Like every other day, Thursday begins at the ripe young time of 6am. I start the day off right with a delicious breakfast – sometimes granola and milk or fresh mango and home-made yoghurt, sometimes peanut butter toast or whatever else I may have at the house. I head to school on my motorbike as the dawn is breaking; every morning I see the sky change from black to grey to blue with some pink, orange, and yellow thrown in.
The sunrise on my way to school
Every Monday through Thursday, the school day begins with assembly. Thursday is my day, however, the day when I have the opportunity to stand in front of all 700 students at my school, with a microphone in hand, and do any sort of English activity for twenty minutes. While a few years ago I would have run away if told I had to speak every week in front of so many people, now I relish the opportunity. Since I don’t teach every class, this is a time for me to see all of the students and interact with them, even if on an impersonal basis.
English Within 20 Minutes program during Thursday assembly
The day continues with me teaching three classes – two Form 1 classes and one Form 4 class (roughly the equivalent of grades 7 and 10 in the US) – with a 40 minute break between each. Lately I have been doing a World Geography unit with these two Form One classes. We have been using a large world map to learn about countries and continents and to find their location in the world. We’re loving it!
When my Form 4 class is finished, it is time for the upper form break – their only free time during the whole day. The class schedule does not even allow time between classes – one leads straight into another. I take advantage of this break to visit the classrooms of the Form 5 students, students I do not have the opportunity to teach every week, and talk to them informally. They seem to enjoy this time as much as I do.
Form 5 students during break
Over the past three months of teaching at SMK Labis, I have noticed that my greatest impacts, and my most enjoyable moments, do not occur in a formal classroom setting, but rather in my informal interactions with my students. The times when we feel free to converse and are not constrained by the expectations of the school and education systems. This is why I love the break times and also my Thursdays after break.
Several weeks ago, I went to the library after the upper form break. My intention was to read the newspaper and relax until my weekly English teachers meeting. Instead, there was a Form 6 class in the library and several of the students invited me to sit with them. For the next 80 minutes, a double period, we talked. We learned about each other, our likes and dislikes, our lives, English verb conjugations (upon the request of the students), and honestly, became friends. Every week since, I have returned to the library to meet with these students. And every week there are a few new faces, but always some of the same. It is such a joy to spend time with students who are genuinely interested in getting to know me, my culture, and in speaking English. And, on the plus side, I think their English really is improving.
A few of the Form 6 students
Next up, we have our weekly English teachers meeting. I actually quite enjoy these meetings. It’s the only time that all of the English teachers are able to come together and discuss important issues. Every week, I have a chance to propose new projects, discuss existing ones, talk about my English camps, positives and negatives of my classroom time, and ask for assistance or advice from my fellow teachers. If I haven’t already mentioned it, I should have – I have the best support network in my teachers that I could ask for. They really are incredible and are more than willing to help me with anything.
My fellow English teachers
After this meeting adjourns, any number of events may occur. For the past 7 weeks, I have had choral speaking practice, but now that we have completed our competition, my afternoons are freer. Some weeks there is an additional class for all students called Mentor-Mentee, another time I love since I can walk into almost any classroom and chat with the students about anything for 40 minutes. Other weeks, I’ll return home, eat lunch, read a book, plan lessons, go for a run, or unintentionally nap.
In the evenings, every Tuesday and Thursday, I join a group of mostly Indian men at the Badminton Hall for a couple hours of intense badminton. I must admit, my skills have improved quite nicely since I started playing with them, though I still have a long way to go before I’m nearly as good as some of these players. Still, another highlight of my days.
Yet today was different. There was no badminton since the hall we normally use was closed. Instead, I spent a couple delightful hours in town with four remarkable Form 6 girls. They picked me up from my house and we went to town to… get my ears pierced!!
I’m so glad they came with me, to choose my studs, tell me not to cry, and laugh with me when I make ridiculous faces as the man puts a gun up to my ear. So now I have a hole in both of my ears and I still wear a smile on my face.
There are holes in my ears and yet I'm still smiling
Afterward, we went into a few more shops to look at earrings and other odds and ends before deciding it was tea time. We went to a pleasant little restaurant called Vanilla Café in downtown Labis where we ordered ABCs and French fries. ABC is a traditional dessert of shaved ice with coconut milk and sugar syrup drizzled on top, like a snow cone. Except it also has an assortment of other toppings. Today’s toppings included red beans, jellies, cendol, and sweet corn. I never know what I’m going to get, but it’s always good.
At the cafe
Always good. Just like my Thursdays.
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