Lately I watch lots of tv shows. Ok correction, I flick through the channels lots and only watch few that I love. It was during one of those flicking-the-channels I came across Oprah's Big Give and now it's one of my favourite show to watch. Fine, I know it's an old show and the one's showing on Hallmark is a rerun, but I didn't know about it until, well couple weeks ago. For those of you who don't know, Big Give is a reality show where 10 people compete to give big. Each week Oprah would provide a certain amount of money or something like that and the contestants would have to use the money given well to help those who really need it. They could even use the money to raise more money, which of course would work to their advantage during judging. The panel of judges would then judge them based on how big their help was and look through other criterias. The contestants went into this competition with the purest intention to find needy people and help them without getting anything in return. What they didn't know was that Oprah was gonna give 1 million USD to the winner (500 grand for the winner and the rest to be donated).
So I like the show because it's so good knowing there are people out there who enjoy helping others for the sake of helping and not because they want to be rewarded. What I like best about it is how it showed that tons of schools in the US lack funding for a lot of things and the teachers try their hardest to find money to improve the condition of the school as well as to help the kids, even when they have to fork out their own money. It was like a wake up call for me that there have to be schools like that here in Malaysia. Schools that are in the rural areas or even schools that are too big with tons of students to handle - each school is bound to have difficulties in managing the kids as well as the quality of education that we offer our students.
Obviously there isn't an Oprah in Malaysia who can give out money like that and I cannot talk on behalf of every school because I don't know what problems they have and whether the situation is different or similar or whatnot. But I know what's going on in my school, or at least I know as what I was told - that we have the money to add resources for each department/subject in that school. Every year the government (from what I have been told) provides a certain budget for each subject that can be used to buy resources, books, tools and other things like that can be used to improve the school and its quality of teaching and learning process.
All teachers need to do is write up a proposal on what they plan to buy, of course it has to be educational, the asking price and get the headmaster or principal to approve it. Once things have been bought, remember to keep the receipt so that can be handed over to the financial clerk so it could go into that year's budget. Teachers also need to catalogue and file the things that go under their department to make sure that those things bought are well taken care of and could be tracked even for years to come.
The budget might not be able to buy the school say...even a computer or build a new playground but it could buy books, references, teaching aids, improve school's compound so it's safer and tons more. But like everything else, if our hearts are not in it, then we'd always find excuse why it can't be done - that cost too much, better use that money for something else, yadda yadda yadda. And it is also amazing how the money are considered put to waste when they are suggested to be used to buy books because the kids would not know how to appreciate them. I am new in this teaching business so I might be wrong but I am guessing if the teachers didn't educate and shape them to learn to appreciate things, then who should take the blame?
Big responsibility, right? And that is something abstract that is pretty hard to find a party to blame because in reality I think it's everyone's responsibility and the blame game should not be played at all. But when it comes to handling money that is given for the purpose of making sure these kids get the best education they can, well you can get caught red handed if you decided to trick your way around to use the money to support things of your interest. Think people don't know? Well think again.
What we have and what have been given to us, we should be grateful for it and most importantly, use it well.
So I like the show because it's so good knowing there are people out there who enjoy helping others for the sake of helping and not because they want to be rewarded. What I like best about it is how it showed that tons of schools in the US lack funding for a lot of things and the teachers try their hardest to find money to improve the condition of the school as well as to help the kids, even when they have to fork out their own money. It was like a wake up call for me that there have to be schools like that here in Malaysia. Schools that are in the rural areas or even schools that are too big with tons of students to handle - each school is bound to have difficulties in managing the kids as well as the quality of education that we offer our students.
Obviously there isn't an Oprah in Malaysia who can give out money like that and I cannot talk on behalf of every school because I don't know what problems they have and whether the situation is different or similar or whatnot. But I know what's going on in my school, or at least I know as what I was told - that we have the money to add resources for each department/subject in that school. Every year the government (from what I have been told) provides a certain budget for each subject that can be used to buy resources, books, tools and other things like that can be used to improve the school and its quality of teaching and learning process.
All teachers need to do is write up a proposal on what they plan to buy, of course it has to be educational, the asking price and get the headmaster or principal to approve it. Once things have been bought, remember to keep the receipt so that can be handed over to the financial clerk so it could go into that year's budget. Teachers also need to catalogue and file the things that go under their department to make sure that those things bought are well taken care of and could be tracked even for years to come.
The budget might not be able to buy the school say...even a computer or build a new playground but it could buy books, references, teaching aids, improve school's compound so it's safer and tons more. But like everything else, if our hearts are not in it, then we'd always find excuse why it can't be done - that cost too much, better use that money for something else, yadda yadda yadda. And it is also amazing how the money are considered put to waste when they are suggested to be used to buy books because the kids would not know how to appreciate them. I am new in this teaching business so I might be wrong but I am guessing if the teachers didn't educate and shape them to learn to appreciate things, then who should take the blame?
Big responsibility, right? And that is something abstract that is pretty hard to find a party to blame because in reality I think it's everyone's responsibility and the blame game should not be played at all. But when it comes to handling money that is given for the purpose of making sure these kids get the best education they can, well you can get caught red handed if you decided to trick your way around to use the money to support things of your interest. Think people don't know? Well think again.
What we have and what have been given to us, we should be grateful for it and most importantly, use it well.
0 hug(s) for the bunny:
Post a Comment