Majlis Hari Anugerah Kokurikulum akan diadakan pada 25 Julai 2009 (Sabtu). Semua ibu bapa, bekas pelajar dan orang awam dijemput hadir bagi memeriahkan lagi hari tersebut...so goes the ad in the official website for raja perempuan school, ipoh. i didn't go to this school, nor am i a fan. budak-budak sekolah ni tak la sebest MGS girls - malaysia's best school! haha. however it is special in a way, since my mak is a product of this school, (still unbelievable since she's such a COOL person!) while currently my eldest sister, though an ex-convent-ian is teaching there. hello cikgu syazrin!
Terdapat pelbagai aktiviti menarik seperti gerai jualan, pameran dan persembahan pelajar.
anyways, we went to its 'hari koko' for short. in recent years, my school mgs called it 'pesta ria' or a fun fair. call it whatever, it is still a 'hari kantin' for me. a day where the students put on the role of canteen makciks, aci and ahso. form 2 and 4 student open food stalls, while students facing major exams like form 3 and 5 organized fun-fair-like games, karaoke 'lounge' and the ever popular, gearing the longest waiting line - 'rumah hantu'!
last time (now, azi said the boys and men were shun from entering the school on a hari kantin after several untoward incidents) anyone from gramma to mat motor can come. they buy coupons to be used to buy food.
my best hari kantin was undoubtly when i was in form 2, under the helm of the fantastic mr. ooi ah bah. we sold burgers and our class collected the most moolah! yay!
back then i remember the heat was already on right from the week before the actual day, with perang poster - students aimed to come up with the most creative, most catchy posters, banners and buntings for their stalls. it was festive!
and the crowd - man, oh man. you can't hardly recognize our canteen with the amount of people walking within the vicinity! dah tak nampak apa! the field was teeming with people and the hall, crowded! even the walkways from the main entrance leading up to the field was full of people walking to and fro.
as for raja perempuan school, yong said before this only students and family members were invited to join. however, this year is the first time their letting the outsiders in. yong said by the time we came which was fairly early, the coupons to buy food were already sold-out and the teachers and students were overwhelmed by the crowd.
crowd? what crowd? haha.
we arrived bright and early morning, only to find out we were not that early! yong was waiting at the hall and her bright all-teeth smiles welcomed us into the vicinity of her beloved school. we met a teacher who's the boarding school warden (maaf, lupa nama. yong?) and she led us to the back of the hall where a feast of spaghetti and kuih melayu awaits. it was the extras from the vip in the morning award-giving ceremony (remember the one where yong won the best club?) langkah kanan lah, bak kata yong!
then i met the charming mr. t.j., teacher with loads of experience on his back. i thoroughly enjoyed talking to him, not only because he has a nice sense of humor, but he's the sort of teacher you know you'll enjoy listening to in class. nice to meet you, mr. t.j.! and yes, you are young at heart!
after the simple spaghetti meal, we were off to where the action really is - the field!
as expected there are stalls selling cupcakes to burgers. from rojak buah to fresh fruits. there was even this questionable murtabak made from maggi. hmm. not bad.
there were a few students urging cikgu syazrin (yong) to buy from their stall but this was only when we approached their stall. some with aprons and standing up ready to welcome customers to their stall. however, i can see some girls just sitting down sembang with each other without even looking at us, even when we're near their stall! macam mana nak berniaga macam ni!
there was a karaoke section right at the edge of the field - and the worse part was the speakers were directed straight across the field! so any minah or minachi singing can be heart from miles away - pitching ke laut, screeching voice and all! but i guess to the girls and gang, that was the thing that added to the festive mood. loud, noisy and full of fun!
a young male teacher (hmm, did i hear it right? young? MALE? in an all-girls school? i thought that was just a myth!) was the top attraction of the day when he went 'centre stage' to grab the karaoke mike singing 'jai ho'. amboi menjerit-jerit le anak murid cikgu bagaikan menonton konsert!
it was - different - from the hari kantin i was used to. less crowd, less madening students screaming for customers at the top of their voice - but it was still an entertaining day.
i think yong was very proud of her hari koko. what more since she won the best club award for her english club. congratulations yong! she is indeed one of those rare individuals who genuinely enjoy teaching and is passionate about the profession. i'm saying this not because she's my eldest sister, but i've seen and heard so, so, so many teachers who do nothing much but complain, sneer at the 'extra' work they're expected to do and gossip at the teachers' room. yes, NOT ALL teachers are like this but admit - you definitely must have encountered some.
before this yong devoted years of her life in the corporate world. i wonder how she compared both experience. so i asked her, yong, kamu suka tak jadi cikgu?
without a flinch, she answered, 'suka! not just the teaching, but the concept of being a teacher.' yes! the problem with teachers - yes, THE PROBLEM with teachers these days is they only want to TEACH. full stop. no bigger picture. in fact, THE PROBLEM with some teachers is they went into the profession because they have nothing else to do. not by choice. that is why the passion is lost.
run a club - no time. take kids to field trip - malas. organize an event - banyak kerja la. but gossip time at the teachers' lounge - boleh aje! the PROBLEM with teachers these days are excuses. no, i may not be a SCHOOL teacher, but i do teach, and i do more than just teach. teachers should understand that with the role comes other responsibilities that may not be written in the job scope.
how can you inspire young minds when you're not willing to go the extra mile? are you a teacher? brickbats are welcome!
1 comment:
im not but my mom was a teacher! she has devoted all her life! n im soooo proud of her! btw she retired in RPS! gotta tell yr yong! hehe....
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