The World of Tai Tai

He is Tareeq, a student I taught last year.  He is now studying in a vocational school. I once told him that I would write a story about him and he blushed feverishly.  "I want to be a successful cook," was what he told me during a PLBS test.  I can still remember how resolute he looked at that very moment.   During an extra class one afternoon, he came up to my desk and asked me, "Mr. Lo, can you solve my problem? I am at a loss on how to fill my scholarship application form." "What is your problem?" I asked. "My father remarried two weeks ago and I now have two mothers," he said, scratching his head. "Which mother's name should I fill?" Gasping inwardly, I said "Just fill your biological mother's name." "But my father wanted me to fill his new wife's name," he said, quite crestfallen. I did not know how to reply him.  After a moment's silence, I said, "Just do what your heart d...

Besides the sambal, we also had braised pork with yam.  The dish, punctuated with hints of five-spice powder and fermented bean curd, has stood the test of time as our top favourite.

Mama made my favourite dried anchovy sambal this evening.  Its spiciness grows on everyone in my family.

No, it’s not attention. For the most part difficult students are given far too much attention. Learning how to spend less time on difficult students will do both you and them an ocean of good. In fact, it’s among the critical first steps to restoring their dignity and common pride in being a regular, contributing member of your classroom. No, what your most challenging students need most is your honest feedback . They need you to tell them the truth about their successes and failures. They need you to look them in the eye with compassion and tell them like it is—warts and all. Most difficult students are subjected to a baffling combination of false praise and angry criticism. Teachers volley between the two like Federer and Nadal. And neither provides the feedback these students need to understand how they’re really doing. So they flounder about, misinformed, pinning their future on an inaccurate picture of what it takes to succeed in school and the wider wor...

I am overwhelmed by remorse-fulness.  I regret breaking the cup and scolding my sister with harsh words.

I came to Papa's house happily for dinner and ended up returning home full of anger. My sister, Ah Hui, kept complaining about  my youngest brother's Dominic's rude attitude.  When I told her that he was rude to me too,  she did not believe a single thing I said, thinking that I was making up a story.  I flew into a rage and broke a cup.  I left without taking dinner.

I lost my camera charger in August last year and as a result, its battery became flat and I could not use my camera to take pictures.  It was not a big deal to me and I did not make an effort to search for it.  However, my recent plan to take the pictures of my cooking endeavors compelled me to get a new charger at 10.30 this morning. The charger, not an original one, cost me RM70 plus a USB plug. Excitedly, I went home and tried out the charger.  After charging the camera battery for two hours,  I inserted it back to the camera.  I pressed the 'power' button but the lens did not emerge from the camera. Frustrated, I attempted to recharge the battery but the charger indicated that it had been fully charged. "Damn it," I said in frustration. "I will return to the shop and ask the shopkeeper to give me a more competent charger." I put the new charger back into its plastic case and hurled myself on my bed.  With my heart feeling anxious about the camera,...

I have a strange feeling that many colleagues are looking down on me.  My class management is atrocious and each time a teacher passes by my class, he or she will cast me a look of disapproval.  I have been trying to rebuild my image but my students frequently dampen my spirit with their total disregard of my presence.  I feel like a complete failure.  At school, a teacher has no dignity if he or she gets  over-ridden by students all the time.  Whatever he or she does is subjected to the gauntlet of criticism and censure.

I made the above-mentioned cake with the help of mom. Ingredients: 4 eggs 120g sugar Pork floss 1 tbsp dark soy sauce 130g flour 1 tsp baking powder 2 tbsp corn oil Method: 1. beat eggs and sugar till light and fluffy 2. Combine flour and baking powder.  Gradually fold in the mixture into the batter. 3. Add soy sauce and oil. 4. Pour half of the batter into a cake tin and steam over high heat for 15 minutes. 5.  After 15 minutes, add the desired amount of pork floss onto the cake. 6. Cover the cake with the remaining batter and steam for another 15 minutes.

No, not every day, and not even every week. You need your lunch break to get away from teaching, if only for a few minutes. You need the time to take a breather, prep your classroom, or think ahead to the afternoon. You need time to discuss your favorite TV show with a colleague or listen to Pandora in peace. After all, it’s your time, and it should remain that way. But occasionally, maybe once or twice a month, it pays to eat lunch with your students. It pays to go where they go, to sit down in the lunch room right smack dab in their midst. It pays to surprise your students with the words, “Mind if I join you?” Here’s why. It’s an effortless way to build rapport. Building rapport is a key cornerstone of effective classroom management. It’s also an area that is commonly misunderstood. Most teachers are too forward, too familiar, and too forceful in their attempts to build report, which weakens rather than strengthens the relationship. Genuine, behavior-inf...