3rd Feb - 7th Feb 2014
This week, in the first two days, he came back with loads of 'copying' homework. I think he enjoys this 'copying' business as he gets to :-
(1) think about other things like his Japanese anime characters while copying as this is a passive activity requiring no brain function
(2) use and fiddle with his correction tape as he erases his mistakes in copying - I saw him assemble and dismantle the correction tape many times - some obsession with the tape
(3) does not need to refer to us (his parents) if he is uncertain
This week he related an incident that he found strange. He said his classmates including the non-Malays 'salam' one of the teachers. He did not salam as he was not sure of
(1) how to salam
(2) why he should salam
(3) what to say after the salam
(4) the meaning of the whole thing.
His friends wanted to know why he did not salam the teacher, they explained it is a mark of respect to the teacher. We had earlier told him not to do anything that he is not comfortable with. When I asked my sister who is a primary school teacher, she said it is a common practice in national schools as salam means the student wants to get the 'restu' of the teacher, sort of seek her/his blessing.
Personally, I think schools should just be kept secular minus all the religious and cultural demands on the kids.
The other important thing about this week is that my boy finally got selected to the control class, which means he has to switch to the morning session. In fact the few boys who got selected were asked not to come to school on 6th and 7th Feb as beginning 6th, many students, mostly Malays, entered his class. At the end, the whole class was full and more desks and chairs had to be put in to accommodate this second batch of intake.
He will start his first class in the morning session on 10th Feb 2014.
