Selamat Berlibur

Today Richie (11 years old) went to the school office and looked for Mr. Mintre, one of our school staff. Ms. Lyvia met this little chubby guy and told him that Mr. Mintre was still in the manager's office.

Ms. Lyvia: Kembali aja lima menit lagi. Pak Mintre pasti sudah ada.
Richie: Tapi ngga bisa, Papa saya sudah jemput dua menit lagi.

But Richie won't leave.

Ms. Lyvia: Ada perlu apa sama Pak Mintre? Ada pesan?
Richie: Iya, Richie titip pesan saja ya.
Ms. Lyvia: Apa pesannya?
Richie: Tolong sampaikan Pak Mintre, "Selamat Berlibur."


Today is the last day of school for elementary students. How sweet. =)

Richie. Wajah disamarkan.

The Small Teacher

Every couple of days and so, the teachers and the management staff in our school have the opportunity to greet students in the morning. So basically we stand in the front door, greeting "Good morning!" to every student.

And this morning was my turn. The air was fresh and lovely, and I was happy to see all the students--happy face, sleepy face--. Most of them were sleepy faces, actually.

I got everything under control, smiling all authoritatively, until this small, 1st grade student came to me. As he shook my hand, we had this conversation.

Small, 1st grade student: "Missnya kok kecil sih?"
Me: "Umm..."
Small, 1st grade student: (Looking up, waiting for an answer)
Me: (Trying to find something smart to say) "Umm... Soalnya... "
Small, 1st grade student: "Good morning."
Me: "Umm..."

So this small teacher was flabbergasted. I mean, how would you answer such question? Should I scream, "I'M NOT SMALL! Lots of your other teachers are smaller than me! I'm almost 160 cm, you know! Well, almost."

Yeah, like that would work.

Or maybe I should carry this picture around to show what "small teachers" look like.

Now, THIS is a small teacher.

How Long Does a Child Stay Absurd?

Children are born absurd. I'm sure of that. Absurd is beautiful, I tell you. But there'll come a time when children stop being absurd. I don't know how and why. It just happens. That sad time comes usually when children already hit 9 years old.

But some children are lucky. They maintain their absurdness until later years. And here is one of them. Meet Richie (10 years old) and his school librarian, Anas (@anastasiastrii at twitter. Go follow her).

Richie: Ms. Anas, tadi di laci meja saya ada kecoak. Saya kaget, syok.
Anas: Hmmm.. Terus? Kamu takut?
Richie: Sedikit. Terus guru bilang, "Kan bisa dibunuh aja toh, selesai."
Anas: Terus kamu bunuh gitu? *serius*
Richie: Ngga.. Kecoak itu tidak berdosa. Dia tidak salah apa-apa. Saya ambil aja dengan tissue.
Anas: Ohh... Terus kamu ambil kecoak pake tissue itu berarti dia masih hidup?
Richie: Ya enggak, saya pukul sampai diam, baru saya pake tissue buangnya.
Anas: ....

Anas and Richie

Dear Richie, Anas and I hope you stay absurd!

Permisi... Numpang lewat...

Berdasarkan permintaan publik, saya tampilkan gambar kecoak yang lebih representatif.

The Unexplicable Obsession with Dentists

In my previous post, I talked about my 2nd grade student who mentioned the have-to-look-at-people's-mouth-everyday noble profession of dentist as a means of transportation.

No, dear, dentist is not a common means of transportation.

Okay, they are only about seven or eight years old so I thought it was okay. Or so I thought.

Last week I taught my 5th grade classroom. In the middle of the creative writing lesson, the students were asked to close their eyes imagining they were exploring a nearby forest.

Me: What do you see?

Student: Lion! Tiger!

Student: Green trees, and snakes!

Student: My friend wearing a tutu skirt (Here, the teacher decided to ignore this student)

Student: The sun shining.

Student: Dentist!

So, I guess there is an unexplicable obsession of students with dentists. XD

Maybe that student saw this when he closed his eyes.

Or maybe this.

Pictures are from here: http://coolanimalspics.blogspot.com/2011/02/dentist-of-animals-look-funny-and-weird.html

LOL. Teaching is fun.

School Tank!

Yesterday I was asked to replace a teacher to teach English for Second Grade. For only 35 minutes. But I was scared. I am used to teaching privately. But the thought of 25 little children altogether felt like a horrible Kaiju that I had to defeat.

However, my Kaiju imagination proved to be wrong. They were little attentive angels that paid attention to what I have to tell them.

The theme of yesterday's lesson was transportation. And this conversation happened:

Me: So transportation is what we use to move from one place to another place. Can you mention some things that we use to move from one place to another?

Students: Car!

Students: Aeroplane!

Students: Train!

Students: Bus!

Students: Tank! 

Students: School bus!

Students: School tank! 

Students: Dentist!

They are such competitive angels, eh? XD

More stories from classrooms next time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Update: I Cannot Find Feby

After a year not seeing Little Feby, I drove by her neighborhood just to check if she's still around. And how sad I was to see that her house was on sale. Now I have no idea where she is. And I've lost her mom's number.

I am heartbroken. I miss her.

I'm praying for you wherever you are, Little Feby. This blog I will keep to cherish you :* Therefore it still bears your name.

Auntie Does Not Go Far Away

Tuako, the auntie, had gone to another island that morning, and Elisia (6 years old), the favorite niece, proudly mentioned her knowledge of that.

Elisia: Tuako cuman berangkat sebentar. Dia ambil jam tangan. Nanti jam 11 pulang. XD

Little Elisia, heartbreakingly cute, isn't she? My favorite cousin!

Elisia dear, how can we make you understand that going to another island is not ambil jam tangan. And she will not be at home by 11 o'clock. Oh well, maybe we'll just wait you grow up a little bit more to understand the perplexing concept of time and distance.

Note:
I am so sad I haven't updated this blog in almost two years! That's because I quit teaching piano for a while and went to live in another country. But now that I'm back in my hometown and teaching again now, I'll post more cutesy children stories!

Super Duper

Meet Little Darrell (7 years old) the I-cannot-sit-still-on-my-piano-chair-and-I-have-to-play-every-song-as-fast-as-possible boy!

So Little Darrell has a cute Mini Pomeranian dog that tries to snack on my feet every time I am at his house.

This cute dog also munches my curly hair when I put her on my lap.

Here is what Little Darrel thinks about his dog:

Darrell: I am very proud of my dog. She is super duper cute, isn't she? And she is also super duper stupid! I love her.

Now we have the proof that instinctively love is super duper blind.

Nazaruddin, Beware! You Won't Get Away Easy!

With so much pride, Little Feby (8 years old) showed me this letter that she has typed (click it to get a bigger picture):



In case you cannot read it, it goes like this:

dimohon kepada nazzarudin untuk pulang dari singapura untuk dipe
diperiksa karena terkait kasus suap . ini panggilan paksa o
oleh kpk. kalau nazzarudin tidak mau pulang dari singapu
ra maka densus88 akan mencare istri nazzarudin . kalau
istri nazzarudin tidak ada mka rumah nazzarudin akan
diberi garis polisi/densus88.

I have no further comment :D

The Spatial Intelligence of A Child

Did you know about Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences?

So according to him, there are supposed to be eight or nine multiple intelligences. Everyone usually possesses one, two, or three intelligences. So it's not about "Are you smart?" but "How are you smart?"

I, for instance, happen to have (I hope) sort-of-musical intelligence and verbal intelligence.

The other intelligences? Your intelligence? For goodness' sake, go consult Mbah Google if you want to know more.

Anyway, Little Feby's (8 years old) dream is to be an interior designer. You can read it in this post. But oh, how I pray that as she grows older she will have more spatial intelligence.

Feby: Ce Fanni, nanti aku bangunin rumah hotel untuk Ce Fanni ya.
Me: Apa itu rumah hotel, Feb?
Feby: Rumah hotel itu, jadi tanahnya 250 x 5, ada 3 hotel, di antaranya ada rumah, ngga tau di tengah atau di sampingnya, nah itu rumah hotel.

X_X Dear Little Feby, what thin hotels you build!


***Bonus***

Feby: Nanti di rumah yang aku bangun untuk Ce Fanni, ada home theater. Jangan kuatir, semua film impor sebelum diblokir sudah aku beli!

***Bonus***

The Logic of A Child

How can I describe Little Jocelyne (6 years old) to you?

She may look timid and innocent at the first place, but she can kick her dogs and laugh after that. Pretty scary, huh?

She can also tell you the things you would never think of (and they're hilarious). Once, when I drove her home from her piano lesson at my house (yeah, I am sometimes a driver, too, for my students haha), this conversation happens:

Jocelyne: Ma'am Fanni, aku bisa lagunya "Lupa-lupa Ingat"nya Kuburan loh.
Me: Oya? Coba nyanyikan.
Jocelyne: fa re mi do, mi mi sol, sol la, fa mi re mi, re do re, mi fa re, sol la, si re fa mi

(What happened here was that she was singing with all confidence in the world, but she got the notes all wrong. I mean, her tune was right, but the names of the notes were...nonsense. LOL.)

Me: Wah, siapa yang ajarin?
Jocelyne: Aku sendiri lah.

Don't you love how children are always so brave to speak out their mind?

Her hands look so tiny on the ivory and ebony keys.

Another hilarious logic from Little Jocelyne:

Jocelyne: Temenku Bobby itu larinya paling cepet di kelas, aku kalah. Soalnya nomer sepatunya 37.

More wise logic from Little Jocelyne next time. ;)

Little Feby the Drama Queen

Maybe I should tell Feby (8 years old) to consider a future job as an actress. She was such a drama queen this afternoon that I almost fell from my chair laughing.
Note: We were talking about Moli, her dog, a huge black dog.

Feby: Aku ga suka Moli. Dia penyebab healthyless.
Me: Apa itu healthyless?
Feby: Artinya kesehatan menjadi kurang, bahkan tidak ada.

Feby: Papaku sih, aku disuruh merelakan tabunganku untuk beli Moli. Aku jadi ga bisa jajan. Tiap hari aku di sekolah pingsan dan mimisan karena kelaparan. (with such a dramatic mimic on her face, haha)

Too much Indonesian sinetron, eh? LOL.

Yeah, this afternoon she insisted to wear those sunglasses while playing the piano.
They didn't help her playing much.

It's Not Polite to Ask a Lady's Age

So I met this random cute girl (age unknown) at an engagement party --where I was actually not invited, but that's a whole different story--. She ran here and there looking very adorable and loveable, so I cannot help starting a conversation with her.

Me: Namanya siapa?
The cute girl: Ita.
Me: Ita umur berapa?
The cute girl: Umur baby.

Yeah, I forgot that it's not polite to ask a girl's age, and the cute girl sure knew how to answer that diplomatically, not hurting anyone but still managed to look super cute.

TanahKosong dot com

After her piano lesson, Feby (8 years old) always demands her piano teacher (read: me) to play with her. But I don't mind, because playing with Feby is never ordinary. Here is one of our "games."

So on that particular day, Feby decided to play directors. Both Feby and I were directors of a newly-established company and we were discussing about what our company should do. And here was her suggestion:

Feby (with a very serious, director-like tone): "Kita akan merebut tanah untuk industri plastik, kresek, dan teh botol berbagai macam rasa. Jangan sampai gagal. Jika gagal, kita akan merebut tanah lain, tapi di luar negeri! Makanya kita harus belajar bahasa Jerman. Saya sudah mengecek tanahkosong.com dan di Jerman ada 200 tanah kosong. Kalo masih gagal lagi, kita akan merebut tanah di Australia, Swiss, dan Arab Saudi."

Those words are exactly what came out of her. I do not add anything, honestly! Quite a little girl, don't you think? I'm looking forward to seeing what she's going to be when she grow up.

By the way, this is Feby:

She insisted that it was her hat instead of an umbrella.

Meet Little Kaka the Circus Kid

Little Kaka is three years old and she is as active as a child could be. Really. You could get exhausted just by watching her running here and there. What I like about her is how her mom and dad raise her. Liliana and Robert are a fun couple who teach a lot of things to this young child, and oh boy, things can get pretty funny.

She looks so innocent here. But not quite! ^^

Her mom told me about this a couple of days ago, and I cannot not sharing this to you all:

Kaka: Kita harus pake sabuk pengaman trus pake kaca trus dualapan ke awan.

Go ahead, laugh. More stories of her next time. ;)

Little Feby Plays Interior Designer

If there is one thing Little Feby (8 year old) ever wants to be, it is to be an interior designer. I haven't managed to find out why she is so obsessed with interior, though. Anyway, here are her explanation of some house interior terms:

Master dining room itu tempat untuk DJ main musik.
Maid's bedroom itu tempat untuk anak-anak di bawah umur.
Apartment itu 2 lantai, Ce Fanni, jadi tidak bisa kecil dong!
Corridor itu tempat untuk seminar, bisa muat 5000 orang.
Powder room itu tempat bikin bahan spa.

I hope in the future, when her dream of being an interior designer comes true, she already forgets the above explanation. If not, I cannot imagine how her clients' jaw will drop to see their corridors fit five thousand people. LOL.

Little Jocelyne's Activity When It's Holiday

Little Jocelyne is 6 years old, and she is still learning to know the world. She says the most unthinkable things and she is quite naughty when her mommy is not around.

When she arrived at my home this morning to have her piano lesson, the first thing she said was this:

Little Jocelyne: Ma'am Fanni, aku libur dua minggu loh.
Me: Oya? Kalau libur ngapain aja?
Little Jocelyne: Di rumah aja.
Me: Kalo di rumah ngapain?
Little Jocelyne: Tengkaran ama adek. (nyengir sangat lebar)

I love it when even fighting with a sibling makes a student happy!

How Little Feby and Other Shorter Stories Begins

Hi everyone! I teach piano and I have the privilege to meet amazing students every day. My students, especially the young children, never stop to amaze me. Therefore I keep this blog to freeze and not forget my memories about them.

So it all began with this new piano student. Her name is Feby and she is now eight years old (this is year 2011). She cracks me up with her comments, questions, and stories.

There are other students and little children, of course, besides Feby that will be told about in this blog. However, all of them will be in the language the children use (meaning that it sometimes can be Indonesian, English, or Javanese).

So here goes the first extremely short story, just to give you a glimpse of Feby:

Little Feby: Ce Fanni, nanti kalau besar aku mau jadi les piano dan designer interior. Jadi sambil liat design-ku, orang-orang bisa les piano.

Her choice of word is amazing LOL. How can an 8-year-old even say "designer interior?" Cute, isn't she?

See you,
Fanni Leets