Monsoon Season (Caution, Care Must Prevail)

The writer believes that a beautiful camaraderie
makes life a wonderful journey.

            It is November and some countries welcome Thanksgiving, but in Malaysia, it marks the beginning of the monsoon season. The whole country will be affected by the season with those in the peninsula's east coast – Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang – being more likely to experience bad weather that will result in floods. In preparation for these worrying weather patterns, it is advisable for everyone to gear up and take steps to deal with this catastrophe.

            While adults feel anxious about negative consequences, some children may jump for joy in the rain and swim in floodwaters. Little do these children know that their excitement may lead to tragedy. Hence, parents need to watch over their children, bearing in their mind that (despite being able to swim) they cannot treat floodwaters like a water park. People die from drowning every year. Thus, we should be aware of the risk so that our family members will not be swept away by strong currents.

According to news reports, Terengganu has lost three lives from the recent floods, including the death of a disabled man few days ago. It is hoped the number will not increase. For those living in flood-prone areas, they need to leave their house immediately during a prolonged downpour before the situation gets worse.

Road accidents are a frequent occurrence, especially during the rainy season. Some are minor mishaps while others are major tragedies. Speeding and reckless driving may endanger the lives of the brash drivers and other road users alike. Everyone should realise that slippery roads may cause hydroplaning when one accelerates impatiently.

As a preventive measure, road users should avoid choosing the routes with high risk of flooding. Vehicles may be crawling on the road this season and it is unethical for us to lose our temper by honking or hurling insults at other road users who drive slower than normal because of slippery roads. We need to practise tolerance and kindness so that all of us can reach our destinations safely.

Those who usually go out late for work may need to leave earlier to avoid traffic congestion. Even if they are late for work or an event, they still need to adhere to road safety. After all, it’s better late than never.

It is hoped that the authorities will help make things better for the public. Traffic police may need to control main roads, especially during peak hours to ensure smooth traffic. The security authorities in each state also need to monitor residents living in low-lying areas for any possibility of floods.

          We have gone through a series of disasters through the year and we should all be geared up to face this one before we end 2014.

Courtesy of New Straits Times

24 November 2014

Integrity (Instil High Principles in Children)

The writer believes that a beautiful camaraderie
makes life a wonderful journey.

            The advice of the chief invigilator to all candidates when I was sitting for my Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia exam a long time ago is still fresh in my mind. He said: “You may be happy now for cheating without being caught, but is it going to be worth making a lot of money from the tainted results you achieved in the past?”

            Among 455,839 candidates sitting for SPM this year, some may fail to maintain their integrity in producing results with high validity. Cheating in public examinations can be as serious as smuggling notes into the exam hall or as common as glancing at other candidates’ question papers to copy answers. Those displaying suspicious or eccentric behaviours will be identified as potential cheaters, who may be charged for violating examination rules.

            Students cheat for various reasons. Some students want to impress their parents, teachers and friends with their outstanding results. Others are desperate for a maximum number of As to qualify for a place in university. Yet, others study at the eleventh hour and experience mental block when reading the questions. 

Regardless of their reasons, there is no excuse for cheating. Invigilators need to keep an eye on candidates for any attempt to break exam rules. A zero-tolerance policy must be applied on cheaters who are caught red-handed during the examinations. The action against the culprits should serve as a warning and a lesson to others. It is also to remind everyone that cheating is not a trivial matter.

The writer and friends during SPM once upon a time...

This moral principle should be instilled in students early. When they start college or pursue a career, some unethical friends may offer them shortcuts to score an easy A or to make easy money, and it will cost their integrity to achieve their goals. When they get used to the habit, they will start enjoying their “fast-track” life without considering the negative implications of their actions.

            Corruption, which is the result of low integrity, is a heinous crime that has been in the limelight for too long. This fraudulent conduct invites chaos in the society and affects a country’s economic growth. Individuals involved in this conspiracy enjoy their ill-gotten gains while sacrificing business ethics. 

            Before teenagers leave school, we need to plant integrity in their hearts and minds, for they are the ones who will either make or break our country’s future.

Courtesy of New Straits Times

15 November 2014

What Will Happen If We Lose Trees?

The writer believes that a beautiful camaraderie
makes life a wonderful journey.

            In the blink of an eye, the beauty of Cameron Highlands has been washed away by mud floods and landslides. The four people who died in the disaster have paid the price for the illegal land clearers and loggers' irresponsible acts. 

        While Cameron Highlands is recovering from the damage, we need to prevent the same from befalling other places.

            The perpetrators may be brought to justice, but the crime is likely to be committed again by others in other areas.

            When one’s right is violated, we take the matter seriously and defend the victim, but how many of us would help save nature when its habitat is threatened? 

           We cannot imagine our life without the person we love but will we feel the same if we lose trees, which are sources of our oxygen?

There is no doubt that human beings need nature to live. Maintaining good relationships with other people is as important as strengthening our ecosystem. The practice of illegal logging will only disrupt the ecological balance while the presence of illegal dumpsites near a river can cause water pollution and bring discomfort to residents living around the area with the pungent smells.

It is our responsibility to preserve the environment and the wildlife.

As biologist Edward O. Wilson said: “The earth is our home. Unless we preserve the rest of life, as a sacred duty, we will be endangering ourselves by destroying the home in which we evolved, and on which we completely depend.”

The writer and friends in Cameron Highlands 7 years ago.

Previous campaigns to save the environment might have been effective but it did not last long. Some customers say “no” to plastic bags only on Saturdays but use them on other days. Children are taught theories about the importance of recycling and discarding different products in different-coloured bins, but, ironically, they can only find black bins around the school area to place the items.

Also, some people behind the wheel behave in an uncivilized manner by throwing litter out of their car windows. These drivers are insensitive, ignorant and selfish. 

We need to appreciate nature, which keeps us happy and healthy before natural disasters strike to leave us feeling horrible and terrible.  

And, without a sense of humanity, the mood to create a greener world will only be seasonal, and not eternal.

             Courtesy of New Straits Times

12 November 2014

Bullying (Hectic Role Takes A Toll)

The writer believes that a beautiful camaraderie
makes life a wonderful journey.

            In an effort to curb ragging incidents in boarding schools, the government plans to install closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV) in specific areas, according to the news report “Stop ragging in schools” (NST, Nov 7). Bullying cases normally take place in school hostels and wardens on duty are the first persons to refer to, or for some, to blame.

I was a warden for four years in two different schools and the experience was one of a kind. Hectic days at school and sleepless nights at the hostel were my definition of a teacher-cum-warden.

            Being the only male warden, I had no choice but to be on duty the whole academic year. As wardens, we work on weekends, public holidays and school holidays, especially during the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia period.

            In boarding schools, wardens carry their responsibilities as form teachers, disciplinary board members, advisers of clubs and coaches for co-academic competitions, to name a few. They are also examiners, invigilators, adjudicators and committee members for various programmes held at school, district and state levels.

            At the hostel, wardens carry their duty of care by constantly reminding students to obey hostel rules to avoid procedural action being taken against them as prevention is better than cure.

Wardens, too, need to be actively involved in students’ daily routine. Every time hostel occupants have their meals, wardens need to be present in the dining hall to ensure that everything goes well. Roll calls are taken in the morning before students leave for school, in the evening before they disperse for games and sports, and at night before they go to bed.            

            When students break the rules, wardens spend extra hours to deal with offenders. Sometimes, it takes days and weeks when it comes to handling serious offences. Besides, wardens are forced to respond to complaints from parents, teachers and the community regarding students’ attitude.

            Since hostel students are expected to be all-rounders – individuals with excellent academic performance, good leadership skills, active participation in sports, and exemplary manners - wardens need to carry out effective programs to meet the expectation. On weekdays and weekends, wardens have to check the dormitories and reports need to be compiled on a daily basis.   

I recommend that owing to the responsibilities and workload involved, a non-teacher be picked to fill the warden post.

            I handed in my resignation letter in April after my health condition deteriorated due to hypertension.

Courtesy of New Straits Times

10 November 2014

Discipline Starts from Young at Home

The writer believes that a beautiful camaraderie
makes life a wonderful journey.

            Since a few months ago, the number of individuals trying to join the Islamic State (IS) has been increasing, and surprisingly, several arrested are professionals with good education backgrounds. Their obsession and perception of jihad, unfortunately, make them choose the wrong way.

In universities, ragging has been a common culture to welcome juniors. Just recently, as other schoolchildren were busy preparing for final exams, a Form Two student from the Mara Junior Science College in Balik Pulau was assaulted by eight senior students at the hostel.

The scenarios prove that outstanding academic performance does not make one a better thinker. They fail in their attitude.

Parenting consultant Dr William Sears said: “A child has to learn how to empathise, to be able to think through an action before doing it and to judge how the consequences of his action will affect himself and others.”

Like charity, morality and discipline begin at home. Parents need to start disciplining their offspring early. A stitch in time saves nine.

            To begin the process, parents need to focus on basic routines that will determine children’s habits in the future. For example, when it comes to potty training, experts agree that children are best trained from two to three years. 

            Parents also need to teach their children that cleanliness is next to godliness. It is important to practise good hygiene and to keep the environment clean. Frequent reminders may be necessary to make them understand that it is not okay to leave a place dirty or to throw rubbish in the wrong place.

            When children start schooling, parents may need to schedule their reading and playing time. Effective time management is important for young children, especially with the prevalence of online games. If parents fail to restrict game time, children are unlikely to resist the temptation. As a consequence, they will be glued to their gadgets all day long.

            In addition, parents need to supervise their kids as they spend their time on TV to avoid them going for an extra hour. With Korean dramas gaining popularity, teenagers should be prevented from getting addicted to downloading new series to the point of neglecting their studies.

            To ensure that children will not turn into Jekyll and Hyde, parents need to develop cooperative partnerships with teachers to keep their children’s discipline in check. Parents and school authorities need to put a mutual effort to reduce disciplinary problems among students.       

 To get children to follow simple rules does not mean creating less happy childhood memories. Someday, children will realise that the once tedious do’s and don’ts actually help them live a regret-free life.

            Courtesy of New Straits Times

8 November 2014

All Work And No Play Makes English A Dull Subject

The writer believes that a beautiful camaraderie
makes life a wonderful journey.

            In the olden days, great teachers were the recipe for students’ achievements, as shown in a number of literary works.

Professor Higgins transformed flower girl, Eliza Doolitle into a duchess with an impeccable speech in the 1912 play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. Miss Moore helped her ignorant students realise the value of life, education and respect in the 1972 short story The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara, while Miss Orville made the rambunctious Roger behave in another short story, Miss Awful , by Arthur Cavanaugh.

            It was challenging to make students learn then, and the job gets tougher now.

            To respond to Dr. Sankaran Ramanathan’s dilemma, “Why are we teaching English in Bahasa Malaysia?” (NST, Oct 21), it is actually a strategy used for economically disadvantaged learners in suburban and rural areas. These students feel de-motivated and insecure when their English teachers teach in English until familiar Malay words, or, in certain cases, dialects, are heard. This is also how we get students to participate, to turn the chalk-and-talk method into a sharing session.

         For, there is an inner voice in every student that whispers: Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me, and I learn. (Benjamin Franklin)

Nevertheless, English teachers should minimise the use of BM and choose the simplest English words when providing information or giving instructions. As students adapt with the now-familiar English words, teachers should try using a higher level of English vocabulary.

Nowadays, students’ competency in English takes educators in universities by surprise, and some lecturers may assume that pedagogies used by teachers in the students' alma mater are the reason behind their low scores in tests. The blame chain goes down to the students' previous teachers and parents. 

School is the students’ second home and they long for attention from teachers. It is important for teachers to forbid less and advise more. Harsh punishments will only result in negative consequences that put everyone under pressure.

Effective teachers maintain a cordial relationship with students as well as engage in a friendly conversation with them from time to time. In the process, teachers should identify problems and rectify the situation. Psychologist Thomas Gordon suggests teachers modify the learning environment to reduce student misbehavior and to overcome apathy among students. 

Truth be told, students yearn to learn in a joyful, safe and satisfying surrounding. They crave for a fun, stress-free and relaxing lesson.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Teachers may need to treat lessons like a playground - a place full with energy, excitement and passion - to cater for students’ needs, interests and preferences. 

Students yearn for fun learning.

Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore said: “Don’t limit a child to your own learning, for he was born in another time.”  

Courtesy of New Straits Times

 31 October 2014