Friday Flotsam

Today is yay, TGIF.  I managed to get some cilantro at the KipMart, so quickly went home and made myself some salsa.  Piled onto baguette slices and laced with a tiny tin of char grilled tuna, I had myself a very nice lunch.  Now I have to wait for tonight at the Pasir Malam to find myself some treats for dinner. 

What else happened? Well, the guys stopped by with the lemon grass plant for me, so I guess I better get it potted before they come home from work to inspect my outer garden.  I think they were shocked to see me not ready for work. I tend to avoid the crowds on Fridays because I visit a school fairly close to home and only see one mentee.  You get to see the result of that visit this morning.  A couple of the little guys describing their cards and another two who coloured pictures of Christopher Robin and Pooh bear.  This whole group is so advanced in comparison to my other schools, they managed to compress two days of activities into one.  They also tend to make me work very hard – they are full of beans and need to be constantly given tasks to do or all ‘you know what’ breaks out in the class.  I took a present – a zippered bag with a Pooh eraser, 3 Pooh pencils, a Pooh pencil sharpener, Pooh stickers, a Pooh ruler, and a Pooh self inking stamp. Recipient was whoever completely behaved and participated in all the activities fully.  A tough one for most, but the class was incredibly quiet and orderly today.  All wanted the prize, but it is not a prize if everyone gets it. And believe me, everyone did not qualify anyway.  But many were close.

This little guy was the recipient for the prize today. Not only does he work efficiently and cooperatively, he scored 2nd highest at 95% for his English exam this week. Remember, these little tykes are born into Chinese families, speak Chinese at home, and then come to school and learn to read and write Behasa Melayu and English immediately.  All the other schools do not administer exams in year 2, but these guys get into the grove of exam writing at a very early age.  

Having said the students have to learn Basah Malayu and English at school, this little guy on the left has Portuguese heritage, so that is his native language - then has to learn Chinese, Behasa Melayu, and English. Jeepers, that is tough!  The one on the right was the 2nd highest scorer in the exam.

I promised that next week there will be another challenge.  I plan to take everyone a Pooh ruler and hopefully have a reason to give one to each. Plus one special prize for the most behaved.


Here is the link for the video if you care to watch a pair of students with the matching game. The little guy on the left was the high scorer for the English exam this week with a score of 98%.

http://youtu.be/mBHMgmoEl0E