the reflection insight of me

Well this is where I leave UPM (sort of), and in this two years I have leant a lot and I mean a lot but above all is what I like, literature. All of my life I’ve go through a few level in understanding literature. From just understand the literal meaning, realize that literature has more than one layer, learn about how to teach the literature, and what I have learnt in these two years here is what I treasure the most, how to love and appreciate literature. Now I can see literature is not just words put in beautiful order or fancy words put together but the thought or view of other person put in words. Maybe for some, literature is nothing or only use to melt woman’s heart but for me it can be use to melt human’s heart and reshape it into a better form. I think if only every person can appreciate art and literature in the way it should be appreciated, this big blue sphere would be a better place. And how to appreciate literature? Read and you shall learn. I think my life has been better through my understanding and passion for literature and I hope it is a start for a better world. Well this is my last share of words here, Godspeed.

Seize the day boys..seize the day!

CARPE DIEM, I learn these words in the movie 'Dead Poet Society', which was recommended by Dr. Edwin. I really like the story, a teacher come back to his former school and bring his ideology to the school, for him literature is not a words that need to be study but to be absorb and savour. And like any school that only thin about performance, discipline and tradition, any unorthodox method would be seen as a sin and any mistake would be blame on it. Well I think the method that Mr. Keating use is a good method despite that a students commit suicide because the family and school against his passion for acting. What important for Mr. Keating is the appreciation of literature and use it as a way to reflect the human side of a person that craves for love, passion and happiness. I thinks student now a days especially in the special elite school is just like a robot that were programmed to memorize the text book and answer the exam as accurate as possible. For me this kind of students lack the touch of humanity and I think what Mr. Keating do is what this kind of students need. First hand approach to the literature, use the literature as a living element and appreciate it. And by doing this in a way students can learn more of human value through literature.

how do i view a teacher...metaphorically

Few days ago, Dr. Edwin asks my class a question, ‘how will you view you yourself as a teacher’? At first I thought he want us to write down our feelings or our view as a teacher and after a few stabbing words on how we don’t understand English or literature finally we understand what he meant was for us to draw an image that metaphorically define our view of how teacher suppose to be or what kind of teacher. I draw a picture of a factory with a sign written ‘inspected by ISO, PTA and S.O.C.I.A.L E.X.P.E.C.T.A.T.I.O.N’ the reason I draw this is because I feel like teachers actually don’t have freedom in shaping the future of the students as they are tied up with all the regulations, red-tape, expectation and requirements so teacher is just like a factory and students is their products. Then I draw an image of a painter with no face and an empty drawing to symbolize the literature teacher. For me in literature both side, teacher and students is the painter and the drawing block that take turns to paint, putting their colour and come out with different drawing but same intentions. The painter with no face and empty drawing is to show that students and teachers can learn from each pother in literature as different person has different ideas and interpretation.

the supervisor for my thesis

Now I’m pursuing my degree, to have a degree right now I’m doing my thesis and I have a supervisor for it and he is Dr. Arshad. It is kind of flattering when you have an important person as the deputy dean to be your supervisor and beside he has teach us last semester for grammar subject he is also my Personal Advisor (P.A) so in a way I know how does he work. I have to admit that he is a very busy person as it’s quite hard to meet him to discuss about our thesis. But when we able to meet him he gave us a well understood instruction and direction for us to complete our thesis. I can say that he is a very nice and caliber man (not I want to ‘bodek’ him) because although I see he is kind of laid back in explaining our question but still his words are firm and well put. Well what I want to say here is I admire how he manage to handle is tight schedule and busyness and still able to make up time for us, now that is professionalism that I think we should look up to

O' Forum

Again this semester we have to involve with the on-line forum at the MELTA website, but this time we are the one in charge of our topic. now we have to initiate a topic that are related with literature and then let other people respond to our topic as we also respond to other people's topic. my topic is 'Literature in science and technology era', i wan5t to discuss on how does literature become relevant to be teach in todays classrooms and what should we tell to students when they ask why should they learn literature.

there are a lot of good, interesting and critical topic that can squeeze my brain cap in the forum, but i think this is a good way for us teachers to discuss about a lot of important thing that relate to our matter of teaching or learning literature. by using this forum i can even discuss with experienced teacher or professor. Beside, it is free, how can it be better right?

oh research paper!!

Finally it has come to this, coming out with a little research for my degree. At first I was kind of blurred out, have no idea what I want to do. After space out for a while I decide I’ll go with Roald Dahl (again, what can I say, I like him). I’ve choose the story ‘Lamb to the slaughter’ and ‘Mrs. Dixby and the Colonel’s coat’. The reason I chose these two stories is because that these two share the same thing, irony. Both have ironies in the plot that really spark my interest in making a research on it. It would be very interesting if you realize that the plainness mood of the story where you didn’t expecting anything drastic and suddenly when you read a line, your view of the story turn 180. my research is on how Roald Dahl make keeping the mood of the story so well that you keep on reading even though there are nothing happen and suddenly you said ‘I really didn’t see it coming…’ and also how doe Roald Dahl’s history and background influence his writing.

A movie that move me

People said that teachers have the heart of steel because they face a lot of challenge in teaching. From my own..well from my father’s experience you do need the heart of steel to become a good teacher. He use to tell me story of parents come to school with machete when their sons been scold or students just don’t want to come your class at all just because they feel like it. I thought I’ve seen (or heard the worst), but after watching the movie ‘Freedom Writers’ (it is based on true story) I guess there are more challenging world for us teachers out there.

Set in the so-called-land of opportunity the story is about a teacher Mrs. G (sorry I couldn’t remember her name) that been accepted in a high school where an integration program become a racial war between the students (Asian, African American, Caucasian, Latinos) although it is just a movie but I know it is true in USA there are place where when you woke up every day the only thing you looking forward to is to survive and be alive for another day. I’m trying imagining what would I feel if I am a teacher in that place where every day is a war even for teachers, a war to keep students interest in study and not letting their morale and judgment succumb to society’s sickness. It is really interesting how Mrs. G taking a step each day trying to make the students keep on coming to class (although it looks clumsy when she try to be as hip as the students). She know students have problems but no wall to write on (although there are students who make graffiti on administration’s office) so she gave them a book to write on as a journal, to write their problem in it and let her read it only if they wanted to. She makes them read the diary of Anne Frank and even find the survivors of the Holocaust (and also the person that help Anne Frank) to tell her students how hard life can be and how strong human will can be. I can see step-by-steps the students change not their life become better in an instant but how they become a better and stronger person. It is a very beautiful and inspiring story especially for us teachers, although Mrs. G lost her marriage due to her commitment to her students (besides her husband cant understand what she is doing) but I think that can be avoided, besides she sacrifice her happiness and gain happiness for her 20 to 30 students, don’t you think she has done a noble things. Don’t you?