Poem: Time Tested Beauty Tips by Sam Levenson

Dear  All,

This is a wonderful poem written by the late humourist Sam Levenson for his granddaughter.

It is aptly written to encourage the inner beauty that can be developed by any women.

Would be great to have this read aloud by a female student or teacher as a warmer or enrichment activity when dealing with the theme of virtues, woman's role, the ideal women and beauty.

A discussion could also flow after reading the poem aloud. Topics such as physical beauty versus inner beauty, how to be a lady or character building.

Enjoy!


Rodney Tan Chai Whatt

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Time Tested Beauty Tips

The following was written by the late educator-humorist Sam Levinson for his grandchild and read by Audrey Hepburn on Christmas Eve, 1992. It was also used by Ms. Hepburn on occasion when she was asked for beauty tips. [From Audrey Hepburn by Barry Paris, 1996, Putnam]

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed; never throw out anyone.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of each of your arms.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives the passion that she shows. The beauty of a woman grows with the passing years.

Sam Levenson 

Contrary to what some may think, Audrey Hepburn did not write this beautiful poem, Sam Levenson did. Levenson wrote "Time Tested Beauty Tips" for his grandchild, and it just so happened to be one of Audrey's favorite poems. She read it to her children on the very last Christmas Eve she spent with us here on Earth.

by: Lessons Learned In Life

Poem & Video: Heart of A Teacher

Dear Teachers,

This is another well-done video poem to uplift the teacher's heart.

The video is 3 mins 6 seconds long.

This video is from www.belief.net

Hope you like it!

Rodney Tan
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Inspiring Talk: Taylor Mali on What Do Teachers Make?

Dear All,

You may have read an inspiring anecdote : "What Do Teachers Make?"

Its about a teacher's worth and role in society which has been frequently undervalued or even sneered at by others.

The reply to this put down by a comedian named Taylor Mali is powerful and direct.

He passionately states what teachers are so powerful that only they can make students do what other revered professions such as lawyers can't.

Enjoy the video of the original ocassion where this point was brought out by Taylor Mali.


The video is 3 minutes 8 seconds long.


Rodney Tan
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Poem: Superlatives

The greatest Joy....................................Giving
The most destructive habit..........................Worry
The greatest loss...................................Loss of self-respect
The most satisfying work............................Helping others
The ugliest personality trait.......................Selfishness
The most endangered species.........................Dedicated teachers
Our greatest natural resource.......................Our youth
The greatest "shot in the arm"......................Encouragement
The most effective sleeping pill....................Peace of mind
The most crippling failure disease..................Excuses
The most powerful force in life.....................Love
The most dangerous pariah...........................A gossiper
The world's most incredible computer................The brain
The worst thing to be without.......................Hope
The deadliest weapon................................The tongue
The two most power-filled words....................."I Can"
The most worthless emotion..........................Self-pity
The most beautiful attire...........................SMILE!
The most prized possession..........................Integrity
The most contagious spirit..........................Enthusiasm
The greatest problem to overcome....................Fear

Fun: Alliterative Absurdities

Alliterative Absurdities

This comic poem originally appeared in the anthology Such Nonsense! edited by Carolyn Wells (1918). Try reading the poem aloud to appreciate the apt alliterations of the anonymous author.

If you caught a captious curate killing kippers for the cook,
In the cloisters with a club yclept¹ a cleek²,
Would you say he was as wily
As a cunning crocodily
Catching cockles with a corkscrew in a creek?

If you beheld a battleboat bombarding Biscay Bay
While the big guns bellowed bold from brazen throat,
Would you say it was as funny
As a bouncing blue-backed bunny
Blowing bubbles with a bobby in a boat?

If you saw a driveling dreamer drowning ducklings in a ditch,
And deducting data dry as dust to see,
Would you say that this death-dealer
Was of ducks and drakes a stealer,
Or of Darwin's dead ideas a devotee?

¹ An old-fashioned word meaning "called" or "named"
² A hook or golf club

 Source: http://grammar.about.com/od/rhetoricstyle/a/Alliterative-Absurdities.htm

Fun Poem: English is a Stupid Language

ENGLISH IS A STUPID LANGUAGE



Lets face it

English is a stupid language.

There is no egg in the eggplant;

No ham in the hamburger

And neither pine nor apple in the pineapple.

And while no one knows what is in a hot dog,

you can be pretty sure it isn't canine.

English muffins were not invented in England;

French fries were not invented in France.



We sometimes take English for granted.

But if we examine its paradoxes we find that

Quicksand takes you down slowly.

Boxing rings are square.

And a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

Sweetmeats are candies, while sweetbreads,

which aren't sweet, are meat.



If writers write, how come fingers don't fing.

If the plural of tooth is teeth,

One goose, two geese.

So one moose, two meese?

Is cheese the plural of choose?

One mouse, two mice; one louse, two lice,

One house, two hice?

Shouldn't the plural of phone booth be phone beeth

If the teacher taught, why didn't the preacher praught,

Or the grocer groce, or hammers ham?



If a vegetarian eats vegetables,

What the heck does a humanitarian eat!?

Why do people recite at a play,

Yet play at a recital?

Park on driveways and drive on parkways?

Ship by truck, and send cargo by ship...?

Have feet that smell and noses than run?

How can the weather be as hot as hell on one day

And as cold as hell on another



You have to marvel at the unique lunacy

Of a language where a house can burn up as

It burns down,

And in which you fill in a form

By filling it out

And a bell is only heard once it goes!

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same,

while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?



English was invented by people, not computers

And it reflects the creativity of the human race

(Which of course isn't a race at all)

That is why

You get in and out of a car, and on and off a bus.

When the stars are out they are visible

But when the lights are out they are invisible.

And why it is that when I wind up my watch

It starts,

But when I wind up this poem,

It ends.

News: Major Shift in the Literature Component of the Malaysian New English Curriculum

Dear All,

This news is rather old (28 April 2010) but for those who missed the reasons why there was a shift in the Literature Component, please read the news below as it comes from the horses' mouth.

Dr. Mohamed Abu Bakar, a friend whom I will usually  meet at ELT Conferences presents the MOE's views on this matter. He clarifies about the previous implementation of the Literature Component and elaborates on the additional time required to teach English.

Rodney Tan

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The Star Online > Lifefocus


Wednesday April 28, 2010

A major shift

MIND OUR ENGLISH

By SIMRIT KAUR

Graphic novels have been included in the literature component of the new English language curriculum.

STUDENTS in lower secondary will be reading graphic novels in the form of famous classics like Black Beauty and Journey To The Centre Of The Earth under the literature component of the new English curriculum to be implemented next year.

‘This fresh approach to teaching literature in Malaysian schools is aimed at providing students with an enjoyable learning environment,’ says Dr Mohamed Abu Bakar.

Plays have also made it into the list of prescribed texts for the first time, but instead of studying Shakespeare, students will be doing works like the new Form Four text, Gulp And Gasp by John Townsend (see chart).


“This fresh approach to teaching literature in Malaysian schools is aimed at providing students with an enjoyable learning environment as well as inculcating the reading habit,” says Dr Mohamed Abu Bakar from the Education Ministry’s Curriculum Development Centre.

Literature has always been recognised as a vital component of language learning. The new English language curriculum therefore formalises literature’s inclusion in primary school.

New methods will be utilised for teaching literature in schools to boost students’ confidence in the language. These include more “production” activities such as choral reading, acting out scenes from stories and producing works on different literary genres to enhance creativity among students.

The new texts for secondary schools will see the current works, introduced when then Education Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak first announced the introduction of the literature component into the English curriculum in 2000, finally being replaced.

Under the present curriculum for the novel component in upper secondary, schools choose one of three texts – John Steinbeck’s The Pearl, Keris Mas’ Jungle Of Hope or K.S. Maniam’s The Return.

However, about 70% to 80% of schools opt for Steinbeck’s novella, partly due to the availability of learning materials on the Internet.

Teachers also reported that students found the local titles “difficult” and could not relate to the subject matter.

Despite the constraints, the introduction of literature is viewed as a success. It has been reported that the passing rate of students sitting for the English Language subject has improved in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM).

Dr Mohamed is confident that the new texts, with titles such as Flipping Fantastic by Jane Langford and Qwertyuiop by Vivien Alcock will prove more appealing to teenagers.

He was speaking at a recent colloquium on children’s literature held at Universiti Malaya, organised by the English Department, Arts and Social Sciences Faculty.

Picking titles that would be acceptable to everyone, however, was no easy task for the selectors, especially in a multiracial and multireligious country like Malaysia. Furthermore, as English is a second language, the language used has to be appropriate to the average reader’s proficiency level.

The new English language curriculum for primary and secondary schools will take a modular approach. In addition to the four basic skills – reading, writing, listening and speaking – two new modules have also been introduced; grammar and language arts (which includes literature).

Following the government’s decision to discontinue the teaching of Maths and Science in English, the strengthening English policy was initiated. This means that the time devoted to English will increase by three periods in primary schools.

Of the three extra periods, two will be for language arts while one period has been set aside for the teaching of English grammar.

In all, there will be a total of 330 minutes of English per week in Years One, Two and Three and 300 minutes in Years Four, Five and Six.

No announcement has been made about secondary schools, but the number of periods will likely increase too.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2010/4/28/lifefocus/6079947&sec=lifefocus

Poem: Are You Still Playing Your Flute? (original Malay version)

Dear Readers,

Below I have included the original Malay version by the poet, Zurinah Hassan.

A controversy has been brewing recently. The final 4th verse with 3 lines of the English version was NOT included in the school textbook edition. Why this was left out is unknown. 

Another controversy is the gross discrepancy between the English and Malay version in Stanza 3 Line 4. The poet herself says that it was not her fault. It was a typo error by the publisher.

For more details of this second controversy, go to: http://engoasis.blogspot.com/2010/12/are-you-still-playing-your-flute.html?showComment=1294966417455#comment-c7365098025520691004

and also the poet's own comments about this latest controversy: http://zahuren.wordpress.com/poems/are-you-still-playing-flute/
in the hazard of you   (stanza 3 line 4)
should be

in the hazard of this city
(di kota yang semakin kusut dan tenat)


Teachers, please correct and add this to the poem.

For an interpretation and comments about this poem by the poet herself, please go to the poet's blog at http://zurinahhassan.blogspot.com/ and look for the topic blogged on Monday17th May 2010.


MASIHKAH KAU BERMAIN SERULING


Masihkah kau bermain seruling

walau waktu telah terlewat untuk kita bercinta

aku semakin terasa bersalah

melayani godaan irama

lagu yang tersimpan pada lorong halus buluh

dikeluarkan oleh nafas seniman

diukir oleh bibir

diatur oleh jari

dilayangkan oleh alun angin

menolak ke dasar rasa.

Masihkah kau bermain seruling
ketika kampung semakin sunyi
sawah telah uzur
waktu jadi terlalu mahal
untuk memerhatikan hujan turun
merenung jalur senja
mengutip manik embun
menghidu harum bunga.



Masihkah kau bermain seruling
ketika aku terasa mata bersalah
untuk melayani rasa rindu padamu
di kota yang semakin kusut dan tenat
adik-adikku menganggur dan sakit jiwa
bangsaku dipecahkan oleh politik
saudara diserang bom-bom ganas
dunia sudah terlalu tua dan parah.



Di sinilah berakhirnya percintaan kita
kerana zaman sedang menuntut para seniman
hidup di luar dirinya.




(Zurinah Hassan)

English Version (4th verse that was left out)

Is this the end of our love
time is forcing us, as artists
to live outside ourselves

Note that this poem is NOT a romantic poem but it is a poem about poets and writers being social activists.

Poem: But A Child

Dear All,

Discipline of a child is an important factor in any learning. Without discipline a child may learn facts but not values.

The key to discipline is making the child realise the consequences of each action.

Below is a poem which I like about discipling a child.

Rodney Tan
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But A Child



I am but a child


whether big or small.


I don't always obey the rules


or even know them all.


But please be patient with me.


I'm really truly trying.


It's just sometimes my energy


makes my feet and mouth go flying!


I am growing up so fast


and going through such changes.


It seems as if 'most every day


my whole world rearranges.


I need your help to be my best,


We're family you know.


So if I'm getting out of line


please kindly tell me "no."


-- Susan L. Gordon

Malaysian 2010 New Literature Component for Secondary Schools

Hi Everyone,

Many of you would have dropped by this blog because you may want to know more about the new cycle for the Malaysian MOE English Literature Component for English.

Many schools would have received the prescibed texts by now. But there are still some novels that have not being issued as they will be used only in Forms 3.

Latest: Form 5 Novels for Literature 2011
There are 3 different novels which will be alloted according to the states; like the old cycle of the 3 novels of Jungle of Hope, The Return & The Pearl.


The 3 novels are:
1) The Curse by Lee Su Ann
2) Step by Wicked Step by Anne Fine
3) Catch Us If You Can by Catherine MacPhail

From the feedback and my own study of the text (Forms 4 and 5), I noticed that the texts are generally simple and straightforward. The authors/poets are mainly unfamiliar ones.

I think the literary texts chosen were meant to be very accessible and fun for our students.

The main different with this current selection of literature texts is the inclusion of dramas or plays. I think it bodes well for the teaching of literature as students will find it fun to act it out.

There is a possiblity that the Literature Component would be very much school-based (PLBS and ULBS), with activities and is student-centred.

One thing I've noticed about the authors chosen by the MOE is they must be "politically correct" in terms of the local writer/poet or the contents. It's really a shame. In modern literature, texts used in schools and universities elsewhere, are not based on their "political leanings" but rather, strictly on MERIT.

Below is list of the literary texts without the Novels:

Form 1:
Poems
1. The River -Valerie Bloom
2. Mr Nobody - author unknown

Short Stories
1. Flipping Fantastic -Jane Langford

Form 2:

Poems
1. I wonder - Jeannie Kirby
2. Heir Conditioning - M. Shanmughalingam

Short Stories
1. One is One and All Alone - Nicholas Fisk

Play
1. Rumpelstiltskin -Angela Lanyon

Form 3:

Poems
1. A Fighter's Line- Marzuki Ali
2. Leisure - Willian Henry Davies

Form 4:

Poems
1. In the Midst of Hardship -Latiff Mohidin  (The Malay version is found in this blog)
2. He Had such Quiet Eyes -Bibsy Soenharjo (For a fun activity, please go to my blog dated 19th January 2011)

Short Stories
1. QWERTYUIOP -Vivian Alcock
2. The Fruitcake Special -Frank Brennan

Play
1. Gulp and Gasp- John Townsend

Form 5:

Poems
1. Nature -H.D. Carberry
2. Are you Still Playing Your Flute -Zurinah Hassan (The Malay version is found in this blog)
    *There's a controversy brewing about this "ïncomplete" poem. Look in my blog for the Malay version.

Please look out for the Pearson Form 4 Literature Workbook which is co-written by Christine Tan and me. We'll be coming out with a third edition as well. There's also a separate resource toolkit.

Rodney Tan

Poem: Warning

One more for the collection. My apologies for posting only poems on aging from the point of view of women. I've not been able to find any for the men.

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Warning
by Jenny Joseph

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
with a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on a pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And make up for sobriety of my youth.
And pick the flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We will have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old and start to wear purple.

Poem: The Mirror

One more poem for the collection on aging and self-esteem.

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The Mirror

I look in the mirror
And what do I see?
A strange looking person
That cannot be me.

For I am much younger
And not nearly so fat
As that face in the mirror
I am looking at.

Oh, where are the mirrors
That I used to know
Like the ones which were made
Thirty years ago?

Now all things have changed
And I'm sure you'll agree
Mirrors are not as good
As they used to be.

So never be concerned
If the wrinkles appear
For one thing I've learned
Which is very clear:

Should your complexion
Be less than perfection
It is really the mirror
That needs correction.

-Author Unknown

Poem: The Purple Hat

Another interesting poem on growing old from the eyes of a woman. Good resource for a discussion on aging.

An idea I had was for the student to describe or to compose a poem on how they see themselves as they grow up from a baby, to a child and to teenage years.

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THE PURPLE HAT

Age 3: She looks at herself and sees a Queen.

Age 8: She looks at herself and sees Cinderella.

Age 15: She looks at herself as the "Ugly Sister"-"Mom, I can't go to school looking like this!"

Age 20: She looks at herself and sees, "too fat/too thin, too short/too tall, too straight/too curly"-but decides she's going out anyway.

Age 30: She looks at herself and sees, "too fat/too thin, too short/too tall, too straight/too curly"-but decides she doesn't have time to fix it so she's going out anyway.

At 40: She looks at herself and sees "too fat/too thin, too short/too tall, too straight/too curly"-but says, "At least I'm clean," and goes out anyway.

Age 50: She looks at herself, sees "I am", and goes wherever she wants to go.

Age 60: She looks at herself and reminds herself of all the people who can't even see themselves in the mirror anymore. Goes out and conquers the world.

Age 70: She looks at herself and sees wisdom, laughter and ability, goes out and enjoys life.

Age 80: Doesn't bother to look. Just puts on a purple hat and goes out to have fun with the world.

Maybe we should all grab that purple hat earlier.