fridaybbssyet another observation; this time, a music lesson for a 1T class. stepping into the class was just like entering a zoo. the kids were jumping all over the place, fighting in the corner, chattering non-stop, and just generally being monkeys. but they were very, very cute monkeys.
NT kids are often described as a terror by many teachers and i can see why they might be such a handful. they seem to be very hyperactive and switch their attention from one thing to another in a matter of seconds. shushing them up and getting them to listen to you is a task of mammoth proportions.
in this particular lesson, the teacher made a futile attempt to get the kids to keep quiet by threatening to send them to the front of the class if they continued talking. but of course they weren't quaking in fear at that so she had to haul a few of them up to the front. they were happy enough to comply, and their classmates clapped enthusiastically as they marched proudly to the front. it felt like we were attending some kind of prize ceremony rather than the enforcement of classroom discipline.
so punishment doesn't work because it's just a game to the kids. they're so playful that you'd be torn between amusement and frustration. on one hand they're absolutely adorable because they're just so unpredictable - you never know what they've got up their sleeves. but then again it's such a struggle getting them to settle down that you can barely ever get anything done.
all in all, i had a lot of fun during the observation. the kids were just amazing. at the end, when the teacher played a funky tamil song, the malay boys in one corner started dancing. the song started off with hiphop grooves so they put their hands up and started doing the whole hiphop thing. then it turned a little more classical and they switched their dance style accordingly. it was just too cute for words.
ehocgame of life dry run - see the pictures in the previous entry! the costume bit was the most fun. we had greek costumes made out of white satin cloth, held together with safety pins and accessorised with a gold ribbon as a belt. on the actual day itself we're supposed to wear a crown of fig leaves as well. wenyu was the unofficial photographer; he went around snapping candid shots of everyone. sadly the nicest pictures were ruined - we were just fooling around with fairy wings, a stick horse (stuffed horse's head on a stick), bolsters, and so on. sigh.
saturdayjcmearned the easiest $40 ever at a gig for jcm. for one hour we just stood at our different booths and smiled at everyone, obliging to photo requests when asked. it was for an international convention for bwl (best world lifestyle - an mlm company), with the top distributors from various countries attending the event.
it felt like we were at some high society function; everyone was decked out in their best finery, and there was just so much airkissing and chi-chi behaviour. my partner and i spent most of our time oohing and ahhing over the various designer gowns that we saw on all the tai-tais at the event.
it was quite fun dressing up for the event too, though i would have been happier if i'd been given an ethnic/national costume like the other girls. instead i was instructed to wear an evening gown. i would have killed to wear renee's ao dai or iris' kebaya. sniff. but still, jcm provided super bling bling accessories to go along with my own wine red ruched strapless gown. diamante dangly earrings, necklace, as well as cuffs. the diamante cuffs were so pretty that i'm contemplating getting my own:
ying @ 11:16 AM
