Despite not getting to meet Syeikh upfront (except during the 'stairs' session where some of us sat at the stairs to get a very clear view of Syeikh throughout the lesson. For more than an hour :D),

I'm grateful for everything. 

Just that I hope to be able to send some gifts to Cik Watib & wife... for everything. Jazaahumullah khairan :')

Now in Harris Hotel, Tebet Jakarta.

Awaiting the van to take us to Zawiyah Ar-Raudhah for the jilsah with Syeikh Yusri Jaber al-Hasani insyaAllah :')

HOW I managed to catch the flight yesterday, after all means seemed not to work, was indeed a miracle...

After the adventurous trip to the airport, Allah ﷻ Sent a taxi driver, Opened his heart to take me (initially he wanted to go to Hougang, and refused to take me) to the airport. Reached the counter at exactly 7:10pm.

And my flight was at......

.

.

.

.

.

7:30pm!!!

Yaaa Rabb! Sungguh Hebat KekuasaanMu.

#SayangsangatkatAllah

#uncletaxibagibiskutdangulagulauntukbuatoranghappy

First day of full-blast teaching (last week was more of orientation, esp. since most of my classes are the Sec Ones).

Only 2 IH lessons down (out of the 4 IH lessons per week), and I already wondered 'how in the world did I survive eight classes of IH per week in 2016???!'

Lidah berbelit rasanya nak berbual English terus-terusan dalam kelas Men 3 tu >.<

Meanwhile, reading groups are ongoing and active again. It motivated me to complete a beautiful, highly mesmerising book on Rasulullah ﷺ . Alhamdulillah <3

I truly recommend this! 

So many thoughts, memories & reflections here *points to my temple* that need to be expressed in words - lest they get blown away and forgotten.

But where to start?

Hmm...

Bismillah:

1. I've yet to really finish reflecting (in words) abt The Trip. The irony of getting the immunisations (including the one for influenza) and then was down with one of the most serious flu I've ever been blessed with as long as I could remember... compare that to the non-immunised me who survived almost 2 months in Tareem few months back without falling seriously sick (just some minor coughs, alhamdulillah).

At least that was how I 'compared'...

Until this very moment. As I am typing these very words, my mind/heart is telling me: 

That's exactly Allah's Way.

Of showing this weakself that my sole & utmost reliance should be upon Him.

A mere human being can only put in as much effort as he could, and ultimately it is HIM who Decides. Yet, that effort -no matter how 'useless' or 'fruitless' we thought it was- will still be taken into account by The Most Merciful & Kind :')

And redha, not complaining during The Test is also part of Adaab with Allah ﷻ ...

Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah.

May it further help to cleanse the loads of black dots in this heart..

...

2. I realised that giving treats to children really work wonders. For instance, I challenged my two nieces (10 & 11 years old) to memorise Surah Yaasin by end of 2016. They had around 7-9 days to complete the challenge. And my 11-yo niece (Syaakirah) has been at it almost everyday. Each session lasting for about 15-25 minutes. Except for tonight (bcos I'll be testing her tomorrow morning insyaAllah) she has been repeating the verses & memorising new ones since after Maghrib... maasyaAllah 'alaiha.

Her younger sister gave up after the 3rd page I guess. Heh. Will still gave her some treat insyaAllah in recognition of her effort. 

Next challenge will be to memorise Surah Al-Mulk by end of January 2017 insyaAllah. Praiseworthy effort I must admit, as both of them are schooling in National schools, not in madrasah :')

3. The Madrasah Teachers Symposium @Suntec City Convention Centre last Thursday was:

a) Timely as it helped to stir & boost our spirit and enthusiasm for the upcoming school term. After the relatively long holiday.

We teachers also need to be inspired & motivated from time to time you know. :')

b) Ukhuwwah-friendly as we get to sit at any random tables, and mine was the same with some ustaazat from Irsyad, Alsagoff and of course Aljunied. Ada Kak Yat & Kak Yuni n U. Anggeraini juga! <3

Another fun-factor was the instant photobooth which enabled us to save those memories in pics :')

c) Most importantly, the reminders and tips shared by Mr. Kamaludin Bahadin & other presenters during the 4 breakout sessions. Amongst the most impactful takeaways that I need to remember to put into practice are:

- We learn not through experience, but through reflection.

Thus I've already set aside a small notebook for me to jot down my reflections at least on a weekly basis, biidznillah! Like what went well inside the classrooms, what could be better, did I give any spiritual guidance to any student this month, did I say/do anything that a Muslimah shouldn't do, what more a teacher who ought to set a good example for her students... >.<

- Importance of giving effective feedback & follow up on it.

And we should not praise a student for his intelligence, rather we should praise his effort and strategy instead.

And be specific when giving feedback.

So no "You're smart!", but "Your technique is working!" or "you must have really work hard at this!".

Because students will then be more encouraged to try harder and not think "oh I'm already smart so I need not push myself further, lest I fail because then people won't think I'm smart anymore..."

Also, no more of just "Mumtaz!" "Good job!" "Ilal Amam!" ("Way to go!"). Instead, we should elaborate further on the area(s)  that they have done well. Such as: "You justified your answer well!" "Your qalqalah is very good!", and so on.

No more "Try harder!" "B+"... Rather: "You need to practise more on the ghunnah", "You should include more adjectives to make your composition more interesting", and so on.

- Ask ourselves this question:

"Why am I still in teaching?"

"Isn't there anything else I can do in my life besides teaching?"

I've thought over the 1st question. InsyaAllah in the next entry I shall try to type them down... to serve as continuous Reminders for this weak self, especially in times of hardships :')

Allahul Musta'aan...

wa la haula wa la quwwata illa biH.