2 - Minute Class Presentation

It is important for people to know that…

I may seem slow to warm up at first, but those who take the time to know me will often discover a sincere and loyal friend. I enjoy art and music very much and my idea of a good time is a relaxing picnic with friends at Central Park. If I had a million dollars, I would travel the world and blog about my experiences for the world to see.

I come from a mixed-up land called Malaysia and I consider my mixed-up cultural background a huge part of my identity. My great-grandparents had migrated to Malaysia from China and we still celebrate many Chinese traditions even until today. I speak Mandarin Chinese fluently although I have trouble reading and writing in the language nowadays, much to my dismay. People are often surprised to learn that English is my first language. Although I say this, the English we speak in Malaysia sounds nothing like the American English we are used to here. In Malaysia, we speak English with a heavy accent that sounds flat and usually occurs in rapid speed. We call it ‘Manglish’ (short for Malaysian-English). In Manglish, vocabulary of words originating from Malay, Mandarin, Cantonese and Tamil are added in supposedly English sentences. Accents such as 'lah' and 'mah' are frequently used in daily conversations. A greeting to a friend would often sound like this, "Eh, how are you lah? Ate already or not?" (which actually means 'have you eaten yet'? Also derived from a typical Chinese greeting). I've since learned to switch between these two English 'languages' based on the person I'm speaking with, though I sometimes confuse myself in the process. 

I’ve always known that I wanted to work with young children because I enjoy their lively presence very much and as cliché as it sounds, I have a lot of love to give. An old Chinese proverb once noted that ‘who you are when you are three determines who you will be until you are eighty’. I believe that as early childhood educators, we have a direct influence in helping the world be a better place as we strive to mold young children into better individuals of the future by providing education, instilling strong values and most importantly, by being a good role model. Early childhood educators work with both the head and the heart. I’m sure we all have a good teacher we remembered during our childhood, one who was firm but kind, and took the time to teach and understand you. 

I strive to be that teacher.