March 8th, 2012
One day..
Posted this on facebook so thought I’d post it here. Will edit this post tomorrow, have so much to update! Broke down AGAIN this week. This job is getting a little too emotional, I have to learn to detach a bit while maintaining the passion 
–
As I plan my lessons for tomorrow after a very tiring long day, I ask myself what I actually want for my kids. All I want them to do is to be able to read Harry Potter, Enid Blyton, Stephen King and all the amazing novels I grew up with. I want them to read so they can imagine a world beyond where they live in now. I want them to read Frost, Poe, Shakespeare and Kipling and be inspired. I want them to watch movies without having to miss all the nice parts because their eyes were fixated on the subtitle.
I want them to challenge what they read and to think critically about everything. I want them to have an opinion and to not be afraid to stand by it. I want them to truly enjoy learning, to tell me that I’m not teaching them enough and that they want to know more! more! more! I want their eyes to light up when they recognize a difficult word they just learned in the book they’re reading. I want them to yearn, to want, to be so hungry for knowledge that I have to placate them with more books. “Nah take them, take them all you educated monsters, you!”
I want SO MUCH for my kids but right now progress is so excruciatingly slow that I begin to doubt if I can ever achieve that. One day…
Related posts:
Teach me
Hie Suet,
Never give up. Many have given up on those kids, that’s why they have been left behind. You are their hope and their future. God bless your effort and your passion for these children.
Dont give up, Suet Lee
Dont give up. They need a teacher like you in order to see the world. Your readers will all support you! Gambateh!!
Hey Suet Li,
DON’T GIVE UP TRYING! Your kids will surely feel your sincerity and try their best too! YOU CAN DO IT!!
Im really touched by the fact that there are people who cares about our nations future… Ur doing an excellent job despite feeling crappy at times… I know one person cannot change the world but at least someone is willing to try and make a change …sincerity and time will tell… To all those in the teach for Malaysia programme, the road may not be easy but life is never easy… U will be blessed
Its ok to feel discouraged. Imagine life like a marathon. You keep pounding the road, one foot at a time. At some point your spirit is willing but the flesh weak.
But as your fans and supporters cheer you on, you will find the second wind to finish the race.
I am with you in spirit.
Don’t give up. Wish u all the best.
hey suet li, been reading your blog and i must say you are very inspiring, seriously one of the rare few young and educated people that are willing to give up potential high flyer jobs in the corporate world to make her country a better place, one disadvantaged student at a time.
don’t feel so discouraged, i feel that progress is made bit by bit. celebrate the small victories, because in the end they add up to a big big one that will put a smile on your face that won’t go off during times where you don’t really want to smile.
with sad times, sometimes, we learn how to appreciate the happy times even more.
you’ve just started out. in 2 years you’ll look back and marvel at what has been done. jiayou!
hie suet li, I hope you know that you’re giving your students so much more than just a secondary school education. You’re actually instilling in them a drive to learn, and more importantly, to believe in themselves because you believe in them. While they may or may not be able to reflect these values on their report cards, I trust that they will reflect these values in later life, and that is what a TRUE teacher does: giving her students lessons on life along with their education. The seeds you sow may not reap rewards in the time you expect or even hope, but don’t despair, it will come.
1. to cultivate curiosity and
2. teach the basic skill of satisfying this want.
The rest will take charge on their own afterwards.
Step by step, Suet. We all started with something easy, fun and relevant to our life. I wouldn’t read The Call of the Wild when i was a teenager (due to level of English, mental ability and experience then), nor will i ever want to finish Harry Potter now or later in life(due to having NO interest with that genre).
hi suet! i’m a regular reader of your blog, and i just have to tell you how inspiring you are! i pass this blog along to friends who i know will be just as inspired by your passion to help and educate!!! thank you so much for sharing your experiences! I hope to one day follow a similar opportunity to make an impact!
All in good time my friend
Strive on with diligence!
you cant fight fate
Hello Suet,
I’m a young girl who stumbled upon your blog sometime ago and continued reading it as i truly admire your passion in making a change in these kids’ lives. Being a teacher in Malaysia is really not easy at all especially in a village. But even for the slightest change,you are rising hope for those kids and moving Malaysia forward as a whole. Thank you and best of luck !
At times like these just remember the smile on the face of the little boy who finally understood the lesson of the day. Remember the kid who was excited when you said you’d help him after school. Your diligence and tenacity will definitely pay off in the end. Having a teacher not give up on them will help them keep believing in themselves. Educational classroom games can keep their interest while relaxing them a bit also. They will learn because you are their hero. Gambatte! Jia you!!!
I would like you to know that you are not only educating your kids. Whenever I read your blog posts, it makes me think and provided me with a lot of insights. Like why teachers act the way they are, a lot of times, it seems like it is the system that should be changed. Easier said than done. Thanks for getting your hands dirty and be part of the change for a better generation and thanks for taking time to blog about it. It is a pleasure to read your writings. We will be waiting for you to find time to communicate what is it that you need and help you in all possible ways. I too, wanna take part in shaping a better Malaysia (cheh wah, think too much) It will not be easy, but I believe that every tiny effort counts and will be worth it =]