Yvonne Foong: Psychology and Neurofibromatosis

My friend asked how much I was paid as a kindergarten teacher. “Wonder whether I should apply,” she said.

‘You can’t”.
“Oh why?”
“Need a Diploma in Education, at least, if not a degree.”
What education? You don’t need education to teach kindergarten ma”.
“MAJOR in Education”

Actually, I was being mean. You don’t always need a diploma to teach kindergarten in Malaysia. But let’s not limit ourselves. Malaysia has no standard, but we don’t have to succumb.

She could have asked how I taught then. I was just 18, with nothing but the SPM certificate.

Trust me, you don’t want to teach children without proper training. Until this day, I still can’t shake off the guilt for imposing my adult ideals onto those children, without regards to what they really need.

On the eight floor of Segi College, Subang Jaya, hung a portrait of Maria Montessori cradling a child. It read, “The first responsibility of an educator is to recognize the personality of the child and respect it”.

Respect for the personality of the child. Sounds easy enough. But no one can do that without first experiencing some kind of training or education, whether formal or informal, that brings us close to the intrinsic parts of life that so many choose to avoid. Because it would nag at your own.

When we speak of personality, we think of those personality fads that can be found in lifestyle magazines. But here, we are talking about the personality development of children, the very first stages of life, that pre-determines whether a child would grow up to become emotionally congruent, whether the child will always feel an underlying peacefulness or dysphoria, whether sane or psychotic. On the milder edge, early childhood experiences pre-determines how big your brain would be, how many neural connections will be pruned, whether you will make it through school, score in Maths or limited to handiwork.

In other words, the livelihood of young children are in your hands. And that’s not far from the truth.

It sickens me now to think that I once took up the role without any prior training in childhood education. Like so many Malaysians seem to think, I assumed that you need only the ability to read and write, in order to teach little children. What a notorious assumption!

It became worse when the principal forced children of multiple age groups into one class because there were not enough teachers. And screamed at them when the kids did not behave the way she wanted.

Young children are highly dependent on caregivers, not just to fill the tummy. They need us to provide for their physiological needs. Our attention helps regulate their emotions, to mirror them, so that they would know whether to feel happy or sad, or whether to feel at all. They need our attention and validation when children learn autonomy and start exploring the world, or they may harbor inferiority. Children must not be silenced, but need to have their behaviors reciprocated with positive response for desirable behavior and not so positive for less desirable ones. If they are merely silenced, they would start keeping quiet, but not because they know what was wrong. They merely feel inferior., forever.

These are just among the many things I discovered through my readings and personal experiences. Managing a group of young children at once is no easy feat. Even qualified teachers need a lot of training. Because we, as the educator will be tested, pushed to the edge of sanity. We would be dealing with another human being so dependent on our providences. we CANNOT snap. If we snap, the child might snap along. Or the child may repress the trauma we create, but sink into depression or worse still, psychosis much later in life. Imagine that, without first testing our own boundaries through proper training in childhood education. It is so tedious that state laws in the U.S. legislate provisions that require childhood educators at public institutions to meet stringent requirements.

It’s very sad to deal with friends and acquaintances with some form of psychological and behavioral problems knowing their reasons may be traced back to early childhood experiences. There is little I could do, but say a little prayer and wish I could turn back time to make their childhood better.

Unqualified educators should be shot.

But guess what? We have Malaysians saying those who cannot earn a degree should become Play Therapists.

Yet the rest of the world needs to earn professional licenses in play therapy on top of their masters or doctorate degrees.

And Psychiatrists cannot perform psychotherapy without license in counseling psychology. Run far far away when you meet one who pretends he can.

What was initially a marriage dispute over the retrenchment of a husband caused the lives of his wife and two children, who stood in the way of an oncoming train.

M. Sanggita, 30, left home in Seremban with her four children at 9am yesterday, and walked 100 meters to a railway track in Taman Tuanku Ampuan Najiha.

When asked where they were going, the mother told her children that they did not have to attend school that day as she was taking them to the movies.

The eldest daughter, Victoria, 8, was terrified when told by her weeping 5-year-old sister that their mother said they were going to see God. She managed to pull herself and her brother, Jason. to safety moments before their mother, together with Sacheria, 6, ansd Esther, 8, were hit by the train.

Nearby residents sent injured Jason to the hospital while Victoria escaped unharmed.

M. Johnson rushed to the scene and wept uncontrollably upon seeing the bodies of his family, before he was brought to the hospital by friends to his injured son.

KUALA LUMPUR - A fun-filled charity bazaar was held last Saturday at Micasa All Suite Hotel to raise funds for Stepping Stone Home in Taman Seputih.

The half-day bazaar was packed with adults and children of all ages, patronizing the many stalls that were up for rent at RM30 each, in support of the charity home that cater to old folks, orphans and the disabled.

A food stall manned by staff volunteers.

In line with its charitable cause, booths were manned by volunteers who were mostly hotel employees. Apart from the usual food and beverages, other items for sale include handicrafts, oil paintings and secondhand books. Services such as portrait illustration and body-fat tests were available at a minimal fee. Children at the fair were entertained by games and a clown distributing balloons to young patrons.

“We are planning to contribute a portion of today’s earnings to charity,â€? says Kelly Choong, sales and marketing executive of Sweat Club, who was at the fair selling club merchandise and offering body-fat tests at RM2.

Event sponsors include Maybank Finance and Carlsberg who sold beer in paper cups at RM5 each.

By Yvonne Foong

Shah Alam - The road leading to Grace Assembly of God was jam-packed with vehicles, ferrying excited adults and children in stunning outfits. A tanned gentlemen at 6-feet in height, was spotted shoving visitor cards into the hands of enthusiastic newcomers.

A crowd of God-loving residents gathered by 7:30pm, to celebrate the resurrection of Christ on the 14th and 15th last month. The Easter musical production entitled, “The Witness�, drew the attention of more than 800 believers in the neighborhood.

The cast and crew of 70 volunteers, keen on serving and expressing their love for Jesus, began rehearsing 3 months ago.

The purpose was to spread the Good News of Jesus in a visual artistic expression, using performing arts as the tool. Besides the church’s own sound and lighting equipments, a budget of RM4,000 was included in the production.

“These are not professionals, who raised the bar and performed like one�, says Justin, the creative director of The Witness.

An elder church member, Aunty Amy, voluntarily designed and sew their neat and colorful costumes.

Contribution by others include ushering, coordinating, and meal preparations.

Church member and patient of Neurofibromatosis, Yvonne Foong, sold Christian books and CDs at the foyer to raise funds for a brain surgery.

“Helping me out for a good cause was an added meaning on Easter Day�, says the 20-year-old student of Life College.

Justin, the director, was pleased by the success and is optimistic about future productions.

“I always credit the entire team. They are awesome, and I’m just grateful for being their director.â€?.

Those who wish to purchase DVD recordings of the musical at RM10 each, may contact gcm@streamyx.com.