Startup Journey #2 Education

Shortcut: I write about teaching ideas, parents' pain points, where to go in Malaysia for informal learning and few reflections on learning.

I was reflecting through memories and my own notes through out my 4 years as a home tutor. I was also reflecting through some interesting articles about education here. Somehow, I feel like I couldn't see the forest out of these trees but maybe, I want to appreciate the trees for now:

• How students helped me improved my teaching: 

1. I started producing my own games because of Amir and Haidan-Hadiya - idea of Mangga Muda basically born when I was with Haidan and Hadiya, teaching them about adjectives (and nouns). This reminds me of my early years too: I made a quiz box from Coco Crunch and poured into it a lot of question papers. We played in our class (Standard 4 or 5).
2. Because of Zulayca who did not like typical way of learning Malay language, we started our podcast: Ikan Parang series for environmental issues, Pak Harimau series about illegal logging. She exercised writing in Malay because we have to make scripts. This method doesn't really work with others because they are a bit shy hearing their own voice - but Adam did a short episode about fun fact in Malay (we named the podcast 'Dam Dim Dum') and so did Zara for her Arabic lesson and Malay too. 
3. I started recorded videos during lessons, again because of Zulayca (must admit now, she is quite adamant haha). Our first video is Chef Layca Making Sandwich. Of course again, here she writes because the script writing is the exercise. We also did recorded videos for our House episode where she shares words about a house in Malay. 

• How parents make me pivot: 

1. When I started to make contents, I want to help teachers actually. That's my original intention. I talked to few teacher friends and they did said it could be helpful. But when I offered a volunteer service for teachers online, actually there was only one teacher responding and interested but yet, with a lot of queries and alterations. 
2. But maybe my direct access and established relationships are more with parents and when I shared my ideas, most of them said that why don't I offer this service for parents? I was stunned because it never occur to me like that. I don't see the need before - my assumption is that parents are happy with the lots of options out there, not as much as teachers. 
3. So I started to build the data: how parents normally leave it to us, tutors/ teachers, in term of the best book to find, they are also mostly uncertain to teach nowaday's subjects (hence that's why they find tutors) and they tend to share with each other for support. Parents are also open for experimental ideas as long as their kids can learn things. 
4. I started to check on how to help schools: is it harded or quite easy? My experience told me it was the former. Schools are bound with top-down policies and regulations as well as politics. Parents are individuals, they want the best for their kids, the decision making is upon us, not some ministry or principal. I said to myself, maybe help can actually start from individual. 

• What I really want as individual: 
1. I think in some sense (while browsing through education/ parents group in Facebook), learning is somehow not equal to schooling. I think we have to admit that - school is a system, it is part of bigger framework of learning. We have relied too much on schools and teachers. I remember on how we always resort to "School must teach this to kids" when something happened (e.g. green movement, farming, coding and we can name everything else we suggest we should have in school).
2. Sometimes we can get the gift of best schools: hence no need to worry about the kids do not understand what they learn at class; but somehow the choice to pick are either restricted (because of our own budget) or even unforeseen things (we could not truly know the quality of the education up until our kids enrol, study there). But I always believe learning is two-way street: students must also help the teacher. Teachers cannot read minds. Students must prepare before coming to class and they have to ask questions. 
3. I think we underestimate ourselves, adults especially, and individuals to do something for ourselves. Informal learning is vast and full of experience. 
1. For green + environment related learning in Malaysia: Biji-Biji, Sampah Menyampah, Zero Waste Malaysia, A Bit Less Bulk, Prof Ir Zaini Ujang
2. For soft skills: Pursuka (emceeing and public speaking), Happykido idea (in Indonesia), 
3. Tinkering: Me.reka Space, Scratch. 
4. I think what is happening in our society and our workplace (the mental health problem, for example) affect our schools and kids. We've seen the bullies, sexual abuse cases alot this year - that must tell us something about our society. Are we really going towards development in this fast pace? I can see too the signs of anxiety: fear of relevancy of knowledge for job prospects and economic downturn. The future, people say, has become uncertain, but let me ask: when is future not uncertain? It is uncertain but we must stay in control and with that we can see things better and help navigate. At individual level at least. We're not helpless - as Prof. Wan Nor always said. We must do something to not let this pressure cook us up. 

Stay true.

Shafira.