Rienx's naive view of the world: First day of work.

I start work today.

The job where I go assist the teachers at Heguru Method Learning Centre @ Fusionopolis, One North. It's a training centre where they adapt methods from Japan to train the right brains of infants and toddlers. Very young children.

Sneak peak of my friend working :P just nice they had a slot for her today to work as receptionist as one of the person is on leave I think. So just sit in for her. Although my friend is completely new to this job so she can't really do much too XD

At first when I learnt about this, I thought it was interesting. They seemed to use many different methods to train the child's right brain.

Those are just some methods they use in class.

I was also interested in the equipments they have when I stepped into the first classroom. They have a large abacus, whiteboard on the floor of course, posters, thermometer, lots of postcards etc etc.

How a classroom looks like. Very small, carpeted floor, looks comfortable enough for a young child.

How my socks look like. Very small, very cute, also looks comfortable enough for a young child c:

I went there half an hour earlier so I could change into their uniform and get settled down and prepare myself. Sometime later while I was stoning in the classroom, another helper and the main teacher came in, and briefed us on what to do (for me is more of getting the kids to focus in class and how to mark their worksheets).
I'm like okay, I won't really remember how to mark each page individually but yeah I'll try my best to follow instructions.

One by one the kids started coming in. Today they have to sit in class without their parents with them.
At only 2-5 years old. They're already trained to be in class without their parents. This school is harsh XD
So naturally since they're so young, some started crying and screaming for their parents. Other kids are braver, more cool with it and sat obediently waiting for class to start.
I guess I'm one of the more calm kids? I'm not really the type to cry openly. Firstly because I never liked crying in public I guess. Secondly because I'm just like, what's going on XD when I see my parents leave, I'm like oh, okay. Er, bye bye? XD which is what some kids are like just now too.

According to my mom, these crying kids, sometimes you just simply cannot do anything about it, because they're too young to understand what's going on. They just need their parents, and if you separate them, no matter how you console them, they're just gonna keep screaming and crying for them until you bring their parents back. Which is true, I totally agree. It's just a child's natural instinct sometimes. No matter how much we tried consoling a couple of kids today, like offering encouraging words, patting their backs/shoulders, or putting them on our laps and talk to them in soft voices, they're just really scared and want their parents back.

So some kids that are really young, like 2 years old, we just let their parents sit at the back as usual. The rest of the slightly older kids can adjust to being alone in class.

These kids recognized their name tags (so smart) and ran to them excitedly and sat down. Took their name tags. Played with it. Bent it. Crushed it. Left it alone. Look right and left. Looked at me. Looked at their classmates.

All is good, all is well. All the kids have arrived, in all sorts of mood.

I got them to look in front, and lesson starts.

First class c:

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THE LESSON IS SO. FREAKING. FAST. PACED. WHAT THE HELL?!

Teacher: "Okay kids, look here! Today the date is this, and the weather is this (point point point) and we have the clock that goes clockwise round round round (spins the clock at an extremely fast pace), and we have the periodic table and this is magnesium, potassium, sodium etc etc) *I'M NOT LYING THEY LITERALLY PUT THE CHEMICAL PERIODIC TABLE THERE*"

Me: (.......wait what, teacher slow down! How do these kids follow you in class?) *full of question marks on my head)

Teacher: Excuse me the teacher there (me), don't just stare at what I'm doing, get the kids to focus in class! *the kids after some point of time have started getting restless*

Me: (well of course if the kids can't follow you then naturally they'll start getting restless in class! I'm just speechless at the extremely fast pace you guys are teaching these kids)

Sometimes the kids will crawl to the front to try to get a closer look on what's going on. They are curious and want to see better. Like, it's common for them to crawl in front when the teacher places cards on the floor. And I thought it's natural and it means the kids are even more focused in class which is good? But somehow the teacher always wants me to catch them and make them sit properly back in their own space, where they can't really see what's going on clearly. Which I really don't understand.

There's also one part where the class is in chinese (where the teacher reads off the chinese flash cards to them at a super fast pace as usual), and one of the kids is non chinese (malay/indian). Realizing that it's not his language and he technically doesn't need to care, he just starts looking around bored. And he wasn't really doing anything active so I just let him be. But the teacher told me to get him to look infront??? XDDD

Never mind, it's my job, so I just tried to pull them back and get the kids to sit properly and focus in front. Even though I completely understand why they're restless.

They...have like a huge basket of several flashcards of individual categories, like food, country, music etc.
And.
The teacher always just reads them. Super. Fast.
She like just lists them off as she holds the cards infront, and shoots off all the words while swiping the cards very very fast.
I have no idea what's the purpose of that. To get the kids to learn more? When they can't even follow?
Okay fine maybe I'm the only one that can't follow? Maybe kids are just extremely smart these days?

And I always hate this part because of course the kids don't know what's going on and start getting restless, so I have to get their attention focused in front. And most often these kids don't listen to me. One, they can't understand. Two, I'm not familiar with them. They don't think I'm much of an authority figure, sort of.

And I'm shocked about their multiplication part too.
I remember one multiplication part start from 7?! 7x1, 7x2, 7x3?!
The addition and subtraction part was also done so fast. The teacher has that large abacus, and she swiped swiped swiped, and move on.
Some of the brighter kids can follow, but the slower ones? Not following. Too fast.

Okay moving on, besides the normal self introduction, some dancing and exercising activities etc. (hahaha some kids are very cute here. Some are active and dance all around the room. Others are shy and don't even want to stand up even with encouragement XD)

The worksheet part. Another major part of the lesson.
Okay so this is where another big role of my job is, which is to help guide the kids and mark their worksheets.

First of all they must write their names.
Remember that they're all very young. So a lot of them don't know how to write their name.
So I tried to help them, by asking them to try and write on their own first (like what do they think the letter look like?), or I write the first letter of their name and ask them to try and copy.

Some could do it, but some still struggle, so I tried holding their hands and guide them to write.
After learning to write just the first letter of their name...the teacher asked us to move on ccccc: whaaaaaattttttt
The kids don't even have time to slowly absorb how to write their first letter of the name in. Just simply ask them to go back home and practice c: (wow)
Never mind, my job is to help them in the lesson. So I got them to move on.
Even turning the page, the main teacher asked me to let them do it by themselves. Okay fine, understandable, let them learn to do it themselves. But some are still struggling so I had to help them otherwise they'll be left behind in this extremely fast paced class already.
Then...they had this weird puzzle. That contains shapes and different colours. The kids are supposed to look at the TV, close their eyes and try to remember the colours, and colour the shape.
Even to me, it's difficult to remember exactly the colours. I guess this is to train photographic memory?
So fast. Most of the kids just randomly took a crayon and colour for the sake of colouring XD Some actually do remember and coloured accurately.
After that, they had to fit the shapes correctly. As they slowly try to figure out which shape belongs to where...not even a quarter of the page later, they were asked to move on c: Poor kids. Some really wanted to finish the puzzle but they were forced to move on.
Memorizing numbers. From 3 numbers. to 6 numbers. to 9 numbers cccccc:

Never mind about memorizing numbers.
Do you know what the kids ask me?

"But teacher, what if, what if I don't know how to, how to write the number?"

I automatically said "never mind it's okay, you just try to write first okay? I will help you if you don't know" but in my mind I'm like omg, they haven't even learn to write numbers and you already want them to memorise numbers and write down?!
But okay, I guess if they're still able to verbally say out the number then it's fine.

Then move on ccccccc:

Some are more normal I guess. Tracing alphabets, patterns, matching.

I don't know, the songs are really shocking too. There's songs about photosynthesis. There's songs about levers (the three levers we learn in physics, secondary school). There's songs about resistance. Force. Things we only learn like, 5 years later for them.

Look at that huge chart. So many things on it. Where does the child focus his attention at?
Yeah I'm not even going to comment on the actual content itself.

At the parents debrief after each class, I realized they're not speaking the truth entirely too.
We teachers are supposed to mark in red when the kids managed to do it by themselves, and blue when they are guided.
A lot of the activities to be honest, we guided them.
But the teacher told us to mark in red, and just proceeded to mark all the worksheets in red themselves.
Even giving stars. Or stickers when the child could barely write their name.
I have never actually used the blue side of the pencil. Only red.
I only use the blue side when I wrote the numbers and alphabets for them.
And then they tell their parents that their child is improving a lot, or has done well in class today. Look at their worksheets with all the red ticks. And just tell them to go home and practice more so the child remembers what he/she learn in class today.

Hahaha omg I ended up sort of criticising it so much XD Oops. But the kids are cute c: and really smart tbh. When I brought them to my friend for her to bring to the toilet, they were able to pull up their pants themselves. And they were actually able to lead my friend back to their own classroom. So maybe the lessons are really working and that's why they're able to learn here XD
My mom just says that in the end it's all about business and making money. (and also how all these parents are kiasu and want their children to be way ahead of their peers in school XD)
Also from this experience I decided if I have children next time, I won't waste my money on these kind of training centres, regardless how interesting their methods are XD if their classes are so fast paced that my child can't follow, then forget it, I rather teach them at home myself.

Gah, when I was heading back to Buona Vista in the train just now, my friend messaged me asking if I needed to sign this attendance log sheet for female assistant teacher part timers (cuz she's at recep desk and she sees people signing the file), and I was like "oh shit...why didn't my employer inform me anything?!"
No wonder I felt a bit strange that both of us didn't need to sign anything for our work. Then how they know how much they need to pay us, and evidence that we got work there??
I texted my employer, and quickly transferred trains back to the centre to sign. Thank God my friend told me ;_;

Then I headed back down and waited for the train...until Shinobu texted me saying he's actually at my workplace and missed me and I'm like "Huh?!" XD
Aiyo that guy always never listen to me. Keep telling him don't need to surprise me and buy stuff for me =w= but nevertheless he's still really sweet to come all the way down here to buy something for me to energize me back ccc:
So in the end I waited for him down at the station and he came to find me carrying a starbucks bag. With an iced matcha latte inside c:
Which at first I don't really drink it. But afterwards when we're at yew tee where I pei him to buy the mushroom chicken spaghetti that he wants to try, I realized it's actually quite good c: The matcha and coffee taste surprisingly goes well together.
Waited with him for bus 979 but didn't wait until the end because it looked like it was going to rain any time, so I left him there in the end and headed home :x

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