PPSMI: BETWEEN EMOTION & RATIONALITY

Lately, the country's fate has been at stake due to the incessant rumblings regarding the Pengajaran & Pembelajaran Sains Matematik dalam Bahasa Inggeris (PPSMI) issue. The once so-called democratic country which practiced democracy has now becoming "demo-crazy".

FYI, I'm consciously aware that I am in no standing at all to have my say on this issue - me not even a politician @ a teacher though - but, suddenly the call to ram-rod came when I figured out that our actions today will absolutely give major impacts to the future - so, I just don't want to be labeled as somebody who consumes food, doing nothing and yet taking up spaces!

So, here is my point of view. To me, PPSMI must be continued based on several arguments . PPSMI is the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English and NOT the teaching of English in Science and Mathematics. The reason why English is used is not solely to improve students’ English proficiency but to give them better access to the scholarly world related to science and technology.

Firstly, being typically Malaysian, we are often engulfed in emotion - leaving us astray in judgment - making us vulnerable in differentiating logic and rationality.

In simple word, we are just too much emotional handling this issue. To me, yes we can demonstrate our feelings etc. - we are not machine anyway - but, thing is, to go into the bushes, playing with people's sentiments, repeating the same thing all over again, condemning each other by parading around as if tomorrow is doomsday is completely codswallop!

Let me be straight-forward here, if you (anti-PPSMI, mostly lazy-ignorant teachers) truly against the system, why not you in your capacity as those entrusted to teach try to teach yourselves first of being rational? I'm sure they are rational, that's why they manipulate teenagers persuading them to go to the streets - so that, the blame will never be theirs!

Some are trying to claim the failure of PPSMI by spreading the reports prepared by US Department of Education on The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2007. The sad thing is that, they spread it without reading it (or perhaps they can’t understand the content since it’s entirely in English and they prefer to read it in Bahasa Malaysia).

The pool of data collected from the TIMSS 2007 report is merely involving Form 2 students. We all know that those in Form 2 were just purely exposed to science and mathematics in English in Form 1. To me, it’s an unfair comparison and unfair to said that PPSMI is the cause of the drop of performance.

After all, why make it a fuss of something a totally foreign country especially the US said about us, when they are not living here, having the everyday experience sitting in the class listening tentatively as the teachers teach? Stepped up on reality folks, it's better to ask my little cute niece, who is just finishing her UPSR - only then, the study might slightly be appropriate, I guess.


I think the government also should be rational in this matter - to hire such incompetent teachers is like poisoning our future asset. Of course, NOT ALL teachers are like this. I've make it clear - I respect mine!

I remember of eavesdropping by a group of teachers chit-chatting about their postings.

A: "Mane mereke post U?"
B: "Leceh la, I dapat area pendalaman... susah la macam ni... bla,bla,bla..."

Hint: You can simply detect which part they are by means of their accent.

Point is, is this how our so-called teachers should behave? Again it's based on emotion. Rationally, from my understanding, they are being sent away to the remotest place so that they'll fully equipped themselves, be it physically and mentally before dealing with other complex cases. If they cannot stand this slightest test, how can they called themselves teachers?

By the way, how many teachers do we already have? hundreds? thousands? Question is, how many of them are qualified enough to be a real teacher? Poor Malaysians, I think only 1 in thousands!

Secondly, some quarters also mentioned that by having PPSMI, it'll in no time erode the very nature of our Bahasa Kebangsaan i.e. Bahasa Malaysia (not Bahasa Melayu). Is this true? Don't be emotional instead be rational.

If I'm not mistaken, English is the only preferred language utilized in Maths & Science and NOT ALL THE SUBJECTS. Still, one can converse @ communicate in Bahasa Malaysia in other subjects i.e. Pendidikan Seni, Bahasa Malaysia, etc.

C'mon peps, don't embarass yourself in front of the public by saying to me that - if we use English in Science & Maths then our precious Bahasa Malaysia will vanish - Is that true?

As far as I'm concerned, an EXTINCT LANGUAGE is a language which no longer has any speakers! So, to imply that Bahasa Malaysia is towards extinction, do you mean that Malaysians are going to be extinct? Holy crap on a cracker! ( I kinda like this expression by Penny in The Big Bang Theory sitcom)

Above all, to reverse this whole system is like to close up our door when something great is just about to roll in. I prefer to remain rational in this matter because it's involving the whole lot. Since it's all water under the bridge, why not give it a chance?

Till the next posting.

CORRUPTIONS OF YOUTH

What we don’t know & why we couldn’t understand!

I got the idea to write this topic when something was said about the present youth in The Star a couple of days before. I think that lady there need to be corrected, at least from a youth p.o.v. (suddenly, feels younger - the feeling of being called a youth! Also, thanks to bluecrsytaldude for the motion - I kinda hovering around your site & "corruption of youth" posting had caught my attention! So, here are my version of interpreting the matter.

They said “Youths are like pristine glass, absorbs the prints of its handlers.” The handlers? Of course, those around them. The closest? Should be parents! Parents? Yes! It just can’t be helped.

Frankly, I am not condemning parents wholly but considers this where – some may smudge; others crack, a few shatter childhoods completely into jagged little pieces, sometimes beyond repair!

Knowing that children are fragile, why not handle them with care? Some parents – thank God ours are in exception! – Treasure their antique rare vase more than own offspring believing the fact that their younglings are mature enough to handle difficulties. Not to rebuff youngster’s ability here but, are we not entitled to deserve extra attention, sometimes?

Then, this idea of today’s youths is different as to the previous one back in 20-30 years time ago, saying that the former are more into hedonism as compared to the latter is utterly obsolete. Honestly, yes there are still some youths – who are lacking of proper guidance – are struggling deliberately ashore, but to merely conclude that all of us are to be the same, than excuse me.

Still, we are moving forward as everything change. So, if they asked, are we not changing? Having much difference as compared to the previous youths' generation? If you are to ask me, I would say, sure it does. Completely different. Time ticks of, things change!

For example, one cannot simply imply today’s youths to be “wild” just because he/she is outing, breathing some fresh air with known friends & reasons. How can one expect them to be stranded in the house doing nothing – unless we are living in Ice Age, but still, they go for food outside; where plenty awaits on the other side of the wall!

This is why I said both can’t be likening to each other. Never. Being a youth myself, yes we can adopt what’s applicable back then and imitate it for the time being but unnecessary taboos (such as those unsound do’s & don’ts) should be discarded away. Truth is, sometimes, if we were to think deeply, our youths are not disillusioned much by the present trends @ traits @ ideologies whatever we name it – I believe, parents are still there to guide – but, what worries me a lot is that our society that keeps on corrupting the youths with impractical taboos, which may prevent them to propel towards greater heights.

So, here are some points to know us better! I know, they were youths once, why bothered. Thing is, we humans have the tendency of being unconsciously deteriorating in remembering things. Here come these thingy to ease you up as you walk down-memory-lane.

What people don’t know @ choose to ignore about youths?

1. Sense of belonging – helps to grow.

2. Heart of achieving – needing support.

3. Becoming independent – sign of maturity.

4. Experience & adventure – gaining knowledge.

5. Affection – appreciated despite shortcomings.

Why couldn’t we understand? Simply because we chose NOT TO. We have the capabilities to understand & remember complex chemical elements & their structural orientation right? But, why in this matter, we lurk to be on the prowl? Again, we chose NOT TO!

What on Earth do WE really need? L.O.V.E. Yes, LOVE is all we need, it is LOVE and just LOVE – the one & only basic principle in LIFE that most, refused to acknowledge – that can binds us together. Whether it is “AGAPE” @ “PHILIA”, up to you.

Mitch Albom’s “Tuesday with Morrie” sums it all when he said;

“LOVE, like RAIN, can nourish from above, drenching us with soaking joy, but sometimes, under the angry heat of life, love dries on the surface and must nourish from below, tending to its roots, keeping itself ALIVE!”

So, for those old timers, stop judging us the way you do, time changes & so ought you too.

“It’s not the one who tasted first but the one who ate more that matter!” – D.M.B.L.

To my fellow youths, not so fast to snigger there, our task is to PROVE THEM WRONG by DOING WHAT’S RIGHT. Come, heed my call.

Till the next posting.

SOME WILL

Hi again. Nowadays, people are all busy - assignments, tutorials, design projects etc. (list goes on & there are surely time-consuming! No kidding)

As for the Civilians (3rd Year), this is the moment of truth for us all (designing for 2 steel & timber projects, 1 Geotech. Eng. foundations design etc.)

Suddenly, all night long, the beautiful not-so-ambient cafe lembaran are full of the civilians for the past 2-3 days. The routine of each passing days is almost the same: wake up noon, continue design till late evening then, come again at night till the next morning. & it repeats all over again!

Don't be mistaken, not to complaint or whatsoever here - I'm not the type though. Just to share with all the degree of "buziness" we are in now.

Nway, enough with the broods. You know, one thing weird about me is that, whenever I sense loosing in grip, I will suddenly be poetic - @ whatever you called it - expressing my mind. (Of course, not the type of poem that A. Samad Said & Robert Frost would ever read - I'm not a Sasterawan Negara anyway!)

Some will talk

when the others out of words,

Some will listen

while the others talking,

Some will smile

while the others gossiping,

Some will start thinking of the solution

when others bragging about the chaos,

Some will awake, alone in the middle of the night,

while others start dreaming,

Some will cry while

the others are dancing happily,

Some will clean

when others feel it has not been dirty,

Some will care

when the others neglecting,

Some will write

when others has no reason to talk,

Some fall for the look

that others didn’t find amusing.

-D.M.B.L-

That's it. Nothing special. Just another thought out of me, the way I want it to be!

P/s - Someone in May asked about something before... I guess it is better to be answered this way in a flowery language. Ha2.

I kept my heart locked,

For it has been stolen,

And there is none left for myself,

Praying it would be return...

Till the next posting.

BE HAPPY

Just be happy on what you have now!

Sadly, many of us continually
postpone our happiness indefinitely.
It’s not that we consciously set out to do so,
but that we keep convincing ourselves,
"Someday I'll be happy."
We tell ourselves we'll be happy when our bills are paid;
when we get out of school, get our first job, a promotion.


We convince ourselves that life
will be better after we get married,
have a baby, then another.
Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough
we'll be more content when they are.
After that, we're frustrated that we
have teenagers to deal with.
We will certainly be happy
when they are out of
that stage.


We tell ourselves that our life will be complete
when our spouse gets his or her act together,
when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation,
when we retire.
And on and on and on!
Meanwhile, life keeps moving forward.


The truth is, there's no better time
to be happy than RIGHT NOW.
If not now, when?
Your life will always be filled with challenges.


It's best to admit this to yourself and decide
to be happy anyway.
One of my favorite quotes comes from Alfred D' Souza.
He said,

"For a long time it had seemed to me
that life was about to real life.
But there was always some obstacle in the way,
something to be got through first,
some unfinished business,
time still to be served,
a debt to be paid.
Then life would begin.
At last it dawned on me
that these obstacles were my life."


This perspective has helped me to see
that there is no way to happiness.
Happiness is the way.
So, treasure every moment that you have!
And
treasure it more because you shared it with someone special,
special enough to spend your time. ....
And remember that time waits for no one...

Yesterday is history
tomorrow a mystery
today is a gift

that’s why it's called the "present”!
-Master Oogway, Kungfu Panda-


Till the next posting.