Sunday, September 23, 2012

Transitions

It's been a tad long hiatus. Entangled with work commitment, exam obligations and various overlapping tasks, it is easy to forget that I have this blog. After 12 years of teaching, I have decided to venture into a different realm.

I decide to be a student again.

I count my blessings that the Ministry of Education has given me this golden opportunity to learn and relearn. With the scholarship, I am granted two years of study leave and now, I am studying in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), majoring in Information Technology Management. I have always wanted to learn more on IT and I believe that the new gained knowledge could complement my experience and knowledge in English Language Teaching in years to come. Honestly, after 2 weeks of classes, it's definitely not a bed of roses. I have to learn C++ Programming, Networking and Systems Development apart from management subjects. It's a bit mind boggling for an ordinary English teacher like me but yeah, I'll try my best and hopefully I won't lose my hair by the time I graduated :)

I plan to focus on m-learning, which specifically cater to the use of applications in mobile learning. I feel that there is a major potential for m-learning to develop effectively in Malaysian schools. My target is to come up with a mobile apps that could assist learners to learn English Language more effectively, Insya Allah.

The hardest part of taking this painstaking journey is to leave my beloved students. I know there are those who question my decision to study. My explanation is tad simple. My study leave is granted by Ministry of Education, the same body that pay the other teachers' salary. So I reckon if they have no qualm with me leaving school to study, why should there be any issue, no? For me, it does not lessen my dedication towards the profession. After all, I'm merely trying to discover another path of knowledge. Ah well, we can't please everyone now can we? Alhamdulillah, my friends, former colleagues and ex-students have been very supportive and I am touched by their words of encouragement. Thank you to SMK Tasek Utara for giving me the opportunity to teach and discover my potential as an educator. Thank you to all my colleagues for your guidance and friendship. Thank you for my family for understanding why I need to do this. Pray that I can sail through my studies with ease.

A wonderful parting gift. Gigantic card, made lovingly by my beloved students. Love you heaps.