Voices - Teacher Edition (June 2022 Issue)

VOICES
TEACHERS EDITION




Nobel International School VOL 1: June 2022

Nobel International School June 2022

VOICES
INTRODUCTION

In our daily lives, we are usually wrapped up with our own thoughts, family and friends, but have
you ever wondered about the matters and opinions of the people around you? What about your
teachers, who teach you and seem to still have time for other things, or about the janitors whom
you usually only say a mere “Hi” and “Goodbye” to? What do they think? How do they live their
lives? Have you ever wanted to know about these things? This year, in the Editorial Board’s E-
Magazine, you will have the exact opportunity to do so with “Voices”! “Voices” lets our readers
know about other people in Nobel by getting to know about their lives and opinions, so that the
next time you see someone from the management team or one of the school’s guards, you might
know more about them, from the way they think to the way they live.

TEACHERS EDITION

Teachers. The foundation of the education system. The pillars who support the next
generation and who work harder than anyone else to preserve the future of humanity. Have
you ever thought about your teachers outside of the classroom? Have you ever thought
about what they do outside of school? Well, in our first issue of the Editorial Board’s monthly
newsletters, we will be talking about the lives of our teachers outside of school!

Guess The Teacher!

This anonymous teacher is about as normal as a human can get, but
that is not a bad thing at all! With all the other teachers having such

unique talents and likes outside of school, having a tame one is
interesting. This teacher is a true family person and loves spending time

with his family! Outside of school, a lot of his time is taken up by
spending time with his daughter.

From watching movies to playing games to bringing out his daughter
when the weather is pleasant, this teacher is truthfully very sweet.
Other than accompanying his daughter, he also whips up delicious

meals for his family, with some being the more generic ones like rice
accompanied with dishes, he sometimes spices it up with more unique

dishes every now and then. Fun fact: he never really thought about
spending much time with family up until he had his daughter.

Before being gifted with the bundle of joy that is his daughter, he never
really thought about just how precious time with family is. With the

birth of his daughter, he cherished the time with his family even more. If
you ever feel like you’d be better off without your parents and siblings,
just wait till you build a family of your own and you will definitely see
the appeal of family.

1 VOICES : TEACHERS EDITION

Nobel International School June 2022

Ms Nadia She finds that she enjoys teaching the subject art because she
can understand where people who find difficulty in the subject
By Sophie Lee Yue Shan come from. She also wants to find a way to change the
perception of art being difficult.
Perception of Teaching Art, and her Previous Career,
and how she Manages Life and Time with her Family Insight into teaching art

As teachers may seem extremely devoted to their subjects and In her opinion, she believes that her involvement in the
lessons, it’s honestly quite difficult to imagine that previously, fashion industry did help her with teaching art. She prioritises
they could have had a different occupation and a life outside student’s understanding of the subject, and also incorporates
of school. The subject of this month’s article is educators, and everyday topics and items into art so that it is easier for
their lives when they’re not in school, or more about their students to correlate and connect everyday subjects to the
backstory of teaching their subject. This article gives more subject which most would find complex. However, as every
insight about Ms Nadia’s previous employment, and also her teacher faces, she sometimes runs into issues with explaining
life when she’s not working. the different topics of art to students. She thinks that most of
all, the objective is extremely important. Without the
Previous Employment objective, she cannot measure her student’s progress, or the
student’s accomplishments. She prioritises explaining the
Before deciding to work as an educator, Ms Nadia was a visual objective clearly, so that students can apply methods that they
merchandiser at the popular clothing brand, Forever 21. Her have learned previously to work to achieving the objective.
job was to make sure that the brand and garments looked When she observes the student’s final art piece, she comments
attractive and enticing, also handling the events conducted by on the work and makes sure to examine the work so that she
the brand in shopping centres, to advertise the brand and the can determine whether or not the student has fulfilled the
current trend. Although she loved and took enjoyment in that objective. She believes that a student's work does not need to
job and found it fun, she soon realised that the working hours be perfect, and her main goal and focus is to make the
were extremely unstable and rigid, and she did not have long students understand the concept. She firmly believes that art
breaks, or long holidays. That’s when she decided to go into is subjective. She also stands by the fact that as long as
the education industry. students understand the concept, they are in the right.

Artistic Background Life Outside School

Ms Nadia explained that she was not always good at art when Outside of school, she enjoys doing things like cooking,
she was younger, however, as the years went on and as she singing, and also working out. During the lockdown in the
constantly practiced more and started to strive for midst of the Covid-19 height, she highlights that she
excellence, she slowly started gaining more finesse at the sometimes turned on karaoke vidoes on Youtube, and started
subject. Her advice to any artists who are currently struggling singing along. She also holds a passion for working out, and
is: devoted a lot of time to it. She also tried to venture out into
baking once, however, her efforts were in vain as she
explained that the results “made her want to give up.” She
thinks that cooking is more of her forte as compared to
baking, and she enjoys cooking lunch and dinner meals for her
family.

The key is observation! Family Life
Trust your eyes and practice!
Having children can often be a difficult thing to manage. Let
alone having three, and on top of that, having to manage
lesson plans and activities in class! Kudos to you Ms Nadia!
When asked about how to balance her work life and being a
mother, she says that she avoids delaying work until she has to
go back home to complete it. She points out the fact that we
spend nearly half the day at school, so the amount of time that
we can spend with family is limited. That’s why she feels that
it’s important to avoid procrastination. Especially since her
children are still young, they need guidance in things like
doing their homework, or washing their plates after meal time.

Despite what many students may think of art teachers and
teachers in general, from Ms Nadia, we learn that there is
much more to a teacher than what just meets the eye. She is
not only a mother, but a teacher, a friend, and someone who is
also passionate about her job outside of the four walls of a
classroom. I would like to thank Ms Nadia again for agreeing to
participate in the interview. And from the bottom of my heart,
thank you for taking your time to read this.

THE VOICES 2

Nobel International School June 2022

Ms Izyani

By Cheng Yi

An insight into Ms Izyani's life, with words from the
ICT teacher herself.

Why did you choose to teach at Nobel? Is there a certain recipe that you enjoy
making?
Frankly speaking, before I joined Nobel, I taught at a
government school, but I didn’t think that I was very There isn’t actually a favorite recipe or a favorite dish that
suited for the rigid environment in a government school. I enjoy making, but I often prefer simpler dishes. For
When I came to Nobel, I barely had any knowledge about example, cooking with coconut milk isn’t my expertise. I
how to work in a private school. As time went by, Nobel would like to try anything other than that. I think that the
provided me with all sorts of training to get used to the most important thing when I’m cooking is cooking with
environment. My colleagues in Nobel truly make Nobel love and sincerity.
feel like a family. If you go anywhere, the environment will
be different, but to be able to find colleagues that will
make it feel like we are more than just colleagues, we are
truly like a family.

What made you want to teach ICT?

When I first applied, I applied for Malay, because it was
the only position that was available at that time. However,
after a year or two I stopped teaching Malay because of its
difficulty. When I was in university, everything was taught
fully in English. After that, I decided to teach Maths, but I
couldn’t because plenty of people working in that
position. So during my second year at Nobel, I was
transferred to teach ICT. Overall, it is a subject that I
enjoy teaching.

Tell us about the most memorable students Do you have any interests other than

you have taught. cooking?

I think that the most memorable batch of students I I like long-distance driving, but there isn’t an exact reason
taught was back in 2014, the year I taught maths as a why I like long-distance driving. I either go with my
subject. I taught three classes out of four, back then there friends or drive alone, because that is the time when I can
were 4 classes. I was very close with that batch of think about my life, and recall my feelings and what has
students. There was also a time when it was my birthday, happened in the past that has shaped me into who I am
they wanted to ask for permission from me to go to the today.
toilet, but since I was so into teaching, I didn’t know that

they wanted to surprise me. They planned for this

surprise birthday, and it was a joint effort. It was very When did you start to learn cooking and
surprising, and yet touching at the same time. That was where did you learn it?
one of the most memorable batches of students I had

taught. We still contact each other, and they often visit I learned cooking from my mother. I think I started when I

me. Unfortunately due to the pandemic, they were unable was around ten. She didn’t force me to learn, but I just felt

to visit. like I wanted to learn. She didn’t scold me, she just laughed

What sort of student were you like? and told me to be careful with the fire. So when she saw me
want to cook, she decided to teach me how to cook slowly.

This might be funny, but back when I was Oftentimes, she never looked down on me, but instead, she

getting my Diploma in University, I was an encouraged me. I think it requires years of practice with trial

introvert. This was mostly because the and error. There are also times when I had to eat what I

students there were overachievers, like those cooked, even if it didn’t turn out well, because I had already

students who got 8-10 A’s, while I was just put the effort into it and spent money on buying the

from a Kampong, and I barely passed my add ingredients.

maths. I didn’t really participate, unless it was

compulsory. When I went for my Degree, that

was the time when Ii volunteered more,

because I had working experience.

3 THE VOICES

June 2022 Nobel International School

Ms Magdalene

By Kai Lee Synn Wei

Parenting through the lens of a Mother, Memories
with family and the meaning of marriage.

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that educators are arguably one of the most important members of our society, wielding
the ability to shape leaders of the future on both a local and global scale. However, have you ever been curious about the lives of
our teachers outside the classroom walls? Believe it or not, I for one, have never exactly paid close attention to this question
before it was revealed to be our newsletter topic for this month. I suppose this is due to the fact that occasionally, it is easy to
forget that teachers are such real human beings- in both flesh and soul- just like us. Not to mention, the parts we see of them are
merely just the surface of their existence as complex, raw creatures who possess their own gritty scars, habits, memories and
moments of love in the ink-stained pages of the stories they have built. With that being said, here is an insight to the personal life
of Ms Magdalene Chew, an English teacher better known as Ms Mag, and her views on parenting, family life and marriage through
the words of an interview.

Parenting Through The Lens of a Mother

Revealed to have two children- one daughter and one son who are both currently young adults, Ms Mag had always felt a
natural pull towards being a parent, finding it an innate part of life and marriage. Thus, during her days as an employee in a
publishing firm decades ago, she thought that once she became a parent, she wouldn’t have much time to travel any longer, as
her children would then become ‘her top priority’, rather than her occupation or self-indulgent leisures. This mindset led her to
‘enjoy work as much as I could’ and cherish the moments of being able to fill her soul with adventures around the world, waiting
four years after marriage to birth her first child. After the bringing of a new bundle of joy into the world, she then handed in her
resignation letter, choosing to become a full-time mother. It was only when her child was around the age of 3 that she decided
to be a teacher.

Speaking with great endearment while reminiscing the memories of her past, this prompted me to ask Ms Mag what her
favourite aspect of being a parent was. After a moment of thought, she then replied that if she were to pick one, it would be
‘watching my children grow and accomplish their goals throughout their journey of life’. She then proceeded to admit that time
really did fly, and there were often times when she wished that her now grown-up children were toddlers again, filled with ‘so
much innocence’ and wide-eyed curiosity that truly was precious to witness. It is usually during these times when she would
take out her family photo albums and reflect on her time with her children. One of her favourite memories as a family would be
the times when they would put mattresses on the floor instead of beds, telling each other made-up stories of ‘monkeys’ and
‘crocodiles’, remembering how her children would roll with laughter during that young age when ‘they believed everything I
said’.

Due to the many years of experience as a mother, she wanted to tell young parents to ‘treasure your time with your children
when they are still young no matter how tired you are’, as now, with her children all grown-up, she wishes that she could have
more time with them again, a rather wistful thinking considering the fact that they are all busy with their own lives away from
home. She suggested that these parents should ‘record their conversations with their children when they are young’, allowing
them to later play it back and ‘relive the memories’.

Next, I asked Ms Mag whether she had any regrets throughout her journey as a parent, to which she replied ‘I most certainly do
have’. An example she gave was ‘forcing’ her children to sleep alone in their own room when they were at a young age, thinking
that this would help ‘train independence’. On the contrary, this method didn’t work, as it made her children insecure, fuelling
negative thoughts about ‘being cast away’ instead. Moving on, the final question asked on parenting was how having children
had changed her life. This was what she said: ‘having children really made my life worth living. Sometimes I feel like the greatest
accomplishment I have achieved is creating these two wonderful individuals who bring me so much joy. Once I became a
mother, I really did realise what true happiness was’.

Once Ms Mag had poured her heart out about talking about life as a parent, it was then I myself, realised that parenting certainly
is a bittersweet, yet beautiful experience. One day, parents might find themselves at their child’s first day of kindergarten, and
the next day, they are celebrating their child’s promotion at work, amazed that the person standing before them was the same
baby they had cradled in their arms while bringing them home. Perhaps, as cliche as it sounds, watching their children spread
their wings and prove they can fly does bring tears of joy to the eyes of parents for these extraordinary little beings they have
played an enormous part in shaping, yet also tears of nostalgia and melancholy as each time they flap their wings, they are
taking a closer step away from the nest of home.

THE VOICES 4

Nobel International School June 2022

Pieces of memories from the past

As an only child, Ms Mag refuted the myth that having no siblings meant being pampered and ‘spoilt with everything they want’.
Instead, her parents had an ‘old-school’ way of parenting and were quite strict with her, every little mistake she made
‘scrutinised under a microscope’. Jokingly, she even said that ‘I don’t think I was very precious to my parents, because I was a
handful growing up, too curious for my own good and wanting to do things they didn’t approve of’. However, she does feel that
her parents are extremely important to her, and that she was very close with her mum. Though her dad was always there for
her, she admits that there was a certain distance or barrier between them as he had a more ‘professional, sort of traditional way
of thinking that at a young age, I couldn’t understand’. It was only when she had grown up and became more mature that she
realised there was a lot of wisdom in the way her parents had raised her.

Due to Ms Mag’s confession of being an inquisitive, playful child, I asked her what her favourite childhood memory was, as she
must have had many thrilling adventures to choose from. One memory she vividly remembers involves the neighbour she grew
up with, viewing her as a ‘big sister’. However, Ms Mag’s mother did not approve of her visiting her neighbour’s house,
possessing a ‘funny idea’ that she would be intruding into their home. Therefore, what they would do was, during the night
when everything was dark, her neighbour would come over and sit outside her gate while Ms Mag would sit on the inside, the
gate acting like a divider between both of them. They would then chat for hours while eating peanuts, ‘kacang botak’ she called
them, these moments being one of her most dearest memories as a child. One trait about her neighbour she admired the most
was her carefreeness and boldness. Although Ms Mag was a curious child, she was quite a timid person, whereas her neighbour
‘ran wild’, her adventurous spirit and courage to try new things being something she truly looked up to. Though this ‘best friend’
of hers had moved to Australia now, they still keep in touch despite their busy work schedules and time differences.

Another memory from her younger days Ms Mag remembers was honestly, quite a shocking and funny one to hear about. Born
as ‘a true banana’, it was during elementary school when Ms Mag tried to change her Chinese results in her report card, being
‘so afraid to tell my traditional Chinese parents that I had failed’. However, this plan failed and she was found out, receiving a
humiliating, thorough ticking off that she still remembers to this day. Once I heard this, I could not stop thinking how ironic it
was- a child who tried to cheat in her examination growing up to become a teacher giving out tests to students herself!

The Meaning of Marriage

One question that I have always wondered is how couples keep their
marriage strong. How is it possible to stay with one person for such a
long period of time? For the rest of your life in fact! Well, I asked Ms
Mag who has been happily married to her husband for decades now
whether there was a certain secret to having a successful marriage.
She answered that before a couple gets married, they have to really
spend time getting to know each other and be willing show one
another their worst sides, imperfections and all, stating that ‘for
couples who spend only one or two years together just meeting up on
weekends, they might not be prepared for a relationship in the long
run’.

Elaborating more on this, she said that marriage is undeniably, a long
journey, a commitment that transcends the passages of time. After all,
life comes with many great challenges and changes, ranging from the
pressure of having to take care of children to having to deal with
finances, couples having to go through this while still maintaining a
strong relationship. Thus, Ms Mag says that ‘when you make a
marriage vow, it is a promise, meaning that you don’t run away simply
because things are looking rough. It is during those difficult times you
should stick to the vows that state “for richer or for poorer” and “for
better or for worse”. She also expressed that it would be unrealistic to
think that marriage is all ‘sunshine and rainbows’, a statement that
really did speak a ring of truth, as to expect perfection from
something so imperfect would be to make sacrifices even the
strongest person cannot promise.

THE VOICES THE VOICES

5

June 2022 Nobel International School

Ms Alison

By: Ng Li Xuan

Ms Alison Yu Wei Chong is an English teacher who teaches both Do you have any funny stories to share?
junior and senior school students. She’s an avid lover of spicy
food and like everyone else, she has a story. The questions for this There’s this one time in my old school where during
interview revolve around general questions but it would give you a teacher’s day celebration, all teachers were given
a better understanding about Ms Alison. We hope you enjoy it! cupcakes by the students. By the end of the day,
almost all the cupcakes were infested with ants

except one particular cupcake in the middle which
stood out to me. Thinking of eating it, I brought it
What's your favourite food and why? home with me. My sister was at home and I decided
to give it to her as I rarely eat sweet stuff, she was
My favorite food is spicy food, as my spiciness tolerance is really busy so I placed it in the fridge. The next day, she
high. For example, I really love mala tang and curry. I ate mala took it out of the fridge and peeled the wrapper only
tang last night and it was really spicy but I loved it! Although my to realize that it’s all sponge and hard. She told me
throat can’t stand it, I still like eating it as I really love spicy food. ‘Alison! It’s a decoration and not meant to be eaten’
and told me to check properly next time before

giving it to her.

Do you prepare mala tang by yourself? What about curry? Where did you work before coming to Nobel?

I usually buy the mala tang paste outside and prepare it back Previously, before coming to Nobel I worked in
home while I do know how to cook curry. In my curry, I always government schools. Two government schools
add lots of chili and turmeric inside to give it some flavor. If I actually, for four years and a half. These two schools
don’t have other food, and only curry I would happily eat all of it. are in another state and I took leave to pursue my
masters. Previously, I taught primary school kids
Could you share with us the first time you travelled outside from Year 1 to Year 6 which was really a memorable
of Malaysia? experience. There’s this one little boy who would
always come to hug you and won’t let go, he’s really
The first time I’ve ever traveled outside of Malaysia was many cute. I think all my students are adorable but it’s all
years ago to Singapore. I was visiting my relatives there and after a different experience.
that I traveled often to Bangkok as I love shopping and it’s the best
place to shop. I’ve been to Taiwan and Korea too but I love Korea I actually studied child psychology and when I first
the most as the weather there is so beautiful. In Korea, I went to came here, Ms Bee Yong asked if I wanted to teach
Jeju Island and my husband and I actually rented a car, got a primary or secondary. I wanted to try something
license and drove all around the island. The first time my husband new so I chose secondary and it’s my fifth year this
drove, he nearly crashed into another car as he wasn’t familiar year!
with the settings and couldn’t measure the distance. Due to this,
we got lost and couldn’t find our way which led us to call a taxi. We 6
spoke to the taxi driver in English but he replied back in Korean. I
immediately told my husband to go back into the rental car and try
to find our way home which we managed. On Jeju Island, their
Waze is different as it’s based on the last four digit of a phone
number. In order to go to a place, you must either key in the last
four digits of that place or type in hangul characters.

Do you have any embarrassing stories from your trip to
Jeju Island?

Yeah in fact, I do have an embarrassing story. My husband and I
went skiing during our stay there and it was so slippery that I
actually slipped and fell. My husband was in front of me and didn’t
notice that I fell. I got up on my own and scolded my husband like
‘your wife fell and you didn’t even notice’. Everyone was staring at
us and it was so embarrassing.

THE VOICES

Nobel International School June 2022

Do you regret choosing secondary? Why did you want to become a teacher?

I don’t, as primary and secondary are two different When I was in secondary school, I wanted to be a
experiences. As I learned lots of stuff from teaching programmer. I wanted to learn it as it was a hit during
secondary students, it was a memorable experience. I my time but my parents didn’t allow it as they felt that
actually previously worked in a tuition center part-time the field is too competitive. I wanted to go college but
while I was studying to gain allowance. I also went to my family isn’t that well-off so I knew it would be hard
universities to be a research assistant as I helped lecturers to finance me if I go for this course, and decided to still
to conduct research and collect and analyze data. I also sign up for it anyways but I chose education. I went for
wrote papers for them. the interview and passed but didn’t want to go.

Do you have any stories about your close My english teacher inspired me to become a teacher,
friend? Tell us more about your close friend. she was very pretty and is muslim. I got interested in
English when she conducted a poem writing
I don’t really have many friends as my friends are mainly competition and I participated and got a book from her.
from my workplace. Cikgu Syera is one of my close friends From that point onwards, I wanted to give teaching
and I always call her after school. She always tells me that English a try. Currently, I’m more into teaching and
she has meetings, extra classes or oral practice and while technology. I’m thinking of going into training
she’s doing that, I can always pop in and hear. As we grow development.
older, it’s harder to keep in touch with our childhood
friends as everyone has grown up, married and has their
own kids. We don’t really have many common topics as
although I’m married, I don’t have kids so when they talk
about their kids, I can’t join the conversation as much as I’d
like to. Some of them are teachers but there’s still not much
chemistry between us, so it’s harder to talk.

Mr Lim Kar Teck
By Josiah Ow Yang Jo Shen

Mr Lim Kar Teck (better known as Mr Lim) is an Add Of course, there’s still one more important thing that he
Maths teacher and Maths teacher here in Nobel. Raised in does…he makes Youtube content! It’s also a Maths channel
his hometown of Ipoh, he later moved to Johor Bahru to under the name of “b squared minus 4ac” so named since
further study and eventually work there. As a student he “it just sounded nice”. According to Mr Lim the channel is
achieved average grades, though one thing to note is his just to keep a copy of his tutoring around, and it’s “just a
excellence in mathematics. As such, he went on to take the side thing”, so don’t expect frequent uploads.
pure science stream, though he ended up majoring in
computer science after university. It was here in university Link to YouTube channel:
that he started teaching by tutoring students. It should be https://bit.ly/3EWzil9
no surprise that he was teaching …Maths!

Mr Lim previously taught in a private school which mainly
focused on the SPM syllabus. He stated to us that he
actually preferred the SPM syllabus over the IGCSE
syllabus (the one you’re probably doing right now) as it
included more “useful” subjects such as dealing with
insurance and the likes. However, he said that he still
prefers the IG papers, even if they are apparently getting
easier.

Although Mr Lim practically spent his entire career THE VOICES
teaching Maths, it’s not his only interest in life. When he
was around 9-10 years old, he took an interest in
badminton, and continued playing all the way up to
university level (impressive :D). He enjoys travelling,
specifically to Melbourne, Australia, since he really likes
the cute animals there. He also likes playing board games,
among his favourites is Catan, in which he said that he
used to spend around 4 to 5 hours playing in one go.

7

June 2022 Nobel International School

Mr Steve

By Noelle Lee Jia Ying

Everyone should know Mr Steve. The handsome Mandarin teacher. Would you
have thought your beloved chinese teacher would have an interest in interior
design and plants?

Born in Negeri Sembilan, Mr Steve graduated with a Mass Communication
degree, majoring in Broadcasting. Since young, he has always had three
ambitions; a teacher, a singer and a DJ. I’m sure most of us have heard Mr
Steve’s angelic voice. His voice and musical abilities have made him famous
around school.

This is expected coming from our beloved chinese teacher. Other than his
academic achievements, he played badminton in his youth. An avid player, but it
was more like a hobby than training to be the next Lee Chong Wei.

One of his life changing moments was when he travelled to Europe. He was awakened by their greenness, how they recycled
everything and how they took the environment seriously. That inspired him to become a person who has more control of his
carbon footprint. He has started to carry his own tupperwares to takeaway food, and reduced his use with plastic bags.

You might wonder, what made Mr Steve the way he is? A student of the pure science stream, he has shared his regrets about
taking this stream and why he should have followed his heart instead of society's expectations. He claims to be more of a
language student than a math and science student.

So, what do you think about our beloved Mr Steve? Next time, when you are passing by him, how about sparking a
conversation about sustainability or interior design. Please do not suddenly ask him about sofas during his mandarin lesson;
he might just be furious at you for interrupting his lesson!

Cikgu Syahirah

By Xin Tung Q: Who are some of your favorite Korean
actors or actresses?
Cikgu Syahirah is a familiar face in Nobel, and many students
across all years have been taught by her. As her student, I can For actors, my favorites are Nam Joo Hyuk, Kim Nam Gil,
safely say that she is one of the most hardworking and Lee Joon Gi, and many more! One of my current favorite
dedicated teachers I’ve ever met. Curious, we sat down for an actresses is Kim Sejeong, from ‘Business Proposal’, she has a
interview with her to find out about her personal life, history very bubbly personality and is even talented in singing. Kim
and more. Go Eun from Yumi Cells is another of my favorites.

Q: What are some of your hobbies? Q: Do you think character development in
kdramas are important?
Definitely not reading books! In my free time, I like to watch
Korean dramas and also go for strolls in the park near my I think it’s very important for the character to grow. I like
house. watching shows with fast development, but I still prefer
watching longer kdramas so that I can binge it all in one go!
Q: I love watching kdramas too! What’s your I don’t really like chasing ongoing dramas because of the
favorite kdrama? long wait.

I have a lot of favorites! Recently I’ve been watching ‘Business
Proposal’. Every Monday and Tuesday, I’m eagerly awaiting a
new episode! I really like the main actor and actress, and I’ve
even subscribed to the original webtoon. It’s been very long
since I last watched this light and funny style of kdrama, and
it really brings back memories of the good old days. Normally
I tend to watch more of the melodrama and detective genres.

THE VOICES 8

Nobel International School June 2022

Q: When do you find the time to watch kdramas? Q: How do you manage the care of
all the cats?
During school holidays, I always make sure to have a kdrama
marathon. One thing I’m guilty of is that I can’t resist temptation! If They actually have their own eating time, so there are
I’m in the middle of doing work, sometimes I will pause everything to plates and bowls of food everywhere in the house.
watch one episode and continue working again. There’s a mechanism that allows these to be refilled
automatically, so that saves a lot of time. I clean up
Q: When and how did you start watching kdramas? the cages in the morning and evening, and change
their water daily because cats don’t like drinking
Back in 2002, when I was 14 years old, I watched my first kdrama: water that’s been left overnight.
Winter Sonata. My mom was really into kdramas and even bought
VCDs, so naturally I also became interested. Q: Do you have a spirit animal?
Unfortunately, Cikgu Syahirah mentions that she’s never visited Korea
before, but she really wants to go to Korea in the future. My spirit animal is actually elephants! I feel that
elephants are extremely determined, and also very
family oriented.

Q: If you were not a teacher, what would you have Q: If you could have one superpower,
become? what would it be?

I would probably be a researcher. I actually have a science My spirit animal is elephants! I feel that elephants are
background, and I love to do experiments. I actually have a Masters in extremely determined, and also very family oriented.
plant biotech, which is about plant tissue culture and more. I just love
to sit in the lab and get data, doing culturing and experiments. With that, we wrapped up the interview. Getting to
know about your teachers can be more interesting than
Q: Why did you choose to become a teacher? you think, and I feel that I’ve learned a lot about Cikgu
today. Next time you see her, ask her for some kdrama
When I wanted to support my finances during studies, I became a recommendations!
tutor for Malay, Sejarah and Math. From that point, I realized that
teaching was pretty interesting! I guess you could consider this a twist
of fate?

This came as a shock, as I’d always assumed that she had planned to
become a teacher from the very beginning. You never know where life
will take you.

We moved on to asking some lighthearted questions. I’ve seen a few
cats on Cikgu Syahira’s screen through Zoom before, so I wanted to
know more about her pets.

Q: Cikgu, what's your favorite animal?

I LOVE cats, and I have around 30 at home. 9 of them are resident
cats, and the rest come and go for welfare. There are especially a lot of
pregnant cats, and I think they know my house is the place to come for
care. I will take care of all of them, some stay while others, like
teenage cats, decide to leave and are never seen again.

9 THE VOICES

Nobel International School June 2022

Ms Colleen Instead, I told my
teacher I just wanted to
Written By Ng Li Xuan know the basics of
Interview By: Ng Li Xuan, Xin Tung & Kai Qi playing the piano. My
teacher suggested that I
Teachers are important figures in every student’s life. They are a stop at grade 5 because
compass that directs each student onto the correct path as they there was no need to
play a part in creating every student’s future and also in continue pursuing the
developing their milestones in life. However, many may wonder other grades if I just
about the lives teachers had before becoming one and also what wanted to play casually
they do outside of teaching. Ms Colleen is a teacher that has and in the end, I took
impacted many students and this article focuses on what she her advice.
does apart from being everyone’s teacher.
Q: What are your favorite hobbies?
Q: How long have you been in Nobel?
Ms Colleen: Sleep is my all-time favorite hobby and I sleep to
Ms Colleen: I have been in Nobel for 5 years, starting from pass the time. My spirit animal is a sloth because I also like to
2018. sleep. Apart from that, I enjoy a good movie but I dislike
watching many episodes since I feel like I can’t keep up. I love
Q: We heard you studied psychology. Can you tell us playing the piano to destress and I play it during my leisure
about how you discovered psychology and what makes time. When I’m alone, I also enjoy singing aloud.
it so interesting?
Q: What were you like as a student in high school and
Ms Colleen: I came upon psychology through a counselor. After what was your best experience?
I graduated from high school, I didn’t know what career I
wanted to pursue due to my many interests so I decided to seek Ms Colleen: In high school, I was a good kid because I was in a
career counseling. After taking the test, the results showed I strict school that took students that had straight As. During
loved helping people and one of the main careers that I could the years that we had major exams, we had to study for 12
take was psychology. At that point in time, I wasn’t sure if hours from 6.30 am to 6.30 pm. It was quite boring since all
psychology was what I wanted to do so I did some research and we did was study. When I was in Form 4, I became more
found studying human behavior a very interesting topic. I knew active in extracurricular activities so I took up debate, choral
of friends who studied psychology so I talked to them and speaking, and drama. Eventually, I was appointed president of
psychology seemed like the right choice for me. After three the English club and I represented the school for different
years of my course, I enjoyed psychology and I’m glad I took it. competitions. The last two years were particularly memorable
because I was able to join more competitions. One of my best
Q: Were there any other dream occupations you had experiences joining these competitions was how I got the
other than becoming a psychologist? opportunity to get to know teachers and students from other
schools. I was excited to know other people as at that point in
Ms Colleen: When I was young, I thought of becoming a piano time I was very confined in my school environment and
teacher because I liked playing the piano but it wasn’t an ideal enjoyed communicating with other people.
career for me since I’m a very realistic person and thought
that I couldn’t earn much doing that. Other than that, I’ve Q: You told us that you are recently studying online so
always been interested in education since I knew I wanted to how do you manage your time between work and
work in a school setting but didn’t just want to be a teacher, studies?
which is why I pursued psychology because it’s something
that helps me to understand not only how students and Ms Colleen: I’m doing my masters in educational leadership
teachers teach but also how they behave and why they behave online and as it is an American university, the timing is very
a certain way. tricky. I’m still trying to cope but I think taking up an extra
responsibility also means giving up certain responsibilities so
Q: Since you said you wanted to be a piano teacher, I won’t go crazy. One thing I had to do was commit my
are you in grade 8 piano? Saturdays to studies. I used to have programs to do on
Saturdays but I could no longer commit to them after taking
Ms Colleen: No, but I am in grade 5. During grade 5, I thought my master's. In school, I requested to teach just one class as I
I would fail my exams since I was nervous and thought I made had other planning responsibilities. The school has been very
many mistakes while I was playing. Funny thing was that my understanding because they have reduced my teaching
results came out and it was the best out of all my piano exams periods so that I would remain sane. Overall, I had to release
and I achieved a distinction in both my theory and practical certain things to take up other responsibilities.
exams, which is the highest you can get in music school. My
teacher asked if I wanted to take music as a career but I
decided I didn’t want to sit and teach piano because life has so
much more than that.

THE VOICES 10

Nobel International School June 2022

Q: Recently there are many controversial topics in the Q: Do you have any advice to give to students?
world so what are your thoughts on some of these
topics? Ms Colleen: What I learnt for myself and I hope works for
others is to live in the present. This is because we spend too
Ms Colleen: As a GP teacher, I always read up on these things much time worrying about what has happened or what will
and it’s sad to see how messy the world is. I try to educate happen that we forget to enjoy what is happening. For me, I
students so that instead of agreeing with everything society is want to take every day as it is and embrace the good, bad,
doing, they can use their knowledge to learn how to embrace ugly, horrible, and beautiful. I hope that when students go
society better or be comfortable with society. For example through life, they will embrace moments and acknowledge
with LGBTQ, I am open to LGBT in a sense that I may not them as bits of puzzles of life. Embrace every day and live in
particularly agree with everything they do but I am very open the moment and try not to worry too much because everyone
to it as I accept the community and acknowledge they exist. is a work in progress and though we may not get to where we
This is the same message I pass onto students where I tell want to be, it’s ok. Acknowledge that and try to find some
them we should learn about this community despite what good in every day.
nationality, religion, or race you are. I want students to have
an open mind to try and understand where they’re coming This is the end of the article. Ms Colleen is an open-minded
from and why they’re doing it. Even if you don’t necessarily and talented person with many interests. Her journey of
agree with what they are doing, you have to have an open becoming an educator is one full of hardships and
mind of acceptance to learn and embrace the community. responsibilities yet she has persevered through them to
Ultimately, no matter what is happening, it all comes down to become who she is today. Even after becoming a teacher, her
what we do with it and how we can educate ourselves to life is filled with plenty of other activities and enjoyable times.
know what is happening out there so that we can become I believe her advice of living in the present is useful and
better citizens. something that many people should try to remember because
we always rush to think about the future or dwell about the
Q: What do you think of Christian Fellowship and past that we forget to enjoy the present moment we’re living
would you recommend students to join it? in. I would like to thank Ms Colleen for taking the time to be
interviewed and thank you for reading this article.
Ms Colleen: CF is religion-based so we want to be respectful.
However, for students who want to explore, CF is always an
open space and for me, it’s a place to call home. Aside from
serious messages we listen to, it’s a place to relax and have
fun by getting to know one another after school. If students
are looking for a CCA, a place to relax, or a place to build
connections, CF is a great platform to have conversations or
have fun winning prizes and at the same time, students can
learn meaningful messages. Even if you don’t think it’s for you
after attending once or twice, you should give it a try since
you may never know until you try.

Mr Simon Ho

By: Ng Zi Anne & Isabelle

Mr Simon is known for his cheerful vibes. We are very curious to know
about his hobbies and stories from his younger adult years.

From our interview, we found that he loves outdoor activities, for example,
hiking- he has conquered Mount Kinabalu, Sungai Lembing, Gunung
Nuang, Dragon's Back Hong Kong, Grampians National Park Melbourne,
Mount Hiei Japan and Roy's Peak NZ. He also loves jungle trekking, roller
coasters, abseiling and skydiving.

He revealed that he used to own a motorcycle before he got married. He
used to think that riding a motorcycle gives him a sense of freedom.
Unfortunately, he flew off the bike a few times due to accidents from
riding with superman style.

Mr Simon must have been an active teenager in his youth! The next time
you bump into Mr Simon, do ask him more about his younger days!

11 THE VOICES