7979爱陪读 我们的付出，有了果效 Finally, Our Hard Work Paid Off

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She stretched out her hands to both sides and moved up and down like a bird that wanted to fly, as she said, “This is a bird.” Her actions immediately drew the attention of a boy; the new vocabulary he had just learned was no longer so unfamiliar to him.

 This happened at a Companionship Class in a noisy city; the boy mentioned was one of the few students who were left behind in their studies. While the teacher mimicked the action of a bird was Esther Seow, who was a retired teacher. She taught the children with genuine care and creativity as she accompanied them in their growing years.  

It was unintentional how Esther started to get involved with the Companionship Class. This Companionship Class is under the 7979 Holistic Care Station of True Light Baptist Church. Its main Volunteer in Charge is Teacher Lim Bee Hoon, who came into contact with Esther at a charity fundraising event.  When Teacher Bee Hoon was having issues with shortage of teachers, she remembered Teacher Esther, who had experience in teaching younger children and adores them. So she decided to invite Teacher Esther to be a Companionship Class teacher.   

Am I qualified to be a companion ship teacher ?

“Am I up to the job?” Teacher Esther
“Of course you can, why don’t you give it a try?”

When Teacher Esther, who was an at-lost retiree, heard of this invitation, her heart began to feel uneased. She worried that, being an untrained teacher, she would not be able to cope with the job. Teacher Bee Hoon’s reply somehow boosted her confidence. So she decided to give it a try, and now 4 years have passed.

When she recalled those years of being a “lab rat” teacher, it was not relaxed at all. It was like mountain over mountain of obstacles waiting for her to conquer. Whenever she flipped open those children’s exercise books or textbooks, she often felt unfamiliar. The Chinese character is in simplified font, which comes with “Hanyu Pinyin” (Chinese Phonetic Alphabet). English, on the other hand, is her weakest subject. The school’s syllabus has changed, and the subject content has also become more complicated. “What I learned in the past is different from what the children learn nowadays.” All kinds of challenges did not push her away … 

They are like a piece of blank paper 

She did not back off because she loves children. Teacher Esther said: “They are like a piece of blank paper”. What the adults spoke or did to them was like a trace left behind by a pen on a piece of blank paper, which cannot be easily erased. In order to improve her skill in teaching and accompanying the children, she joined the “7979 Companionship Class’s Teachers Camp” twice, which was organised by 7979 Underprivileged Children Companionship Class. In the camp, she learned to use her body, sound or tempo to get children’s attention. “When I teach the child 'Ejaan” (Spelling for BM), I will ask him to clap his hands. He finds that it is fun.” She shared with a smile on her face. Consequently, she mimicked a lot of animals' actions to attract their attention. 

thank you, teacher, for you have taught me well

Father to Lori (pseudonym) and Lora (pseudonym) shared with a bright smile, “After they joined the Companionship Class, they became much more enthusiastic in learning, obedient and more willing to help up with house chores at home.” Their father works as a handyman at their school. He has minor hearing difficulty. Their mother is a housewife. Due to their financial constraint and being lowly educated, they were having serious problems in teaching their children. Their relatives recommended they send their children to the Companionship Class. Teacher Esther ended up being their Companionship Class’s teacher. 

At the initial stage, when Lori is learning Bahasa Malaysia in the Companionship Class, she would always be drowsy, not paying attention. Esther said, “When I see that Lori dislikes BM so much, I know I must think of a way to get her attention.” So, she changed her teaching style; she let Lori familiarise herself with the “Suku Kata” (Bahasa Malaysia Phonetics) first. “Bam! Bam! Bam!” She uses sound, actions and tempo to help Lori memorise new vocabulary. About 1 year later, Lori’s spelling grades improved from Zero to 100 mark! 

The obvious improvements in Lori’s studies and character, does not only make her father happy. Teacher Esther also noticed that the initially shy, timid and quiet Lori, after a few years at the Companionship Class, can now engage in conversations with others. Shy Lori said with a soft voice: “Thank you! Teacher, for you have taught me well.”  

A big smile appeared on Teacher Esther's face when she witnessed the bit-by-bit progress made by Lori, “Finally, our hard work paid off.” This is exactly what she has been hoping for.

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¹ You may read Lori’s story in the article: “Behind a Touching Story - Unwavering Determination of a Group of Teachers” 

“这是小鸟”，她一边说着，一边张开双手，上下摆动，像一只缓缓起飞的鸟儿。她的动作瞬间吸引眼前一名小学生的目光，男孩突然对作业本上陌生的词汇，多了些认识。

这一幕，落于一间坐落在喧哗城市中的陪读班里；而文中提及的男孩，正是班上少数学习程度稍微落后的学生之一。而用双手比着小鸟的老师，正是萧丽芳——她不是出身于教师，却在这里用真诚和创意方式陪伴孩子的成长。

丽芳与陪读班的缘分，始于一段不经意的相识。真光浸信教会7979全人关怀站陪读班的
核心志工——林美云老师于义卖会结识丽芳夫妇。当陪读班正烦恼着老师不足时，美云老师忽地想起了有教幼儿经验，且喜爱孩子的丽芳。于是，她决定邀请丽芳担任陪读班老师。

我能当陪读班老师吗？

“我能担任吗？” 丽芳老师
“可以的，你来试试看嘛。”美云老师

这对于已退休，对前路茫茫的丽芳听到美云老师的邀请，内心掀起一丝不安。她担心自己没有受过师范训练，恐怕难以胜任陪读班的工作。美云老师温柔地回应，为她增添几分信心。丽芳决定尝试担任陪读班老师，没想到这一待就是四年。

回想在陪读班当“小白”新手老师的那段日子，并不轻松。丽芳面前仿佛横着一座座大山，需要一一跨越。翻开孩子学校的作业本和课本，她常常感到陌生：华文科用的是简体字，还搭配“汉语拼音”；而英文，是她最不擅长的科目。学校教育体系早已改变，课程内容也变得更复杂。“我以前学的东西，跟现在孩子学的东西，有很大的差别。”种种的挑战，并没有让丽芳退缩......

他们好像一张白纸

她没有就此却步，因为她对小朋友有一份特别的喜爱。“他们好像一张白纸”，丽芳老师说道。大人对他们说的每一句话、做的每件事，都像一支笔在白纸上留下深刻的痕迹，不容易被抹去。为了提升陪读学生的方式，她参加两次由“7979弱势家庭儿童陪读”举办的“7979师资培训营”。在营会中，她学到要使用肢体动作和声音或节奏感来吸引孩子的注意力和兴趣。“当我教孩子ejaan（听写）的时候，就叫他跟着拍手。他觉得很好玩。”她笑着说。所以她常常模仿动物的动作，以吸引孩子的学习兴趣。

谢谢老师教会我

“来了陪读班之后，她们变得比较会读书、很乖，在家愿意帮忙做家务。”
若琳（化名）和若兰（化名）¹的父亲露出灿烂的微笑说道。两姐妹的父亲患有轻微听力障碍，在一间学校担任校工，母亲则是家庭主妇。由于家中经济条件有限，双方受教育程度也不高，在教育孩子的层面，这对夫妻面对了重重的挑战。亲人介绍他们送孩子到陪读班。丽芳就成了若琳主要的陪读老师。

起初在陪读班学习国语当儿，若琳总不经意露出浓浓的睡意，心不在焉。“看到若琳很不喜欢国语，我就要想办法，怎样才引起她的学习兴趣。 ”丽芳说道。于是，她调整教学方式——先帮助若琳熟练掌握“suku kata”（马来文音节）。“Bam，bam，bam！”她尝试用声音，或者动作方式，再配合节拍，帮助若琳在节奏中加深对词汇的记忆。大约一年后，若琳的听写成绩从起初的0分，进步到100分！

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¹若兰的故事请参阅本期“一道缩影的背后——一班老师的坚持”文章。

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​目录
7979爱陪读  一道缩影的背后——一班老师的坚持
7979爱陪读 从谎言到成长——俊贤的三年级转折点
7979爱陪读  我们的付出，有了果效
7979爱走动  2025年沙巴水灾回应报告（2月和3月） 
福气临门 阳光、空气、水  
7979资讯台
​7979救助挑战营海报
大家一起7979  当孩子呼求，我们能否及时守护？  ​