Reading Club (15): Never Work Harder Than Your Students, Robyn R. Jackson

The book I'm currently reading although progress is painfully slow. At the snail's pace am going, wonder when I will ever finish this book :)  Don't I wish that I have a long break just to read all the books I want! You have to believe me when I say that teachers don't have time to read. I've been trying to read this one for the past three months and haven't even got past the first chapter. No. Am not making excuses but I just cannot find the time to read. It's been a battle all the way. And you know what? I'm actually dying to know the secrets to never working harder than my students as claimed by Dr Robyn (many overworked teachers will!!!) but I guess I will never know until I finish the book sob sob sob...And people say teachers have a lot of time in their hands...nuts!

The Thinking Teacher

Reading Club (14) : Being Creative, The Challenge of Change in the Classroom, Chaz Pugliese, Delta Teacher Dev. Series

RM59..a small price to pay for knowledge

The book I bought in MELTA International Conference. I've been wanting to add spice to my lessons and hope to pick some great activities from this book!

The Thinking Teacher

Reading Club 13: A doctor in the house, Tun Mahathir Muhammad

My latest read. I haven't finished but will soon. I love his sharp witticism and directness in his writing.

Reading Club 12: How to get from where you are to where you want to be, Jack Canfield

Got to blog tonight..after three horrid days in school!

pg 236, What to do when feedback tells you you've failed- my progress thus far in attempting to complete this book :) Didn't I buy this like three months ago? Gosh! How hard it is to finish a book these days-  a few pages here and a few pages there especially before going to bed. So pg 236 is progress indeed. When I flipped to the bookmarked page half an hour ago, I thought "How appropriate!", considering my recent disappointment. Here's what Canfield says about "failure experience":

• acknowledge you did the best you could with the awareness, knowledge, and skills you had at the time (I like this because I know that I've tried my best)
• acknowledge that you survived and that you can absolutely cope with any of the consequences or results
• write down everything you learned from the experience. Write all of your insights and lessons down in a file in your computer or a journal called Insights and Lessons. Read through this file often. 
• take some time to go back and review your successes. It's important to remind yourself that you have had many more successes than you have had failures. You've done many more things right than you've done wrong (how true!)
• regroup. Spend some time with positive loving friends, family, and coworkers who can reaffirm your worth  and contribution
• refocus on your vision. Incorporate the lessons learned, recommit to your original plan, or create a new plan of action, and then get on with it. Stay in the game, Keep moving toward the fulfillment of your dreams. You're going to make a lot of mistakes along the way. Dust yourself off, get back on your horse and keep riding (love this one!)

 (credit: Jack Canfield)

Lessons learned:

• Never, never, never give up!
• You can only come back stronger and better.
• Be thankful for all that God has given you.

~the thinking teacher~

Reading Club 10: How to get from where you are to where you want to be (Jack Canfield)

One of the best books I've read! Many invaluable lessons, examples, principles that are easy to follow and practice. I love the way Jack Canfield (the man who co-founded the Chicken Soup series) writes. His language is simple yet affecting. The book's format is also helpful- he explains a principle with the help of true success stories  from notable people (Bruce Lee, Jim Carey, Lou Holt, W. Clement Stone etc.) and  anecdotes from his interviews. Some parts just made me go AHA!  There are many books on how to be successful, but this the best I've come across so far. Some of the most memorable parts are:

• How our brain works - 'scientists used to believe that humans responded to information flowing into the brain from the outside world. But today, they're learning instead that we respond to what the brain, on the basis of previous experience, expects to happen next.' Experiments conducted showed that our brain actually learns what to expect next- whether it eventually happens that way or not. Therefore, we often achieve exactly what we anticipate. This is why we must hold POSITIVE EXPECTATIONS in our mind. 'When we replace the old NEGATIVE EXPECTATIONS with more positive ones- when you believe that what you want is possible- your brain will take over the job of accomplishing that possibility for you. Better than that, your brain will actually expect to achieve that outcome.' 

•  What others think about you is none of your business- I like this!! Do you know how much time we spend sometimes worrying about what people think about us? Jack quotes Dr Daniel Amen's 18/40/60 Rule, which is so true! When you're 18, you worry about what everybody is thinking of you; when you're 40, you don't give a darn what anybody thinks of you; when you're 60, you realize nobody's been thinking about you at all. The moral of the story is people are busy worrying about their own lives, and if at all they are thinking of you, they are are wondering what you are thinking about them!!! Think about how much time you've wasted.

•  Successful people are action bias-  they take action. 'Most people are familiar with 'Ready, Aim, Fire!' but the problem is too many people spend their whole life aiming and never firing! 'Does this sound familiar? Jack proposes that we quit waiting for: 

                       - perfection
                       - inspiration
                       - permission
                       - reassurance
                       - someone to change
                       - the right person to come along
                       - the kids to leave home
                       - a more favourable horoscope
                       - the new admin to take over
                       - an absence of risk
                       - someone to discover you
                       - a clear set of instructions
                       - more self-confidence
                       - the pain to go away

GET ON WITH IT! JUST DO IT! DO IT NOW!
           
Well, these are some important things I've learned. No regrets buying the book..the only regret is it took me five years to find this gem (first published 2005)! Well, better late than never :)

Reading Club 9: Live Life with Spice (Eric. A. Waldburger)

Some important learning points from the latest book I've read:
According to the author, SPICE stands for:

                                    S  parkling

                                    P  assionate

                                    I   inspiring

                                    C  redible

                                    E  ngaging

• the sky is not the limits...
• punctuality
• being humble despite your achievements- make humility your weapon of choice
• your health is your number one priority
• your temper has a safety catch. keep it on at all times
• don't be a copycat, be creative
• when complacent, you simmer, when hot, you sizzle!
• living with a light heart will give you wings to soar to great happiness
• seize the moment when it mattered most
• reward will come to those who set out to achieve their targets with dedication, hard work, respect for others and fair play
• smile the day away

Reading Club 8: Self-leadership and the one minute manager (Ken Blanchard)

What I've learned from this book:

Empowerment is something someone gives you. Self-leadership is what you
do to make it work. Sounds good but this is exactly what's missing. People give me work but they don't give me the empowerment to see it through. Somehow control and power are two things closely related. If you are so used to having power ('position power' according to Ken), I suppose it's difficult to let go. How can I develop professionally  if I have self-leadership but no empowerment and trust to make decisions? Yes I can use my 'knowledge power', 'personal power','relationship power'  and 'task power' as suggested in the book but unfortunately in schools, EVERYTHING is  'position power' and long live the system!. Power is what people want and enjoy but I'm the dreamy one who still hopes for empowerment and flexibility :) Having said all that, I'm thankful am a Gc without position power because it can lead to abuse if you are not careful.

Diagnose Yourself - love this one! I learned to diagnose myself using the 'development continuum'.  There are four levels

    D1: Enthusiastic beginner (low competence, high commitment)
    D2: Disillusioned Learner (low to some competence, low commitment)
    D3: Capable but Cautions Performer (moderate to high competence
           variable commitment)
    D4: High Achiever (high competence, high commitment)
    
I don't have to be a D4 in all situations. It can be a mix but  what it teaches me is to evaluate my strengths and weaknesses and to do something about them. To quote Ken, "When your competence is low, you need direction: when your commitment is low, you need support.'

Assumed Constraints and Elephant Thinking     
I never thought of this one! An assumed constraint is a believe you have, based on past experience,    that limits you current and future experiences. Hmmm... I have too many of these I think. What  I need to do is challenge assumed constraints. I need to convince myself that 'position power' is not the only power that works.

I will share what I learn from the next book am reading now later...ta

Time to catch up with my reading...

Popular is having a sale so I got myself quite a few books to read today. I hope I can read them all this hols!

 

Reading Club 7

Another book I managed to read ( I read many books at the same time) is Farish Noor's "What Your Teachers Didn't Tell You, vol. 1". This is heavy reading but written so eloquently. I really admire his eloquence!!  Although the subject matter is academic (dealing with the origins of the 'keris' , Hang Tuah, The Red Green Alliance etc.), it is good to once in a while read a book that gives you an alternative view of looking at things so as to prevent being 'stuck' in one perpective. There are also hidden stories which will throw new light on how we perceive things such as the history of the keris and how it is perceived in the the Malaysian context today. A fascinating look at Malaysian culture and history!

Reading Club 6

Here's a book I just completed-took me months to complete this one! Penned by famed business writer and motivational speaker John C. Maxwell, he shares insights on what it takes to be a leader. the book is a character study of outstanding men and women throughout history, focusing on the qualities that are consistent in the lives of these great leaders. Some great leaders cited in this book include US Army General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, Nelson Mandela, Eric Liddle, Hariet Tubman and many more. Let me share some pointers which are useful :

 pg 7, the kind of leader others want to follow:

• let go of your ego
• become a good follower first
• build positive relationships
• work with excellence
• rely on discipline, not emotion
• make adding value your goal
• give your power away

Reading Club 5

After reading 'The Kite Runner', I became a fan of Khalid Hosseini. This is his second book and it is gut wrenching. It tells of a tragic story about two women living in Kabul through the Russian invasion and the Taliban uprising. The story unfolds from the eyes of two women and highlights their struggles with abusive men and the issue of subordination. I like the way Hosseini writes- he is detailed and yet he adds enough suspense and twists to keep the plot interesting. It is one book you will not put down. However, if I were to choose between 'The Kite Runner' and this one, I would go for the former. Still, a wonderful read.

Reading Club 4

I'd like to share this book that I've just completed. Although this book was published in 1999 and I am one of her fans, it was only last week that I managed to get my hands on it! Although I've read her other novels like Village by the Sea and Cry, the Peacock, this one has eluded me for some time.. Anita Desai is without doubt one of my favourite Indian writers. This book is about the web of family conflict and it is set to move your emotions. Anita captures two backgrounds- India and Massachusetts, America and shows how the characters deal with the intricacies that life has presented them. Uma, the older daughter of an Indian family dedicates her life to the demands of her parents and she is tied to the Indian household, whereas her brother, Arun, is bewildered by his life in an American college and the new surroundings. I love her interplay of language and the richness of her style and subject matter. There is a lot of depth and Anita does not worry about driving her message to her readers- it is reflected very effectively through her choice of words and style fo writing. Definitely a good read!

Reading Club 3

I've used this book as a resource for as long as I can remember. It gives an invaluable source of ideas for language teachers. It contains resources of over 130 short activities for the language classroom. As an English teacher I find the activities useful especially in helping students and teachers:
* learn or practise particular aspects of language
* get to know each other
* provide a smooth transition between two major parts of a lesson
* supplement a coursebook
* introduce or round off lessons
As a teacher, you will need to adapt the materials to suit your classes of different levels of ability. However,many examples are provided with additional suggestions for variations or extensions of the basic activity. Good luck!

Reading Club 2

I read this book some time ago and would like to share it here. This is a story of the writer herself, Adeline Yen Mah, a Chinese woman who suffered appalling emotional deprivation and rejection by her family as a child growing up in China and Hong Kong in the 40s and 50's. Adeline however became an extremely successful doctor and business woman in the USA. The story also depicts Hong Kong: of middle-class life at the time of the European concessions and thereafter. There is a connection between the east and the west throughout the story and it certainly offers an insight into this kind of life in aChinese family. Although a bit depressing in the early chapters, it got better towards the end- a good read.

Reading Club 1

In the first Reading Club, I would like to share a book that I read some time ago. This is one of the best books I have read. I am amazed at the the way the writer describes Amir's childhood in Kabul, Aghanistan and the twist and turns that one discovers later in the story. The story centers on Amir and Hassan, two friends who grow up like brothers. Amir is the son of a wealthy businessman and a Pashtun while Hassan is a Sh'ia Muslim. His father is a servant to Amir's father. The two boys spend their childhoods roaming the streets of Kabul. But Amir was always taunting Hassan with his superior position. They undergo many tests in their friendship. When the Taliban come, Amir and his family leave for the US and build a new life there. However, Amir returns to Kabul one day looking for Hassan to atone for his sins. The strength of this book lies in the power of the descriptive language that Khaled uses. I can actually visualise the house Amir and Hassan live in, the streets of Kabul and the destruction that later befalls Kabul during the Taliban rule. This is definitely a good read.