Journal entry-10

Cross by Langston

I wonder why this poem is put with the title” cross”.

Could it be the expression of anger ?  or could it be because of  the poet position for being neither black nor white? 

When I read through the poem, I think both could be the reason why Langston  entitles his poem cross. His anger comes from the idea of how to position himself in the society when both black and White people could not accept people like him-mix black and white people.

This poem is really suitable to use in class since we live in Malaysia with multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-beliefs.

The moral is to  not put someone in agony like the experience of Langston just because of their different in cultures, beliefs and races. We human should respect to each other for none of us like being marginalized.

Journal entry-9

The girls who was not satisfied with simple things

I went through a day where I sat down on my chair for a long time doing nothing for being  dissatisfied of my students’ dissatisfactory performance in their Choral Speaking rehearsal.  Before the day, I asked them to memorize their  text so we could easily practice the action part. Most of my students still could not memorize the text made their performance  not synchronize. I dissatisfied because I have to take long time to prepare the text so it become the interesting story but they had no effort to do their part.

My point is that dissatisfaction makes you unhappy.  You  cannot enjoy  interesting things around you because of dissatisfaction. I think, the girl in the story of ” The girls who was not satisfied with simple things” experienced the same thing  before she met the man who seems attractive to her.

I think it is not wrong to find things that make you satisfy.I do believe that you will not  buy a car with no wheels. I never blame the girl for  searching someone who will make her satisfied. The thing is that not all days are lucky days for us. We experience lucky day , bad day and so on.  The such things keep on going as long as we still alive. Let's assume that the day the girl chose the man, was one of her bad day. She still other day to to try to fulfil her dream. 

For me, the best thing we can  do is to  keep on trying!

Journal entry-8

The Research Paper.

I am happy that I finally could start doing my research paper after doing my template proposal two times. I decide to write about feminism. Not easy to go through but I think I know what should I write-finally. I choose to use Rose for Emily, Lamb to the slaughter and story of an hour to go with this research paper.

In this research paper I would look into the retaliation of female when they are betrayed by male.

I think this is really interesting to look at since female is always seen as weak and could not able to overcome the male’s  superiority in the past era. I think you would not say that women are weak in this era since education has change people mind. I hope so!

Journal entry-7

Becoming a women

Well, becoming a woman!  

I read this poem many time to make sure that I did not make mistake that this poem talk about a girl who experience the first menstrual process. Should this poem be brought in class, ample preparation is  needed. I think the most important thing is that you should be able to control your class chaotic situation which could come from boy students. Well, this is my anticipated problem.

 Another problem that may appear could come from the girl students who do not want to participate in the class activity when they put into mix group with the boy students.

As a way to overcome the problem, you should be able to start your lesson in smart way, where you may warn earlier all the students to be opened-minded as this topic is actually important education both to boys and girls. Boy students should be able to understand girls situation since there  would be time that they should work together whether in class or outside class. Sometimes girls in the menstrual process could not work too hard and boys should help them.

I think this poem is good to educate students.

Journal entry-6

Lamb to the slaughter

Looking into the female character of the story-  Lamb to the Slaughter, makes us thinking of how small women are- be adored, be dumped, be taken and be trashed…It seem that there is nothing could be done about it! I am so thankful that I live in this era where there is space for women to make decision on what kind of life they want to lead to.

As seen in the story, one of the important themes of this story is the position of women in the society which is marginalized compare to men. This can be seen clearly when Patrick   abundant his pregnant wife. A wife who dependent to a husband can do nothing except to hope that her husband may change mind. Women cannot stand alone not because they are weak but the marginalization would not enable them to speak out, to find work and to make a decision freely. Mary knows that she cannot change his husband’s mind so she kills him. It is hard to take when a wife kills a husband but it is also hard to accept when a man just leave a wife for someone else.

The good about this story is that it can educate all the female to be independent in their life. Do not too much dependent  to a  husband. 

Journal entry-5

Nature or Nurture

The expression above Suddenly  comes across to my mind!

I read and read and read by titles of the stories in the Aesop fables and then felt in love with the stories in the Aesop fables. It was like a discovery that I said to myself, “ reading amongst students could be nurtured” if you find a creative way to nurture it. The only thing is that could you find ways to nurture their reading habit in a creative way?

Reflect to the question above is that, “ are you  a diligent and courageous  one”? I say so because, we teachers tend to give up doing things that others never try to listen to . I know there are some students who are possessed by rocky mountain of heart to listen to you or never try out your advice and you finally  say,” your own, your own”. I experienced that!

The thing is that, we like or not, it is our job to find way to shape them from “dislike” into “ like” reading.  At least, that is what I am thinking now.
Speaking about ways, I would like to try to ask them blogging, just like we are doing now. I will create a blog to them to surf  and then ask them to read what on the blog. I will find them one interesting story and they will do the same. I mean every student will post one interesting story as contribution and the most interesting one will be rewarded. Readers will put “like” to the story they like the most. The story with the most voted will be the winner.

I hope I can do it after this course.

Journal entry-4

I have a dream by JR Luther King

This text is really familiar to me because I did review about it in the Public speaking paper last semester. In this speech, the speaker try to persuade the multi-racial people to unite against the racist. The speech is touching  and able to poise you. This text is really useful and for  me a priceless treasure I ever had.

As a teacher, we are given many roles in school including giving students ample practice and sources when they ask or interested to participate in a competition from school level  to  district level or even in the higher level of competition.

I am very happy that I can share this text to my students who want to write text on public speaking for  our school level competition. Last week, one of my students asked me on how to write an effective public speaking. I asked her to google and print  this speech of JR Luther. I said, we could  arrange a suitable time to discuss on how to do  the effective public speaking by studying the text that I asked her to print.

Finally, the student, decided to write a persuasive public speaking. She wrote on the” Beautiful Malaysia”  where in her speech she tried to persuade Malaysians to appreciate the beauty of Malaysia by visiting interesting places in this country rather than going abroad to find for beautiful places to visit. The speech made was very nice. She won the competition.

Journal entry-3

Pyramus and Thisbe

When we read any story, we tend to compare it with the one that we have already read, or with our experience or even with our culture. Reading  the  Pyramus and Thisbe reminds me the story of Romeo and Juliet , the famous controversial  love story. At the end of the story, readers  might  emotionally  ask about  the meaning of love and loyalty. Further,  readers  also might   argue if it worthwhile to die for   love- affectionate relationship between man  and woman which some people  call it as an erotic love.

Discussing on the relationship between Pyramus and Thisbe which ended in tragic way for me could be as their MISFORTUNE relationships. I think they should have run away from home to meet and marry if they were not in that era. I say so because they still meet to each other in a secret place even though they know that they do not have any chance to be one   for their relationship is disapproved by their parents .

I do not mean that they should run away from home and be one as husband and wife because they  are lovers. What I am trying to say is that the way they treat to each other , could be in this era , is one of the couples who runs away from home for hunting  their beloved one. That is why I say that their relationship is fallen in the MISFORTUNE. I am not so sure about it  for  people are so complex to be understood when come to love. I just dare to say, MIGHT BE.

When come to the suitability of this text to bring as source of learning in class, I quiet positive about it. Whether  we realize or not, it is  good to give them good knowledge about relationship between man and women. I do believe that they have their own perception about love and the forbidden relationship which finally we can grab as way to instil moral  values and educate them in the such kind of relationship.

Journal entry-2

The Wolf and the Lamb

I always acknowledge  my students  that  a teacher  does not  mean to torture them when s/he  gives  students to many homework  or exercises to finish.  Hence, sighing all the times in doing work is not good. Sometimes, we  teachers tend to act like the wolf  and our students like the lamb in the story where they are pushed  to do work to  achieve our own goal. 


Just to give you an example, when a principal set a certain percentage to pass in your subject, you have to work hard to achieve it .  As a result, you sometimes forget that we teachers should be considerate ones. I learn a moral from this story that we teachers should always remind ourselves to be caring and loving teachers. NOT TO TAKE GRANTED OF OUR POWER TO ACHIEVE OUR GOAL ALONE BUT TO SERVE  OTHERS AS PEOPLE WHO NEED OUR CARE AND ATTENTION.

Seeing into the suitability of the fable story in teaching English, I prefer to use this to the LEP students because most of the stories in the Easop fables are short and simple. As in my experience, LEP students could not take long time to give their  concentration in class. Giving them the short and simple story with apparent moral values will give them motivation to participate activities you provide in class.