This update is long overdue.
I've been busy with errands and projects. I'm also very tired having to drive on average 3 hours a day just transporting him to and from school. I'm praying for a good helper once my current one completes her contract because I'd rather do without a helper than to have another one like her again.
My son is enjoying school very much. He really likes his teacher, whom I think is great (not perfect, but still great). She has been very supportive and sees his abilities first before his disabilities. She is very approachable and answers whatever questions I have, whether about him or about the curriculum.
I've seen her in action in class (I volunteered to put up some decorations, and also during an Open Morning they had) and like the way she achieves the learning objectives. Her lessons are interesting, a lot of fun and definitely promotes learning.
I dont think I can say that for some of the other subjects that she doesn't teach (e.g. BM). There's such an obvious difference in teaching methods/delivery between a local teacher (think kebangsaan school) and her.
She reckons my son is about average academically compared to his peers. "Average" is pretty good for me, given that he does have special needs, and that he is being compared to others who are pretty smart (the school's entrance assessment seives out the "good" ones).
It's hard work trying to keep him "average" especially now because there's just so little time left in a day after he comes home from school. Also, the literacy and numeracy curriculum for Year 1 seems to cover quite a lot of areas and I'm honestly struggling to support him in those areas at home.
I'm struggling to fit in the therapies he needs, the swim class, his free playtime, his music class, his maths enrichment class and homework. One reason I preferred an International school is because there's very little homework compared to a Kebangsaan or Chinese school. For Year 1, there's just a weekly English spelling test, a weekly reading book which the teacher assigns, one library book a week which he chooses, and ad hoc projects.
Social wise, he seems to be a hit among some of the girls in his class. They've probably fallen for his cuteness (chubby cheeks and mannerism) and usually assist him with this or that, without him asking, and sometimes without him needing their assistance.
I've also created various "social opportunities" for him in ad-hoc show and tell sessions. I do it in the hope of boosting his self-confidence, to get him to talk, to get others to talk to him, to get others think he's "cool" etc. Sneaky? Maybe. But I think it's worked.
Teacher says that he's one of their "smilers"... a child who's often smiling. She says that he often has a friend with him and seldom alone.
In the first two weeks of school, I saw for myself how kids come up to him to see what he's drawing on his personal whiteboard and interact with him from there, before class starts proper. It was so heart warming to see that for myself, that I almost cried. In the first two weeks of school, it felt like I was walking on sunshine. Seriously happy. He had settled down so fast and so well that it was beyond my wildest dreams. God is so great!
This does not mean it's been perfectly smooth all the while. There are many areas I need to continue working on with him, and areas which I've yet to figure out how to help him. Kids at that age do not necessarily see the disabilities. They love to help. That's what my friend who has special needs kids (in a different international school) had told me, and I do see that it's true. But she said that things change as the kids grow older and more mature in thinking, in interests, etc.
I've met most, but not all the parents of his classmates. I made it a point to befriend them, yet I am cautious on not revealing his disabilities. At this point, they probably do not know of his disabilities, but may have picked up on some odd things about him. Two mums have asked his age.
I also made it a point to be helpful to the teacher in small and not so small ways. It's not that I'm currying favour (it doesn't work that way with caucasians usually). It's just that if the teacher needs help, and then gets that help, then I think she'll be less tired and stressed and be a better teacher for the kids.
There's lots more that I can write about (especially about his frequent colds/runny nose in Sept & Oct!) but it's getting late. My alarm clock is permanently set at 5.20am. Leaving the house 5-10 min late makes a big difference. Getting a good night's rest means I'm less grouchy and impatient and less likely to doze off on the road in the afternoons.
So while my son seems to have settled down well, I'm still trying to find an equillibrium. I know that I cant achieve everything I wish to do. I know that I still need a good helper. I know that I still need a lot of support - from my husband, from my sister, from his teachers (school and those outside school), from his therapist. Most of all, I cant do it without God (I forget that sometimes, and often fall flat on my face). Oh yes, I also need to schedule some "me time", on a regular basis instead of fitting in everything else first. : D
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
First day of primary school
Today is my son's first day at primary school so it certainly deserves a post on my blog!
He was a bit nervous this morning when I changed him into his new school uniform. He said that he wasn't big enough yet (to attend "big boy" school) and that he'd only wear it for a short while and then have it taken off!
I told him that it's ok to be nervous. I told him that I was nervous too when I started school. I gave him a hug and carried him for a little while to assure him. Then I distracted him by asking him to draw while I went to get changed myself. He didnt cry or get clingy.
We were ready to leave the house by 7am. That's a record! In order to achieve that and not be overly stressed, I woke at 5.30 (to make soft boiled eggs...and to wake my helper up-sigh) while he woke just before 6am.
The exit off the highway leading to his school was incredibly jammed. Luckily my husband had taken the day off to drive us there. I think I'll have to leave the house around 6.50am tomorrow!
At the assembly hall, he was able to sit in the line with his class. But he was clearly nervous, turning to look at me to make sure I was still around. I'm very glad he was able to sit with the rest while the principal made a very short announcement.
Parents were allowed to walk the kids to the class on the first day. He held my hands very tightly. The other 6 new kids in his class walked by themselves.
At his class, I showed him where to place his backpack and water bottle. Then ushered him quickly into his class to join the rest who were already seated on the floor. He was alright. He didnt cry. He found a place to sit in front of the group.
We stayed around the school compound for a while after that. There was a long queue at the bookshop so by the time I finished, it was quite near their snack time.
I didnt want my son to see me, so I kept my distance when they came out to the canteen. My husband went to take a closer look at him and realised that he didnt insert the straw into the UHT milk packet and no one came to help him.
I will have to communicate with the teachers to explain his fine motor difficulties and ask for their help. I will also have to see what the tailor can do to alter his shorts which are a bit loose for him (the smaller size was too small for him).
All in all, he seemed ok. He seemed happy walking with his class down to the canteen. He was happy during the short play time (after snack, and before the end of break time).
A friend seemed to be explaining to him something (perhaps where to place his water bottle during play time) and I was happy to see that. Maybe they had assigned the more experienced kids (most kids continued on from Reception into Year 1) to help the new kids.
We left shortly after the kids assembled to head back to class after break. Actually, we were asked to leave a few times this morning but we stuck around! There were just a handful of parents whose kids were also new and in Year 1, who stayed back. In a way it was nice to know that there are a few other mums who were also worried about their sons.
I'll be driving there shortly after lunch to pick him up. I'll probably leave very early to avoid a possible traffic jam (I'll be driving myself as my husband's sick). I hope to be able to speak to the teacher to find out how he was, her concerns, and to ask for help with inserting straw into his packet drinks.
I'm quite tired and my body aches. Hadn't slept well the past two nights having had strange dreams and nightmares. It felt like I was the one attending a new school! I must have been nervous myself but tried very hard not to show it, to avoid my son picking up on my body language. I was very worried about not waking up on time so I had been using 2 alarms (a conventional alarm clock and my handphone!) the past few days to train myself to rise early.
I'm very happy that his first day went well. It's a big achievement for him, a major milestone, the beginning of a new chapter.
He was a bit nervous this morning when I changed him into his new school uniform. He said that he wasn't big enough yet (to attend "big boy" school) and that he'd only wear it for a short while and then have it taken off!
I told him that it's ok to be nervous. I told him that I was nervous too when I started school. I gave him a hug and carried him for a little while to assure him. Then I distracted him by asking him to draw while I went to get changed myself. He didnt cry or get clingy.
We were ready to leave the house by 7am. That's a record! In order to achieve that and not be overly stressed, I woke at 5.30 (to make soft boiled eggs...and to wake my helper up-sigh) while he woke just before 6am.
The exit off the highway leading to his school was incredibly jammed. Luckily my husband had taken the day off to drive us there. I think I'll have to leave the house around 6.50am tomorrow!
At the assembly hall, he was able to sit in the line with his class. But he was clearly nervous, turning to look at me to make sure I was still around. I'm very glad he was able to sit with the rest while the principal made a very short announcement.
Parents were allowed to walk the kids to the class on the first day. He held my hands very tightly. The other 6 new kids in his class walked by themselves.
At his class, I showed him where to place his backpack and water bottle. Then ushered him quickly into his class to join the rest who were already seated on the floor. He was alright. He didnt cry. He found a place to sit in front of the group.
We stayed around the school compound for a while after that. There was a long queue at the bookshop so by the time I finished, it was quite near their snack time.
I didnt want my son to see me, so I kept my distance when they came out to the canteen. My husband went to take a closer look at him and realised that he didnt insert the straw into the UHT milk packet and no one came to help him.
I will have to communicate with the teachers to explain his fine motor difficulties and ask for their help. I will also have to see what the tailor can do to alter his shorts which are a bit loose for him (the smaller size was too small for him).
All in all, he seemed ok. He seemed happy walking with his class down to the canteen. He was happy during the short play time (after snack, and before the end of break time).
A friend seemed to be explaining to him something (perhaps where to place his water bottle during play time) and I was happy to see that. Maybe they had assigned the more experienced kids (most kids continued on from Reception into Year 1) to help the new kids.
We left shortly after the kids assembled to head back to class after break. Actually, we were asked to leave a few times this morning but we stuck around! There were just a handful of parents whose kids were also new and in Year 1, who stayed back. In a way it was nice to know that there are a few other mums who were also worried about their sons.
I'll be driving there shortly after lunch to pick him up. I'll probably leave very early to avoid a possible traffic jam (I'll be driving myself as my husband's sick). I hope to be able to speak to the teacher to find out how he was, her concerns, and to ask for help with inserting straw into his packet drinks.
I'm quite tired and my body aches. Hadn't slept well the past two nights having had strange dreams and nightmares. It felt like I was the one attending a new school! I must have been nervous myself but tried very hard not to show it, to avoid my son picking up on my body language. I was very worried about not waking up on time so I had been using 2 alarms (a conventional alarm clock and my handphone!) the past few days to train myself to rise early.
I'm very happy that his first day went well. It's a big achievement for him, a major milestone, the beginning of a new chapter.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Photos
I fell asleep putting my son to sleep tonight, and then woke up a few hours later with my heart beating very fast. It's not unusual for that to happen. But I think because I'm nervous about him starting school very soon, it takes a longer time for me to calm down. I end up with a somewhat disruptive sleep pattern and it's happening quite frequently lately.
Anyway, here I am on my blog. I'm too tired to write a proper post, so I'm posting a few recent photos instead.
I took these photos on 25th July. That's the book he was given to read as weekend homework. It was the 3rd weekend that he was assigned books from Stage 6 of the Oxford Reading Tree series.
Playing football with other kids at his classmate's birthday party.
I absolutely love clear blue skies! Captured this after a session at Desa Park City on Sun, 17th July. I think it was one of the first times that we were there with Milo boy & his mum.
I got him to try on his new uniform, for size, earlier this week. Is he admiring himself in the mirror? LOL
Anyway, here I am on my blog. I'm too tired to write a proper post, so I'm posting a few recent photos instead.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
His progress update
I've not written about his progress for quite a long time now. So, this post will cover quite a few areas, with just a short description on each area.
While reading what I've written below, please bear in mind that I'm not a kiasu mum. The academic side that I'm working on with him is to gear him towards independence, as is everything that I do with him. I want him to be strong and quick in maths so that he doesnt get cheated in his daily life later. He has to be able to read. He still has to be able to write legibly even though things are more electronic based nowadays. The importance of self care and social skills development are obvious. Learning to swim is part of being safe.
Reading
I no longer have time to read with him or have him read aloud, on a daily basis. I know that goes against the advice of reading experts and teachers. But for the past few months, self care skills have taken a higher priority. Thankfully he brings home a book to be read every Friday which forces it to be done at least on a weekly basis.
I'm extremely thankful that he's still quite strong in this area. He's at Stage 6 of the Oxford Reading Tree Reader Series, where there are about 4 lines or 4 sentences per page and about 20 pages in a book. He can read the entire book in one sitting with minimal help from me. Last Friday, he brought home a Poem book about clocks and I think he enjoyed it.
A friend had recently presented him with the Disney Pixar Cars Storybook Collection. It's a very thick book, over 200 pages. It's A4 sized with more than half the page filled with words. He was excited about the gift that he easily read the first page (about 12 lines) aloud, with minimal help from me. He loves Cars, the movie, so that was a big motivating factor.
Handwriting
His writing has definitely improved comparing it in March 2011, and now. His handwriting practice comes in the form of practising his spelling and ejaan (homework) for about 5 days a week. He's motivated to write nicely because he gets rewarded with stickers. Thank goodness stickers still work on him!
But when I check his school BM workbook, his handwriting is horrible! I'm not sure whether it's because he was tired or he's in a hurry to complete it or the height of the school chair and table are unsuitable.
I just bought his Year 1 school books today. I've more work coming up. I've to start teaching him joined writing (cursive). Sigh.
Maths
He scored well on the previous test and continued on to the next module at the maths place. I make simple handwritten worksheets for him to practice on. Sometimes I wish the class would stop for a week or so, so that I can have a break. It's not hard for him, but I've to keep going on and on and on.
They've started to introduce the concept of multiplication, through skip counting by 2s. Next week will be skip counting by 5s and 10s. I would like to build a strong foundation for multiplication so I'll build on this slowly over the next few months.
The next few lessons are easy for him so I plan to teach him other concepts that weren't covered or that was presented in a different way in his Year 1 workbooks or that I know he's not strong in. I find it strange that he's not strong with the "before" concept. He can tell me what month comes after say, June, or what day comes after Tuesday. But he cant tell me what comes before.
Taking a shower and towelling dry
I've to keep reminding him to be quick and not play with the water, to be quick in towelling so that he doesnt catch a cold, but he's generally progressing well here. He cant yet reach his back to soap up or to dry off properly.
This area took on a high priority because he will have swimming lessons as part of his PE curriculum in school. It includes reminding him to keep his clothes that he has changed out of (or it might get lost/mixed up amongst all the other kids' clothes and bags). I've not found a suitable container for his shower gel to be used in school, which is leak proof and yet easy enough for him to open. Details, details! It's tiring doing so much thinking.
Putting on his T-shirt, shorts and underwear
After months of teaching him one way to put on his T-shirt, I recently had to teach him another way as he wasn't progressing in the previous way. Some T-shirts are easier for him to remove than others. He's fine with putting on and taking off his shorts and underwear. It gets put back on crooked sometimes, but hey, it's on! He can't tuck in his shirt, so I hope teachers dont give him too much grief about it.
Putting on his socks and shoes
Thankfully, I finally found suitable black leather boys shoes that are of a design for "office wear", that have velcro, that he can easily get in and out of by himself, and fairly quickly. It took 4 afternoons of going shop to shop in different malls. I'm not even going to get started on finding suitable slippers for wearing to the pool.
He struggles with putting on socks. His fingers arent strong enough to stretch the socks. He struggles with balancing and co-ordinating his body, arms, legs, foot to get the socks on. He yanks them off easily though.
Buttoning
Ah, a major source of stress for both of us. I started this activity with him months ago, using a purpose made vest (thanks Fe!) and big buttons. He was doing fine. But time snuck up on us and I had to quicken his progress. He finally got so frustrated with it last week that he cried (not just whine, but tears rolled out). I had to let this one go...for now. I've thought of alternatives but we'll just have to see how receptive the teachers are when he starts school.
Feeding himself
He's progressed well enough to not starve in school. He has yet to learn to use the fork to avoid making a huge mess. He has to learn to cut up his food (fingers not strong yet). He has to learn to take a break from chewing for the 15 minutes that he's gobbling up the food, and then to continue feeding himself after the break. Otherwise, he doesnt get enough.
Colouring
He has very recently taken an interest to colouring, which is great. But he uses his bigger arm muscles to colour instead of his finer hand and finger muscles, so it's still very immature. I'm not stressed by it at all as it's low in my priority. I'm just happy he wants to do colour.
So on Sunday, I bought a Disney Pixar Car magic colouring book. Using the special magic colour pens that comes with it, you colour on the fabric book, and when done, you can just wash the entire book and recolour again. To some kids, that might seem a total waste of effort but I sold him the idea that it's special and cool!
Drawing
He loves to draw lots and lots of trucks. Dump trucks, trucks carrying soil, cement mixers, container trucks... He started off with just plain trucks and over the months evolved to a variety of trucks.
Again, this is not high priority but I do want him to be better at drawing cos it'll be needed in science and other subjects.
Lacing
Bought a new lacing set in the theme of cute animals. I hadnt done lacing with him for quite a long time, so I was very happy that he has progressed (through other activities), and that he now likes doing it. He still needs help in remembering which way to thread it through, to pull it tight etc, but it's progress nonetheless.
Lego building
I bought some sets from the Lego City series which involve vehicles. I "release" parts of it from the box over a few months. So far we've built a fuel tanker, a repair truck (bucket truck), fire truck with long ladder, and a police buggy. He's doing well in following the assembly booklet but needs help with the fiddly flat pieces or single knob pieces. About 2 weeks ago, he surprised me by being able to fit the legs and body of a policeman by himself, and then his head. I helped with the cap.
Cycling
We resumed cycling shortly after my surgery but stopped again about 2 weekends ago. He can cycle at a faster speed, and for a longer duration. He can cycle mostly by himself twice round the Desa Parkcity lake. He needs help with getting up the steep bridge, and some slopes. Today, he surprised me by being able to squeeze on the brakes tight enough to control his descent.
Gait training
Fezia, his therapist is doing a great job on this. The aim is to correct his gait (longer strides, heel toe motion, arms down and swinging). Also aiming to strengthen his muscles, and stamina (slight gradient, slightly faster speed etc)
Social skills
He has made a new friend recently (I shall call the boy, Milo boy, for his love of iced Milo!). We shall be meeting up with Milo and his mum, on a more regular basis, at the park or other activities.
Oral motor
I've managed to slot in a few minutes a day, on a regular basis, for him to blow bubbles, and to suck from crazy straws to strengthen the muscles around the lips. After just a week, I've seen improvements - he can drink from a soft straw without biting on it.
Swimming
It's going to be a long journey, this one. He has difficulty doing both blowing and kicking at the same time. It's also difficult kicking while keeping his knee straight, and keeping his mouth closed underwater. But I'm definitely happy with his progress after 4 lessons in the first two weeks of Aug. He didnt attend last week and wont be this week either due to his cold.
He can now stick his head underwater and blow bubbles. He can "swim" a very very short distance from the instructor to me (teacher pushes him towards me while his whole body is submerged). It's not swimming in the true sense of course, but that's how the teacher boosts his confidence. He's brave in the face of being challenged more ever so slightly each lesson.
He loves being in the company of other kids during the lesson. Group learning has helped him in that he tried to copy what the others are doing. The other kids are competent swimmers. He absolutely loves racing with them, with my help of course.
I'm sure there are other areas of improvement that I've not covered but I'm really tired and it's late. Feeling happy to have got it all written down. My mind feels a bit lighter.
While reading what I've written below, please bear in mind that I'm not a kiasu mum. The academic side that I'm working on with him is to gear him towards independence, as is everything that I do with him. I want him to be strong and quick in maths so that he doesnt get cheated in his daily life later. He has to be able to read. He still has to be able to write legibly even though things are more electronic based nowadays. The importance of self care and social skills development are obvious. Learning to swim is part of being safe.
Reading
I no longer have time to read with him or have him read aloud, on a daily basis. I know that goes against the advice of reading experts and teachers. But for the past few months, self care skills have taken a higher priority. Thankfully he brings home a book to be read every Friday which forces it to be done at least on a weekly basis.
I'm extremely thankful that he's still quite strong in this area. He's at Stage 6 of the Oxford Reading Tree Reader Series, where there are about 4 lines or 4 sentences per page and about 20 pages in a book. He can read the entire book in one sitting with minimal help from me. Last Friday, he brought home a Poem book about clocks and I think he enjoyed it.
A friend had recently presented him with the Disney Pixar Cars Storybook Collection. It's a very thick book, over 200 pages. It's A4 sized with more than half the page filled with words. He was excited about the gift that he easily read the first page (about 12 lines) aloud, with minimal help from me. He loves Cars, the movie, so that was a big motivating factor.
Handwriting
His writing has definitely improved comparing it in March 2011, and now. His handwriting practice comes in the form of practising his spelling and ejaan (homework) for about 5 days a week. He's motivated to write nicely because he gets rewarded with stickers. Thank goodness stickers still work on him!
But when I check his school BM workbook, his handwriting is horrible! I'm not sure whether it's because he was tired or he's in a hurry to complete it or the height of the school chair and table are unsuitable.
I just bought his Year 1 school books today. I've more work coming up. I've to start teaching him joined writing (cursive). Sigh.
Maths
He scored well on the previous test and continued on to the next module at the maths place. I make simple handwritten worksheets for him to practice on. Sometimes I wish the class would stop for a week or so, so that I can have a break. It's not hard for him, but I've to keep going on and on and on.
They've started to introduce the concept of multiplication, through skip counting by 2s. Next week will be skip counting by 5s and 10s. I would like to build a strong foundation for multiplication so I'll build on this slowly over the next few months.
The next few lessons are easy for him so I plan to teach him other concepts that weren't covered or that was presented in a different way in his Year 1 workbooks or that I know he's not strong in. I find it strange that he's not strong with the "before" concept. He can tell me what month comes after say, June, or what day comes after Tuesday. But he cant tell me what comes before.
Taking a shower and towelling dry
I've to keep reminding him to be quick and not play with the water, to be quick in towelling so that he doesnt catch a cold, but he's generally progressing well here. He cant yet reach his back to soap up or to dry off properly.
This area took on a high priority because he will have swimming lessons as part of his PE curriculum in school. It includes reminding him to keep his clothes that he has changed out of (or it might get lost/mixed up amongst all the other kids' clothes and bags). I've not found a suitable container for his shower gel to be used in school, which is leak proof and yet easy enough for him to open. Details, details! It's tiring doing so much thinking.
Putting on his T-shirt, shorts and underwear
After months of teaching him one way to put on his T-shirt, I recently had to teach him another way as he wasn't progressing in the previous way. Some T-shirts are easier for him to remove than others. He's fine with putting on and taking off his shorts and underwear. It gets put back on crooked sometimes, but hey, it's on! He can't tuck in his shirt, so I hope teachers dont give him too much grief about it.
Putting on his socks and shoes
Thankfully, I finally found suitable black leather boys shoes that are of a design for "office wear", that have velcro, that he can easily get in and out of by himself, and fairly quickly. It took 4 afternoons of going shop to shop in different malls. I'm not even going to get started on finding suitable slippers for wearing to the pool.
He struggles with putting on socks. His fingers arent strong enough to stretch the socks. He struggles with balancing and co-ordinating his body, arms, legs, foot to get the socks on. He yanks them off easily though.
Buttoning
Ah, a major source of stress for both of us. I started this activity with him months ago, using a purpose made vest (thanks Fe!) and big buttons. He was doing fine. But time snuck up on us and I had to quicken his progress. He finally got so frustrated with it last week that he cried (not just whine, but tears rolled out). I had to let this one go...for now. I've thought of alternatives but we'll just have to see how receptive the teachers are when he starts school.
Feeding himself
He's progressed well enough to not starve in school. He has yet to learn to use the fork to avoid making a huge mess. He has to learn to cut up his food (fingers not strong yet). He has to learn to take a break from chewing for the 15 minutes that he's gobbling up the food, and then to continue feeding himself after the break. Otherwise, he doesnt get enough.
Colouring
He has very recently taken an interest to colouring, which is great. But he uses his bigger arm muscles to colour instead of his finer hand and finger muscles, so it's still very immature. I'm not stressed by it at all as it's low in my priority. I'm just happy he wants to do colour.
So on Sunday, I bought a Disney Pixar Car magic colouring book. Using the special magic colour pens that comes with it, you colour on the fabric book, and when done, you can just wash the entire book and recolour again. To some kids, that might seem a total waste of effort but I sold him the idea that it's special and cool!
Drawing
He loves to draw lots and lots of trucks. Dump trucks, trucks carrying soil, cement mixers, container trucks... He started off with just plain trucks and over the months evolved to a variety of trucks.
Again, this is not high priority but I do want him to be better at drawing cos it'll be needed in science and other subjects.
Lacing
Bought a new lacing set in the theme of cute animals. I hadnt done lacing with him for quite a long time, so I was very happy that he has progressed (through other activities), and that he now likes doing it. He still needs help in remembering which way to thread it through, to pull it tight etc, but it's progress nonetheless.
Lego building
I bought some sets from the Lego City series which involve vehicles. I "release" parts of it from the box over a few months. So far we've built a fuel tanker, a repair truck (bucket truck), fire truck with long ladder, and a police buggy. He's doing well in following the assembly booklet but needs help with the fiddly flat pieces or single knob pieces. About 2 weeks ago, he surprised me by being able to fit the legs and body of a policeman by himself, and then his head. I helped with the cap.
Cycling
We resumed cycling shortly after my surgery but stopped again about 2 weekends ago. He can cycle at a faster speed, and for a longer duration. He can cycle mostly by himself twice round the Desa Parkcity lake. He needs help with getting up the steep bridge, and some slopes. Today, he surprised me by being able to squeeze on the brakes tight enough to control his descent.
Gait training
Fezia, his therapist is doing a great job on this. The aim is to correct his gait (longer strides, heel toe motion, arms down and swinging). Also aiming to strengthen his muscles, and stamina (slight gradient, slightly faster speed etc)
Social skills
He has made a new friend recently (I shall call the boy, Milo boy, for his love of iced Milo!). We shall be meeting up with Milo and his mum, on a more regular basis, at the park or other activities.
Oral motor
I've managed to slot in a few minutes a day, on a regular basis, for him to blow bubbles, and to suck from crazy straws to strengthen the muscles around the lips. After just a week, I've seen improvements - he can drink from a soft straw without biting on it.
Swimming
It's going to be a long journey, this one. He has difficulty doing both blowing and kicking at the same time. It's also difficult kicking while keeping his knee straight, and keeping his mouth closed underwater. But I'm definitely happy with his progress after 4 lessons in the first two weeks of Aug. He didnt attend last week and wont be this week either due to his cold.
He can now stick his head underwater and blow bubbles. He can "swim" a very very short distance from the instructor to me (teacher pushes him towards me while his whole body is submerged). It's not swimming in the true sense of course, but that's how the teacher boosts his confidence. He's brave in the face of being challenged more ever so slightly each lesson.
He loves being in the company of other kids during the lesson. Group learning has helped him in that he tried to copy what the others are doing. The other kids are competent swimmers. He absolutely loves racing with them, with my help of course.
I'm sure there are other areas of improvement that I've not covered but I'm really tired and it's late. Feeling happy to have got it all written down. My mind feels a bit lighter.
Monday, August 22, 2011
How am I?
I've been very silent on my blog for the past few weeks and not as regular at writing posts the past few months.
After my surgery, I had been very tired. What I had thought was a minor surgery, while not major, was not as minor as I had expected. I still have a slightly infected wound that's taking its time to heal.
So after resting lots in July, there was a backlog of errands to be done in Aug. I've tried to set my own boundaries (by listening to my own body and resting when I need to) so as not to fall sick but when it comes to helping my son progress, I cant seem to slow down much.
I have also been very nervous about my son starting at the new big boy school. I'm not worried about his academic side. I'm concerned about his self care skills. So from a few months ago, after getting through the assessment, my focus had been on improving his self care skills. While some aspects of that has seen improvement which I'm happy about, there are still others that need more practice.
More recently, I had felt rather unsupported and lost.
I wished that I didnt always have to be the one to drive him to music class or maths class or to the park for cycling. It's tiring to always be thinking about my son from thinking of cooking nutritious food that he likes, to whether he's had his vitamins for the day, to how to squeeze in yet another activity, to reprioritising his activities, to managing his time for a shower, for getting to swim class on time, for getting to bed on time, to finding the right pair of school shoes, to whether he's had his antihistamine and aerochamber (yes, he's sick again).... it's endless.
I wished that I too could go off on an overseas vacation all by myself and yet rest assured that all his needs and household matters are taken care of. Well, I can but dream.
One thing's for sure - I am slowly changing. I'm slowly learning to set my limits and take care of myself. I'm slowly learning to let go of things I can't change like my sister's disability. I'm slowly learning that there are consequences to reprimanding my helper in front of my son, and thus learning to deal with her at a later time.
I'm yet again learning to enjoy my son for who he is right now. He is growing up fast. He starts Year 1 in two weeks' time. He has achieved much. I love his smile. I love his determination. I love to "cradle" him in my arms now and tell him how tiny he was as a baby.
He loves me a lot, or in his own words (on different occasions): "I love you soo soo soo soo much, you know that? I love you forever and ever and ever and ever and ever. I love you in the morning and at night. I love you even when I'm angry with you (that's an echo of what I told him). I still love you like that (when he saw my fresh ugly scars with stitches and dried blood still on)." Those keep me going day after day.
After my surgery, I had been very tired. What I had thought was a minor surgery, while not major, was not as minor as I had expected. I still have a slightly infected wound that's taking its time to heal.
So after resting lots in July, there was a backlog of errands to be done in Aug. I've tried to set my own boundaries (by listening to my own body and resting when I need to) so as not to fall sick but when it comes to helping my son progress, I cant seem to slow down much.
I have also been very nervous about my son starting at the new big boy school. I'm not worried about his academic side. I'm concerned about his self care skills. So from a few months ago, after getting through the assessment, my focus had been on improving his self care skills. While some aspects of that has seen improvement which I'm happy about, there are still others that need more practice.
More recently, I had felt rather unsupported and lost.
I wished that I didnt always have to be the one to drive him to music class or maths class or to the park for cycling. It's tiring to always be thinking about my son from thinking of cooking nutritious food that he likes, to whether he's had his vitamins for the day, to how to squeeze in yet another activity, to reprioritising his activities, to managing his time for a shower, for getting to swim class on time, for getting to bed on time, to finding the right pair of school shoes, to whether he's had his antihistamine and aerochamber (yes, he's sick again).... it's endless.
I wished that I too could go off on an overseas vacation all by myself and yet rest assured that all his needs and household matters are taken care of. Well, I can but dream.
One thing's for sure - I am slowly changing. I'm slowly learning to set my limits and take care of myself. I'm slowly learning to let go of things I can't change like my sister's disability. I'm slowly learning that there are consequences to reprimanding my helper in front of my son, and thus learning to deal with her at a later time.
I'm yet again learning to enjoy my son for who he is right now. He is growing up fast. He starts Year 1 in two weeks' time. He has achieved much. I love his smile. I love his determination. I love to "cradle" him in my arms now and tell him how tiny he was as a baby.
He loves me a lot, or in his own words (on different occasions): "I love you soo soo soo soo much, you know that? I love you forever and ever and ever and ever and ever. I love you in the morning and at night. I love you even when I'm angry with you (that's an echo of what I told him). I still love you like that (when he saw my fresh ugly scars with stitches and dried blood still on)." Those keep me going day after day.
Monday, August 1, 2011
His first swimming lesson
Last week, I finally called up and made an appointment for my son's first swimming lesson. Found a teacher whose charges were reasonable for a group lesson and it turns out that he taught my sister how to swim a long long time ago.
Last Sunday morning, we spent almost 4 hours in the mall shopping for swimming goggles, for a present to bring to his friend's birthday party, and had lunch there.
Btw, Carrefour has own brand cheap decent goggles (anti fog, adjustable nose strap, kid sized, UV protection). Jusco carries the Ogival brand which is good and not expensive and fulfils those requirements.
I was a bit worried how his first lesson would go and had prayed about it. The outcome? It went swimmingly well! (Couldnt resist the pun) Thank you God!
We arrived slightly early so as not to get stressed rushing. There were a few kids already in the pool messing around. It was important that he saw kids in the water having fun before he started his lesson.
He was a bit scared before getting in and wanted me to accompany him into the water, which I intended to anyway. Once in, he was fine.
One of the kids was his age and I quickly made friends with him. My son liked him as he was talkative, active and friendly. The other kids were already pretty good swimmers and somewhat older than him (6+ to 12).
In a group lesson, there is very limited time that the teacher can spend with my son. I had been given the heads up, by another mum, that I'd be expected to get into the water with my son in a group lesson. So most of the time, I was the one leading my son from one end of the pool to the other, encouraging him to kick.
Teacher was nice to my son and every so often would take him from me to teach him a little. Then he'd hand my son back to me and I'd try to help my son practice what the teacher tried to teach.
Thanks to Fezia, my son was already introduced to the idea of kicking and of blowing out under water (blowing bubbles, she said). Most importantly, she was someone he trusted and was very gentle in introducing him to the pool, many many months ago. I'd have a much harder time if he had a phobia of the pool. Of course, the other positive pool experience he had a few months ago with my friend's 2 girls helped a great deal too.
Teacher refused to put any time frame when I repeatedly asked how long it'd take for my son to be water safe. He said that each person is different and that my son was fine today. He didnt want to put any pressure on him to avoid the risk of him disliking swimming lessons. I agree with him, especially when it's at the early stage.
Since I was like his shadow aide in the pool, I also saw how the teacher interacted with the other kids, and how he was able to challenge them just a little bit. So I think I've found the right teacher for my son for now. Only thing is that we got stuck in an awful traffic jam coming home (slightly over hour in traffic when it could have been 20mins on a clear day)!
He ate a lot for dinner and is sleeping soundly. Hopefully with swimming lessons, he not only learns to be water safe, but will bring about improved co-ordination, stronger muscles, stronger lungs and deeper breaths.
Last Sunday morning, we spent almost 4 hours in the mall shopping for swimming goggles, for a present to bring to his friend's birthday party, and had lunch there.
Btw, Carrefour has own brand cheap decent goggles (anti fog, adjustable nose strap, kid sized, UV protection). Jusco carries the Ogival brand which is good and not expensive and fulfils those requirements.
I was a bit worried how his first lesson would go and had prayed about it. The outcome? It went swimmingly well! (Couldnt resist the pun) Thank you God!
We arrived slightly early so as not to get stressed rushing. There were a few kids already in the pool messing around. It was important that he saw kids in the water having fun before he started his lesson.
He was a bit scared before getting in and wanted me to accompany him into the water, which I intended to anyway. Once in, he was fine.
One of the kids was his age and I quickly made friends with him. My son liked him as he was talkative, active and friendly. The other kids were already pretty good swimmers and somewhat older than him (6+ to 12).
In a group lesson, there is very limited time that the teacher can spend with my son. I had been given the heads up, by another mum, that I'd be expected to get into the water with my son in a group lesson. So most of the time, I was the one leading my son from one end of the pool to the other, encouraging him to kick.
Teacher was nice to my son and every so often would take him from me to teach him a little. Then he'd hand my son back to me and I'd try to help my son practice what the teacher tried to teach.
Thanks to Fezia, my son was already introduced to the idea of kicking and of blowing out under water (blowing bubbles, she said). Most importantly, she was someone he trusted and was very gentle in introducing him to the pool, many many months ago. I'd have a much harder time if he had a phobia of the pool. Of course, the other positive pool experience he had a few months ago with my friend's 2 girls helped a great deal too.
Teacher refused to put any time frame when I repeatedly asked how long it'd take for my son to be water safe. He said that each person is different and that my son was fine today. He didnt want to put any pressure on him to avoid the risk of him disliking swimming lessons. I agree with him, especially when it's at the early stage.
Since I was like his shadow aide in the pool, I also saw how the teacher interacted with the other kids, and how he was able to challenge them just a little bit. So I think I've found the right teacher for my son for now. Only thing is that we got stuck in an awful traffic jam coming home (slightly over hour in traffic when it could have been 20mins on a clear day)!
He ate a lot for dinner and is sleeping soundly. Hopefully with swimming lessons, he not only learns to be water safe, but will bring about improved co-ordination, stronger muscles, stronger lungs and deeper breaths.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
In his eyes
An empty plastic container was on the dining table after I removed it and the contents from the fridge.
What do you see in the image above?
An empty plastic container with condensation? That's what I saw.
But there's something else that he saw. He scooted up to me and said "Look mama! Look! It's a person dancing".
His pronounciation is getting a bit bad so he had to repeat himself many times cos I didnt have a context to help me guess what he was saying.
Do you see what he saw? Use your imagination!
Still dont see it? The dancer's head and upper body are horizontal, with both arms vertically down supporting them. The dancer's legs (with baggy pants) are vertically up.
An empty plastic container with condensation? That's what I saw.
But there's something else that he saw. He scooted up to me and said "Look mama! Look! It's a person dancing".
His pronounciation is getting a bit bad so he had to repeat himself many times cos I didnt have a context to help me guess what he was saying.
Do you see what he saw? Use your imagination!
Still dont see it? The dancer's head and upper body are horizontal, with both arms vertically down supporting them. The dancer's legs (with baggy pants) are vertically up.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
His previous paintings
Since I'm on paintings, thought I post photos of his previous paintings.
It was done way back in April this year! I did say that he doesnt get much opportunity to paint at home. I do wish that he had time to go for art class cos I think it's something that he likes...and that applies for me too - I wish I had time to attend oil painting class cos it's something that I like.
The paper was intentionally stuck to a vertical wall cos it exercises a different set of muscles (my hidden therapy objective!).
I intentionally only bought 3 bottles of paint, being the primary colours because I wanted him to learn about mixing colours. I dont let him paint often enough, so he's still not learnt how to mix to get the colours he wants. I'm not bothered about it though.
It was done way back in April this year! I did say that he doesnt get much opportunity to paint at home. I do wish that he had time to go for art class cos I think it's something that he likes...and that applies for me too - I wish I had time to attend oil painting class cos it's something that I like.
The paper was intentionally stuck to a vertical wall cos it exercises a different set of muscles (my hidden therapy objective!).
I intentionally only bought 3 bottles of paint, being the primary colours because I wanted him to learn about mixing colours. I dont let him paint often enough, so he's still not learnt how to mix to get the colours he wants. I'm not bothered about it though.
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| A boy who's crazy about vehicles would obviously paint...vehicles! Cars, vans, trucks...he said |
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| Mahjong paper although very large, tears easily |
His paintings today
He doesnt get to paint much at home cos there's always other "more important" things to be done. I know that shouldn't be the case but that's the truth because there simply isnt enough time in a day to do everything (& it takes time to set up & clean up!).
Today I bought some roller sponges (it's been a few years that I've searched for them!) because they were on offer and he wanted to use them immediately! So that's why he got to do some painting today.
Actually, my intention in buying those rollers was for him to learn to control his wrist and his strength (fine motor) & not so much as for sheer enjoyment.
But he got to enjoy painting (without one of mama's hidden therapy objective) later on. See pics at the end of this post.
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| Bought at "Think Toys" shop at The Curve |
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| He used the dotted roller, the lined roller, the scrapper and blade sponge. I helped show him how to make a blue border with the lined roller |
Can you guess what he painted?
"Rocks" he said, "...in space".
Asteroids! I reckon he's been learning about space in kindergarten. Some words in his spelling test for the past 2 weeks were of the space theme (words like "planets", "Jupiter").
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| He filled up 3 pieces of paper with asteroids...and would have continued if it wasnt time for his shower |
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Jobs for the disabled - article in The Star
Earlier this year, I spoke at length with a mom of 2 special needs kids, the eldest of whom was in secondary school. She pointed out that once out of school, there isn't enough support to help the special needs young adults obtain the skills to secure a job, and there are extremely limited job opportunities for them.
She went on trips to Singapore and Australia to specifically find out the situation in those countries, and noted that our government is lagging far behind in providing support and opportunities. As she shared details and her concerns, I felt that the future did look rather grim for young adults with disabilities, in Malaysia.
So when I read an article in The Star today about a 4 star hotel in KL that hired those with disabilities, I was encouraged. Perhaps with greater awareness being raised through the media, there will be far more employment opportunities for the disabled.
------------------------------
Article below was reproduced from:
http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2011/7/13/central/8984135&sec=central
Wednesday July 13, 2011
Jobs for the disabled help them to be independent
By TAN KARR WEI
karrwei@thestar.com.my
GOING to work on the LRT might be a mundane task for many city dwellers but 18-year-old Koh Khong Way had to be trained by his mother before she let him take the LRT alone from their home in Sri Kembangan to his workplace in Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur.
Khong Way, who currently studies in SMK Bandar Tasik Selatan, is one of the disabled workers currently working in the hotel.
Traders Hotel communications manager Theresa Goh said that 1.8% of their 400 employees were from the disabled group.
“We started in 2008 as part of our CSR project and we approached organisations and disabled societies for people that could work with us.
“It has been a success and now people are approaching us. We also get referrals from Socso for employees under the ‘Return to Work’ category who have lost their previous jobs because of work-related injuries,” said Goh.
* Full story in The Star (Metro Section) today.
She went on trips to Singapore and Australia to specifically find out the situation in those countries, and noted that our government is lagging far behind in providing support and opportunities. As she shared details and her concerns, I felt that the future did look rather grim for young adults with disabilities, in Malaysia.
So when I read an article in The Star today about a 4 star hotel in KL that hired those with disabilities, I was encouraged. Perhaps with greater awareness being raised through the media, there will be far more employment opportunities for the disabled.
------------------------------
Article below was reproduced from:
http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2011/7/13/central/8984135&sec=central
Wednesday July 13, 2011
Jobs for the disabled help them to be independent
By TAN KARR WEI
karrwei@thestar.com.my
GOING to work on the LRT might be a mundane task for many city dwellers but 18-year-old Koh Khong Way had to be trained by his mother before she let him take the LRT alone from their home in Sri Kembangan to his workplace in Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur.
Khong Way, who currently studies in SMK Bandar Tasik Selatan, is one of the disabled workers currently working in the hotel.
Traders Hotel communications manager Theresa Goh said that 1.8% of their 400 employees were from the disabled group.
“We started in 2008 as part of our CSR project and we approached organisations and disabled societies for people that could work with us.
“It has been a success and now people are approaching us. We also get referrals from Socso for employees under the ‘Return to Work’ category who have lost their previous jobs because of work-related injuries,” said Goh.
* Full story in The Star (Metro Section) today.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Learning while using AeroChamber
I've written in the past about using a device called the AeroChamber. I've now inserted a picture of a boy using it.
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To use it, I've to press the Ventolin inhaler (that grey thing at the back of the AeroChamber), then wait 30 seconds for him to have inhaled in the medicine. Then repeat that 3 more times.
He had to use it rather frequently in the past 5-6 weeks. At one stage, it was as frequent as every 2 hours (excluding when he's asleep).
What came about as a way for me not to lose track of how many puffs he's had (easy to lose focus when I'm lacking sleep), turned out to be an opportunity for him to learn counting, language, pitch & rhythm!
Here's what I did:
Counting
- simple counting from 1 to 30 (cos 30 secs for each puff to be fully inhaled)
- reinforced his understanding of skip counting by 2s & odd/even numbers. I'd say the odd numbers, and he'd say the even numbers.
Language
- He needs 4 puffs, so his 1st puff of 30seconds worth was counted out loud in English, 2nd puff in Bahasa, 3rd puff in Mandarin, 4th was back to English. He's not good in BM & Mandarin as we dont speak it at home, so it was a good opportunity for him to learn.
Pitch
- to vary the activity and make it a bit more fun, I said the even numbers in varying pitches (either high or low) and he'd to follow that pitch when he said the even numbers.
At first, he didnt get it. So I used hand gestures/body language as a visual guide. If I said an even number in a high pitch, I'd raise my hand and head up slowly as I said it & vice versa.
Later when he got it, I made it more tricky by doing a single bigger number (say 23) in a pitch that rises then drops, all within that same number. He had fun with this!
Rhythm
- that's just saying it fast or saying it very very very slowly.
To use it, I've to press the Ventolin inhaler (that grey thing at the back of the AeroChamber), then wait 30 seconds for him to have inhaled in the medicine. Then repeat that 3 more times.
He had to use it rather frequently in the past 5-6 weeks. At one stage, it was as frequent as every 2 hours (excluding when he's asleep).
What came about as a way for me not to lose track of how many puffs he's had (easy to lose focus when I'm lacking sleep), turned out to be an opportunity for him to learn counting, language, pitch & rhythm!
Here's what I did:
Counting
- simple counting from 1 to 30 (cos 30 secs for each puff to be fully inhaled)
- reinforced his understanding of skip counting by 2s & odd/even numbers. I'd say the odd numbers, and he'd say the even numbers.
Language
- He needs 4 puffs, so his 1st puff of 30seconds worth was counted out loud in English, 2nd puff in Bahasa, 3rd puff in Mandarin, 4th was back to English. He's not good in BM & Mandarin as we dont speak it at home, so it was a good opportunity for him to learn.
Pitch
- to vary the activity and make it a bit more fun, I said the even numbers in varying pitches (either high or low) and he'd to follow that pitch when he said the even numbers.
At first, he didnt get it. So I used hand gestures/body language as a visual guide. If I said an even number in a high pitch, I'd raise my hand and head up slowly as I said it & vice versa.
Later when he got it, I made it more tricky by doing a single bigger number (say 23) in a pitch that rises then drops, all within that same number. He had fun with this!
Rhythm
- that's just saying it fast or saying it very very very slowly.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Silent consonants
My progress in teaching him phonics has been rather slow the past few months.
There are a few reasons behind that. Firstly, I think he's doing fine in terms of reading. Secondly, I needed to focus on other areas like his self care skills, handwriting, fine motor and maths (and preparing him for the entrance assessment which he has since passed). Thirdly, I'm not sure how to progress further once I've completed teaching him the long vowels.
He's learnt how to make (read/spell) the long vowel sounds of a, e, i and o. Before I could teach him, I myself had to learn about it. The Morris-Montessori Word List book was incredibly useful in this respect. Thanks so much Yvonne! We just started on the long vowel u today which I think is tricky because I dont quite get it. To me, "u-e" sounds just like "oo" rather than "u".
Anyhow, I was very happy to have come across this article in The Star, Educate pull out section, today. Very timely. Very useful, as it lists out some of the rules for silent consonants.
I googled the name of the author's approach and came across this site which has more resources that'll help me learn more.
http://www.internationallanguageacademy.com.au/index.php?option=com_k2&view=latest&layout=latest&Itemid=61
The article that appeared in the newspaper is reproduced below.
------------------
The Star newspaper, Sunday July 10, 2011
Recognising silent symbols
EXPLORING ENGLISH
By KEITH W. WRIGHT
Knowing when a vowel or consonant is ‘silent’ will help you spell and pronounce words confidently.
A characteristic of the English language that causes spelling and pronunciation problems is the presence of silent symbols. Tens of thousands of English words have at least one symbol (letter) that is not sounded when pronounced.
Mastering silent symbols is necessary to be able to determine how a particular word is pronounced and spelt. To assist learners, 4S teaches a number of Keys that have already been introduced in previous Exploring English columns.
Silent symbols fall into three distinct groups: silent vowels, silent single consonants, and consonant combinations, where one or both of the symbols are silent.
Silent vowels
The most common silent symbol is the final ‘e’ in words such as: ride, lame, bone, and tube.
The 4S Key To Understanding Pronunciation and Spelling teaches: The final silent ‘e’ usually lets the other vowel do the “talking”. When the final ‘e’ is not sounded, the preceding vowel is “long”, i.e. it says its own name.
4S applies the Skills Transfer technique to teach other related ‘e’-ending words. When one can spell and pronounce “ride” correctly, it is easy to also spell and pronounce bide, hide, side, inside and many other related words.
The next most common silent vowel category is when two vowels come together in a word.
Usually when this occurs, the second one is silent. The first vowel can make either a “long” or a “short” sound. The semi-vowels ‘y’ and ‘w’ can also be silent when they are at the end of a word or syllable, e.g. day, knowing.
The 4S Key teaches: When two vowels go out walking the first one usually does the talking. This is when the first vowel is sounded but the second one is silent, e.g. aim, people, tried, breathe, bread, health, leopard, weather. This also applies to words with the semi-vowels ‘y’ and ‘w’ such as blow and pray.
Again, skills transfer is easy to apply here. Once you know how to spell and pronounce bread, for example, you will realise similar techniques in dead, dread, thread, instead.
Sometimes, in words borrowed from other languages, the first vowel is silent, for example: shield, guide, neutral, guess, quest.
Silent single consonants
Of the 21 consonants, 11 are sometimes silent as single consonants: ‘c’, ‘d’, ‘h’, ‘l’, ‘p’, ‘r’, ‘s’, ‘t’, ‘b’, ‘n’, and ‘z’.
Two other consonants, ‘w’, ‘g’, can be silent in symbol combinations.
The silent ‘c’: back, rack, track, shack,
The silent ‘d’: Wednesday, judge, ledge
The silent ‘h’: honest, hour, heir, exhibit,
The silent ‘l’: walk, talk, calm, palm
The silent ‘p’: receipt, corps
The silent ‘r’: iron
The silent ‘s’: island, isle, aisle, descend
The silent ‘t’: listen, often, fasten, whistle
The consonants ‘b’ and ‘n’ are always silent in one-syllable, root words when they follow the symbol ‘m’, such as in the words bomb, dumb, thumb, lamb, damn, column, hymn and mnemonic. The silence can be lost when a suffix is added, e.g. hymn > hym/nal.
In two-syllable words, when the syllable split is between ‘m’ and ‘b’, both the symbols are always sounded as they end and begin each syllable, e.g. num-ber, thim-ble, tim-ber, ram-ble.
In some words borrowed from other languages there can be an unexpected silent symbol, e.g. such as ‘z’ in rendezvous.
Consonant combinations
Common consonant combinations with silent symbols are ‘wr’, ‘wh’, ‘gh’, ‘kn’ and ‘sc’. In ‘wr’ words, ‘w’ always remains silent, e.g. wrap, wrong, write, wreck, wrench, wrist.
Remember: ‘wr’ always says ‘r..’.
In ‘wh’ words, the silent symbol varies from ‘w’ to ‘h’.
Compare: (i) whip, why, wheat, whale, which, wheel, when, what, where – and (ii) who, whom, whole, whose, wholesale.
In “who” words, the ‘w’ is always silent.
While ‘w’ is often silent when used as a demi-vowel, e.g. blow, it also can be silent when it is part of the ‘sw’ symbol combination, e.g. sword, answer.
There are two variations of the “gh” combination in the silent symbol category.
Sometimes, both symbols are silent: ought, caught, daughter, height, eight, weight.
At others, only the ‘h’ is silent and the ‘g’ says “g..” as in “goat”: ghost and ghetto.
The letter ‘k’ is silent in “kn” words such as knife, knee, know, kneel, knit.
In some “sc” words, the “c” remains silent, e.g. scene, scent, science. But the exception to this is scat and scuttle.
Most odd-looking consonant blends have a silent symbol. They are usually found in words borrowed from other languages, e.g. rhinoceros, gnome, khaki, fjord, tsunami, psychiatry, pneumonia, and so on.
There are two 4S Keys that could be applied here: In odd-looking consonant blends, only one consonant is usually sounded; and when ‘p’ begins an odd-looking consonant blend, it is usually silent.
Keith Wright is the author and creator of the 4S Approach To Literacy and Language (4S) — a modern, innovative and proven method of accelerating the learning of English. The 4S methodology and the associated Accelerated English Programme (AEP) mentioned in this fortnightly column are now being used internationally to enhance the English proficiency of people with different competency levels.
E-mail
contact@4Sliteracy.com.au for a free copy of the 4S-AEP Silent Symbol Booklet.
There are a few reasons behind that. Firstly, I think he's doing fine in terms of reading. Secondly, I needed to focus on other areas like his self care skills, handwriting, fine motor and maths (and preparing him for the entrance assessment which he has since passed). Thirdly, I'm not sure how to progress further once I've completed teaching him the long vowels.
He's learnt how to make (read/spell) the long vowel sounds of a, e, i and o. Before I could teach him, I myself had to learn about it. The Morris-Montessori Word List book was incredibly useful in this respect. Thanks so much Yvonne! We just started on the long vowel u today which I think is tricky because I dont quite get it. To me, "u-e" sounds just like "oo" rather than "u".
Anyhow, I was very happy to have come across this article in The Star, Educate pull out section, today. Very timely. Very useful, as it lists out some of the rules for silent consonants.
I googled the name of the author's approach and came across this site which has more resources that'll help me learn more.
http://www.internationallanguageacademy.com.au/index.php?option=com_k2&view=latest&layout=latest&Itemid=61
The article that appeared in the newspaper is reproduced below.
------------------
The Star newspaper, Sunday July 10, 2011
Recognising silent symbols
EXPLORING ENGLISH
By KEITH W. WRIGHT
Knowing when a vowel or consonant is ‘silent’ will help you spell and pronounce words confidently.
A characteristic of the English language that causes spelling and pronunciation problems is the presence of silent symbols. Tens of thousands of English words have at least one symbol (letter) that is not sounded when pronounced.
Mastering silent symbols is necessary to be able to determine how a particular word is pronounced and spelt. To assist learners, 4S teaches a number of Keys that have already been introduced in previous Exploring English columns.
Silent symbols fall into three distinct groups: silent vowels, silent single consonants, and consonant combinations, where one or both of the symbols are silent.
Silent vowels
The most common silent symbol is the final ‘e’ in words such as: ride, lame, bone, and tube.
The 4S Key To Understanding Pronunciation and Spelling teaches: The final silent ‘e’ usually lets the other vowel do the “talking”. When the final ‘e’ is not sounded, the preceding vowel is “long”, i.e. it says its own name.
4S applies the Skills Transfer technique to teach other related ‘e’-ending words. When one can spell and pronounce “ride” correctly, it is easy to also spell and pronounce bide, hide, side, inside and many other related words.
The next most common silent vowel category is when two vowels come together in a word.
Usually when this occurs, the second one is silent. The first vowel can make either a “long” or a “short” sound. The semi-vowels ‘y’ and ‘w’ can also be silent when they are at the end of a word or syllable, e.g. day, knowing.
The 4S Key teaches: When two vowels go out walking the first one usually does the talking. This is when the first vowel is sounded but the second one is silent, e.g. aim, people, tried, breathe, bread, health, leopard, weather. This also applies to words with the semi-vowels ‘y’ and ‘w’ such as blow and pray.
Again, skills transfer is easy to apply here. Once you know how to spell and pronounce bread, for example, you will realise similar techniques in dead, dread, thread, instead.
Sometimes, in words borrowed from other languages, the first vowel is silent, for example: shield, guide, neutral, guess, quest.
Silent single consonants
Of the 21 consonants, 11 are sometimes silent as single consonants: ‘c’, ‘d’, ‘h’, ‘l’, ‘p’, ‘r’, ‘s’, ‘t’, ‘b’, ‘n’, and ‘z’.
Two other consonants, ‘w’, ‘g’, can be silent in symbol combinations.
The silent ‘c’: back, rack, track, shack,
The silent ‘d’: Wednesday, judge, ledge
The silent ‘h’: honest, hour, heir, exhibit,
The silent ‘l’: walk, talk, calm, palm
The silent ‘p’: receipt, corps
The silent ‘r’: iron
The silent ‘s’: island, isle, aisle, descend
The silent ‘t’: listen, often, fasten, whistle
The consonants ‘b’ and ‘n’ are always silent in one-syllable, root words when they follow the symbol ‘m’, such as in the words bomb, dumb, thumb, lamb, damn, column, hymn and mnemonic. The silence can be lost when a suffix is added, e.g. hymn > hym/nal.
In two-syllable words, when the syllable split is between ‘m’ and ‘b’, both the symbols are always sounded as they end and begin each syllable, e.g. num-ber, thim-ble, tim-ber, ram-ble.
In some words borrowed from other languages there can be an unexpected silent symbol, e.g. such as ‘z’ in rendezvous.
Consonant combinations
Common consonant combinations with silent symbols are ‘wr’, ‘wh’, ‘gh’, ‘kn’ and ‘sc’. In ‘wr’ words, ‘w’ always remains silent, e.g. wrap, wrong, write, wreck, wrench, wrist.
Remember: ‘wr’ always says ‘r..’.
In ‘wh’ words, the silent symbol varies from ‘w’ to ‘h’.
Compare: (i) whip, why, wheat, whale, which, wheel, when, what, where – and (ii) who, whom, whole, whose, wholesale.
In “who” words, the ‘w’ is always silent.
While ‘w’ is often silent when used as a demi-vowel, e.g. blow, it also can be silent when it is part of the ‘sw’ symbol combination, e.g. sword, answer.
There are two variations of the “gh” combination in the silent symbol category.
Sometimes, both symbols are silent: ought, caught, daughter, height, eight, weight.
At others, only the ‘h’ is silent and the ‘g’ says “g..” as in “goat”: ghost and ghetto.
The letter ‘k’ is silent in “kn” words such as knife, knee, know, kneel, knit.
In some “sc” words, the “c” remains silent, e.g. scene, scent, science. But the exception to this is scat and scuttle.
Most odd-looking consonant blends have a silent symbol. They are usually found in words borrowed from other languages, e.g. rhinoceros, gnome, khaki, fjord, tsunami, psychiatry, pneumonia, and so on.
There are two 4S Keys that could be applied here: In odd-looking consonant blends, only one consonant is usually sounded; and when ‘p’ begins an odd-looking consonant blend, it is usually silent.
Keith Wright is the author and creator of the 4S Approach To Literacy and Language (4S) — a modern, innovative and proven method of accelerating the learning of English. The 4S methodology and the associated Accelerated English Programme (AEP) mentioned in this fortnightly column are now being used internationally to enhance the English proficiency of people with different competency levels.
contact@4Sliteracy.com.au for a free copy of the 4S-AEP Silent Symbol Booklet.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Things he's revealing
Of late, there have been a few remarks from my son that threw me.
Perhaps it's because I've slowed things down now that both of us need to rest, and therefore, perhaps, there's time for both of us to talk about other stuff (not just maths and phonics and practising his fine motor skills, and therapy).
Recognising cars
I've been getting him involved when I flip through the papers. I think his teacher talks to the kids about major news events sometimes, so I thought it might be timely to start opening up his world.
Most of the time though, he's far more interested in photos that have vehicles, whether it's a photo accompanying an article or an advert. Recently, there was a car offered as a grand prize in a contest advertised in the papers. The photo was in black and white. As it was grainy and partially blocked by another object, I couldnt tell the make of the car.
But my dear son could. I humoured him by playing along that he was right, because I really couldn't tell. Then when I flipped a page or two after, there was that car in the same profile, but the photo was larger and in colour. And it was that brand he that said it was. I dont know how he does it sometimes.
Hybrid
Another time, I was getting him to read the caption below the photo of a car because he didnt know what model it was. It was a Lexus Hybrid, which isnt common on the roads here, which explains why he's not familiar with it. When I spelt out "hybrid" (because the print was tiny), he immediately said "...like, like, like, like that Prius and Insight. They are hybrid cars, right?"
Yes, he was right. He loves spotting Honda Insight and Toyota Prius cars on the road. Although I did talk to him about what's special about those cars, I didnt think he'd remember the word "hybrid" as it's word hardly used.
Car number plates
He's so switched on even though he's just sitting in his car seat while I'm driving through traffic. On two or three occassions, he spotted a car that had the same last two digits as my car, and would tell me so.
Zero gravity
I'm glad that he's not just remembering stuff about cars, or just stuff I'm telling him. He seems to remember stuff from school too. One day I was talking about clouds being tiny water droplets, and how they become rain, and fall to the ground (which I've talked to him about before). He then interjected and said "there's zero gravitiy in space right? And water will float, float, float...that's so funny". I think school had been on the space theme cos some of his spelling test words tie in to that theme.
I am really glad that he's learning in school. At the last Parents Teacher's Meeting, his class teacher told us that he's "above average" but at the back of my mind, I wondered if that remark came about because I had been coaching him so much in maths and phonics. Now, I know that he is learning stuff in school too, not just stuff I'm teaching him.
Stones & camera
Before my surgery, I explained to him the what, how and why it had to be done, in simple terms. When I told him that I had stones in my gallbladder, his immediate reaction was "WHAAAAAAAT??? It must be outside!!!" I thought it was so funny. He found it strange that there were stones inside my body, when stones are usually on the ground, in the garden, outside. He then asked how it got inside, and I explained it to him.
After the surgery, I showed him the 3 scars on my abdomen. He asked why there were three. Luckily, my husband had asked that prior to my son asking, so I had the chance to ask my Dr. I told him that one was for a tiny camera at the end of a hose, to go inside me. Again, his immediate reaction was "WHAAAAAAT??? It must be outside!!!". Ah, yes, it would be very odd to a 5 year old wouldn't it, to have a camera inside your body. LOL
I'll send you home
He said something very odd this morning. Something that was not nice at all. I was finishing off my breakfast, while he was riding his scooter as usual. My helper was in the dining area. Then he got cranky (he is sick with fever and diarrohea) and kept on saying angrily "...(mumble)...I'll send you home!" in the general direction of my helper.
I was in shock. My husband and I have never said that. Not in his presence or when he's not around. I suspect my sister might have said it to my helper in his presence. My sister is intellectually challenged and does give us challenges to face every now and then, especially with regard to the helper. There is no point quizzing my sister as she'll just clam up or deny everything.
I explained things to my son. Later, after I related it to my husband, he quizzed our son but he just said that came up with it himself.
So tonight, I'm yet again reminded that I've to be very careful of my words and action. We are role models for him.
When I'm so worn out from him being sick 4 times in the last 5-6 weeks, plus needing the rest myself after my surgery (thankfully it was minor!), it's really hard to be a good role model.
Perhaps it's because I've slowed things down now that both of us need to rest, and therefore, perhaps, there's time for both of us to talk about other stuff (not just maths and phonics and practising his fine motor skills, and therapy).
Recognising cars
I've been getting him involved when I flip through the papers. I think his teacher talks to the kids about major news events sometimes, so I thought it might be timely to start opening up his world.
Most of the time though, he's far more interested in photos that have vehicles, whether it's a photo accompanying an article or an advert. Recently, there was a car offered as a grand prize in a contest advertised in the papers. The photo was in black and white. As it was grainy and partially blocked by another object, I couldnt tell the make of the car.
But my dear son could. I humoured him by playing along that he was right, because I really couldn't tell. Then when I flipped a page or two after, there was that car in the same profile, but the photo was larger and in colour. And it was that brand he that said it was. I dont know how he does it sometimes.
Hybrid
Another time, I was getting him to read the caption below the photo of a car because he didnt know what model it was. It was a Lexus Hybrid, which isnt common on the roads here, which explains why he's not familiar with it. When I spelt out "hybrid" (because the print was tiny), he immediately said "...like, like, like, like that Prius and Insight. They are hybrid cars, right?"
Yes, he was right. He loves spotting Honda Insight and Toyota Prius cars on the road. Although I did talk to him about what's special about those cars, I didnt think he'd remember the word "hybrid" as it's word hardly used.
Car number plates
He's so switched on even though he's just sitting in his car seat while I'm driving through traffic. On two or three occassions, he spotted a car that had the same last two digits as my car, and would tell me so.
Zero gravity
I'm glad that he's not just remembering stuff about cars, or just stuff I'm telling him. He seems to remember stuff from school too. One day I was talking about clouds being tiny water droplets, and how they become rain, and fall to the ground (which I've talked to him about before). He then interjected and said "there's zero gravitiy in space right? And water will float, float, float...that's so funny". I think school had been on the space theme cos some of his spelling test words tie in to that theme.
I am really glad that he's learning in school. At the last Parents Teacher's Meeting, his class teacher told us that he's "above average" but at the back of my mind, I wondered if that remark came about because I had been coaching him so much in maths and phonics. Now, I know that he is learning stuff in school too, not just stuff I'm teaching him.
Stones & camera
Before my surgery, I explained to him the what, how and why it had to be done, in simple terms. When I told him that I had stones in my gallbladder, his immediate reaction was "WHAAAAAAAT??? It must be outside!!!" I thought it was so funny. He found it strange that there were stones inside my body, when stones are usually on the ground, in the garden, outside. He then asked how it got inside, and I explained it to him.
After the surgery, I showed him the 3 scars on my abdomen. He asked why there were three. Luckily, my husband had asked that prior to my son asking, so I had the chance to ask my Dr. I told him that one was for a tiny camera at the end of a hose, to go inside me. Again, his immediate reaction was "WHAAAAAAT??? It must be outside!!!". Ah, yes, it would be very odd to a 5 year old wouldn't it, to have a camera inside your body. LOL
I'll send you home
He said something very odd this morning. Something that was not nice at all. I was finishing off my breakfast, while he was riding his scooter as usual. My helper was in the dining area. Then he got cranky (he is sick with fever and diarrohea) and kept on saying angrily "...(mumble)...I'll send you home!" in the general direction of my helper.
I was in shock. My husband and I have never said that. Not in his presence or when he's not around. I suspect my sister might have said it to my helper in his presence. My sister is intellectually challenged and does give us challenges to face every now and then, especially with regard to the helper. There is no point quizzing my sister as she'll just clam up or deny everything.
I explained things to my son. Later, after I related it to my husband, he quizzed our son but he just said that came up with it himself.
So tonight, I'm yet again reminded that I've to be very careful of my words and action. We are role models for him.
When I'm so worn out from him being sick 4 times in the last 5-6 weeks, plus needing the rest myself after my surgery (thankfully it was minor!), it's really hard to be a good role model.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Recovering
My keyhole surgery last Thurs was successful - gallbladder removed, hernia fixed and adhesions removed (a 3-in-1 surgery!). I was discharged on Sat after 2 nights. I had my follow up this morning, and stitches removed. Dr said it looked good and next follow up is in 3 week's time.
That's a relieve for me and it means that my husband can go on his holiday peacefully. He had taken care of our son when I was in hospital. My son was down with fever and a cough a few days before my operation and I was concerned about him.
After my discharge, on that very Sat night, my son started having a fever again. I suspect that he might have caught another virus from visiting me at the hospital, before he had fully recovered from the previous flu/cold. But his fever subsided on Sunday and was back to school on Monday and Tuesday.
That allowed me a bit of rest and to cook proper meals, while he was in school. I also managed to do some light groceries on those two days at the nearby supermarkets, with the help of their staff and my sister to lift the bags. The food shopping simply had to be done as there was very little meat in the freezer and no veg. My stock had run down because my son and I took turns falling ill in the 3 weeks prior to the surgery!
However, he started having a fever again on Wed night. It was quite high this time round, and it kept coming up again after the paracetamol and Voltaren wore off. He stayed away from school since Thurs. He vomitted his lunch and a bit later had bad diarohea, on Thurs itself. He might have caught a stomach virus.
He's been on paracetamol and/or Voltaren to bring down the fever every 4-8 hours. He's been on Ventolin (using the AeroChamber) regularly for the past 1-2 weeks. Just stopped running to the hospital for his nebuliser today (partially because I'm so tired & partially because he might have caught the new virus from the hospital). He's taken Smecta last night and this morning to stop the runs. He woke up at midnight crying from stomach pains, so gave him Buscopan to relax the spasms and Gaviscon, in case it's gastric (didnt take milk so might have been hungry) and paracetamol for the fever which spiked again. He's also on Zyrtec or Clarintyne day time and Prometazine (nights) for his runny nose.
Luckily it was a minor surgery and I had been able to care for my sick son during my recovery. Even though the Dr says things look good, I am still cautious. I do not want to exert myself because I do not know how things look internally.
Right now, I just wish my son would recover really fast and fully. It would be nice to be able to rest a bit more. I was too tired, cranky, worried and uncomfortable the first few days after discharge. So I've decided to TRY and take things easy.
I've given up on managing the maid as she was a huge stress factor. I've cooled down on helping him revise his maths (maths test coming up soon - if he fails, then he'll just resit the entire module again, all 3 months worth of lessons). I've cooled down on getting him to do fine motor practice (handwriting, grip strengthening), gross motor (stopped physiotherapy), and self care practice (buttoning, showering, changing clothes, self feeding etc). I know that there will be consequences. He'll regress and I'll lose time. It's only 2.5 months to go before he starts big boy school. That's why it is hard to take it easy. That's why I say I'll try. Just wish I had more support in those areas.
That's a relieve for me and it means that my husband can go on his holiday peacefully. He had taken care of our son when I was in hospital. My son was down with fever and a cough a few days before my operation and I was concerned about him.
After my discharge, on that very Sat night, my son started having a fever again. I suspect that he might have caught another virus from visiting me at the hospital, before he had fully recovered from the previous flu/cold. But his fever subsided on Sunday and was back to school on Monday and Tuesday.
That allowed me a bit of rest and to cook proper meals, while he was in school. I also managed to do some light groceries on those two days at the nearby supermarkets, with the help of their staff and my sister to lift the bags. The food shopping simply had to be done as there was very little meat in the freezer and no veg. My stock had run down because my son and I took turns falling ill in the 3 weeks prior to the surgery!
However, he started having a fever again on Wed night. It was quite high this time round, and it kept coming up again after the paracetamol and Voltaren wore off. He stayed away from school since Thurs. He vomitted his lunch and a bit later had bad diarohea, on Thurs itself. He might have caught a stomach virus.
He's been on paracetamol and/or Voltaren to bring down the fever every 4-8 hours. He's been on Ventolin (using the AeroChamber) regularly for the past 1-2 weeks. Just stopped running to the hospital for his nebuliser today (partially because I'm so tired & partially because he might have caught the new virus from the hospital). He's taken Smecta last night and this morning to stop the runs. He woke up at midnight crying from stomach pains, so gave him Buscopan to relax the spasms and Gaviscon, in case it's gastric (didnt take milk so might have been hungry) and paracetamol for the fever which spiked again. He's also on Zyrtec or Clarintyne day time and Prometazine (nights) for his runny nose.
Luckily it was a minor surgery and I had been able to care for my sick son during my recovery. Even though the Dr says things look good, I am still cautious. I do not want to exert myself because I do not know how things look internally.
Right now, I just wish my son would recover really fast and fully. It would be nice to be able to rest a bit more. I was too tired, cranky, worried and uncomfortable the first few days after discharge. So I've decided to TRY and take things easy.
I've given up on managing the maid as she was a huge stress factor. I've cooled down on helping him revise his maths (maths test coming up soon - if he fails, then he'll just resit the entire module again, all 3 months worth of lessons). I've cooled down on getting him to do fine motor practice (handwriting, grip strengthening), gross motor (stopped physiotherapy), and self care practice (buttoning, showering, changing clothes, self feeding etc). I know that there will be consequences. He'll regress and I'll lose time. It's only 2.5 months to go before he starts big boy school. That's why it is hard to take it easy. That's why I say I'll try. Just wish I had more support in those areas.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Rethinking Pedagogy - article from The Star
Sunday July 3, 2011
Rethinking pedagogy
By AMINUDDIN MOHSIN
educate@thestar.com.my
An education system that emphasises rote learning rather than understanding has no place in a world that demands students to be equipped with reasoning, analytical and problem-solving skills.
Are education systems across the world still relevant to the needs of our society and future? One expert from the United States (US) is not afraid to say that the system – in the US, at least – is obsolete.
According to Tony Wagner’s book, The Global Achievement Gap, there is a huge chasm that divides what Americans are teaching and testing in their schools versus the actual skills students need to further their studies and pursue their careers.
Wagner is co-director of Change Leadership Group (CLG) at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, which is a research and development centre charged with helping teams to be effective leaders in schools and districts throughout the US.
“Wagner points out that the relevant skills needed for the 21st century is no longer taught in classrooms and lecture halls,” said Victoria University vice-chancellor Prof Peter Dawkins.
In his lecture, a part of the Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah Distinguished Speakers series held at Sunway University, Prof Dawkins uses Wagner’s book to discuss the skills required for employment in the new workforce.
“Today, employers are not just looking for ‘domain skills’ and knowledge relevant to their field in a potential employee.
“They are also looking for ‘generic skills’ like problem-solving and teamwork. Focus on these skills is lacking in our education systems,” said Prof Dawkins.
Even when the study is transposed onto the Australian education system, it points to many areas where changes can be made to better prepare students for transitions – from school to college, then to work, said Prof Dawkins.
In the book, Wagner noted that there was no curricula or teaching method in place to teach students how to reason, analyse and write well.
He explained how the American education system was on the verge of crisis as most of the tests it uses for accountability comprise multiple choice assessments, which require more memorising than thinking.
Different minds
The concern that an overwhelming emphasis on exam grades, which in turn encourages students and teachers alike to get through the syllabus and memorise key points – rather than taking the time to understand concepts – is all too familiar in Malaysia.
So what can be done to narrow the gap between what is taught and and what is needed?
In his lecture, Prof Dawkins drew upon Howard Gardner’s Five Minds for the Future to identify what students need to learn and how to teach them those essential skills.
“Gardner identifies the types of intelligences we should develop, and points to the various different faculties of the mind,” he said.
The “five minds” include the disciplined mind, which is the ability to focus and develop a deep knowledge of at least one subject matter; the synthesising mind, which allows one to process information from various sources to combine it in a way that makes sense; and the creating mind, which puts forth new ideas and fresh ways of thinking.
The other faculties of the mind are respectful and ethical thinking, which are critical in developing students who not only welcome and respect different people and opinions, but understand them and work to benefit society at large beyond their own self-interests.
“By developing these faculties, we can produce students that can think creatively, bridge knowledge from different fields and act ethically,” said Prof Dawkins.
Although he conceded that not everything can be taught in classrooms, the classroom should take efforts to adapt to the needs of society.
Prof Dawkins shared that when he was a member of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority board, he chaired a committee tasked with writing out a declaration of educational goals for Australian children.
“I was part of the committee that produced the Melbourne declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians.
“One of the goals was developing successful learners by teaching them how to think and draw upon a wide range of different learning to solve problems,” he said.
Meanwhile, trainee teacher Nur Hidayah Shukor was of the opinion that there was nothing lacking with Malaysian students.
“Malaysian students have abundant potential and given the opportunity, they can be as expressive, creative and critical as any student out there.
“They only need to be given a platform to do so — something which could be better incorporated in our schools,” said Nur Hidayah, who is studying at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).
During her three months of practical training at SMK Taman Mutiara Rini, Johor, Nur Hidayah said she saw what teaching in non-conventional methods could do to boost the students’ interest and morale.
“You should see how even the weakest students who refused to speak a word of English became confident speakers with the correct methods.
“I used drama to get them to speak and detective work to get them to write reports. Eventually they spoke and wrote English comfortably,” she said.
However, she admitted that as a trainee teacher, she could teach students in creative and interesting ways without worrying about finishing the syllabus in time.
“On the other hand, full-time teachers are often worried about completing the syllabus in time, whereas my only concern was impressing my lecturers,” she said.
Changing perceptions
According to veteran educationist and Kirkby College Alumni president Tan Sri Dr Yahaya Ibrahim, it is precisely the teachers’ burden of finishing the syllabus in time that needs to change.
“The concept of finishing the syllabus must change — in fact, the syllabus must be malleable and robust enough that it can fit the needs of any situation.
“Teachers should not succumb to tunnel vision when teaching. If they are looking at the syllabus, they are not looking at their students growth or decline,” said Dr Yahaya.
He added that teachers go through four stages of teaching — they start off “telling” as a new teacher, then they progress to “explaining” as they gain experience.
“After that point they educate – a good teacher educates. And the final transformation is the inspirational teacher who inspires,” he said.
On a different front, UTM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Zaini Ujang says that students learn more outside the classroom.
“That is why we encourage students to partake in summer school programmes, conferences, summits and other events held outside the classroom.
“While out of campus, they are expected to learn not just from the programmes they attend but also through mingling with peers and professors abroad,” he said.
In his 2011 new year address, Prof Zaini highlighted what he expects new academia to look like after changes to conventional academia.
“We want to move from the traditional paradigm of having only professors filling up teaching positions to having policy makers, practitioners and entrepreneurs fill some of those spots.
“We also need to change our outlook on what we use as teaching materials — we cannot narrow it down to just academic journals and books,” said Prof Zaini.
Prof Zaini points out that it is important to learn through experience and that failure is a great teacher.
“We need our students to be versatile enough to be able to gain as much as possible through
experience,” he said.
As information and technology moves faster and faster, it becomes ever more important to teach students how to think critically and synthesize information.
“We need to develop inquisitive minds. We can’t have students just jotting down notes from their teachers without pondering over what they have written.
“We are transitioning from traditional learning to e-learning at a fast pace, and we must teach our students how to think,” said Dr Yahaya.
As the adage goes, knowledge is power — but this is assuming the person with knowledge knows how to use it.
This is why how we teach is as important as what we teach. Students must know how to relate to what they learn and implementation of the knowledge learned is as important as understanding it, said Dr Yahaya.
A shared view
Many policy makers, education planners, deans of faculty, principals, lecturers and teachers have pointed towards a tectonic shift in pedagogy – the art of teaching – to fit global trends.
During the launch of EzLearn2u at SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 3, Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong said the “chalk and talk” method of teaching used by teachers in the past no longer fits the students of this generation.
Taylor’s University School of Communication dean Josephine Tan said the advent of new channels of information makes Gen-Y students less likely to be receptive to one-way learning.
“With so many avenues open for them to obtain information, classrooms must adapt,” she said, adding that students must be allowed to use their smartphones, iPads and laptops to access information relevant to their class.
She also said the short period of three to five years in tertiary education was not enough to fully develop the thinking skills of student.
“These thinking skills must be developed from early education,” she added.
Even with all these little initiatives by various education institutions, the question remains, is it enough? Or is nothing short of an overhaul of they way we teach necessary for pedagogy to catch up with the needs of our times?
Dr Yahaya, who has served under various Education Ministers and Prime Ministers, said he has always posed one question to them: “What kind of Malaysian do you want to produce?”
Perhaps it is only after we answer that question can we choose a path to walk down.
Rethinking pedagogy
By AMINUDDIN MOHSIN
educate@thestar.com.my
An education system that emphasises rote learning rather than understanding has no place in a world that demands students to be equipped with reasoning, analytical and problem-solving skills.
Are education systems across the world still relevant to the needs of our society and future? One expert from the United States (US) is not afraid to say that the system – in the US, at least – is obsolete.
According to Tony Wagner’s book, The Global Achievement Gap, there is a huge chasm that divides what Americans are teaching and testing in their schools versus the actual skills students need to further their studies and pursue their careers.
Wagner is co-director of Change Leadership Group (CLG) at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, which is a research and development centre charged with helping teams to be effective leaders in schools and districts throughout the US.
“Wagner points out that the relevant skills needed for the 21st century is no longer taught in classrooms and lecture halls,” said Victoria University vice-chancellor Prof Peter Dawkins.
In his lecture, a part of the Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah Distinguished Speakers series held at Sunway University, Prof Dawkins uses Wagner’s book to discuss the skills required for employment in the new workforce.
“Today, employers are not just looking for ‘domain skills’ and knowledge relevant to their field in a potential employee.
“They are also looking for ‘generic skills’ like problem-solving and teamwork. Focus on these skills is lacking in our education systems,” said Prof Dawkins.
Even when the study is transposed onto the Australian education system, it points to many areas where changes can be made to better prepare students for transitions – from school to college, then to work, said Prof Dawkins.
In the book, Wagner noted that there was no curricula or teaching method in place to teach students how to reason, analyse and write well.
He explained how the American education system was on the verge of crisis as most of the tests it uses for accountability comprise multiple choice assessments, which require more memorising than thinking.
Different minds
The concern that an overwhelming emphasis on exam grades, which in turn encourages students and teachers alike to get through the syllabus and memorise key points – rather than taking the time to understand concepts – is all too familiar in Malaysia.
So what can be done to narrow the gap between what is taught and and what is needed?
In his lecture, Prof Dawkins drew upon Howard Gardner’s Five Minds for the Future to identify what students need to learn and how to teach them those essential skills.
“Gardner identifies the types of intelligences we should develop, and points to the various different faculties of the mind,” he said.
The “five minds” include the disciplined mind, which is the ability to focus and develop a deep knowledge of at least one subject matter; the synthesising mind, which allows one to process information from various sources to combine it in a way that makes sense; and the creating mind, which puts forth new ideas and fresh ways of thinking.
The other faculties of the mind are respectful and ethical thinking, which are critical in developing students who not only welcome and respect different people and opinions, but understand them and work to benefit society at large beyond their own self-interests.
“By developing these faculties, we can produce students that can think creatively, bridge knowledge from different fields and act ethically,” said Prof Dawkins.
Although he conceded that not everything can be taught in classrooms, the classroom should take efforts to adapt to the needs of society.
Prof Dawkins shared that when he was a member of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority board, he chaired a committee tasked with writing out a declaration of educational goals for Australian children.
“I was part of the committee that produced the Melbourne declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians.
“One of the goals was developing successful learners by teaching them how to think and draw upon a wide range of different learning to solve problems,” he said.
Meanwhile, trainee teacher Nur Hidayah Shukor was of the opinion that there was nothing lacking with Malaysian students.
“Malaysian students have abundant potential and given the opportunity, they can be as expressive, creative and critical as any student out there.
“They only need to be given a platform to do so — something which could be better incorporated in our schools,” said Nur Hidayah, who is studying at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).
During her three months of practical training at SMK Taman Mutiara Rini, Johor, Nur Hidayah said she saw what teaching in non-conventional methods could do to boost the students’ interest and morale.
“You should see how even the weakest students who refused to speak a word of English became confident speakers with the correct methods.
“I used drama to get them to speak and detective work to get them to write reports. Eventually they spoke and wrote English comfortably,” she said.
However, she admitted that as a trainee teacher, she could teach students in creative and interesting ways without worrying about finishing the syllabus in time.
“On the other hand, full-time teachers are often worried about completing the syllabus in time, whereas my only concern was impressing my lecturers,” she said.
Changing perceptions
According to veteran educationist and Kirkby College Alumni president Tan Sri Dr Yahaya Ibrahim, it is precisely the teachers’ burden of finishing the syllabus in time that needs to change.
“The concept of finishing the syllabus must change — in fact, the syllabus must be malleable and robust enough that it can fit the needs of any situation.
“Teachers should not succumb to tunnel vision when teaching. If they are looking at the syllabus, they are not looking at their students growth or decline,” said Dr Yahaya.
He added that teachers go through four stages of teaching — they start off “telling” as a new teacher, then they progress to “explaining” as they gain experience.
“After that point they educate – a good teacher educates. And the final transformation is the inspirational teacher who inspires,” he said.
On a different front, UTM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Zaini Ujang says that students learn more outside the classroom.
“That is why we encourage students to partake in summer school programmes, conferences, summits and other events held outside the classroom.
“While out of campus, they are expected to learn not just from the programmes they attend but also through mingling with peers and professors abroad,” he said.
In his 2011 new year address, Prof Zaini highlighted what he expects new academia to look like after changes to conventional academia.
“We want to move from the traditional paradigm of having only professors filling up teaching positions to having policy makers, practitioners and entrepreneurs fill some of those spots.
“We also need to change our outlook on what we use as teaching materials — we cannot narrow it down to just academic journals and books,” said Prof Zaini.
Prof Zaini points out that it is important to learn through experience and that failure is a great teacher.
“We need our students to be versatile enough to be able to gain as much as possible through
experience,” he said.
As information and technology moves faster and faster, it becomes ever more important to teach students how to think critically and synthesize information.
“We need to develop inquisitive minds. We can’t have students just jotting down notes from their teachers without pondering over what they have written.
“We are transitioning from traditional learning to e-learning at a fast pace, and we must teach our students how to think,” said Dr Yahaya.
As the adage goes, knowledge is power — but this is assuming the person with knowledge knows how to use it.
This is why how we teach is as important as what we teach. Students must know how to relate to what they learn and implementation of the knowledge learned is as important as understanding it, said Dr Yahaya.
A shared view
Many policy makers, education planners, deans of faculty, principals, lecturers and teachers have pointed towards a tectonic shift in pedagogy – the art of teaching – to fit global trends.
During the launch of EzLearn2u at SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 3, Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong said the “chalk and talk” method of teaching used by teachers in the past no longer fits the students of this generation.
Taylor’s University School of Communication dean Josephine Tan said the advent of new channels of information makes Gen-Y students less likely to be receptive to one-way learning.
“With so many avenues open for them to obtain information, classrooms must adapt,” she said, adding that students must be allowed to use their smartphones, iPads and laptops to access information relevant to their class.
She also said the short period of three to five years in tertiary education was not enough to fully develop the thinking skills of student.
“These thinking skills must be developed from early education,” she added.
Even with all these little initiatives by various education institutions, the question remains, is it enough? Or is nothing short of an overhaul of they way we teach necessary for pedagogy to catch up with the needs of our times?
Dr Yahaya, who has served under various Education Ministers and Prime Ministers, said he has always posed one question to them: “What kind of Malaysian do you want to produce?”
Perhaps it is only after we answer that question can we choose a path to walk down.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Sick, sick, sick
My son and I seem to be taking turns in falling ill recently.
3 Sundays ago, he was down with fever and a cold and recovered sufficiently to attend the second round of assessment later that week.
2 Sundays ago, it was my turn to fall ill. I had stiff neck, body aches and fever. The aches gradually became more painful so much so that I couldnt stand up at night to walk over to check on my son. Blood test was done and it ruled out dengue and bacterial infection. So reckon it was a bad virus attack. I've recovered since.
Now, it's my son's turn to fall ill again. He had a fever last weekend and started coughing. He's now on anti-histamines (Zyrtec & Rhinatiol/Promethazine) and using the AeroChamber (with Ventolin) every 2 hours.
I was told off by his paediatrician yesterday for not being aggressive enough in treating his cough symptoms! Apparently I should have started him on Ventolin (using the AeroChamber) the moment he starts coughing. Sigh. He never told me that before. Anyway, Dr said his lungs are clear and that he's fighting off the virus himself. No sore throat.
I had thought that he told me to start on the anti-histamines the moment he starts coughing. And that usually works to arrest the coughing quite quickly. I think this time round, he had one too many consecutive nights of poor sleep and kicking off the blanket. So, it deteriorated too quickly.
Anyhow, I'm also taking him for nebuliser at the hospital twice a day now. It'll taper down as he gets better, as will the frequency of the Ventolin.
I've a minor operation scheduled (for myself) tomorrow. I'm a bit worried for myself and for my son. This will be the first time I'll be sleeping without my son. I'm hoping my husband will be able to care for him (especially now that he's sick). As I'm the stay at home mum, my husband tends to be rather hands off. But as I'll be hospitalised for just 2 days, 1 night, it isn't so bad.
3 Sundays ago, he was down with fever and a cold and recovered sufficiently to attend the second round of assessment later that week.
2 Sundays ago, it was my turn to fall ill. I had stiff neck, body aches and fever. The aches gradually became more painful so much so that I couldnt stand up at night to walk over to check on my son. Blood test was done and it ruled out dengue and bacterial infection. So reckon it was a bad virus attack. I've recovered since.
Now, it's my son's turn to fall ill again. He had a fever last weekend and started coughing. He's now on anti-histamines (Zyrtec & Rhinatiol/Promethazine) and using the AeroChamber (with Ventolin) every 2 hours.
I was told off by his paediatrician yesterday for not being aggressive enough in treating his cough symptoms! Apparently I should have started him on Ventolin (using the AeroChamber) the moment he starts coughing. Sigh. He never told me that before. Anyway, Dr said his lungs are clear and that he's fighting off the virus himself. No sore throat.
I had thought that he told me to start on the anti-histamines the moment he starts coughing. And that usually works to arrest the coughing quite quickly. I think this time round, he had one too many consecutive nights of poor sleep and kicking off the blanket. So, it deteriorated too quickly.
Anyhow, I'm also taking him for nebuliser at the hospital twice a day now. It'll taper down as he gets better, as will the frequency of the Ventolin.
I've a minor operation scheduled (for myself) tomorrow. I'm a bit worried for myself and for my son. This will be the first time I'll be sleeping without my son. I'm hoping my husband will be able to care for him (especially now that he's sick). As I'm the stay at home mum, my husband tends to be rather hands off. But as I'll be hospitalised for just 2 days, 1 night, it isn't so bad.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
New playgroup for special needs kids
The Parent Support Group that I'm in has recently set up a new playgroup, which will start next month.
It's focusing on special needs kids who aren't at the moment attending any other playgroup. The reason behind that is because they wish to reach out to more people, people who do not currently have access to early intervention and support.
They do not have paper qualification for early intervention nor claim to be early intervention specialists.
They do however, have experience with special needs kids as most of them are themselves parents of special needs kids. They do also genuinely have a love for and desire to help special needs kids.
One of the parent there is Montessori trained and used to own/run a kindergarten but stopped to care for her special child. I have found that a lot of Montessori methods is useful for special needs kids - their way of teaching one thing at a time; their sensorial approach; their catering to the speed/progress of the child; their fine motor activities help self care skill development etc.
At least one parent is required to attend the playgroup with the child. I think in that way, the parent can learn a lot of activities to be replicated at home for the benefit of the child. Also, it's a good opportunity for the parent to meet other parents of special needs kids as this journey can be quite lonely.
Further details of the playgroup are as follows:
Date : 6 July 2011 (Wednesday)
Time : 9.30 am – 11.30 pm
Venue : Level 4, Wisma FGA
11 Jalan Peria, Taman Goodwood,
Jalan Kuchai Lama, Off Jalan Kelang Lama,
58200 Kuala Lumpur
Play Group provides some affordable form of early intervention in basic education and living skills for special needs children, ages 4-6.
Activities include story-telling, music and movement, educational computer programs, art & craft, gross motor skills, individual skill building and group games.
Parents are required to attend with their children.
It's focusing on special needs kids who aren't at the moment attending any other playgroup. The reason behind that is because they wish to reach out to more people, people who do not currently have access to early intervention and support.
They do not have paper qualification for early intervention nor claim to be early intervention specialists.
They do however, have experience with special needs kids as most of them are themselves parents of special needs kids. They do also genuinely have a love for and desire to help special needs kids.
One of the parent there is Montessori trained and used to own/run a kindergarten but stopped to care for her special child. I have found that a lot of Montessori methods is useful for special needs kids - their way of teaching one thing at a time; their sensorial approach; their catering to the speed/progress of the child; their fine motor activities help self care skill development etc.
At least one parent is required to attend the playgroup with the child. I think in that way, the parent can learn a lot of activities to be replicated at home for the benefit of the child. Also, it's a good opportunity for the parent to meet other parents of special needs kids as this journey can be quite lonely.
Further details of the playgroup are as follows:
Date : 6 July 2011 (Wednesday)
Time : 9.30 am – 11.30 pm
Venue : Level 4, Wisma FGA
11 Jalan Peria, Taman Goodwood,
Jalan Kuchai Lama, Off Jalan Kelang Lama,
58200 Kuala Lumpur
Play Group provides some affordable form of early intervention in basic education and living skills for special needs children, ages 4-6.
Activities include story-telling, music and movement, educational computer programs, art & craft, gross motor skills, individual skill building and group games.
Parents are required to attend with their children.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Cerebral palsy teen aims to be a lawyer - article from The Star
After last Friday's Parents Teachers Meeting at his kindergarten, my husband commented that if my son was as "above average" as what his teachers (and assessor at his soon-to-be-school) think, then perhaps he might even make it to top universities like Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard.
I honestly cant see that far. There are a lot more challenges that he will have to face. But I remember one of the feelings I had when I was told that he was accepted into school. I felt that we were given tickets which allowed us into the world of normal kids. I felt that I could dream and hope for my child.
A few days ago, I read the following article in The Star newspaper. Since revamping the paper, they've run a lot of inspiring stories, several involving people with physical disabilities. Perhaps it too might give hope to other parents of kids with cerebral palsy.
------------
Cerebral palsy teen aims to be a lawyer
By RUBEN SARIO
sario@thestar.com.my
KOTA KINABALU: Teenager Mohd Amirul Asyraf Asri has cerebral palsy and cannot even hold a pen.
But the disability has not stopped him from excelling academically he is now studying matriculation in Labuan.
He was one of the three disabled students to receive the Shell Educational Excellence Awards here yesterday.
Against all odds: Mohd Amirul showing his Shell scholarship award to his father Mohd Asri and mother Halipah during the Shell Educational Excellence Awards 2011 in Kota Kinabalu Monday.
Thirty-four Sabah students were presented with the bursaries totalling some RM3.5mil.
Mohd Amirul is now doing his diploma in bio-physics at Kolej Matrikulasi Labuan but hopes to continue his education in law at UiTM after completing the diploma course.
The former Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Madai, Kunak student uses a laptop for his studies and examinations as he is unable to write.
His schoolmates, said Mohd Amirul, were true friends as they helped him to get from class to class, and even fed him during meal times.
His father Mohd Asri Alian said the eldest of five children had consistently done well in school.
Mohd Amirul had scored 3As, 3Bs and 3Cs in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination last year.
Mohd Asri and his wife Halipah Bachok said they had always encouraged their son to rise above his disability.
Shell Malaysia chairman Anuar Taib said the company was awarding 400 bursaries and 100 scholarships worth RM11mil nationwide this year.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai handed out the scholarships on behalf of Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman.
I honestly cant see that far. There are a lot more challenges that he will have to face. But I remember one of the feelings I had when I was told that he was accepted into school. I felt that we were given tickets which allowed us into the world of normal kids. I felt that I could dream and hope for my child.
A few days ago, I read the following article in The Star newspaper. Since revamping the paper, they've run a lot of inspiring stories, several involving people with physical disabilities. Perhaps it too might give hope to other parents of kids with cerebral palsy.
------------
Cerebral palsy teen aims to be a lawyer
By RUBEN SARIO
sario@thestar.com.my
KOTA KINABALU: Teenager Mohd Amirul Asyraf Asri has cerebral palsy and cannot even hold a pen.
But the disability has not stopped him from excelling academically he is now studying matriculation in Labuan.
He was one of the three disabled students to receive the Shell Educational Excellence Awards here yesterday.
Against all odds: Mohd Amirul showing his Shell scholarship award to his father Mohd Asri and mother Halipah during the Shell Educational Excellence Awards 2011 in Kota Kinabalu Monday.
Thirty-four Sabah students were presented with the bursaries totalling some RM3.5mil.
Mohd Amirul is now doing his diploma in bio-physics at Kolej Matrikulasi Labuan but hopes to continue his education in law at UiTM after completing the diploma course.
The former Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Madai, Kunak student uses a laptop for his studies and examinations as he is unable to write.
His schoolmates, said Mohd Amirul, were true friends as they helped him to get from class to class, and even fed him during meal times.
His father Mohd Asri Alian said the eldest of five children had consistently done well in school.
Mohd Amirul had scored 3As, 3Bs and 3Cs in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination last year.
Mohd Asri and his wife Halipah Bachok said they had always encouraged their son to rise above his disability.
Shell Malaysia chairman Anuar Taib said the company was awarding 400 bursaries and 100 scholarships worth RM11mil nationwide this year.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai handed out the scholarships on behalf of Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Second round of school assessment
As mentioned in a previous posting, he sat for an assessment last month. Two weeks ago, we were told to come in again, because the principal would like to see him, for an interview.
He had his second round of assessment today, except that I wasn't expecting him to be assessed again. After all, the lady who conveyed the message to me said it was an interview and not an assessment.
He had a high fever just 2 days ago. I've put him on paracetamol and anti-histamine, and used the aero chamber with the Ventolin puff when necessary. He still seemed chirpy on Monday morning which was good because I dont think I would have coped very well with a grouchy sick kid from Monday to today, immediately after 2 weeks of school holiday where I spent 24 hrs with him, plus when I'm sick too.
I'm down with a flu and feel awful. I woke at 4.30am this morning and couldn't fall asleep again. Nervous, no doubt. The bad headaches, stiff neck and shoulder pains are back together with a sore throat and random sharp shooting pains. Think I might head for a massage tomorrow (when he's back to school tomorrow)! But the early start to my day meant I had plenty of time to do my relaxation qi gong.
My son woke early, which meant there was enough time to get both ourselves ready with minimal stress. My husband came along this time which made a huge difference - moral support! I was nervous for sure, but a lot less so compared to his first assessment. I dont think my son felt my nervousness as I was trying very hard to think positive, and prayed, prayed, prayed.
We arrived early. I had a quick browse at the bookshop and spoke to the lady there about the school's shoes, socks, and types of exercise books they used. I was working on the assumption that my son would be accepted (that's being positive huh!) and began planning ahead.
We met the principal and briefly chatted about my son's areas of disability. Then he was whisked away for the assessment with another teacher. He was in safe hands, so we were asked to wait at the canteen.
It was break time and I began planning ahead again...I was surveying what the kids were eating, their type of lunch boxes, how they paid for food, the crowd level at the tables, the crowd level at the counter, whether the amount of time given to eat was sufficient for my son, were the kids supervised, how many teachers were supervising etc. You see, I was imagining how my son would cope in that situation, and what were the areas I'd need to work on to help him.
The school's break time is staggered. From Nursery to Year 12, they were staggered into 4 blocks such that their break times do not overlap. I did a lot of observing and that certainly took my mind off worrying how my son was doing in the assessment.
Finally, they came down to ask us to go back up with them to discuss the results. We talked. They talked. The principal finally said the words I so wanted to hear. He's been accepted! I almost teared up but no tears came.
But it came with a condition that I work closely with the school in helping support my son. No problem! Then we talked even more with the teacher, and finally left about 11.30am. There was so much talking that I dont think I registered half of what they were saying. Thankfully my husband accompanied us.
The past year or so have seen much effort by his therapist and myself on preparing my son for school, or "school readiness" as it's commonly termed.
So, I'm surprised at my own reaction, or lack of. I'm not jumping over the moon. I'm not shouting it from the roof tops. I expected to cry tears of joy but none came. I dont really know what I feel. Relieved, I suppose. It's very strange. Perhaps an anti-climax. Perhaps I'm too tired. I know I wanted to give a big, big, big hug to each of my friends & family who prayed alongside. I did give a big hug to his therapist (had a session in the afternoon).
I know that this is just the beginning of my long journey to help my son. I'm already tired. There's so much more to do. I'm now searching for an oral motor therapist, and a retained reflex inhibitor therapist. If you know of any in the Klang Valley, please do let me know. I can't find any!
Then there's seeing to his self care needs - he still cant cut up his food (they serve set meals, cost of which is inc in the fees), he still cant botton/unbutton, he still cant get in or out of a T-shirt, he still cant put on his socks, he still stuffs his mouth if he likes the food (risk of vomitting), etc.
I've to start him on swimming lessons in order for him to be water safe. I'm really really scared cos they have swimming lessons for Year 1 kids during school hours.
They place a great emphasis on developing his speech. They expect me to be very diligent in doing what his speech therapist asks, and what the school's learning support head asks. They expect progress. I most likely have to find a new speech therapist as his old one, who was very good, decided to homeschool her kids. They are spot on for emphasising progress in speech, but I'm worried how quickly they expect to see that progress. I think the progress in his speech is hampered right now by the lack of oral motor work...and there doesnt seem to be oral motor therapists locally!!! Perhaps I really do need to attend that 5 day oral motor seminar which I posted about. I booked a slot to see the therapist for an asssessment, but havent signed up for the seminar. I'll have to discuss with my husband because he'll have to take leave from work (boss makes it hard to take leave) to care for my son while I'm at the seminar.
But I feel better now that I've written it all down. I can breathe again. Sorry you had to bear with me while I got it all off my chest.
One thing that made this all possible was obviously God - God's grace, God's love, God's provision. Jehovah Jireh! With God, any thing is possible. Thank you to my "group of 7" who prayed and prayed!
Now strangely, I feel like I CAN celebrate! Jehovah Jireh, my Provider, His grace is sufficient for me.
He had his second round of assessment today, except that I wasn't expecting him to be assessed again. After all, the lady who conveyed the message to me said it was an interview and not an assessment.
He had a high fever just 2 days ago. I've put him on paracetamol and anti-histamine, and used the aero chamber with the Ventolin puff when necessary. He still seemed chirpy on Monday morning which was good because I dont think I would have coped very well with a grouchy sick kid from Monday to today, immediately after 2 weeks of school holiday where I spent 24 hrs with him, plus when I'm sick too.
I'm down with a flu and feel awful. I woke at 4.30am this morning and couldn't fall asleep again. Nervous, no doubt. The bad headaches, stiff neck and shoulder pains are back together with a sore throat and random sharp shooting pains. Think I might head for a massage tomorrow (when he's back to school tomorrow)! But the early start to my day meant I had plenty of time to do my relaxation qi gong.
My son woke early, which meant there was enough time to get both ourselves ready with minimal stress. My husband came along this time which made a huge difference - moral support! I was nervous for sure, but a lot less so compared to his first assessment. I dont think my son felt my nervousness as I was trying very hard to think positive, and prayed, prayed, prayed.
We arrived early. I had a quick browse at the bookshop and spoke to the lady there about the school's shoes, socks, and types of exercise books they used. I was working on the assumption that my son would be accepted (that's being positive huh!) and began planning ahead.
We met the principal and briefly chatted about my son's areas of disability. Then he was whisked away for the assessment with another teacher. He was in safe hands, so we were asked to wait at the canteen.
It was break time and I began planning ahead again...I was surveying what the kids were eating, their type of lunch boxes, how they paid for food, the crowd level at the tables, the crowd level at the counter, whether the amount of time given to eat was sufficient for my son, were the kids supervised, how many teachers were supervising etc. You see, I was imagining how my son would cope in that situation, and what were the areas I'd need to work on to help him.
The school's break time is staggered. From Nursery to Year 12, they were staggered into 4 blocks such that their break times do not overlap. I did a lot of observing and that certainly took my mind off worrying how my son was doing in the assessment.
Finally, they came down to ask us to go back up with them to discuss the results. We talked. They talked. The principal finally said the words I so wanted to hear. He's been accepted! I almost teared up but no tears came.
But it came with a condition that I work closely with the school in helping support my son. No problem! Then we talked even more with the teacher, and finally left about 11.30am. There was so much talking that I dont think I registered half of what they were saying. Thankfully my husband accompanied us.
The past year or so have seen much effort by his therapist and myself on preparing my son for school, or "school readiness" as it's commonly termed.
So, I'm surprised at my own reaction, or lack of. I'm not jumping over the moon. I'm not shouting it from the roof tops. I expected to cry tears of joy but none came. I dont really know what I feel. Relieved, I suppose. It's very strange. Perhaps an anti-climax. Perhaps I'm too tired. I know I wanted to give a big, big, big hug to each of my friends & family who prayed alongside. I did give a big hug to his therapist (had a session in the afternoon).
I know that this is just the beginning of my long journey to help my son. I'm already tired. There's so much more to do. I'm now searching for an oral motor therapist, and a retained reflex inhibitor therapist. If you know of any in the Klang Valley, please do let me know. I can't find any!
Then there's seeing to his self care needs - he still cant cut up his food (they serve set meals, cost of which is inc in the fees), he still cant botton/unbutton, he still cant get in or out of a T-shirt, he still cant put on his socks, he still stuffs his mouth if he likes the food (risk of vomitting), etc.
I've to start him on swimming lessons in order for him to be water safe. I'm really really scared cos they have swimming lessons for Year 1 kids during school hours.
They place a great emphasis on developing his speech. They expect me to be very diligent in doing what his speech therapist asks, and what the school's learning support head asks. They expect progress. I most likely have to find a new speech therapist as his old one, who was very good, decided to homeschool her kids. They are spot on for emphasising progress in speech, but I'm worried how quickly they expect to see that progress. I think the progress in his speech is hampered right now by the lack of oral motor work...and there doesnt seem to be oral motor therapists locally!!! Perhaps I really do need to attend that 5 day oral motor seminar which I posted about. I booked a slot to see the therapist for an asssessment, but havent signed up for the seminar. I'll have to discuss with my husband because he'll have to take leave from work (boss makes it hard to take leave) to care for my son while I'm at the seminar.
But I feel better now that I've written it all down. I can breathe again. Sorry you had to bear with me while I got it all off my chest.
One thing that made this all possible was obviously God - God's grace, God's love, God's provision. Jehovah Jireh! With God, any thing is possible. Thank you to my "group of 7" who prayed and prayed!
Now strangely, I feel like I CAN celebrate! Jehovah Jireh, my Provider, His grace is sufficient for me.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
He can bake muffins...with my help
I read a long time ago that baking is a good activity for young kids. I never got round to baking with him, because he was not so capable when he was younger, and then I just forgot about it, amongst the many other things I want him to do.
So when his therapist suggested it about two or three months ago, I took it on. It was sometime near Teachers' Day so I suggested to my son that he bake muffins for his teacher. His first attempt at baking was to make Orange Poppy Seed Muffins and it was successful! We were so pleased that I forgot to take photos and gobbled up the remainder.
We used the instant mix muffins under the local brand, Nona. It just needs water, oil and eggs. Easy. Tasty! The manufacturer's website is http://www.tortofood.com/
The second attempt was blueberry muffins which didnt taste as good (different recipe - Betty Crocker label, I think). It required water only, and not oil or eggs.
Today, we baked chocolate muffins. It was also using the pre-mixed Nona recipe. Tasty too.
He enjoys baking and was very pleased to give some of them to his therapist.
I love that he's enjoying more and more activities that normal kids do.
So when his therapist suggested it about two or three months ago, I took it on. It was sometime near Teachers' Day so I suggested to my son that he bake muffins for his teacher. His first attempt at baking was to make Orange Poppy Seed Muffins and it was successful! We were so pleased that I forgot to take photos and gobbled up the remainder.
We used the instant mix muffins under the local brand, Nona. It just needs water, oil and eggs. Easy. Tasty! The manufacturer's website is http://www.tortofood.com/
The second attempt was blueberry muffins which didnt taste as good (different recipe - Betty Crocker label, I think). It required water only, and not oil or eggs.
Today, we baked chocolate muffins. It was also using the pre-mixed Nona recipe. Tasty too.
He enjoys baking and was very pleased to give some of them to his therapist.
I love that he's enjoying more and more activities that normal kids do.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Videos of him driving
One of the fun activities he did during the school holidays was to drive a car!
He's nuts about cars, so when we spotted this place in a neighbourhood shopping mall, he just had to try it out.
The cars come in various designs like a jeep, motorbike, cartoonish cars etc.
The car is battery operated, with buttons that either play music, or turns on the left/right indicator, or sounds a horn. He's in full control of the car, able to steer it anywhere he wants, able to move it forward or in reverse with the flick of a switch, and accelerate the car with a foot pedal.
There's a seat belt but doesnt look like it's of any use. It moves much slower than a bumper car, so it's quite safe for him.
He doesnt need much strength to turn the steering wheel, so he could control it himself (unlike the bumper car he rode in at Genting).
Now that he can drive, I'll teach him to run errands for me! LOL
He's nuts about cars, so when we spotted this place in a neighbourhood shopping mall, he just had to try it out.
The cars come in various designs like a jeep, motorbike, cartoonish cars etc.
The car is battery operated, with buttons that either play music, or turns on the left/right indicator, or sounds a horn. He's in full control of the car, able to steer it anywhere he wants, able to move it forward or in reverse with the flick of a switch, and accelerate the car with a foot pedal.
There's a seat belt but doesnt look like it's of any use. It moves much slower than a bumper car, so it's quite safe for him.
He doesnt need much strength to turn the steering wheel, so he could control it himself (unlike the bumper car he rode in at Genting).
Now that he can drive, I'll teach him to run errands for me! LOL
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Healthy hearty breakfast - experiments!
Part of preparing him for school includes introducing him to eating solids for breakfast. Most of his life, he's had liquids for breakfast - mainly milk or smooth baby cereals.
This school holidays, I started introducing solids for breakfast. It requires quite a bit of experimenting and so I chose the school holidays to start. It's too stressful to introduce it on school days as we're already so rushed for time.
It's been hard getting him to eat, and not just drink his breakfast. In the first place, he takes a long time to drink his milk. Secondly, he tends to gag when he has solids for breakfast. I'm not sure if it's because it's too early in the morning or if he's not yet used to chewing at breakfast.
I'm not a good cook and not a morning person. So, it was most helpful that his therapist suggested two healthy, hearty recipes. I asked a few friends what their kids had for breakfast. Two mums said it was just milk as it was too early (kids have no appetite), but one mum packs home cooked snacks for her kids' morning snack (she wakes at 5.45am). Another said cereals or bread.
So far, I've only come up with these options for a breakfast that's filling and healthy. I'm trying to achieve some mix of complex carbohydrates, grains, protein, milk, veg, with minimal processed ingredients and minimal preparation time. It's not easy to achieve to be honest.
Rice Porridge - to provide variety, I'd have to change the protein element (e.g. chicken, pork, fish) and veg (carrot, french bean, spinach).
I tried using brown rice instead of my usual basmathi rice, but it turned out too gooey and gunky. I might have to experiment with different quantities of rice to water ratio and/or cooking times. I use a slow cooker and let it cook overnight because I'm not a morning person!
Grains - this was the recipe from his therapist, which is a bit like a sweet Chinese dessert. Barley, green mung beans, gingko nuts, dried fruits for sweetness and fibre, gets cooked in a slow cooker overnight on low heat.
I tried it with brown rice as the main grain with apples and almonds as suggested by his therapist, but turned out gunky. I might experiment with different proportions of ingredients to water. I'll also try out nutrition dense grains like millet and quinoa but have no idea how it'll turn out. I do know that I cant give him almonds and gingko nuts as he gags and vomits on it, after a few spoonfuls, even though it's soft.
Soft boiled eggs - this is the only one that has been fail safe (where he eats it all up). But I cant give it too often or he'll grow bored of it. I've also not found the right timing to boil the eggs and sometimes forget to bring it out from the fridge the night before (to let it warm up to room temperature).
I serve it without soya sauce or salt. He takes about one and a half Grade B eggs, or about one Grade A egg. I've not served it with toast, because it already takes some time for him to finish it.
I am concerned about salmonella in under cooked eggs, so I'm going against my instincts (I'd previously written about it in my blog) in serving it. I read that soft boiled eggs is an Asian thing!
Omelletes - I might reserve that for weekends as it'll require a bit more time in preparing it and because he has gagged and vomitted on it on different occassions.
Cereals from a box - I've never given him cereals targetted at kids like Honey Stars or Koko Krunch as it's just too loaded with sugar (and he'd not like the gooey texture after it's been soaked in milk). So far, the only ones I've given him which he likes are Nestle's Cheerios (not sugar coated), and Post's Honey Bunches of Oats.
Recipe book
Tonight, I came across an article in the Star newspaper (it was probably Sunday's paper & yes, I read whatever news I can even if it's stale news because I dont have time) that mentioned a new recipe book by the Nutrition Society of Malaysia, targetted at babies to pre-schoolers. I've had a quick scroll through it and it sure looks tempting! It's divided into age groups, and has breakfast recipes.
I have surfed the web to find breakfast recipes previously but it's too time consuming - some contain simple carbohydrates (e.g. pancakes), or ingredients not easily available locally, or are not age appropriate.
So when I discovered this gem tonight, I felt relieved. The book is available for free in soft copy format at : http://www.nutriweb.org.my/downloads/Nutritionist's%20Choice%20Cbook_lr.pdf
Suggestions please
What does your child have for breakfast on school days? What time saving tips do you use when preparing breakfast?
This school holidays, I started introducing solids for breakfast. It requires quite a bit of experimenting and so I chose the school holidays to start. It's too stressful to introduce it on school days as we're already so rushed for time.
It's been hard getting him to eat, and not just drink his breakfast. In the first place, he takes a long time to drink his milk. Secondly, he tends to gag when he has solids for breakfast. I'm not sure if it's because it's too early in the morning or if he's not yet used to chewing at breakfast.
I'm not a good cook and not a morning person. So, it was most helpful that his therapist suggested two healthy, hearty recipes. I asked a few friends what their kids had for breakfast. Two mums said it was just milk as it was too early (kids have no appetite), but one mum packs home cooked snacks for her kids' morning snack (she wakes at 5.45am). Another said cereals or bread.
So far, I've only come up with these options for a breakfast that's filling and healthy. I'm trying to achieve some mix of complex carbohydrates, grains, protein, milk, veg, with minimal processed ingredients and minimal preparation time. It's not easy to achieve to be honest.
Rice Porridge - to provide variety, I'd have to change the protein element (e.g. chicken, pork, fish) and veg (carrot, french bean, spinach).
I tried using brown rice instead of my usual basmathi rice, but it turned out too gooey and gunky. I might have to experiment with different quantities of rice to water ratio and/or cooking times. I use a slow cooker and let it cook overnight because I'm not a morning person!
Grains - this was the recipe from his therapist, which is a bit like a sweet Chinese dessert. Barley, green mung beans, gingko nuts, dried fruits for sweetness and fibre, gets cooked in a slow cooker overnight on low heat.
I tried it with brown rice as the main grain with apples and almonds as suggested by his therapist, but turned out gunky. I might experiment with different proportions of ingredients to water. I'll also try out nutrition dense grains like millet and quinoa but have no idea how it'll turn out. I do know that I cant give him almonds and gingko nuts as he gags and vomits on it, after a few spoonfuls, even though it's soft.
Soft boiled eggs - this is the only one that has been fail safe (where he eats it all up). But I cant give it too often or he'll grow bored of it. I've also not found the right timing to boil the eggs and sometimes forget to bring it out from the fridge the night before (to let it warm up to room temperature).
I serve it without soya sauce or salt. He takes about one and a half Grade B eggs, or about one Grade A egg. I've not served it with toast, because it already takes some time for him to finish it.
I am concerned about salmonella in under cooked eggs, so I'm going against my instincts (I'd previously written about it in my blog) in serving it. I read that soft boiled eggs is an Asian thing!
Omelletes - I might reserve that for weekends as it'll require a bit more time in preparing it and because he has gagged and vomitted on it on different occassions.
Cereals from a box - I've never given him cereals targetted at kids like Honey Stars or Koko Krunch as it's just too loaded with sugar (and he'd not like the gooey texture after it's been soaked in milk). So far, the only ones I've given him which he likes are Nestle's Cheerios (not sugar coated), and Post's Honey Bunches of Oats.
Recipe book
Tonight, I came across an article in the Star newspaper (it was probably Sunday's paper & yes, I read whatever news I can even if it's stale news because I dont have time) that mentioned a new recipe book by the Nutrition Society of Malaysia, targetted at babies to pre-schoolers. I've had a quick scroll through it and it sure looks tempting! It's divided into age groups, and has breakfast recipes.
I have surfed the web to find breakfast recipes previously but it's too time consuming - some contain simple carbohydrates (e.g. pancakes), or ingredients not easily available locally, or are not age appropriate.
So when I discovered this gem tonight, I felt relieved. The book is available for free in soft copy format at : http://www.nutriweb.org.my/downloads/Nutritionist's%20Choice%20Cbook_lr.pdf
Suggestions please
What does your child have for breakfast on school days? What time saving tips do you use when preparing breakfast?
Monday, June 6, 2011
His 3 wheel scooter and imaginary phone conversations
After about 6 months of contemplating, I finally bought him a three-wheel scooter. He's been happily riding it round and round the house.
It's taken me that long because I was keeping an eye out for cheaper versions of it at hypermarkets, and also because we were too busy to make a trip to the shop together. I needed to go together with him because I need to check if the height and the width of the foot rest were suitable for him.
When I finally saw it advertised at Tesco's, I couldn't find it on the shelves. So more waiting, and not having the time to get to the shop.
Now that it's the school holidays, we're taking things easy and have been heading to the malls rather often. There is currently a slight discount on it at Toys R Us, so I bought it.
I was thinking of a scooter because I wanted him to work on his balance, but I noticed that it's been good for more than that. He gets a good work out on various muscles too - his core mucles, his arms, his legs. His reflexes has to be quick. Co-ordination is required of both legs and arms. He has to learn to push down on his legs (he still tip toes sometimes).
Aside from the physical benefits, he's using his imagination too! He has kept a few small containers (he scoured my box of fine motor activity for it) in the little bag strapped to the handle bars. Once in a while, he'll stop the scooter, pick up a small metal container, place it to his ears and pretend it's a mobile phone! It's so amusing to see him at it!
His conversations go something like this:
"Hello?...Yes... Hi so and so (it's sometimes Ah Kong, Ah Ma, my sister, my brother, his friend, his cousins)...hmmm....ah-huh....mmm...yeah...ahhh...yup...yup...yup...ok, bye"
Sometimes he hands the phone to me and tells me the person on the other side wants to talk to me. So I humour him and continue the conversation, making it as real as possible, using words rather than just his uhhms and yups. So I ask if the person has had lunch/dinner, how's the person doing, are they going anywhere this school holidays, when are they coming to visit etc. By doing so, I hope it builds his imagination, social skills, and speech.
Btw, the scooter is available at Toys R Us, for RM89.95 after RM10 off (other models sell for up to RM250). The height of the handle bar is adjustable. The base of the foot rest lights up. I've not had him test it on grass or other outdoor terrain, but I've no problems with the tyre grip on indoor tiled floors. Only gripe with it is that the assembly instructions omitted mention of two small important parts (white tubes to be inserted to the back wheel's axle) so I suggest that you have the staff assemble it for you instead of doing it yourself (as I learnt the hard way).
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