Thoughts recorded on March 08, 2007...
I was tweaking one of my chapters just now when my handphone gave a beep. It was an SMS from Ayah's number, and as always (except when Ayah SMSs me while I'm sleeping in the wee hours of the morning, that is) I opened it immediately, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the SMS was actually from Hasya Sofea.
"Hi, Mommy. This is Hasya. Guess what!!!!!!! I got 100 for English!!!!!Yyyaaayyy!!! I love you I miss you. MMMUUUUAAAHHHH!!!"
She must have SMSd it immediately after reaching home from school - even before she had time to put her bags away, or before taking her shower, as it was 7:15pm - the time she would normally reach home on a Thursday.
I immediately called Ayah's handphone and Hasya answered it - I think she was just waiting for the phone to ring, in anticipation of me calling immediately after receiving her SMS.
"Hello sayang!!! I got your SMS!!! You got 100 for English!!! I am SO proud of you...I am SO happy for you! You are such a clever girl!!!", I was beaming with pride - and I was thinking , "If only she could see the big smile I had on my face...she would know HOW proud I was/am of her..."
Hasya was giggling away - I can just imagine her sweet and cheeky smile at that time!
"So, how do you feel about getting a 100 for your English?", I asked her.
"Very happy", she said - I could actually hear her big smile in there.
"Hmmm...Hasya, It IS a nice feeling right? Feeling happy when you get 100%?", I asked her.
"Yes!", she screamed - and I could still hear her big smile in that scream!
"So, Hasya, do you think you want to have this feeling of "happiness" all the time?", I asked her.
"Uh-uh", she said, "It's a nice feeling, Mommy! That means I have to get 100% all the time to be happy like this!", she answered - even before I could pose another leading question to her...
"That's right, sayang...100% for all your subjects, okay?", my "kiasu" vibes getting in there (?!).
"Do you think you can get 100% everytime? Do you think you can get 100% for your Science?",
I asked her - that was the only paper she has not got her results for yet.
"Yes! Mommy...", she said confidently.
But then she said, "BUT, Mommy...There was this ONE question which was very hard, laa Mommy...Hasya tak sure of the answer...", she said rather frustratingly.
"Oooo...Okay. What was the question, dear?", I asked.
"Which of these animals lay many eggs? Butterflies, eagles or ducks?", she said/asked.
And I thought to myself - was that a TRICK question, or what?!
And I asked her, "Are you sure it did not ask you which of those animals lay MOST eggs, sayang?"
"NOPE! It was "MANY", NOT "MOST"", she said matter-of-factly.
Hmmmm...I said to myself..."So, which answer did you choose, dear?" I asked.
"Ducks", she said curtly.
"And why is that?", I was curious to know why she chose that answer.
"I don't know..." came the reply.
Hmmm...the only reason I could think of why she chose that answer was because she had seen so many times on TV - the cartoons, "The Ugly Duckling", etc that the ducklings would waddle together in a straight line - all five and six of them in a row, and THAT stuck to her mind? And she had NEVER seen eagles flying in a flock? And she had NEVER seen butterflies flying in a flight?!
"Hmmmm....Hasya, I think your teacher must have phrased the question wrongly. I think the question should be - "Which of these animals lay the MOST eggs, NOT many," I said to her.
"That's why la Mommy...I was confused when I read that question," she said - trying to explain herself to me IF the paper were to come back and she were to get the question wrong.
"It's okay, Hasya - You answered the question correctly. Don't worry about it - in fact ALL your friends answered it correctly, okay?", I told her. "IF your teacher marks it as "WRONG", I want you to tell him that IT IS NOT WRONG, okay?" I said to her.
"Okay," she said, before continuing, "because all those animals lay many eggs what?!!". I can just hear her smile again there...
"Yes, Hasya - ALL those animals lay many eggs..."
"Okay, Hasya...You'd better go and mandi and all, okay? It's nearly Maghrib. But, can I speak to Ayah first, please?", I said to her.
"Okay, Mommy...I Love you...I Miss you...Mmmmmuuuuuaaaahhhh!"
"I Love You...I Miss You, too, sayang! Bye!"
So, Ayah and Mommy made a plan/deal :
We will wait for Hasya to get the results for the Science Paper first, and see if she is marked "wrong" for that answer.
IF, she is marked "wrong", we will ask her to defend her answer - which we think she can do pretty well at!
BUT, IF, the teacher insisted that her answer is STILL wrong, then AYAH will go and give the teacher one round of "how-not-to-confuse-smart-kids-like-Hasya-by-not phrasing-your-questions-correctly" - RIGHT.... ON.... HIS.... FACE!
KIASU?!!! YOU BET!!!
So, to all parents out there with kids who actually got the RIGHT answers, simply because they were CONFUSED, wherever you are... Just remember - it is NOT always a bad thing....It might be that their teachers are the ones who ARE confused...AND if THAT is the case, you can always call and speak to Ayah on how to deal with those teachers...Wink...wink...
Wassalam...
I was tweaking one of my chapters just now when my handphone gave a beep. It was an SMS from Ayah's number, and as always (except when Ayah SMSs me while I'm sleeping in the wee hours of the morning, that is) I opened it immediately, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the SMS was actually from Hasya Sofea.
"Hi, Mommy. This is Hasya. Guess what!!!!!!! I got 100 for English!!!!!Yyyaaayyy!!! I love you I miss you. MMMUUUUAAAHHHH!!!"
She must have SMSd it immediately after reaching home from school - even before she had time to put her bags away, or before taking her shower, as it was 7:15pm - the time she would normally reach home on a Thursday.
I immediately called Ayah's handphone and Hasya answered it - I think she was just waiting for the phone to ring, in anticipation of me calling immediately after receiving her SMS.
"Hello sayang!!! I got your SMS!!! You got 100 for English!!! I am SO proud of you...I am SO happy for you! You are such a clever girl!!!", I was beaming with pride - and I was thinking , "If only she could see the big smile I had on my face...she would know HOW proud I was/am of her..."
Hasya was giggling away - I can just imagine her sweet and cheeky smile at that time!
"So, how do you feel about getting a 100 for your English?", I asked her.
"Very happy", she said - I could actually hear her big smile in there.
"Hmmm...Hasya, It IS a nice feeling right? Feeling happy when you get 100%?", I asked her.
"Yes!", she screamed - and I could still hear her big smile in that scream!
"So, Hasya, do you think you want to have this feeling of "happiness" all the time?", I asked her.
"Uh-uh", she said, "It's a nice feeling, Mommy! That means I have to get 100% all the time to be happy like this!", she answered - even before I could pose another leading question to her...
"That's right, sayang...100% for all your subjects, okay?", my "kiasu" vibes getting in there (?!).
"Do you think you can get 100% everytime? Do you think you can get 100% for your Science?",
I asked her - that was the only paper she has not got her results for yet.
"Yes! Mommy...", she said confidently.
But then she said, "BUT, Mommy...There was this ONE question which was very hard, laa Mommy...Hasya tak sure of the answer...", she said rather frustratingly.
"Oooo...Okay. What was the question, dear?", I asked.
"Which of these animals lay many eggs? Butterflies, eagles or ducks?", she said/asked.
And I thought to myself - was that a TRICK question, or what?!
And I asked her, "Are you sure it did not ask you which of those animals lay MOST eggs, sayang?"
"NOPE! It was "MANY", NOT "MOST"", she said matter-of-factly.
Hmmmm...I said to myself..."So, which answer did you choose, dear?" I asked.
"Ducks", she said curtly.
"And why is that?", I was curious to know why she chose that answer.
"I don't know..." came the reply.
Hmmm...the only reason I could think of why she chose that answer was because she had seen so many times on TV - the cartoons, "The Ugly Duckling", etc that the ducklings would waddle together in a straight line - all five and six of them in a row, and THAT stuck to her mind? And she had NEVER seen eagles flying in a flock? And she had NEVER seen butterflies flying in a flight?!
"Hmmmm....Hasya, I think your teacher must have phrased the question wrongly. I think the question should be - "Which of these animals lay the MOST eggs, NOT many," I said to her.
"That's why la Mommy...I was confused when I read that question," she said - trying to explain herself to me IF the paper were to come back and she were to get the question wrong.
"It's okay, Hasya - You answered the question correctly. Don't worry about it - in fact ALL your friends answered it correctly, okay?", I told her. "IF your teacher marks it as "WRONG", I want you to tell him that IT IS NOT WRONG, okay?" I said to her.
"Okay," she said, before continuing, "because all those animals lay many eggs what?!!". I can just hear her smile again there...
"Yes, Hasya - ALL those animals lay many eggs..."
"Okay, Hasya...You'd better go and mandi and all, okay? It's nearly Maghrib. But, can I speak to Ayah first, please?", I said to her.
"Okay, Mommy...I Love you...I Miss you...Mmmmmuuuuuaaaahhhh!"
"I Love You...I Miss You, too, sayang! Bye!"
So, Ayah and Mommy made a plan/deal :
We will wait for Hasya to get the results for the Science Paper first, and see if she is marked "wrong" for that answer.
IF, she is marked "wrong", we will ask her to defend her answer - which we think she can do pretty well at!
BUT, IF, the teacher insisted that her answer is STILL wrong, then AYAH will go and give the teacher one round of "how-not-to-confuse-smart-kids-like-Hasya-by-not phrasing-your-questions-correctly" - RIGHT.... ON.... HIS.... FACE!
KIASU?!!! YOU BET!!!
So, to all parents out there with kids who actually got the RIGHT answers, simply because they were CONFUSED, wherever you are... Just remember - it is NOT always a bad thing....It might be that their teachers are the ones who ARE confused...AND if THAT is the case, you can always call and speak to Ayah on how to deal with those teachers...Wink...wink...
Wassalam...
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