12th June 2011
Personal Reflections
| | Before Service Activity | During Service Activity | After Service Activity |
| Alone | I was pretty sad as it was the last session i am going to have with him before he graduates from the program. I hope to cherish the last moments with him. | He was very sweet to me and thanked me for my help, my heart was warmed and melted as i see his sincerity and gratitude. It made me want to help more children. | I am pleasantly surprisd after the first session with the my child – Adib. After the sessions in the previous weeks, I was determined to strengthen my interaction skills with children. I realised that to earn a child’s trust comes a lot of perseverance and skill. I still have a long way to go for Adib to trust me. I feel that my journey has just started and there is a lot of room for personal improvement. Being able to interact with children will have a long term benefit as I might actually become a father one day. |
22nd May 2011
Personal Reflections
| | Before Service Activity | During Service Activity | After Service Activity |
| Alone | I am anxious to know how he has done in his exams and whether or not the reading program has benefitted him. | I was delighted as he told me he did fairly well for his exams which spurred me on. I decided to create more flashcards for him to expand his grasp of the english language | I felt that my efforts as ultimately paid of though it is not the end of the journey yet. I was happy that at least there was a show of an improvement in his results and that it was helping him. I regained confidence in my ability to teach and strive to be a better mentor. With fellow students |
15th May 2011
Personal Reflections
| | Before Service Activity | During Service Activity | After Service Activity |
| Alone | Once again i am keen for the session to start as it would be the first lesson Adib would be using flash cards in the reading session | I was not disappointed once more as he enjoy the new technique. We would laugh at words we didn't understand and give random meanings to it before realizing what it meant. I felt a great amount of joy seeing how he is embracing every moment of the experience. | Opening up to me is still abit of a problem for my child and I still feel very distant to him. He is a cheerful child but when it comes to face to face interaction he hesitates to speak. I plan to find more ways and do additional research to foster our relationship. It would be a personal achievement if I am able to connect with him on a similar level. I would like to become more than mentor to the chid but also a friend he can tell his problems too. I have a cousin that come of a single parent home also and I am able to understand the pain his mother is facing and the challenges he might also face. The sympathy I have for him will spur me on to make a change in his life, I strive to be somebody whom he would remember for long time to come. |
8th May 2011
Personal Reflections
| | Before Service Activity | During Service Activity | After Service Activity |
| Alone | I was very psyched for the upcoming session as i had done some preparation for the lesson to grab his attention. Was extremely keen to see his reaction | I was extremely encouraged by his response and we had a really good time undoing rotational reading. I felt that the flow of the session was the best so far. | I am realising how important reading is after every session. Not only would it improve your fluency in the language but also benefit you when you enter the society. The impact you give to people by the way you speak is similar to the impact you give by the way you dress. It is your ambassador your advertisement. Starting to read a wider range would equip you with the knowledge to communicate effectively. I feel that I could read more books in the past, but I was never the book worm. I would like to set a personal goal of reading everyday also. |
24th April 2011
Personal Reflections
| | Before Service Activity | During Service Activity | After Service Activity |
| Alone | I was excited but nervous this time round as i was unsure how the session would turn out, whether or not it would be a disaster like the previous session. | Once again after seeing how Adib chose to play with the other children instead made me lose some confidence in myself as i wonder if i was any good at this at all. However, i did not falter and decided to find some methods used by professionals to control children It has come to my attention that Adib attention spam is extremely short and he tend to be very reckless. | Personally I feel that I have not made adequate preparation for the session and thus may have led him to feel bored. This session has taught me the importance of planning and preparation. With planning I think my sessions would become more engaging as we would be following a tight schedule and time line, making everything action-packed. |
17th April 2011
Personal Reflections
| | Before Service Activity | During Service Activity | After Service Activity |
| Alone | I was pretty neutral about today's session as i told myself to not over expect so as to not be too disappointed later. | It was a shock to me when Adib and his brother was wrestling on the ground and zoo violent towards each other. I was literally taken aback by the scene and require to take a moment to recollect myself. | Today's session has showed me how unpredictable children can be and we must be vigilant and alert at all times. I realize how difficult it is to control children and thus professionals require a lot of training before they are eligible to teach children. I feel that we should also undergo training from professionals. Practice makes perfect. |
10th April 2011
Personal Reflections
| | Before Service Activity | During Service Activity | After Service Activity |
| Alone | Was looking forward to show Adib some of the things i prepared for the lesson, and eager to see his response. | Was quite demoralized after seeing his lack of enthusiasm and involvement. His running around made me quite frustrated in between the lesson. | I had many plans for us to carry out today, however, adib was not in the right mood to read much. Todays session taught me not to be over expectant, and remain calm and carry on even if face with rejection. I learn how to take things slowly especially with children and the art of persuasion. Though I feel that I can improve in my persuasion skills. In the future I would have back-up plans for every plan I have, as a basic net support. |
3rd April 2011
Personal Reflections
| | Before Service Activity | During Service Activity | After Service Activity |
| Alone | I was pumped to start the first official reading session with Adib and see his choice of books. I was fairly motivated from the previous session | He seems more interested in talking about things outside of the book rather than reading the book itself. Thus it made me concern about his level of interest. It made me want to push myself further to understand the child. | Being strict not fierce, being kind not lenient are the main aspects of today’s session. Controlling children is like carrying a baby. Your grip cannot be too tight or too loose, balance is key. This is a vital realisation for me as when I enter the workforce, this would come very useful while interacting with co-workers and friends. |
27th March 2011
Personal Reflections
| | Before Service Activity | During Service Activity | After Service Activity |
| Alone | I was very excited about teaching this new child as the previous child I had was an angel which have a a lot of encouragement to continue teaching more children. However I am hoping that he has a good grasp in the language so we can interact with more engaging conversations | I was happy to see that Adib was engaging fairly openly to questions and appear to be joyful. It gave me a good head start! I realised that every child is different and unique and how important it is to understand him/her to be fully effective in educating the child. | I realised that every child is different and unique and how important it is to understand him/her to be fully effective in educating the child. I aim to forge a tight relationship with adib to not only be his reading buddy but also his friend and his 'big brother' someone he can approach when help is needed. His cheerfulness gives me encouragement to further teach him. With fellow students |
| With fellow students | | | |
