Honey4Boyz

Posted by Xian Jin "Now, what am I going to do with a 4-month break?" I thought, back in December. All of my friends are in colleges, brothers back to school, and I'm stuck at home for 4 months. I could laze around, wait for time to pass; or I could do something I had never done before!  Through friends, I got a job in a tuition centre as a marker.  I remember my first day working, how everything was new to me. Everyone was really friendly, as they taught me the procedures and process of my job. I made many mistakes, and I remember how nervous I was. I'm so thankful to have actually gone to the centre before - as a student, so it didn't feel so alien to me. About a month has passed, and I still feel excited and enthusiastic whenever I go off to work (I call it work, but really, its more like learning from a different position/viewpoint). Eye Level, a Maths and English tuition centre (NOT an optical shop!).  I got some opportunities to teach there al...

The end of another school year has come. I've enjoyed spending time with my students, all teenagers, being there to talk and listen to them as they grow and thrive in foreign land. Most boys and girls in Malaysia will be taking a break before they continue their secondary education, whilst the older ones will be busy making preparation for tertiary education. What about these Myanmar teenagers, from ages 13 to 18 yo? My class is the highest level provided by the learning centre, and they know they're coming back to the same class next year. There's not much motivation for the older teens. Two of them have dropped out during the year. Their future as refugees in Malaysia is bleak.  They continue to hope in our heavenly Father.  "To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, not knowing what tomorrow may bring. This is generally expressed with a sigh of sadness, but it should be an expression of breathless expectation. We are uncertain of the ...

There're 2 parts to the science activities - the water experiments facilitated by Jin and Mind Challenge games with daddy. I'd let the pictures speak for themselves..... H2O EXPERIMENTS MIND CHALLENGE     "LUNG DAM"

What better way to spend the last day of school than taking a day away doing something different! For us, we organised our own Science party. We have loads of fun and play with our friends and 16 students from a Myanmar learning centre. Even before the party, we prepped the kids for the D-day. The Myanmar students prepared for their performances and posters on their homeland. My boys planned the experiments and science activities with their daddy. It surely felt good that mummy could delegate all the 'work' and start to fret as the Day got closer..... ICE BREAKER BEFORE 'Ice-Breaker Games' they were sitting together in their own groups.... most of them were very shy cos they're really not used to mixing around in this manner. "Rock Paper Scissors Ice-Breaker" Even a simple, simple game like this could go beyond language and culture and bring all these kids from different backgrounds together. I've prepared spaghetti bolognese and s...

Persatuan Kanak-kanak Istimewa (PKIK), a learning centre for persons with learning disabilities had their Sports Day in Kajang Utama recently. There were about 90 students/trainees who came along with their families.   The kids were very at ease and would pose for a picture any time. A family affair for us to volunteer at the Sports Day. Daddy was the cameraman, assisting him was Jin. I helped at the finishing line. Brandon was pretty excited at first, but the hot sun drained him fast. Wei & I took part in the family game. We didn't get a prize, much to his disappointment cos he thot he could beat the aunties but these 'aunties' were PRO!   March past from the little ones to adult trainees. Warm-up and stretch before the events. Sports events for the little kids. The parents were enjoying themselves so much in these events. Because of their encouragement and support, these kids beat their physical disability to finish the races. And everyone...

I will be sharing three disabilities that are increasingly prevalent:  cerebral palsy , autism disorders and Down syndrome  from my experience as a volunteer at PKIK (read  more ). XianJin followed me to PKIK during the school holidays in March. He's kinda 'stunned' to see the environment and disabled kids in the beginning. And pretty nervous like me too. He played some soothing music in the background while we're attending to the kids. Classical music does have a very calming effect. When he's more warmed up, he even helped to guide a student. He observed that during a task to hang clothes peg on a line, the student had arranged them in a repeated similar colour pattern. Like XianJin, many of us have some common misconceptions about people with learning disabilities. I think most people can pick out a person with Down syndrome. People with Down's have some characteristics that make them look like each other, eg  eyes that are often almond-shaped an...

I will be sharing three disabilities that are increasingly prevalent:  cerebral palsy , autism disorders and Down syndrome   from my experience as a volunteer at PKIK (read more ). Autism is a common disability at PKIK, something like 7 out of 10 students have autism disorders (the other 2 for Down Syndrome & 1 for CP). It's a broad term, meaning the child can be a little autistic or very autistic. The disability can be devastating that may require institutional care, and on another spectrum,  you've the Asperger syndrome, which is often of average or above average intelligence.  Loges is 16yo, he joined the Day Training Programme in mid 2011. He was accompanied by his mother to attend the programme for more than a year. Finally, in March this year, he didn't need a chaperon anymore. Like many other autistic kids there, he looks like a typical child. If these kids remain still, it's kinda hard to identify those who have the autism disorders.  ...