How I Motivate My PMR Students
It's been a while since I wrote about anything school-ish.
So here's a little something that I do every week with ALL the PMR students at my school. Something I learned from my former principal, Mr Clement Chieng, who laboured to achieved 100% SPM pass during his time.
It officially known as Sesi Senaman, Motivasi & Penanda Aras Pelajar PMR.
I just call it weekly small kid ragging & forcing myself to burn some of that fat around my belly.
I have been doing this since the first week of January.
Believe me. It works wonders.
I believe in the psychological effect of looking the part.
For many young people, what they look like on the outside will seep its way inside.
I want them to exercise & work together to achieve their goals so I 'volunteered' them to buy personalised PMR t-shirts.
Every time they put on these shirts, they are reminded of their mission this year; ie give their best for PMR.
I schedule it for Monday afternoons at 5pm because I want it to be a PMR reminder to them for the remainder of the week.
Here's how a typical weekly session pans out:
I give them what most teenagers desire at that age: attention, love & direction.
I remind them of the importance of PMR, their duty to society, the needs of the impoverished Iban people, their suicidal mindsets, gems for future success, current events, sensitive issues, parenting, sex, & just about anything else I can come up with from thin air.
I dress it up, I sugar coat, I persuade, I reason, I seduce, I yell, I shout, I shove it where the sun don't shine, I pout, I joke, I probe, I poke, & I love it.
Some students teach what I've taught them to their parents & even to some other teachers. Who's your daddy?
I'm not saying that my way is the best way but it is one way.
You are an individual with unique interests & talents which means you have probably got something greater suited to your teaching situation. Find it. Use it. Improve it.
Instead of just talk & complain, do something. Anything.
Instead of just talking about how much you care about your students, you should spend time with them regularly doing whatever to remind them of what they need to achieve.
The classroom is a brain-dead place where many of them are absent in spirit. So don't bullshit me about classroom time is more than enough. It's not even enough to cover the syllabus or discipline students.
Take them somewhere. Do something special. Do it regularly. Like you would do with a pretty lady.
Even if your students do not achieve their targets, you will know that you've done your best & they will still feel that they are worth something to someone.
Like money, education is not everything. But it is something. Especially to your students.
Check out even more pics on my FB page!
So here's a little something that I do every week with ALL the PMR students at my school. Something I learned from my former principal, Mr Clement Chieng, who laboured to achieved 100% SPM pass during his time.
It officially known as Sesi Senaman, Motivasi & Penanda Aras Pelajar PMR.
I just call it weekly small kid ragging & forcing myself to burn some of that fat around my belly.
I have been doing this since the first week of January.
Believe me. It works wonders.
I believe in the psychological effect of looking the part.
For many young people, what they look like on the outside will seep its way inside.
I want them to exercise & work together to achieve their goals so I 'volunteered' them to buy personalised PMR t-shirts.
Every time they put on these shirts, they are reminded of their mission this year; ie give their best for PMR.
I schedule it for Monday afternoons at 5pm because I want it to be a PMR reminder to them for the remainder of the week.
Here's how a typical weekly session pans out:
 |
| First, I take them jogging for 2-4 rounds around the school (15-30mins). |
 |
| Then, we warm down & do some stretching. |
 | |
| Finally, I deliver life-changing speeches. Oh yes, I make it very clear who the boss is; ie the Maharaja. |
I remind them of the importance of PMR, their duty to society, the needs of the impoverished Iban people, their suicidal mindsets, gems for future success, current events, sensitive issues, parenting, sex, & just about anything else I can come up with from thin air.
I dress it up, I sugar coat, I persuade, I reason, I seduce, I yell, I shout, I shove it where the sun don't shine, I pout, I joke, I probe, I poke, & I love it.
Some students teach what I've taught them to their parents & even to some other teachers. Who's your daddy?
I'm not saying that my way is the best way but it is one way.
You are an individual with unique interests & talents which means you have probably got something greater suited to your teaching situation. Find it. Use it. Improve it.
Instead of just talk & complain, do something. Anything.
Instead of just talking about how much you care about your students, you should spend time with them regularly doing whatever to remind them of what they need to achieve.
The classroom is a brain-dead place where many of them are absent in spirit. So don't bullshit me about classroom time is more than enough. It's not even enough to cover the syllabus or discipline students.
Take them somewhere. Do something special. Do it regularly. Like you would do with a pretty lady.
Even if your students do not achieve their targets, you will know that you've done your best & they will still feel that they are worth something to someone.
Like money, education is not everything. But it is something. Especially to your students.
Check out even more pics on my FB page!
Footnote: Something similar is done with the SPM students too. Except I delegate it to another teacher who is also more than willing to spend time enriching young lives.
This particular teacher & his partner are awesome. When I talked to him about this, he jumped at it & when I asked him which exam students he wanted, he picked SPM.
Hence, I was left will little kids to easily twist & bend at my every whim & fancy.
