Jarod Yong

I recently received the Anugerah Perkhidmatan Cemerlang award in Kapit. Read about it here & here . For the award, I received two certificates of recognition: 1 from the PPD & 1 from KPM. Along with the certificates, I was given a cash bonus of RM1000. Knowing that I'd get a cash bonus, many colleagues at school (as well as teachers from other schools) started making requests for treats & stuff. Obviously, I did not accept their requests. I just politely laughed. In my head, I decided to be the only one to decide who would receive what on my own terms. And that was what I did. Over the years, I have been very observant. I observed teachers who couldn't be bothered with anything other than 'doing time' in class. I observed teachers, who were very good at talking, constantly get away with pushing their work onto less socially gifted teachers. I observed teachers who would do a little bit of work & then lament to heaven & earth that he was being...

Disclaimer: First of all, let me make it clear that I did not write this to hurt or make people look bad. I'm telling it the way I experienced it & it's the authentic feeling a visitor from Malaysia may experience in the Philippines. I will highlight several serious issues that people have to consider before deciding to go to the Philippines. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Ah... I headed to the Philippines expecting a unique cultural experience like I've had in many of its South East Asian neighbours. What I got instead has scarred me for life. If I can help it, I'm never returning to the Philippines again. Yes, that was how, bluntly put, 'rotten' my experience was. I guess I came expecting too much. Everybody only shows the good sides of their country. Reality really bites HARD. Clark International Airport , Angeles City All smiles with great expectations! My misfortunes began at the airport (where AirAsia lands). Not just 1 incident but 3. Here's the story....

Pengarah Pelajaran Sarawak, Pegawai Pelajaran Kapit & Top Slave. Today, I officially received my Anugerah Perkhidmatan Cemerlang award certificate. It was presented to me by the Pengarah Pelajaran Sarawak @ the head teacher of the state on behalf of the ministry for years of excellent service in the interiors. I was very surprised the pengarah/director came all the way to Kapit in the flesh to present the awards. Previous Pengarahs never really bothered. They usually sent representatives. For this, I commend him & I appreciate the effort he took to come all the way. I hope that he will be able to steer our state to greater heights. What is APC? "penghargaan kerajaan kepada Anggota Perkhidmatan Awam yang telah memberi perkhidmatan yang cemerlang. Perkhidmatan cemerlang adalah perkhidmatan yang diberikan oleh seseorang APA yang mutu atau penghasilannya melebihi daripada keperluan tanggungjawab biasa bagi jawatannya." - Garis Pandian Pemilihan Penerima APC S...

On Friday, 25 May 2012, my best friend got married to a wonderful & beautiful woman. Nesa & Parvina: a match made in heaven! Earlier on he told me that his wedding would be in August so I booked my flights for a vacation to the Philippines on the 26th of May. However, in March, after his engagement , he told me that it would be preponed to May instead. There were 2 auspicious dates for the wedding ceremony. The one in August did not fall on a school holiday so it would be harder for friends & family outside of Penang to attend, so he changed it to the date in May which coincided with the first weekend of the school holidays. I wouldn't miss this milestone in my best friend's life for a million Ringgit! I took 2 days off from work & spent more than RM500 on flights to get to Penang for the wedding ceremony while making sure that I would make it to KK in time to catch my flight to Clark on the next day. What can I say, he's my soulmate & it was wort...

*click picture to read article* The final article is out in the Education pullout (pg 3) of the Sunday Star. You can also read the online version here . I was hoping to read more about what I have done in the school to back up the ' Creative Teaching ' article published last Wednesday. However, today's article did not detail much about what I did in my school for English. I guess there is only so much you can write within the constraints of a word limit. Well, that's what my blog is for, eh? Check out my archives if you're interested in what I have done in my school. I am nobody special. I am just a normal teacher doing my job the best I can with what I am given. My philosophy is everything happens for a reason & when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Simple common sense. My hope is that the articles about me will motivate all the teachers struggling within the system & inspire them to continue the battle. Teachers who work hard usually get ...