Amidst all this, I found light-hearted joy in working with Perky Piung. Creating captions, visuals, and little sparks of creativity reminded me that teaching thrives on both the serious and the playful.

✨ This September reaffirmed for me that teaching is a bridge — a way of paying tribute to the past, while preparing the next generation for the future.

The other day, while scrolling online, I stumbled upon a video about Malaysia’s journey and how other nations tried—but failed—to replicate it. Listening to it during this Merdeka month made me pause. I felt a deep sense of pride. Truly, Malaysia has achieved so much for a country of our size: peace, stability, diversity, and progress.

Of course, I can’t verify all the sources cited in the video. But even so, there was truth in what I heard. It reminded me of how blessed we are to live here, in a nation that—despite its imperfections—has given us so much to be grateful for. And yet, it also made me feel a little afraid. History teaches us that nice things don’t last forever. Stability and prosperity are fragile, and they need to be nurtured carefully.

As a teacher, this thought weighs heavily on me. What can I do to ensure my learners grow into a generation worthy of tomorrow’s peace, stability, and prosperity? I don’t have the power to guarantee Malaysia’s future. But I do have the responsibility to shape the minds in front of me today.

With my expertise, I can help them see that what they are doing now—learning, studying, working hard—is an investment for the future. Their effort today is not wasted; it will bear fruit later in ways they may not yet see. At the same time, I want to teach them the values that matter: respect, kindness, perseverance, and gratitude. These values are what will guide them not just as students, but as future Malaysians.

To be part of a prosperous Malaysia means more than enjoying what exists now—it means contributing to its growth, protecting its harmony, and building its future. That is the lesson I hope to pass on.

So, as we celebrate Merdeka this year, I am grateful for the path that has been paved by those before us. And I am hopeful for the learners of today, who will one day carry the torch of tomorrow. May they grow to be strong, wise, and worthy of this beloved Malaysia. 🇲🇾💙

This year, Malaysia celebrates her 68th Merdeka, and I can’t help but feel excited and grateful. Looking back, our country has come such a long way. What I treasure most is the stability and prosperity we enjoy today. None of this would have been possible without the struggles, sacrifices, and courage of those who came before us—the heroes who carved the path towards independence. May they all rest in peace. 🙏

As I think about Merdeka, I also find myself reflecting on my own journey. Reaching where I am today was not without struggles. I’ve had regrets and mishaps along the way, but I’ve come to see that they are part of what shaped me. The person I am today—the one people see—is the sum of all those experiences, both good and bad. In a way, that too is my Merdeka: the freedom to grow from my past, to stand as who I am today.

Time comes and goes, and nothing stays the same forever. But as long as I live, I want to cherish this life and the experiences that have been given to me. I also feel the need to say sorry—to those who may have been hurt or saddened by my actions. I sincerely hope for their forgiveness.

Now at 46, I believe my journey of learning is far from over. There is still so much to understand, so many mistakes to correct—not to erase the past, but to grow into someone better. One thing I know I must work on is learning to prioritise. I often take on too much at once and feel overwhelmed. Bit by bit, I’m trying to set things in order so I can truly succeed in what I set out to achieve.

Isn’t that what our country is also doing? Bit by bit, Malaysia is striving to improve—to be better, to right past wrongs, to celebrate those who have contributed, and to support those who are still growing.

So today, I just want to say: thank you, Malaysia. Thank you, Malaysians. Let us be grateful, let us continue striving, and let us remember that life, with all its ups and downs, is truly wonderful. 🌺✨

Merdeka! 🇲🇾

Here, I am sharing Perky Piung's Merdeka Portrait. Hehe, hope to have mine soon...

It’s been a month since I last wrote here, and wow… so much has been going on! 🌪️ Life lately feels like a patchwork quilt—teaching, creating, learning, and just living day by day. Sometimes it feels chaotic, sometimes magical, and sometimes just plain funny. So here’s me gathering all the little seashells 🐚 from the past few weeks and laying them out here.

Teaching Life 🍎✏️

This past month, I’ve been busy refining my Story Island module 🏝️🐢. It’s getting more polished, but I haven’t had the chance to let my students try it yet. Between daily teaching routines and school activities, it’s still waiting for its big debut.

Most of my time has been packed with Kahoots 🎮, spelling bees 🐝, and of course, the daily flow of listening 🎧, speaking 🗣️, reading 📖, writing ✍️, and language arts 🎭. Those are the real heartbeat of the classroom, and they keep me on my toes!

I’ve also started intervention sessions based on classroom-based assessments. I grouped my learners into “red” 🔴 and “yellow” 🟡 depending on their abilities. To support them better, I changed their seating arrangements, and guess what? It’s working! 🙌 Students are more engaged, they submit tasks on time, and classroom discipline is so much more manageable. Tiny changes, big results! ✨

Creative Projects 🎨💡

Outside of teaching, I’ve been bubbling with creativity.

One project I’m excited about is Piung Word Pop (PWP) 🐢💬—a fun little vocabulary video series where Piung introduces words in short, playful clips. So far, we’ve covered words like whiteboard, desk, chair, fan, light, and door. Simple words, but Piung makes them come alive 🌟.

On the blogging side, I’ve been shaping my teacher identity as Teacher Asniem 🌺. Alongside Perky Piung, I’m also building Story Island Diaries with the subtitle Adventures in Teaching, Words & Wonder. My color palette—seafoam green, coral pink, and sand beige 🩵🌸🤎—makes it feel warm and beachy, just the way I like it. I imagine it as a cozy space to reflect, share, and celebrate little wins.

I’ve also been learning more about social media 🌐—experimenting with captions, hashtags, and even apps like Buffer and Metricool for posting across platforms. It’s another juggle, but honestly, I enjoy seeing ideas take shape in different corners of the internet.

Daily Moments 🌞🎶

Now for the small but special moments.

One highlight: I coached my Year 2 class for a singing competition 🎤🎵. They sang their hearts out and—drumroll please—took 2nd place! 🥈💖 I was so proud of them. Seeing their smiles on stage made all the hours of practice totally worth it.

Day-to-day teaching and learning can be a beautiful mess 🤹🏻‍♀️. I often want to do so much in so little time ⏳, and it leaves me feeling a bit overwhelmed sometimes. But I keep reminding myself: baby steps 👣, set priorities, and breathe. 🌿

And here’s something super exciting—I’ve been accepted into the Apple Learning Coach programme 🍎🎓 this year! I’m nervous 😅 but also thrilled 🤩 to start this new journey. On top of that, I’m juggling the Apple Teacher Portfolio 🖥️📂, which is challenging but so fulfilling. It feels like I’m slowly levelling up as a teacher, one badge at a time. 🏆

Even with the chaos, the competitions, and the extra commitments, these little wins remind me that growth is happening—even if it’s messy, even if it’s slow. 🌈

Looking Ahead 🚀🌟

When I look back on this month, I see a colourful mix of threads: teaching 🎒, creating 🎨, and just figuring out life step by step 🪴. My classroom projects, like Story Island and Piung Word Pop, keep me dreaming up fun new ways to teach. My blogging and social media experiments spark creativity. And those everyday moments—whether it’s kids singing their lungs out 🎶 or me nervously prepping for Apple Coach 🍏—add so much texture to my story.

Life hasn’t slowed down, but maybe that’s a good thing. It means I’m living fully as a teacher, creator, and learner. 💕 Writing this down makes me realise: even when the days blur together, every little thread matters.

Here’s to another month of weaving, wondering, and walking forward step by step 🌺🐢✨.

Not all lessons land the first time—and that’s something I’m learning to accept with more patience.

Last week  session with this class was tough. We focused on listening and vocabulary related to the days of the week and months of the year, using a listening activity as the main anchor. The plan was simple: listen, match words to pictures, and build towards sentence construction using key phrases.

In reality, the class struggled to cope.

Even with support, the learners had difficulty keeping up with the fill-in-the-blanks tasks. I found myself pausing frequently to help individuals catch up or re-explain the activity entirely. Despite breaking down the instructions and reducing the language load, many learners were still lost midway through. By the afternoon session—when we revisited the same vocabulary through another listening-based fill-in-the-blanks exercise—it became clear: they weren’t ready to move on yet.

In hindsight, the lesson needs to be repeated next week. But this time, with a stronger emphasis on sentence patterns and structured vocabulary reinforcement.

What Didn’t Work

One major hurdle was the textbook itself. The presentation was too crowded, too wordy, and didn’t guide the learners’ attention to key ideas. The layout overwhelmed rather than supported. I’ve now realised that for this class, I need to adapt the materials much more carefully—simplified visuals, clearer focus, and just one language skill at a time.

Moving Forward

This weekend, I’ll be planning a full one-cycle lesson built around the four core skills:

• Listening
• Speaking
• Reading
• Writing

Plus a little Language Arts for creativity and fun.

The centre of it all? Vocabulary and sentence patterns. If learners can grasp these clearly, the rest will follow more naturally.

The goal isn’t speed—it’s clarity. If it takes two or even three rounds to get there, then so be it.

Some classes push me to teach differently—and this is one of them. They’re not less capable, just differently paced. And it’s my job to meet them where they are.

Let’s see how the next cycle goes. Am praying hard.