🌟 Our Classroom Rules for This Year! (With Perky Piung!)
Tuesday, January 20, 2026Hello everyone! 👋
Welcome to a new school year! I am so happy to be your teacher this year. 🥰
This year, we will learn English, have fun, and become better students together.
To help our class stay happy, safe, and organised, we will follow our classroom rules.
Don’t worry — the rules are simple! 💚
🐢 Perky Piung’s Classroom Rules
✅ Rule 1: Clear your desk when the teacher enters.
When I come in, please clear your desk.
Only keep the things you need for learning.
✅ Rule 2: Write day & date on the board.
Every day, we will write the day and date on the board.
This helps us stay ready and focused.
✅ Rule 3: Be seated and ready before class starts.
Please sit nicely and get ready before the lesson begins.
A good start makes a great lesson!
✅ Rule 4: Raise your hand to speak.
If you want to answer or ask a question, raise your hand. 🙋♀️
I will give you a turn.
✅ Rule 5: One voice at a time.
We listen when someone is talking.
Teacher’s voice or student’s voice — not both together.
✅ Rule 6: Follow instructions the first time.
When I give an instruction, please follow it the first time.
This helps us save time and learn more.
✅ Rule 7: Try first, then ask.
If you don’t know the answer, try your best first.
Then you can ask me for help. 💪✨
✅ Rule 8: “1-2-3 Eyes on me!” → “1-2-3 Eyes on you!”
When I say “1-2-3 Eyes on me!”
You say “1-2-3 Eyes on you!” and look at me. 👀
This helps us focus quickly.
🌈 Why do we have rules?
Rules help our classroom to be:
✨ peaceful
✨ fun
✨ safe
✨ easy to learn
When we follow the rules, we can learn faster and enjoy the lesson more.
💚 Let’s do our best together!
I believe you can do it!
Let’s make this year a great year with good behaviour, good learning, and good teamwork.
See you in class!
Teacher Asniem & Perky Piung 🐢💚
Hello, my dear learners! 💛
Welcome back to school and to a brand new year of learning together!
The first day of school can feel exciting, nervous, or a little scary — and that’s okay 😊 School is a place to learn, make friends, try new things, and grow every day 🌱
To help you start the year happily, I’ve prepared a special e-book just for you 📖✨
It’s about the first day at school, starring Perky Piung 🐢 and Friends! Follow Perky Piung as he meets new friends, feels a little nervous, and learns that school can be fun and friendly.
👆👆Click here to read or listen to it. 👆👆
Remember, you don’t have to be perfect — just do your best 💪
I’m so excited to learn and grow with you this year!
Welcome back to school,
💚 Teacher Asniem 🐢✨
Reflections from Perky Piung’s Wonderful Words Island
Every teacher knows this phase.
The exams are over.
The bags are lighter.
The routines are looser.
And suddenly, attention, motivation, and even attendance begin to dip.
The post-year-end examination period is often treated as “filler time,” but I’ve always felt that how we end the year matters just as much as how we begin it. So in 2025, with my Year 2 Zamrud learners, I decided to try something different.
Instead of worksheets or disconnected activities, I designed a small project-based learning experience called Perky Piung’s Wonderful Words Island: Sharing Stories and the Things We Love.
Why This Project?
The intention was simple.
I wanted my learners to:
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stay engaged after exams
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continue learning without pressure
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feel happy and safe using English
And since Perky Piung had already become a familiar and well-loved learning mascot in our classroom, it felt natural to bring her along on this journey.
If learning had to continue, it had to feel friendly, meaningful, and manageable.
What Did the Project Look Like?
Learners worked in groups of three, but here’s the important part:
👉 each learner completed the task individually.
Every group produced three sets of work — one from each learner.
However, groups could only submit their work once everyone had finished.
This small condition made a big difference.
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Learners supported one another
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No one could “opt out”
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Everyone stayed accountable
The tasks themselves were intentionally simple and familiar:
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copying words and short sentences
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talking about things they love
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creating visual and written project outputs
The focus was never on perfection — it was on participation, effort, and confidence.
What Did the Learners Tell Me?
After the project, I collected feedback through a simple learner survey.
The results were encouraging:
All learners said they enjoyed learning English with Perky Piung
Most learners reported feeling happy and engaged during the project
Nearly all enjoyed talking about themselves, their families, and familiar topics in English
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All learners reported enjoying learning English with Perky Piung. This suggests that the use of a familiar learning mascot helped maintain positive emotions and engagement during the post-examination period. |
For young learners, these responses matter.
Before accuracy comes confidence.
Before confidence comes emotional safety.
And this project created that space.
What Did the Assessment Show?
From a skills perspective, most learners demonstrated:
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basic to developing writing ability, which was expected for Year 2
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high levels of participation, even among quieter learners
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strong creativity, especially in visual elements
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The majority of learners achieved the highest participation score, suggesting that the project design successfully encouraged active involvement. The combination of individual accountability and group responsibility helped prevent passive participation. |
Writing confidence remained an area for growth — and that’s okay.
This was never meant to be a high-stakes academic intervention.
It was a bridge — keeping learners connected to English at a time when disengagement is common.
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While some learners felt confident writing simple sentences, a significant number still required support. This highlights the importance of continued scaffolding and reinforces that the project prioritised engagement and confidence over writing accuracy. |
What I Learned as a Teacher
This project reminded me that:
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engagement is a learning outcome
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joy is not a distraction from learning — it enables it
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young learners need emotional safety before academic risk-taking
Using a familiar mascot and familiar topics wasn’t a shortcut — it was a pedagogical choice.
And perhaps most importantly, I was reminded that post-exam periods don’t have to feel empty or rushed. With the right design, they can be meaningful, gentle, and deeply human.
Moving Forward
If I were to refine this project in the future, I would:
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include short oral recordings for richer evidence
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add more scaffolded writing support
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compare before-and-after samples more intentionally
But as it stands, Perky Piung’s Wonderful Words Island achieved what it set out to do:
👉 keep learning alive, joyful, and purposeful — even after exams.
And sometimes, that’s exactly what our learners need most 💚
Post-exam season is a strange time in school.
The syllabus is done. The pressure is gone. Attendance drops. Motivation becomes… fragile. But somewhere in that quiet space, I wondered:
What if we used just one minute a day to read?
That was how Perky Piung 1-Minute Reading began.
Why One Minute?
I wanted something:
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easy to do
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not stressful
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not time-consuming
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and still meaningful
Students could choose any short text they liked (from the 7 that I posted on the class board) — easy or difficult — as long as they could read it within one minute. No heavy worksheets. No grades hanging over their heads. Just reading.
What Actually Happened
Over three weeks, I managed to conduct 54 one-on-one reading sessions with 25 out of 32 students — even during monsoon season, post-exam fatigue, and packed school schedules.
Some students came willingly.
Some needed a lot of encouragement.
Some forgot their books (many times 😅).
So I adapted. I used my iPad. I printed texts. I cajoled. I nudged. I persisted.
And slowly, minute by minute, reading happened.
The Surprise Insight
When I finally sat down with the data, one thing stood out clearly:
➡️ My students can read — but they don’t read with feeling.
Fluency was their strongest area. Pronunciation needed work.
But Expression?
Almost everyone read in a flat, monotone voice.
They could say the words, but they weren’t bringing the story to life.
That realisation alone made this project worth it.
Small Wins That Mattered
Only two students submitted the final reading video — and yes, that initially broke my heart a little.
But those two videos were beautiful. Confident. Expressive. Complete.
They reminded me that the method works — when conditions are right.
Even more meaningful to me was seeing students with special educational needs successfully participate with support. One minute was short enough to feel safe. Manageable. Possible.
No.
Was it frustrating at times?
Very.
Was it worth doing?
Absolutely.
Because 54 reading moments happened that otherwise wouldn’t have.
What I’d Do Differently Next Time
Next round, I’ll:
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record videos in class, not at home
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teach students how to read with emotion (happy, sad, excited, scared!)
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prepare a physical classroom reading kit so materials are always ready
One minute may seem small.
But repeated often enough, it can quietly change how children see reading.
And sometimes, that’s enough 💛🐢
This year didn’t come with a neat lesson plan. It came with questions, courage, late nights, small wins, quiet doubts—and so much growth. As I look back, I realise this wasn’t just a year of doing more as a teacher. It was a year of becoming.
I started the year with one simple hope: to be a better teacher for my learners. Not louder. Not trendier. Just more present, more thoughtful, and more brave in trying new things—even when I wasn’t fully confident yet. 💛
Learning to Learn Again 🎓💡
One of the biggest shifts this year was stepping back into the role of a learner. I explored professional learning more intentionally, asked more questions, and allowed myself to not know—which, honestly, isn’t always easy as a teacher.
Becoming an Apple Learning Coach was a milestone that reminded me that learning is deeply personal. It’s not about tools first; it’s about people, purpose, and practice. Soon after, earning my Gemini Certified Educator badge (with a score I’m still quietly proud of 😌) deepened my understanding of AI—not as a shortcut, but as a thoughtful partner in teaching. I learned about bias, hallucinations, ethics, and most importantly, the human-in-the-loop principle.
AI didn’t replace my teaching. It refined my thinking.
Teaching With Heart (and a Little Chaos) 🧠💬
My classroom this year was noisy, imperfect, and very real. I taught learners who were energetic, distracted, fasting, curious, tired, excited—all at once. Classroom management challenged me. Some days, I questioned myself. Other days, I laughed it off and tried again.
What helped was designing learning that felt alive.
That’s how Story Island grew—slowly, playfully, and with a lot of heart. With Piung by our side 🐢, my learners wrote, explored, imagined, and moved through stories step by step. I learned that low-level learners don’t need “less”—they need clearer, kinder, and more engaging pathways.
And sometimes, they just need us to believe they can.
Creativity, Culture, and Connection 🎨🌴
This year, I leaned into what I love—stories, visuals, culture, and small joyful details. From Malaysian-themed writing tasks to playful vocabulary videos like Piung Word Pop, I saw how creativity opens doors, especially for learners who struggle with words.
I also found my voice online—as Teacher Asniem—reflecting, sharing, and documenting the messy beauty of teaching. Writing became my way of processing growth. Of staying honest.
Faith, Gratitude, and Growth 🤍🌱
Through it all, I’m deeply grateful. For mentors, colleagues, learners, opportunities—and for the quiet strength that carried me through moments of doubt.
This year also reminded me that growth doesn’t stop after exams end.
After the final year exam, when energy is usually low and everyone is counting days, I chose to begin something new.
For my Year 5 learners, I initiated a reading challenge—not because it was required, but because I wanted them to rediscover reading as something meaningful, personal, and achievable. Watching them participate, try, and stay engaged reminded me that small initiatives can still create impact.
For my Year 2 learners, I took the leap with a Project-Based Learning (PBL) experience. The marks are still being tabulated, and the reflections will come later—but I already know this: I’m proud that I tried. I’m proud that learning didn’t stop at assessment, and that my learners were given space to talk about themselves, their families, their friends, and the places they love.
Sometimes, the success isn’t in the final numbers—it’s in the courage to start.
A Closing Dua 🤲✨
Ya Allah,
Grant me a heart that is gentle with its own shortcomings.
Help me forgive myself for the lessons I didn’t get right, the moments I felt I fell short, and the days I questioned my own worth as a teacher.
Teach me to take wisdom from every downfall, clarity from every mistake, and strength from every challenge.
When I stumble, guide me to rise with humility.
When I feel tired, renew my intention.
And when I look ahead, fill my heart with hope, courage, and trust in Your plans.
Let me continue to grow—not just as a teacher, but as a person who teaches with sincerity, compassion, and faith.
Ameen. 🤍
Here’s to another year of becoming.
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| Me on the last day of the academic year! |
— Teacher Asniem 💚
🚀✨ Level Up! Embracing AI — I’m Now a Gemini Certified Educator! ✨🚀
Saturday, December 20, 2025Alhamdulillah 🤍 I’m so excited to share that I’ve officially passed the Gemini Certified Educator exam with a score of 95%! 🎉📜 This milestone means so much to me as I continue my journey of blending meaningful teaching with the power of AI.
This wasn’t just about learning what generative AI can do 🤖—but how to use it responsibly, thoughtfully, and ethically in a primary school classroom 🌱👩🏫. From creating differentiated lessons that meet learners where they are ✏️✨, to simplifying teacher workflows with custom Gems 💎, and grounding research using NotebookLM 📚—I’m now better equipped to let AI support (not replace!) good teaching.
This certification is more than a badge 🏅. It’s a promise to keep learning, experimenting, and finding joyful ways to engage my students 💬💡—while freeing up time for what truly matters: connection, care, and mentorship 🤍🐢.
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| Cool! |
Onwards and upwards! 🚀💚
