Field Practicum

First and foremost, i wanna wish one of my oldest and bestest friend, Soh Yuan Ting a very, VERY Happy 21st Birthday!!! *cheers*woohoo!*
May you be happy always...

One tough week just passed..whether i like to admit it or not, i'm glad there's such a thing called a weekend cuz i'm beat. But yanno...i like going for practicum, seeing the children, teaching them but i dun quite look forward to doing lesson plans..hahz..

I'm glad that mrs lim gave me K2, now that i've interacted with them, got to know them...i'm beginning to think that perhaps, it was sth good in disguise cuz initially i was pretty much sulking (just a little! hehe) by the fact that i did not get K1 but maybe God planned this for me...to meet the K2 children. They are adorable and hilarious and rowdy and sometimes a little barbaric (haha) but they're good kids. If some of the teachers were to simply state their reason for scolding the K2's, the chn would accept and not 'show face' and if only the teachers believe in showing affection for the K2's, going to work wun be so dreadful and monotonous then, wouldn't it?

I got to post this up on my blog cuz i never want to forget it.

1) On Wed (5th July 2006), i was following the children to wash hands and after which, proceed to lunch. I was urging those who are done to line up when this boy, Yap Hui came up to me and asked..

Yap Hui: *tugged my hand* "Teacher Suri! Teacher Suri! I forgot to ask you this just now..."

Me: "What is it?"

Yap Hui: "Do you watch World Cup?"

Me: *laughs* "Uh I try to...but usually i cannot wake up. And i cannot sleep so late."

Yap Hui: "Why cannot?"

Me: "If i sleep late, then i cannot wake up and see you in school. Then how?"

Yap Hui: *laughs*

soo cute right...some of them speak so well for a 5 yr old..some of them talk so LOUDLY even though i'm right in front of them, i feel like my ear drums are going to burst..haha..some of them seem to take AGES to finish their one and only question! *laughs*

2) Oh ya, this week, i and sharon start practicum from 8am to 4pm to experience opening...(starting at 8am sucks cuz 1st, i got to wake up super early and 2nd, when i leave at 4pm, the children are not up yet! So i dun get to say bye to them..On wed, i could not stay back a little while more cuz i really had alot of stuff to do for FP and so i left w/o waiting for the chn to wake up. When i got home, i was complaining to my mom that...and so the rest of the day, believe it or not, i was pretty sad cuz didn't say bye. The next day, Thurs (6th July 2006), when i came, Kenrick (he has this habit, by the way..to bite the inside of both sides of his mouth whenever he want to ask a weird or funny or out-of-the-blue questions) came running to me, tugged my hand. I kneeled down and he said,

Kenrick: *mumbles* "Teacher Suri, yesterday why you go home so early?"

Me: "Huh? What Kenrick? Can you say again? I cannot hear you."

Kenrick: "Yesterday why you go home so early?"

Me: "Oh. Because i had alot of work to do so i could not stay back and wait for all of you to wake up. But i wanted to."

Kenrick: "Then today what time you go back?"

Me: "Same time as yesterday."

Kenrick: *simply looked at me*

Me: "But maybe, i'll stay untill you and the rest wake up? Would you like that?" *smiles*

Kenrick: *laughs*nods*

Kenrick is notorious half the time but he's amongst those who needs reason as to why one is scolding him. He asks PLENTY of questions and he can be soo adorable sometimes yanno...*sigh* This upcoming one is the proof of it...

3) And since i promised that i'll wait till he and the rest woke up, i kept my word. During nap time, Kenrick was getting mischievious and he was up to his nonsense and he was sent out of the classroom to sleep. i was on my way to the ladies when i caught him misbehaving again. i scolded him and when i was on the way back to classroom, he was still at it again. And i sat down beside him, to make sure that he does not do anything silly. And so in the end, i ended up patting him to sleep. =) It just took him 5 mins to go to sleep..there were many qns he asked while i was puttin him to sleep..he asked,

Kenrick: "What time you go home today Teacher Suri?"

Me: "Later...Go to sleep, come on..."

*pause for 2 mins or so*

Kenrick: "Are you going after this?"

Me: "No darlin, I'm not. Now go to sleep."

Kenrick: "When are you going home?"

Me: "Kenrick, do you remember what we talked about this morning? Abt what time i'm going home? Do you rem?"

Kenrick: "Ya.."

Me: "What? What do you remember?"

Kenrick: "You say you going home after we wake up."

Me: "That's right. And i mean what i say. I'll only go home after you wake up. But if you dun sleep , then how can you wake up?
Then that means, i'll have to go home soon...would you want that?"

Kenrick: *shakes head*

*5 mins later* Kenrick turned around to look at me abruptly.

Kenrick: "How old are you Teacher Suri?"

Me: "Hmm...20."

*looong pause*

Kenrick: "So..you can be like my jie jie like that?"

Me: *smiled at him* Yeah..i can. But in school, when i teach you, i am your teacher. Thats why you call me Teacher Suri."

Kenrick: "Then you have mummy?"

Me: *laughs* "Yeah i do.."

Kenrick: "You have mummy and daddy also?"

Me: "Of course i do darlin. Everyone has.."

Finally he slept..he woke up at 4.10pm..sharon came by my class, all ready to go home. I took my bag and after saying bye to some of those already up in class, i went out. Kenrick was sitting cross legged on his mattress and holding on to his bedsheet. I bend down and said, "Okay Kenrick. Teacher Suri going home now ok? I will see you tom..."

He just sat there, with his sleepy face and eyes and just looked at me and then nodded. And then, i had to ask, "Are you ok darling?"

He nodded again, then i said, "I will see you tom you know? Be a good boy ok? Later at tea time, don't rock your chair. Okay? Bye Kenrick.."

He didn't respond. I ruffled his hair and walked away. i thot he's the sort who is grumpy after waking up from sleep. i felt sad then cuz i feel really close to him but at that moment, when i didn't receive any reaction from him, i thot that maybe he does not feel close to me. Then after a few steps, i turned. I was SHOCKED to see Kenrick still sitting cross legged, still holding onto his bedsheet but sitting facing my direction, looking at me walk away. Can you imagine how i felt? I felt as if my heart would break...in my mind, i was thinking, "He looked!!!"
I waved and then he waved back..i started walking again and after a few more steps, i turned and waved and he waved back...and this happened 3 times.

He is such a sweet boy la...All of them are just soo sweet in their own way. But to be honest, i look out for Kenrick slightly more..maybe cuz he's always up to his mischief and well-known for it and i dun wan him to get into trouble when at rare times, it really wasn't his fault when water is spilled or someone is injured...yanno, that kind of thing...

*sigh* I miss him already...there's more that happened on fri (7th July2006) but i think i'll keep it for later...kinda tired now..haha