New experience every day, all day

From the very first call that I got this job, I was so excited, thrilled and somehow nervous. Excited and thrilled as I get to spend time with kids, you know, the adorable and cute kids. To watch them learn, to watch them grow. It was so very exciting for me. Back then, I was only exposed to high school kids, which is a very big experience for me too. As that was the first time I got to teach and deal with attitude. I admit, it was pretty tough. But then, hey! I survived.

My very first class here started. I was so scared. So many thoughts come through my mind such as, “Will they love me?”, “Will they enjoy the class?” and “Will they learn something from my teaching?”, but then again, as the classes were conducted, I learn new things in each class. Like how do you deal with tantrums, how do you cope with the students when their hyper, how do you get their attention to the lesson again. It's not only about me teaching them, it also about them teaching me. It's a two way teaching interaction.

Now let me tell you a story, for the first few weeks, before the class starts, this one girl, N, was crying so badly because her mom left which is somehow normal, because it is her first time being alone with a stranger. I have no idea how to deal with her, at first. But then, luckily I have my boss to help to persuade her. Observing how my boss persuaded her made me learned on how to deal with kids like that. For the first few classes, she would start crying before the class starts, and I have to persuade her to calm down. But then, when a new student came in, she stopped crying and acted like a big girl. This made me question, like, “Why all of a sudden you are not crying and help me persuade the new girl?”  N did help me to persuade A and she was so proud that she stopped crying and saying that she is a big girl now. I was like, “Oh, okay. Now I understand. N wants A to think that she is a big girl, that's why N did not cry”. Okay. Understood! Dealing with these situations made me learned on how to calm my students down when they are crying or when they are showing tantrums.

Another story is when they learned to say “Sorry” and “Thank you”. This made me so happy as I try my best not only to teach them the lesson of the day but also, some courtesy and manners. For example, JY kept on hitting H and she refused to say sorry even when she was asked to do so. After so many times asking her to do so, she started crying as she really didn’t want to say sorry at all. I was like, “Okay.”. The following week, JY did something to H again. I pretended that I didn’t see anything. Out of the blue, JY said sorry to H! I was like so amazed that she did say sorry without being told to do so. It is such a relief that they know when to say sorry and when to say thank you.

I have to admit, it was tough at first, but as time passes by, I am learning something new each day, not only from my students, but from my boss and the parents as well. Learning should be fun for the kids. We want them to learn something new, not demanding them to score A+ in each class. Kids at this very young age, only know how to have fun and play. Although they look like they are not learning anything, they are actually absorbing the lessons that are being taught by the teachers in their own way and at their own pace. As a teacher, I do believe that when my students enjoy the class, they will learn something. No worries parents. 

Authored by,

Teacher Nurul
LETZHOP Damansara