How I Learn to Read; Tadika Memory

Salam.

Just a random sharing on my early memory in Reading.

(padahal esok ada paper lagi. huehue. oh yea, it's the final exam season now. but I really feel like writing now. It's a way of relieving stress. aiceh)

Some kids start reading at the age of 5, some at 4, some at 6. It depends on the age they started going to school or kindergarten.

When I was 5, I got into Tadika Cahaya Iman (one of the many kindergartens under Iman ELC), now known as Tadika Iman BBU. When I entered level 1, my sister Safiah was in level 2. Because I'm very close to Safiah, I wanted to be attached to her all the time. I cried a lot when my teachers told me to enter my own classroom because I wanted to be in the same classroom as my sister's. I remember when my teacher had to hold me to get me in my classroom while I cried loudly. And there were also times when my teacher just let me sit with my sister in her class. Yeay.

Because I was too attached to my sister and protested to not enter my own class, I then stopped going to the kindergarten. Huehuehue. I don't exactly remember for how long I went to kindergarten during level 1. But I do remember my class' name. It's either 1 Cerdik or Cerdas. (haha takla ingat sangat)

Us in our kindergarten uniform.
I'm on the left, Solehah in the middle, Safiah on the right, holding Hayat.
neomu kyeopta.. huahua

The year I was turning 6, I enrolled in the same kindergarten again and started a new life. Because Safiah had enrolled in primary school, I went to the kindergarten alone. I still remember the first day I entered my class in level 2. I was in 2 Pintar. I could still remember some faces I had met during level 1.

Anyway, it was when I was in level 2 that I started learning reading. Cikgu Ros was my homeroom teacher at that time, and she's the one who taught me reading using the 'Bacalah Anakku' book. I remember that it has its, um, volume, I guess. Bacalah Anakku 1, Bacalah Anakku 2 and so on.

When I started learning, my pace of reading was rather slow. I slowly got to new Bacalah Anakku book. Finishing a few pages of Bacalah Anakku took quite some time. But that didn't demotivate me. Cewah. I had liked books even before I learn to read. So I guess I just went with the flow.

Because I was still learning to read, I also wrote slowly. There was this one time when my teacher (can't remember her name, but she was quite fierce, I was super scared of her) asked us to copy what she had written on whiteboard. She wanted us to copy that before we went home. Then, she said the scariest words kids ever heard "siapa tak siap, tak boleh balik." (those who don't finish, can't go home). Once I heard that, I really tried to write quickly, but it was too hard. When my friend had finished, she told me to hurry because our van might arrive soon. I was too scared to the thought of not going back home that I cried while writing. I don't remember what happened next, either I finished writing or the teacher let me go, but afterwards, I went out of the class still crying. Yeah, I was very kememeh.

yeah, get them today! These books helped me to read.
The Bacalah Anakku series

Back to books and reading. I like books because Abah always bought books with beautiful pictures. Our siblings' favourite was the Martini series. The Martini book has beautiful illustrations. (not the Martini cocktail tau. I tried googling for the images of this martini book, but only the pictures of the cocktail showed up -__-"). Well, I guess my family did play a crucial role in getting myself to be interested to read. I always saw Abah, Mama and my sisters reading. I also saw my sisters read the Martini series, so I sometimes joined them. But of course, they read the words while I just looked at the pictures, and tried to connect the pictures with the words my sisters read.

One day, I picked up one of the Martini series book and 'read' it to myself. I 'read' it out loud. Actually, I didn't read the words. I just made up the story based on the pictures in the book. I remember Abah and my sisters giggled watching me 'reading' that.

I didn't exactly remember when, but that was one of the moments during the times I started reading at home too. Because I also read at home (I think it's with the help of Mama or my sisters, can't remember), my reading improved.

At the kindergarten, I quickly finished one after another Bacalah Anakku book. Aicewah. Bangga plak. and finally, I finished the whole Bacalah Anakku series. yeayyy, alhamdulillah.

There was one day when Cikgu Ros told everyone to sit according to their book number. Bacalah Anakku 1, here, Bacalah Anakku 2, there, Bacalah Anakku 3, there and so on and so forth. Finally, she said that those who have finished all the books to sit at the centre of the class with her. So I went there with others who have finished. She said something like complement and that she loved us because we have finished the books. That moment, I was very happy. teehee.

I could officially read normal books (not books with suku kata) from that moment on, at the age of 6.

This is not me.

Oh, I also learned to read English around that time. That time, we read the Peter and Jane series. But I never finished the whole series. Huehue. Well, at least I could read Malay.

But yeah, my English was bad when I was a kid. During the entrance exam for primary school, I was confused of the names of blue and green colours. I even read mother as 'moder', not 'mader'. Alhamdulillah my English now is OK. Yeayy.

Ehm. Back to reading.

Alhamdulillah my family members like to read, hence I felt interested to read too. When I look at them looking at books, I thought that it must be interesting. That motivation boost my enthusiasm to read Bacalah Anakku at the kindergarten. I remember when I finally could grasp the readings of suku kata, I read each suku kata in the book boringly and quickly (bajet tere sangat), so I could finish the book quickly.

That was my experience of learning to read.

Alhamdulillah for this nikmat and ability.

Ah, reading Malay and English is one experience.

Reading jawi and the arabic letters is another experience. I shall share it later.

Thank you :)

P/S: All pictures in this post aren't mine. Those are results from Google Image search.. except the first one.