THe pReTTY puRpLe peaRL pRiNceSs

This is Tasneem Kaloma.A small,sassy,handful that pushes me to the end of my tether and apologizes when the breaking point's close enough.She's a great actress whose voice is naturally amplified.She's the leader of the group STC in the Just 4's class,representing the "T" together with her girls Chloe and Salma.This group's tougher than it sounds.You may need a daily dose of aspirin when teaching these girls or you find yourself raising the white flag.But behind this cute little face lies a strong,smart and independent woman.

KaRL XY

The new school head teacher from the UK's one weird,funny and carefree dude.He's a workaholic who asks for a break every now and then.How unusual is that?Well,Mr Karl's actually a great guy.Its hard for us to see his red eye,let alone the kids.Somehow,i think he proves the age old British uptight and racist stereotype wrong,and that's what drew me closer to him.He's an explorer,a swimmer and an actor.He's only been to church five times in his life.He's also an artist,and loves rock music too!I've got a funny feeling that this guy was sent to me.Though we drag when i ask him for his i-pod cos its easier to have access to his room or wallet.The kids like him for his attitude and kindness cos they always get whatever they want,and get away with what they want.He's a great work of art,am really glad to know someone like him in this lifetime.

ANTaRTica

Yes,the class theme for this term is the polar region.Snowflakes and icicles hang from the ceiling,with snowballs and penguins all around the walls.With the air conditioning on,the class is aptly described.The kids enjoyed an experience at the freezer in the kitchen to get a demo of what the region is like.They touched the walls,felt ice cubes and toyed with rubber animals like penguins,polar bears,walruses,seals,snow owls,etc to facilitate learning.They held my hands tight to make me feel the frostbite.I shrieked as they laughed their asses off.I recommended two movies "Ice age" and "Happy feet" for us to watch this Friday.Apparently,its gonna be fun.

We aRe tHe movie

Every Friday at 5pm,the kids and i enjoy a riveting screen session at the TV room.I set the scene by shutting the blinds,turning the lights down low and getting every child quietly seated,waiting for me to press play.The film may be a disney or warner bros movie or a cartoon from the cassette rack.The tape usually runs for hours until the last child uses the exit.Its fun as am always surrounded by my friends A-5 (Adeel,Almustapha,Aarif,Adam,Akram)while watching.Its a brand new episode every week.This is surely a relaxing evening technique everybody should manage to adopt.

LiaR,LiaR paNTs oN fiRe

While arranging something at the reading corner,i perceived a strange smell behind me.Some of the kids were napping while others were just lying down and staring.I noticed Bee sitting on his mat feeling uncomfortable.Then Miss Carol stood up to help him change.That's when we found a pool of pee under his mat.He was nervous and didnt say a thing.He stood still staring into my eyes.I asked him why he did it and he replied "the A.C poured water on me,i didnt pee!"Quickly,i asked Carol to take him to the bathroom,have him cleaned up and changed.Its really funny how some kids apply creative ideas as excuses.This kid's one hell of a guy.Obviously,something was wrong at home:his mum had travelled and he was all out of his element.

HOoK,LiNe aNd siNKeR

Morning time's always fun for the kids in my class.There are a myriad of things to do in the numerous corners.Today,Fin,Yahya and Suleiman happened to find the pack of fishing toys kept at the bottom of the construction corner.They quietly pulled it out and put the pieces together to form a pond.Each person picked a rod,fastened his hook and was ready to fish with bated breath.I joined them in the game and had a good morning blast.

AaRiF's pLaY douGh caKe

I walked into the Just 4's classroom when the kids were having free flow.I went there to inquire from Miss Fatee about the afterschoolers' syllabus.Suddenly Aarif interrupted me holding up a cake he'd made with play dough poking holes to represent candles using cutters.Funny enough,he almost guessed my age right judging by the number of candles he'd put there. "Mr Ahmed" he said "here's a cake from me to you" i thanked him and saved the snapshot above.