Iza Shazleenda bt Ideris

SAM Hulu Langat Batu 10,

43200 Jalan Cheras, Cheras Kajang,

Selangor Darul Ehsan.

Dear Irene,

How are you? It feels like such a long time since the last time I saw you. I know it’s

only been several weeks I saw you. So far my day has been great.

How’s your day? Remember, after graduated from IPGM Kampus Pulau Pinang, you

have to move to Singapore, so sad at that time and we had spent a whole day sang at

karaoke club at town. Now, we are a teacher. I am an English teacher at my hometown,

Cheras, Kajang.

As a English teacher in high school in the village, it was prety easy. Almost all the

students whose lower form had their eyes on the prize, university and didn’t want to do

anything to jeopardize their good grades and future studies. But with upper form students,

it is a little more difficult. Firstly, I use two teaching tools, proximity and physical contact. I

did not make that up myself as some sort of an excuse to touch my students. But not boys

only the girls one. The theory is that if you place yourself near your student and from time

to time make light physical contact, the students’s performance will increase (and

discipline problems decrease). This work in groups. In individual lessons, your student will

just think that you are weird and wonder why you are sitting so close and touching them all

the time.

And lastly another method I use is rewards. The simplest reward I use is praise, but

that’s not very tangible. I mean you can’t take it home and brag about it to your friends. One

of my favourite tangible rewards to give would have to be stickers. I have smiley faces and

stickers with phrase such as “cool!” or “good job!”. They are awarded only for tests (not

homewrok) with scores 80% or better.

If there are rewards, they have to be punishments as well. Upper form students are

really reluctant to do homewrok and by reluctant, I mean lazy. No amount of explaining,

asking, pelading, ordering, screaming or sticker will get them to do it. So instead I have to

resort to punishment. The punishment which I call “The Power of Public Humiliation”.

Don’t surprise Irene, of course we are not learning it at IPGM, but I feel public humiliation

as a teaching tool is surprisingly effective and highly underrated. Well I love to write more

about my experienced in teaching English. I am know that you are wondering what kind of

punishment that I use to.

I hope you can tell about your teaching experience at your school in Singapore. Send

my warm regards to your parents. I miss them too.

Your friend,

Iza Shazleenda