachers make a circle with the kids singing songs)

9.45am :
Cleaning time (kids washes hands before snack time - and they do it all by themselves,except 2 of ‘em - Sebastian T. and Sashi)

9.45am - 10.30am :
Snack time + wash up. They had biscuit and apple.

10.30am - 11.00am :
Coloring time (this month’s theme is revolving around ‘occupation’ - today the kids colored ‘doctor’ and ‘cook’). A total of 10 ‘Masterpieces’ of artwork from my potential artists! Actually it was more of a scribble; red face/yellow hands/blue
hair, so on… you get the jeez!

11.00am :
Mandarin class (should have recorded the kids trying to learn and speak in Mandarin!! Especially the ‘kwai lo’ kids…. i can’t wipe my smile off my face the whole time. Which also equates to me learning some Mandarin!!! They did more coloring but this time, it was in Chinese - Mr. Postman and Mr Fireman. I totally have forgotten how it’s said, dang!

11.30am :
Wash up and lunch time! They had pasta today! Most of them usually have 2nd servings! “I want more!”

12.00pm :
Bathe time (yeap! we bathe the kids!!!!)

12.30pm :
Nap time. Some will go home. We teachers will have our mini lunch.

1.30pm :
Wake up and play!

2.00pm :
Wash up and snack again! This time they had bun and grapes.

2.30pm :
Play time AGAIN!!!!

3.00pm :
Ms Wendy leaves the kindy and calls it a day! SIGHING happily but with a heavy heart to leave the children.

Here are some pictures i took during one of the student’s birthday 2 weeks ago! His name is Benjamin Benjak.

Upcoming : A little info on what is Montessori.