Day Before 1119 2017

A picture is worth a thousand words.

SAPS Insecure?

Yes! I have finished my marking for PKBS 2. I have promised myself that I would not drag this marking towards the holidays, I did just that, today, amidst being involved in a lot of tasks, which include, among others, playing football.

Now, I am sitting in front of my laptop, getting ready to key in the marks. However, to my surprise, the online website for SAPS is blocked by my Kaspersky! This has never happened before and should have never happened as it is a government website.

Tell me, if this continues, how may I key in the marks?

How to Answer the Literature Text Question

I have just finished marking Paper 2 for the mid semester examination. I would like to focus on one of my students' answer for the Literature Text. Even though this is a Form Four paper, and the question is based on the short stories, SPM students may take this as an example for their revision.

The question:


33. The following are the short stories studied in the literature component in English Language.
        Tanjong Rhu             -     Minfong Ho
        Leaving                    -     M. G. Vassanji   
Choose any ONE of the short stories above and answer the question below.
With close reference to the text, what is the most important moral lesson you have learnt?


The answer:

Based on short story Tanjung Rhu by Minfong Ho, the most important lesson that I have learnt is to be responsible. As for example, Mr. Li is a responsible son. He takes care of his old mother as she has given birth to him and took good care of him since he was young. Mr. Li’s responsibility to his mother inspires me to do the same. I realize that I need to take good care of my old parents as they had sacrifived a lot for me. I will pay back their kindness to me. Besides that, when Mr. Li’s mother was sick and hospitalized, he often visit her in the hospital and accompanies her there. He is very responsible that he doesn’t neglect and abandon his mother. His daughter, Ying is also responsible. She stays at the hospital with her sick grandmother so that she won’t be alone. Mr. Li and Ying show that we must be responsible to our old parents. They had done a lot for us and we need to appreciate it. I’d promised myself that I will be a responsible daughter and take care of my parents perfectly. I will make them proud to have me as their child.

In a nut shell, we need to be responsible and show our filial piety for our parents. They are the one who brought us into this world, so we need to pay back their sacrifice by loving them and take good care of them.


The marking:

I gave this 10 for Contents and 4 for Language which amounts to 14 over 15.

However, she could have done better, apart from the spelling and grammar mistakes, by writing her answer in suitable paragraphs. Here is what her answer should be to get full 15 over 15.


Based on short story Tanjong Rhu by Minfong Ho, the most important lesson that I have learnt is to be responsible.

As for example, Mr. Li is a responsible son. He takes care of his old mother as she has given birth to him and took good care of him since he was young. Mr. Li’s responsibility to his mother inspires me to do the same. I realize that I need to take good care of my old parents as they had sacrificed a lot for me. I will pay back their kindness to me.

Besides that, when Mr. Li’s mother was sick and hospitalized, he often visits her in the hospital and accompanies her there. He is very responsible that he doesn’t neglect and abandon his mother. His daughter, Ying is also responsible. She stays at the hospital with her sick grandmother so that she won’t be alone.

Mr. Li and Ying show that we must be responsible to our old parents. They had done a lot for us and we need to appreciate it. I’d promised myself that I will be a responsible daughter and take care of my parents perfectly. I will make them proud to have me as their child.

In a nut shell, we need to be responsible and show our filial piety for our parents. They are the one who brought us into this world, so we need to pay back their sacrifice by loving them and taking good care of them.

Cheating in Examination

Having already been warned in the mid semester examination, several members of the 4D class still cheated in the final examination. This has made me really upset. After vigorously searched for ways to make them learn their lesson, I finally thought of something which, in my opinion, would be beneficial for all parties involved. I asked them to rewrite 'I will not cheat in examinations anymore' 50 times and get signatures from at least 3 Form 5 English teachers. This is because the teachers will be teaching them in Form 5 and they should know these cheaters beforehand. 

Cheating in examinations is not a good thing to do. In fact, it is actually a big offense and must be severely dealt with. Those involved have come to me and expressed their gratitude for my stern action. Some of them, especially the girls, said that they cried when they get the punishment. They vowed not to repeat the offense, and I believe them. 

Hopefully next year they will come stronger and pass their SPM with flying colours. 

Thanks for the teachers also for your cooperation. 

Not quite the 'flying colours' I had in mind but still a beautiful one

Preconceived

We do this a lot in our life. We accept that this is for that, and that is for this quite naturally. This is mainly because we are driven by the so-called 'norm' which sometimes is misleading. Try this example: 

Which of these two cars do you think has this plate number?

This?

Or this?

So, which car bears the above plate number?

On this note, when we do something over and over again because our fathers do it over and over again because their fathers do it over and over again, we accept it as a norm, or 'adat'. It will be hard for us to change it, even when we found out that it is actually wrong. For the above illustration, the MyVI in the bottom picture actually bears the plate number, contrary to the norm that only expensive cars like the above Vios have this kind of plate numbers.

Recent development in education tries to minimize the number of public examinations our students have to endure, taking into account the success of some other nations' educational system which has O or A Level examinations only compared to our UPSR, PMR, SPM, STPM examinations. I personally agree with this because I don't think a public examination is good for twelve year olds as they can barely think on their own. What we can examine on them is only their memorization, not their knowledge, and this is quite absurd. Coupled with the false preconceived notion that a student who has more As is better than those who has lesser, our educational system might not achieve its objectives. Worst still, unqualified person in the system misuse their position which lead to destruction, like the leakage of examination papers' answers, just for a bragging right that their school has more straight As students than others.

However, because of the accepted norm that we must have all the above public examinations, it is very hard to change the way our educational system is heading now. Everybody must think alike, starting from the top of the system down to the very bottom, to make the so called PPPM a success. We have the time until 2025 to see the results, but the false norm should be corrected now, or we will never see the fruition of the plan.

Conclusively, I think it is high time for our education to start educating, and the teachers starts to be called the EDUCATORS. 

All the Best for Your SPM Trial 2014

I would like to wish GOOD LUCK to all my students who are taking SPM trial examination. I hope you will do better than your mid year examination. I saw that most of you focused on completing the papers today at school. 5 Bestari and 5 Jujur, I have your papers with me right now and I hope to complete the marking in two weeks time at the most. 

Congratulations!

Form 5A students

There's nothing more gladdening to a teacher than to see his students do well in their studies, especially in the very subject he taught them. Seeing the happy faces on my students today was more than enough for me to share their joy. Likewise, those who didn't get good results should be celebrated also because they already did their best in the exam. In fact, I was more inclined to see my 5 Jujur students than my 5 Arif students, particularly Rizal Azman and Awanis, who passed their English paper. Truth to be told, I was quite shocked to learn that Awanis did well, because she was too slow to my liking, in my English lessons. However, I didn't have the chance to meet them both as they didn't turn up to get their results. 

Siti Nurfatihah (left) and Laili Najwa (right)

As for the 5A students, 7 of them got A. I was not surprise of Siti Nurfatihah's ability to get A+ because she thoroughly deserved it. Laili Najwa was also another one expected to get A, mainly because she is the daughter of teacher Norhayah, who teaches English. 5 of those who managed to get A- were Ros Azimah, Nurul Asyikeen, Nur Atikah Ramli, Siti Nurul Ain Sofea and Nur Izatul Syafika.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU!

Directed Essay

This is an example of how to answer the directed essay for PKBS 1 recently. However, this sample is good for getting a C. If you want A, use more interesting words, phrases or idioms.

“Dangers of Internet Addiction” (F1)

Written by: (F2) Azhari Mohammad (F3)

Nowadays, people face many developments in science and technology. (C1) One of them is the Internet. However, unwise usage of the Internet will make them addicted to it. (C2) So, what is Internet addiction?

Internet addiction is using the Internet for such a long time. (C3) Some of the users excessively use the Internet and can be in front of the computer for 40 hours per week. (C4)

Causes of Internet Addiction

There are many causes of internet addiction. One of the causes is when people are depressed. These people will surf the Internet to find enjoyment such as watching online movies, downloading songs or playing online games. (C5)

Lonely people are also Internet addicts. They will use the Internet to find a friend through social websites such as Facebook, Twitter and My Space.

Moreover, some people are afraid to go out and meet other people. This will also cause Internet addiction. They will sit in front of the computer and surf anything as long as they do not have to step out of their house. (C6)

On the other hand, family conflicts usually lead to Internet addiction. Parents who are always quarrelling will unintentionally turn their children into Internet addicts. These children will use the Internet as an escape from the family problems. (C7)

Effects of Internet Addiction

Internet addiction will lead to many devastating effects. One of the effects is low esteem. Internet addicts spend so much time online that they feel awkward when dealing with real people. (C8)

Moreover, they have no social interaction in the real world. They have many friends in social websites but they have no real friends in their daily life. (C9)

They also will become sickly with many health problems. Their eyes, for example, will become sick because of staring at the screen for too many hours in a day. (C10)

In conclusion, it can safely been said that Internet addiction is harmful for everybody. So, avoid wasting too much of your time in front of the computer, and start exercising regularly to become a healthy person.

Graduation Day

That day, a graduation for the SPM/STPM candidates was held. It is an annual event held to give motivation for the students to achieve better results in their real SPM/STPM exam this coming November. Students wore their best clothes. Some of them looked very beautiful whereas the others were unattractive. Nevertheless, all of them were very happy and, when asked, hoped to pass their exams with great results. After the graduation ceremony, the students flocked to a class nearby to take their graduation pictures.




The above text can be more exciting if idioms and phrases are used. A sample text:

That day, a graduation for the SPM/STPM candidates was held. It is an annual event held to give motivation for the students to achieve better results in their real SPM/STPM exam this coming November. Students were all in their Sunday best. Some of them cut quite a dash in their suits whereas the others were not much to look at. Nevertheless, all of them were all smiles and, when asked, hoped to pass their exams with flying colours. After the graduation ceremony, the students flocked to a class a stone's throw away to take their graduation pictures.

Directed Essay Made Easy

SPM trial exam has ended. It took me rigorous 3 weeks to mark the papers for 5A, 5E and 5S. Actually, 2 and a half weeks just to mark 5A papers. Although, it has to be mentioned here, the papers are far from being error-free. Basic errors on subject-verb agreements, countable and uncountable nouns, and of course, the tenses, still frequently surfaced.

Directed essays are meant to detect these mistakes. So, I recommend that weak pupils use simple and easy sentences to minimize them.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Studying Abroad

Advantages:

1. know another country
2. study at world's renowned university
3. opportunity to mix with other races
4. improve English
5. learn to be independent
6. learn to be tolerant of others

Disadvantages:

1. miss parents and siblings
2. miss home-cooked food
3. expensive fees
4. high cost of living
5. inevitable changes in lifestyles
6. inevitable changes in weather

Example of a simple essay:

There are many advantages of studying abroad. The first advantage is knowing another country. The second advantage is studying at a world's renowned university. The third advantage is the opportunity to mix with other races. The fourth advantage is improving English. The fifth advantage is learning to be independent. The last advantage is learning to be tolerant of others.

... and copy the above format for the disadvantages also.


Example of a better essay:

There are many advantages of studying abroad. First of all is knowing another country. Secondly, you can study at a world's renowned university. One of the advantages also is the opportunity to mix with other races. Moreover, improving English is an advantage of studying abroad. On the other hand, you can learn to be independent. Finally, you can learn to be tolerant of others.


And, of course, the best essay includes an elaboration and an example for each points given. For example:

There are many advantages of studying abroad. First of all is knowing another country. Studying abroad is the ticket for you to know more about the country where you will be studying. If you are studying at the University of Oxford, for example, you will know more about the United Kingdom.


Hopefully these examples will help you to write better essays in your exams.

It was not as I had expected....

I was marking PKBS 2, and I came across this essay from one of my pupils. Even though there were still plenty of grammatical mistake, the plot of the story really interest me.

It was not as I had expected when my parents told me that they will have their candlelight dinner at a grand hotel in the town.

"What!" I protested.

"Oh, Darvin. Just stay at home as tomorrow you'll have your English's paper, right?" mom asked politely.

"Ah, that's right," I mumbled.

Then, they ( ) gone. I was lonely again in this enormous mansion or I should called it as ( ) 'castle'. I was the only son of one loaded couple that was my mom and dad. I was thankful as I was born ( ) ( ) silver spoon in my mouth.

Then, one idea knocked my mind. My plan was to ask Daren and Darvichi ( ) came to my house and hang out with me. So, I speeded to upstairs and gave a call for those kids. They were my best buddies ever since I was six. Coincidently, (their both) parents were not at home tonight. So, we had our deal!

So, I cleaned up my bedroom that was when you saw into it, it was ( ) a great disaster ( ) happened. Five minutes ( ) past ...

KNOCK.KNOCK.

Then, I stood up. I took a look at the clock. How fast they were? Is that they were coming with Superman? I headed to downstairs and unlock the door. I opened up the black marmar door and ( ) shocked. It was not them. In front of me, there was a tall women standing with her lovely straight hair facing my face.

Then, I asked the women.

"Erm, miss. Who are you?" I said in low vox.

Out of the blue, she turned around. I ( ) stunned for a while. She ( ) just like a princess from the heaven. Her pale face, rounded blue eyes and reddish lips freezed me. Then ...

CLANG.

The teapots and chip pan was clittering in the kitchen. Then, I turned around to see what was going on. I turned back for ( ) unknown sabi women before. I was extremely shocked. She was gone! Where was she? It was impossible that a women would ran away through my alarmed-gate without any sounds.

Then... CLANG.

It happened again. I slowly lock the door and creeped to my kitchen.

"Hello. Who is that? Can you hear me ( ) ". I asked.

SILENT.

It made my hair stood up. It just freak me out. Out of the blue, DARVIN! Darvici and Daren shrieked from behind. I close my eyes tightly and my body was extremely shivered. The tears was filled up in my eyes. In my whole life time, I had never been so frightened.

Then, I stood up and stared to them. Ah, it was all because of them. They were laughing out loud on the floor. They cannot stopped laughing. They told me that it was all their works. They just want to make some jokes with me.

"Hahaha. You are just the funny one!" Daren said while laughing.

"Stop it. Don't make that stupid joke next time. You are totally make me dying." I shrieked.

They started to laugh again.

"So, just spill the beans now! Where did you get the beauty?" I asked.

"What beuty?" They ( ) confused.

I ( ) puzzled. If she was not one of their plan. who was that?

Happy Holidays and Good Luck SPMians and STPMians

Happy holidays for those who are holidaying, but for those who are having their exams, especially the SPMians and STPMians, I wish you all good luck. After stopping blogging for a while due to my first sleepless experience of marking public exam papers, or PMR to be exact, I am back at my keyboard typing something, which may or may not be of interest to you. Nevertheless, I'll share with you some traditions at my new school which I did not previously experience during my 4 years at Gua Musang.

1. Graduation

There was actually a graduation for the would be SPM students, to commemorate the end of their study in the school. All the students wore a robe and a graduation hat before taking their scroll from the principal. I know that many other schools also have their own graduation, but for me, it was my first time. I could see happy faces receiving the scroll, but sadly, I didn't know if they will actually be happy when they take their result next year. I will surely be praying for all of them, but still efforts must be made to make the exam a successful one.




2. Knowledge Blessing

Actually, I had experienced this event at my previous school, but unlike this event, it did not have a bathing session. Yes, the teachers here bathed the candidates with water from their parents' Solat Hajat. They merely poured the water on the candidates' heads after they drank some of it, not on the whole body. This was inclusive of the female candidates, who were poured water on their scarves by the female teachers.