It has been quite some time since I last wrote. After coming back from the 3-day PKPSM seminar in Johor Bahru (6 to 8.07.0909), I attended a 2-day course at Landmark Hotel (14 to 15.07.09). It was all about Data-Driven Decision Making and was conducted by En Abd Razak bin Manaf from IAB. I enjoyed an intellectually-stimulating 2 days in the company of fellow principals - Pn Hjh Noorsiah, Pn Hjh Remi, Tn Hj Tokijan, Tn Hj Daud and En Abd. Rashid.
Because I had been away from school for so many days, I am now having a very busy time in school - bills to be paid, Kew 8s to be signed, etc.....And I expect an even busier time the following two weeks because our GPK1 Pn Mahani will be attending a course at INTAN.
Something our ex-GPK 1 En Nazim said came to my mind. In his Teachers' Day sms to me this year, he said, " Kebanyakan orang hampir pencen umpama mendaki gunung semakin ke puncak semakin perlahan tetapi Cikgu umpama orang menuruni bukit semakin hampir semakin laju." Thanks Nazim. :)
Only 2 more weeks before I take one week's cuti rehat prior to retirement. Would you believe it? I applied for 2 days cuti rehat earlier this month - to finish up my leave - but I ended up working on those two days.....He...he...
Yup, retirement will be good for me....and will be especially good for my knees. Only then will my orthopaedic surgeon smile. Ciao !!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
The Annual PKPSM Convention
I won't be in school from Monday, 6 July till Wednesday, 8 July as I will be attending the annual State PKPSM Convention. This year, it will be held at the Paragon Hotel, Johor Bahru.
Ever wondered what we principals do during the annual convention? Well, this year, there will be a working visit to the much-talked-about Iskandar Development Region (IDR). Then there will be the usual presentation of working papers, and for this year, the topics will cover the aspects of "Strategic Transformation" and "Unconventional Wisdom For A Changing World".
There'll also be the usual keynote address by our Pengarah Pelajaran Johor. And, of course, the formal dinner would follow. The theme for this year's dinner is "Semurni Usaha, Seharum Jasa".
On the last day, the usual Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held, followed by the closing ceremony by YB Dr Hj Mohd Puad bin Zarkashi, Deputy Minister of Education.
Come to think about it, this will be the last time I shall be attending the convention. As I shall be retiring next month (I know I've said this time and again, hahaha), I will be taking this opportunity to bid farewell to all my Pengetua friends.
Yup, life as a Pengetua has been eventful... we do get to go to a lot of places, and stay at a lot of hotels too. But no, I still want to retire early. 10 years as a Principal is GOOD ENUFF...
Ever wondered what we principals do during the annual convention? Well, this year, there will be a working visit to the much-talked-about Iskandar Development Region (IDR). Then there will be the usual presentation of working papers, and for this year, the topics will cover the aspects of "Strategic Transformation" and "Unconventional Wisdom For A Changing World".
There'll also be the usual keynote address by our Pengarah Pelajaran Johor. And, of course, the formal dinner would follow. The theme for this year's dinner is "Semurni Usaha, Seharum Jasa".
On the last day, the usual Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held, followed by the closing ceremony by YB Dr Hj Mohd Puad bin Zarkashi, Deputy Minister of Education.
Come to think about it, this will be the last time I shall be attending the convention. As I shall be retiring next month (I know I've said this time and again, hahaha), I will be taking this opportunity to bid farewell to all my Pengetua friends.
Yup, life as a Pengetua has been eventful... we do get to go to a lot of places, and stay at a lot of hotels too. But no, I still want to retire early. 10 years as a Principal is GOOD ENUFF...
Saturday, June 27, 2009
All Kinds Of People
In my 33 years and 4 months of work, I have come into contact with all kinds of co-workers. Some are hard to work with, needs a lot of tact:
A little bird in the sky
A man looks up
The bird shits in his eye.
He was not angry
He did not cry
He said, "Thank God, cows don't fly"
Hehe... Ciao! And have a nice weekend! :p
- The armoured car (Kereta kebal - mahu cara sendiri, bising, mendesak)
- The sniper (Penembak hendap - tidak bermoral, sabotaj, gosip)
- The hand grenade (Bom tangan - senang meradang)
- The Knows All (Serba Tahu - mengetahui segala-gala, tak mahu dengar cakap-cakap 'orang yang serba kekurangan')
- He thinks he knows all (Ingat dia serba tahu - ingat aje)
- Mr Yes (Orang Ya - cepat setuju, lambat habis tugasan)
- Mr Maybe (Orang Mungkin - suka tangguh)
- Mr Disappearing Act (Orang Tiada - tiada maklumbalas langsung)
- Mr Cannot (Orang Tidak - Saya tidak bersikap negatif, saya cuma bersikap realistik)
- Whiner (Perungut - merungut tidak henti-henti)
- Positive thinking - even the most difficult of all problems seem possible to solve with these people around
- Hardworking - willing to go the extra mile in the name of efficiently and effectively completing the task set for them
- Co-operative - always willing to lend a helping hand, and cover for you if you land yourself in some sticky situation
- Good and cheerful attitude - they are pleasant, smiling, and (best of all) they don't complain even if the task set ahead of them is probably one of the most difficult in their entire family history
- Realistic - they don't allow themselves to float on air; their feet's always on the ground
A little bird in the sky
A man looks up
The bird shits in his eye.
He was not angry
He did not cry
He said, "Thank God, cows don't fly"
Hehe... Ciao! And have a nice weekend! :p
Majlis Jasamu Dikenang 2009
I was at Hotel Katerina on Saturday 27 June 2009 for the above function - meant for retirees and soon-to-be retirees. There were around 250 of us and we received a watch each from the Pengarah Pelajaran Johor. Mine is a Giordano ladies watch. Behind the watch is engraved JPNJ 2009.
41 days more and I shall be a YB (Yang Bersara). 33 years and 4 months of service. I have taught in 7 schools throughout my entire career. Of that, I was a Pengetua for 10 years, spanning over in three schools, i.e. SMK Tenang Stesen (in Segamat), SMK Yong Peng and SMK Munshi Sulaiman. No prize for guessing correctly which school was the hardest to be Pengetua!
Cheers!
41 days more and I shall be a YB (Yang Bersara). 33 years and 4 months of service. I have taught in 7 schools throughout my entire career. Of that, I was a Pengetua for 10 years, spanning over in three schools, i.e. SMK Tenang Stesen (in Segamat), SMK Yong Peng and SMK Munshi Sulaiman. No prize for guessing correctly which school was the hardest to be Pengetua!
Cheers!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Blowing In The Wind....
I was listening to the above song (sung by Bob Dylan). It has a lovely & haunting melody...
The second verse goes like this:
How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky ?
How many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry ?
How many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died ?
Chorus: The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind....
Then I thought about the Form 1J student who died on Sunday night's motorbike accident, and his brother who is seriously injured. Even though they were in the right of way, they must have gone very fast.
Earlier this year, another Form 1 student (a girl) was involved in a serious motorbike accident. Luckily she is now okay. After her accident, the school warned students to be careful when riding motorbikes, and to always wear crash helmets.
Every year there are lots of accidents involving students on motorbikes. Why do some parents allow their young children to ride motorbikes??? Especially along a dangerous stretch of road like Jalan Kluang ? Traffic is heavy. The students are young, many throw caution to the wind and like to show off, like to speed. A lot of them don't wear crash helmets...
How many accidents must it take till they know.....
That too many schoolchildren have....
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind....
The second verse goes like this:
How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky ?
How many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry ?
How many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died ?
Chorus: The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind....
Then I thought about the Form 1J student who died on Sunday night's motorbike accident, and his brother who is seriously injured. Even though they were in the right of way, they must have gone very fast.
Earlier this year, another Form 1 student (a girl) was involved in a serious motorbike accident. Luckily she is now okay. After her accident, the school warned students to be careful when riding motorbikes, and to always wear crash helmets.
Every year there are lots of accidents involving students on motorbikes. Why do some parents allow their young children to ride motorbikes??? Especially along a dangerous stretch of road like Jalan Kluang ? Traffic is heavy. The students are young, many throw caution to the wind and like to show off, like to speed. A lot of them don't wear crash helmets...
How many accidents must it take till they know.....
That too many schoolchildren have....
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind....
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
I CAN'T WALK!!
For the past two weeks I had this pain in my knee, but I couldn't be bothered about it. This kind of pain comes & goes and was most horrible after I climbed up Takah Tujuh in Selai. So I continued my daily walkabouts in school.
On Saturday, I must have stood too long on the stage during the awards presentation. When I woke up after a short afternoon nap, I found that my knee was swollen & I could only hobble around.
On Sunday the swelling grew bigger and hobbling around was a wee bit more difficult. On Monday - wow... to take a single step was torture!!! My orthopedic surgeon said that I am suffering from acute osteoarthritis. He said that that injuries to the knee joint often lead to osteoarthritis in later life.
Well when I was younger, I was very active - and I could not afford shoes like Nike Air, Asics Gel, etc. Badminton Master by Bata was all I could afford myself. Hehe... Another thing, I go for Latin Dancing classes every Tuesday night. Too much of jiving, rock n roll, rhumba and samba wearing high heels must have taken a heavy toll on my knees.
He gave me a jab at the knee and took out 5 ml of yellowish liquid from that spot. Eww... Then he told me to rest my leg for one whole week - no walkabouts, no going to school.
Help!!! Today's only Wednesday & I am starting to feel bored .... oh no!! ;-p
On Saturday, I must have stood too long on the stage during the awards presentation. When I woke up after a short afternoon nap, I found that my knee was swollen & I could only hobble around.
On Sunday the swelling grew bigger and hobbling around was a wee bit more difficult. On Monday - wow... to take a single step was torture!!! My orthopedic surgeon said that I am suffering from acute osteoarthritis. He said that that injuries to the knee joint often lead to osteoarthritis in later life.
Well when I was younger, I was very active - and I could not afford shoes like Nike Air, Asics Gel, etc. Badminton Master by Bata was all I could afford myself. Hehe... Another thing, I go for Latin Dancing classes every Tuesday night. Too much of jiving, rock n roll, rhumba and samba wearing high heels must have taken a heavy toll on my knees.
He gave me a jab at the knee and took out 5 ml of yellowish liquid from that spot. Eww... Then he told me to rest my leg for one whole week - no walkabouts, no going to school.
Help!!! Today's only Wednesday & I am starting to feel bored .... oh no!! ;-p
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Hari Anugerah Kecemerlangan & Hari Terbuka Ke-2 2009
Quite literally translated, it's basically our school's Awards Day and 2nd Open Day.
The event was a success, even though more than 20 teachers were not around, as they had to go out for other activities (District and State Levels).
A big THANK YOU to all teachers for all your cooperation and hard work in making this event a success. A big THANK YOU also to those who came back on Friday afternoon to help with the preparations.
Some snippets from the event:
YB Ab Aziz Kaprawi entering the school, and greeted by our rugby team with their Haka performance
More of our school's rugby team performing the Haka
Students looking smart as they greeted YB Ab Aziz Kaprawi.
Thank you to the English teachers for training the Afternoon Session students in their choral speaking presentation. It was well done.
Our choral speaking team and their performance.
Here are some photos of the awards presentation:
YB Ab Aziz Kaprawi giving his speech
YB Ab Aziz Kaprawi presenting an award to a student
Mr Teo, YDP PIBG of SMKMS, presenting an award to a student
Many parents coming to discuss with the teachers on their children's performance at school
What was heartening was the sight of a group of teachers who stayed behind after everything was over to clear up the benches, tables and chairs in the open hall. They joked and laughed as they went about doing their work. That's what I consider as TEAM WORK.
As I drove home yesterday, I told myself MUNSHI BOLEH!!!!!!!
The event was a success, even though more than 20 teachers were not around, as they had to go out for other activities (District and State Levels).
A big THANK YOU to all teachers for all your cooperation and hard work in making this event a success. A big THANK YOU also to those who came back on Friday afternoon to help with the preparations.
Some snippets from the event:
YB Ab Aziz Kaprawi entering the school, and greeted by our rugby team with their Haka performance
More of our school's rugby team performing the Haka
Students looking smart as they greeted YB Ab Aziz Kaprawi.
Thank you to the English teachers for training the Afternoon Session students in their choral speaking presentation. It was well done.
Our choral speaking team and their performance.
Here are some photos of the awards presentation:
YB Ab Aziz Kaprawi giving his speech
YB Ab Aziz Kaprawi presenting an award to a student
Mr Teo, YDP PIBG of SMKMS, presenting an award to a student
Many parents coming to discuss with the teachers on their children's performance at school
What was heartening was the sight of a group of teachers who stayed behind after everything was over to clear up the benches, tables and chairs in the open hall. They joked and laughed as they went about doing their work. That's what I consider as TEAM WORK.
As I drove home yesterday, I told myself MUNSHI BOLEH!!!!!!!
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