The Most Valuable Thing Ep1

“ We’re given two hands. One is for helping ourselves and one for helping others. ”

Last Sunday I’ve started my task as a volunteer to get involve in teaching the special kids. The class was started from 8.30 a.m till 2.00 p.m. My session was start arround 10.30a.m.-2 p.m. The class was held at Masjid Saidina Abu Bakar, Bangsar. Frankly said, it was a little bit awkward and nervous since I had no experience in teaching those special kids. It’s been a week I’ve doing some research on how to teach the special kids. According to my little research after  ask few nurses and doctor that in charge of children wards in HUKM , they’re (special kids) usually like a visual learning such as drawing and also some learning conduct in cheerful vibe. They used to get bored after 10 minutes and above learning, so we must apply various way to teach them according to our creativity. So I’ve prepared few song and also some story that might attract them. I also do downloading few apps in my smart phone that might help me to handle them with care.

Once arrived at the mosque, ive started my step entering the class held at computer lab with Basmallah. May God Bless and ease my job today.  My nervous overloads once I saw three special kids inside doing some process pengajaran dan pembelajaran with their teacher that I called Kak Mim and also another volunteer, Munirah. My nervous reach my maximum limit when Kak Mim asked me to introduced myself to the kids. Gosh! Like serious I have no experience doing some introduction session with them. I forgot to do some research about how to introduce myself in front of them. I’ve trying hard to remember few song that I’ve been memorize just to teach them but my mind was totally blank. I felt nervous here rather than doing a presentation in front of my kuliah. It’s a very very different scenario. I’ve took a very deep breathe and started to introduce my name, Okay guys! Nama kakak Nurul Suhada. Haa… Adik2 boleh panggil kakak Kakak Sue! Then I just smile and I look at those kid one by one. One of them sit on wheelchair while another two seems like normal kids. I smile and smiling brightly to them because seriously I have no idea what to do. Okay to terminate my awkward moments, I just being myself and try to approach that kids one by one. I asked their name, The girl andswer me by typing her name on her laptop, the boy seems too shy with me (Kak Mim answering his name for me) and the wheelchair’s boy do warmly welcome my presence by saying something, at first I didn’t understand his words, but Kak Mim was helping me a lot. Thanks Kak Mim!  Im really glad both of them showed some feedback to me.

Then I took a sit next to the wheelchair boy named Yusof. He was too good and too excellent. Over my expectation I bet. My tears almost fall when I heard him answering what had been teaching by Kak Mim just by look on it. He didn’t hold a pencil, he didn’t hold a tablet, what he can do is by observe and thinking. He’s too good.Im almost speechless. Im try to adapt with him. By seconds, I can understand well what he had been saying. After that teaching session, Kak Mim ask me to read a story that had been written at the back of Yusof’s notebook to him. Kak Mim said that Yusof can read well. Okay this boy is something! Then im started to read with him. I took it one by  one. I explained every words to him. What is the best thing is he kept reading with me. Now I can catch up his words better. Sometime I do stop reading and drawing on whiteboard to explain to him, sometime I do singing to him, and I various type of teaching lesson with him. Im happy to see him show a positive feedback. I also do wrote some homework to him and said to him, “ Ucop… Ni keje rumah Ucop. Jangan lupa buat tau.” He do nodded and moved his body. I know he wanna said okay! My session with him over when her mother come to took him. I don’t know why, it felts sad to finish this lesson with him. I looked on the Yusof and her mother. Her mother do kiss him at his forehead. I can see love there. A pure love and bond between mother and son. Her mother say thanks to me. U shouldn’t say thanks to me auntie. I’m the one who should thanks to you for giving me chance to learn a lesson that I only got today for entire of my life. This might be a good beginning for me for this 2016. Bye Yusof, see you next week. Then C1 (8.30a.m-10.30a.m.) session was done. Actually C1 isn’t my session, since im came earlier, im just comin to the C1 class. I think after this I will  come to both C1 and C2 class since it was too exciting.

Move to the C2 session, (10.30a.m.-2p.m.), the first kid I’ve been teaching is Nina in this session. Nina was such a very pretty and cute girl. She’s alsoa little bit shy to me but she do answering her name when I ask.  Nama sape?Nina.(very low pitch voice) Umur berapa? Lima. (Gain a very slow pitch). By the ways im glad she do answering me well. Nevermind Nina, it might took time for you to adapt with me. I’ll try my best okay dear! Just give me the chance to learn about you. Nina learning using her ipad. I have to write on the whiteboard and she learn by typing it back in her ipad. Then I move to Harith, a cute little boy. At first I do approaching him, he didn’t show a positive feedback to me. I hold his hand since he was coughing, I guess he had a fever, its hot. Yeah he might not feeling well today. I try and try to find out his interest.  I found out that he love to listen on my story. After seeing him bored on arranging a cube of color to train his focus ability and hand movement, I story him with some story of my life. Im relieved to see him smile. His smile showed that he like it. Then I continued back to his lesson. He had a tough time on lifting the cube. I try to help him. Slowly he showed an improvement. The one that touched me is when his hand try to hold the cube and lifting it. Another hand is holding me tightly. I can felt that he need someone to lead him. He need someone to help him. So that he can do well. I move my face closer to him, wipe his saliva and smile to him. You can do it Harith, you doing well. Don’t give up dear. My pray gonna be with you from now on syg.

My next kid is Alia, Alia was a very bright girl. She can count well. She can recognized a letter and number well. She also can read well. “ Papaya, Nenas, Halia, Belon, dua puluh satu” Imagine she do mention this with his very cute voice. I felt wanna kiss her once! Such a good  and bright girl. The learning lesson with her is ask he to put the things(sticker) at the proper number. She doing all those thing with pleasure. She  so fast. Im proud of u Liya. Then I move with the introduction session that already been told by Kak Mim which is Siapa Saya. After Munirah, I’ve started the session. Hai semua! Nama kakak Kak Sue. Ha cuba sebut oya nama kakak sape? Oya answer well KaChu haha So cute right. Nina just look at me. Still shy I bet. Then Harith just smile and move his body (showed he knew my name), as for Liya, she doesn’t have a very good mood, she’s a little bored I guess. Nevermind, let’s try next week okay Liya! Then I talk about my hobby, kakak suka main dengan kura-kura. Haa siapa nak tengok kura-kura kakak? Angkat tangan. Most of them raised their hand. Im relieves that they’re interested to my story. I showed to thrm one by one the video of my pot pet. They seems to like it. Their smile really do make me calm, the innocent smile make me forgot what I’ve been face out there. Thank you kids tahnk you my syg2 semua. Lot of love for u guys.

Then another student arrived for the next session. Kak Mim told me that this session a little differ, just teach the kids with 1,2,3 with the mainan. I approach one kids named Aqil sitted on his wheelchair. He always  smile. Look cute and handsome boy! I played a masak-masak with him and Oya. While played I put some lesson such as 1 plate 2 plate 3 plate. Okay aqil, bagi satu pinggan. He gave me one. It showed that he learned fast. Just need a little care in teaching. Then Aqil show me the book rack. He want to read some book. I took the book and read together with him and Oya. After finished one book I ask him to complete his task by lifted the cubed according to the color. He do listen to me well and he do everything well. Then he showed to the book again. Okay, Aqil was really love to read. I just read to him with some body language, he seem understand and sometime he laughed. The laughing really make me happy. Pure happiness. Then imove to Nuha that crying all the session. She seems a little scared to me. So I just let her with Munirah. Lastly I move to Syahmi. Such a very fair and cute boy! He can’t sit, he just lying on the tilam . But he is in learning process.He wanna hold everything that he saw. He do insert the mainan that I give in the trolley when I asked. A step ahead improvement. Im so happy.

Last but not least here, I wanna shared that this is the most valuable thing that I learnt in my life. To teach them, we have to be prepared mentally and physically. Just be yourself. Our deep heart will able to manage them well when our first nawaitu is to learnt from them. As for me this isn’t a wasting to be able to involve with them, its such a best lesson in life that u cant never learnt outside there. It seems like we are the one who teach them, but actually they’re the one who teach us. They teach and remind me to be grateful and thankful for what I am now. They’re my forever kids. I started to love them from the first sigh I met them. My pray always be with them. May Allah ease their journey to be able overcome averything that might be come.  Ameen!

“We can’t never be direct the wind but we can adjust the sail”