Educators Have a Huge Responsibility

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

             Like many other significant days that are celebrated every year as a sign of respect, remembrance and appreciation, May 16 is synonymous with Teachers Day. With this year’s meaningful theme, “Teachers: Builders of Knowledge and Character”, it is perfect to describe the important roles teacher play inside and outside the classroom.

            From my experience of teaching in three different schools, I have encountered various school scenarios and multiple personalities of both teachers and students that are, at times, unexpected and unbearable but, nevertheless, intriguing to study and learn from.

It has been said that a doctor’s mistake may kill a patient but a teacher’s wrong move may kill an entire generation. This saying suggests that teachers are the ones responsible in determining students’ direction, decisions and even ambitions, because these teachers are, undoubtedly, the builders of not only knowledge but also character. However, are all educators aware of this huge responsibility? Are future teachers ready to shoulder challenging roles in helping the country produce quality individuals?

Truth be told, there are teachers who think that students’ academic performance is the only thing that matters, which is contradictory with the objectives of the National Philosophy of Education that aims to optimise the intellectual, emotional, spiritual and physical potentials of learners.

Some teachers also fail to understand the right concept and purpose of education when they label, discriminate and doubt the ability of students in becoming successful individuals with the potential to become dedicated and productive workers.

Teachers need to realise that to focus only on excellent students and deny weak learners their fair share of attention is uncalled for. When teachers develop a negative perception towards underprivileged students, it will make the situation worse. Students will stop believing in themselves, lose their confidence and develop an inferiority complex. Consequently, there will be a gap between the advanced and weak learners when the smart become smarter and the weak, weaker.

Children are gifted with multiples intelligence and abilities. It is teachers’ responsibility to activate and develop students’ talent and skills especially when parents fail to discover their children’s hidden potential. Sometimes, teachers need to expect the unexpected. Some students in weak classes may show better enthusiasm in learning than those in the top class. Quiet and problematic learners may be creative and critical thinkers, who are able to innovate, solve problems and contribute mind-blowing ideas. Unfortunately, these students are often overlooked and not given the opportunity to shine as their teachers have forgotten that every child is special and there is a good side of everyone. The fact that some teachers are prejudiced, discriminative and emotional towards their students that they forget to think and act positively, wisely and rationally is disappointing.

  True teachers are a source of inspiration to students and society. Their contributions are countless and their sacrifices and priceless. Let us, in conjunction with this special day, thank our teachers for their passion, sincerity and perseverance in helping us to stand where we are now.

A blessed Teachers Day to those in the teaching profession.

Courtesy of New Straits Times

16 May 2015

Teaching Kids the Importance of Safety

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

          Parents do not want to face the horrible and terrible experience of losing a child, but do they put enough effort in making sure that their children will stay safe wherever they are? Are their children always the top priority or will they easily switch their attention when they hear the alluring beeps of their smartphones?

            Children, no matter how smart, should not be left unattended, considering their level of maturity and sensibility, which may not be able to control and prevent danger. Otherwise, children will have to pay the price of the adults’ failure to keep them safe, and recent incidents that claimed lives of kids paint a clear picture of what should not happen if safety were applied.

Accidents can happen anywhere, anytime and to anyone. Thus, it is important for parents and teachers to educate children about safety and strangers. Parents need to remind their children to control their behaviour in public and stay close to them or guardians to prevent mishaps and other undesirable circumstances. After all, prevention is the best way to avoid future regrets, blames and ordeals.

            Teachers are equally responsible to equip children with safety skills.  For children in pre-schools, kindergartens and primary schools, creative activities should help children enjoy lessons on safety. This is one way to create an effective learning lesson full of values and the information necessary for knowledge and survival.

            Apart from receiving formal education in schools, government and non-government organisations may contribute in inculcating awareness in children regarding personal safety. Programmes that focus on how, why, where and when to be safe are best conducted during school breaks. Not only will these educational and beneficial programmes make their holidays enjoyable and intriguing, it would be a good opportunity to make new friends, as well as encourage cooperation and social interaction. Getting our children to participate in these physically and mentally healthy activities is certainly better than letting them spend the whole day, or worse, the entire school break, playing video games, watching television, surfing the Internet or hanging out with the wrong friends.

            As for parents, they need to take children’s safety seriously and be thankful for the children they are blessed with. Smart parents will not run errands before ensuring their children’s safety. They will not answer a phone call unless there is a trusted adult being in charge. And, they will keep their children close during outings especially in crowded public places.   

            To take care of children may be a big responsibility, but to deal with grave repercussions of negligence is beyond any parent’s imagination. 

            Parents and guardians need to be reminded that to stay alert today is to keep children alive tomorrow.  

Courtesy of New Sunday Times

10 May 2015

CONGESTED ROADS (Solving the City's Traffic Woes)

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

            Traffic congestion can be a torture for road users, especially those who are running late for work or appointments. This causes stress and discomfort, and also contributes to greater noise pollution as impatient drivers honk to vent their spleen Some uncivilised road users yell and hurl insults at other drivers. Instead of keeping their cool, these road-rage drivers behave in a selfish, rude and aggressive way, and give no thought to the feeling of other people.  

            I feel that initiatives to ease traffic congestion are future-centric plans that will benefit the people and the country. For instance, Singapore's The Electronic Road Pricing System, which was implemented many years ago is an effective and empirical way to promote smooth traffic flow. Considering the cost and other factors, it may be nearly impossible to introduce the system immediately, but I hope that this will be done at some point. 

          Using public transport is a good way to avoid traffic congestion, but this option will not appeal to everybody. Nowadays, personal vehicle ownership has become very popular even among students. To these youths, using public transportation is old-fashioned and exhausting. Perhaps road users should consider carpooling instead. Through vehicle-sharing, we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and resource consumption as well as encourage camaraderie among friends and colleagues.    

            Encouraging cycling is a good way to prevent traffic congestion, but cyclists may suffer health problems as they are directly exposed to the city's air pollution. They are at a greater risk of sustaining serious injuries in accidents. Cyclists also have to cope with unpredictable weather events, including the equinox phenomenon that we are experiencing now.

            Traffic congestion is an issue that needs to be addressed smartly, effectively, and efficiently. Let's make a serious effort to improve our traffic system so that we can all reach our destinations without experiencing headache and heartache on the way.

Courtesy of New Sunday Times

3 May 2015

PORNOGRAPHY (Block Sites with Indecent Content)

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

            I refer to your front-page report “No more porn” (NST, April 20) and support the idea of blocking all pornography websites from being viewed within the country.

            While we struggle to make our children computer-literate and encourage them to venture into the borderless world of the Internet to gain useful information for their academic purposes, we may not foresee the negative effects caused by peer influence as well as excessive use of the Internet. 

            The situation will get worse when visiting porn sites becomes an addiction and an obsession among children. 

            In school, children will share their experiences watching and perhaps, downloading indecent clips. Some may even promote and encourage friends to take up this new "hobby",  which they find exciting and enjoyable. No child will say “no” to fun activities. 

            A worse consequence of schoolchildren spending time visiting pornography websites is the possibility of them getting involved in sexual crimes, leading to social problems. The number of teenagers being arrested for various offences, including rape, sexual harassment and sexual abuse, will be on the rise. Moral decay will lead to grave repercussions affecting their individual selves, families and society. 

It is hard to handle rebellious, emotional and egoistic teenagers who perceive the advice, warnings and reminders by the elderly as an expression of anger and overprotection. Thus, it is hoped that the cyber authorities will help curb the problem by blocking frequently visited websites with inappropriate content before the situation gets out of control.

Not only children and teenagers, adults will also be prevented from visiting websites which promote indecency and obscenity. 

Together, let us fight pornography as it destroys the family institution, the nation and the entire generation. 

Courtesy of New Straits Times

1 May 2015