The MICELT 2008 (12 - 14 May 2008)

The topmost pic is me on right presenting my paper in the Ampangan I Room on 13 May. I was worried that I would not have much to say but once I started, there was no full stop!

The 2nd pic was taken on the 2nd night (13 May). Seated from left: Rahanim from PPD Petaling Utama, me, Noorainun Anuar, Lila Kassim, Mageswari and Kasturi. Standing from left: Rodney Tan (another teacher presenter), Zaily, Rizal and Hau. Except for Rahanim, all of the others are from Melaka.

The 3rd pic shows the Melakans with Datuk Hajah Noor Rezan Bapoo (Deputy Director-General of Education). She is standing in the centre. She oozes class in speech and bearing - always has been that way.)










Thurs 15 May 2008 - Once again, it was time for the MICELT (Malaysian International Conference on English Language Teaching) - the 7th one, and this time it was held at the Royal Adelphi Hotel, Seremban. I had the good fortune of being sponsored by the Melaka State Education Department, thanks to my good friend, Noorainun Anuar (Head of English Language Unit, Melaka Education Department). The Melakans had a good time at the Conference and among the many memorable moments that I had were:
1) The very slow registration of guests at the hotel's reception counter on the night we arrived on 11 May which was also Mother's Day. It was a drag...
2) The very long and hungry wait at the D'Mamak Corner for our food on the first night but we all agreed that the naan (Indian bread) and tandoori chicken were simply divine and worth the wait.
3) My paper presentation on 'Writing Is My Friend: Getting Form 5 Students To Write' on Tues 13 May was well-received by conference participants. I was encouraged by their warmth and response.
4) It was good to see old friends and to know that they are well - among others Rahanim from PPD Petaling Utama, Datuk Noor Rezan Bapoo who is now the Deputy Director-General of Education, Rahmah Sayuti from Kluang Canossian Convent, and a host of others...

However, there was something disheartening about the 7th MICELT - out of the 176 paper presenters and speakers, none came from the primary schools. Only 5 paper presenters were from schools and this constituted a mere 2.8% of the total number. Many school teachers have this notion of inferiority and are awed by the word "international" in the MICELT. How I wish that these school teachers would stop viewing themselves as "small" and instead, start taking up the challenge of presenting papers at national or international conferences. Yes, it is never easy, it is never stress-free but one can savour the satisfaction of a job well done at the end of the day. I am proud to say that my previous paper presented at the 6th MICELT held at Melaka is among the 160 papers selected for compilation and publication. (The paper documented my efforts in running the WISE (Wisdom In Sharing English) programme for my school's Maths and Science teachers.) I thank the Almighty God for the many opportunities that have come my way in the course of my career and I look forward to more to come!