![\"Lydiawati\"](\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.teachformalaysia.org\/blog\/home\/teachfor\/public_html\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Lydiawati.jpg?resize=1000%2C667\")
<\/p>\n\u201cFor many students here \u2013 without knowledge, without education, there\u2019s just marriage.\u201d\u00a0<\/i>\u2013\u00a0<\/i>Lydiawati Rusli, 2015 Fellow<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
When I first started teaching, I thought other schools would be like my school when I was a student. We could read, we could study on our own. I soon found out that\u00a0that\u2019s not the case everywhere.<\/p>\n
Here, in this little town in Perak \u2013 it\u2019s a different place with a different culture and different students.<\/p>\n
And I\u2019ve learned so much from my students.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s just been one and a half years, and the most important changes I\u2019ve seen in my students are not what you\u2019d call\u00a0\u201cbig impact\u201d. For me, even though it\u2019s a little change, I still consider it change. My students can now sing in English, introduce themselves \u2013 these small things are really big to me.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t really have big ups and downs, \u00a0or one particular story about one particular student. Every day there are ups, every day there are downs. Different student, different time, different class, different situation.<\/p>\n
![\"Lydia](\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.teachformalaysia.org\/blog\/home\/teachfor\/public_html\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Lydia-1-MED-RES.jpg?resize=1000%2C667\")
<\/p>\n
I went to visit some of my students\u2019\u00a0parents last year. I found that if they have a good family with parents who are constantly around, it\u2019s likely those students will perform well in class.<\/p>\n
Sometimes I\u00a0meet young parents who \u2018avoid\u2019 their children\u00a0or\u00a0abandon them. Very often these students have problems in school. The family setting really affects how well students do\u00a0in class. It tells me that the family structure is very, very important.<\/p>\n
Nowadays, I advise my students in Form 5 not to get married too early, because if they marry too soon and have a child, there\u2019s a high chance the child will experience the same challenges my students face.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want to change the way things are, you have to change yourself first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re mature enough, then get married. When you\u2019re ready to be a parent, then have kids.\u201d<\/p>\n
Especially in rural areas, if you cannot perform academically, you cannot get into university\u00a0\u2013\u00a0so you get married, this happens\u00a0especially with\u00a0girls.<\/p>\n
Without knowledge, without education, there\u2019s just marriage. I want them to change that\u00a0cycle.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s say there are eight siblings in the family, and they are number seven. They need to mind their place within the family. I tell them it\u2019s okay to break out of the norm, it\u2019s okay to do something else, as long as you know what you want to do.<\/p>\n
I also tell my students it\u2019s okay if you don\u2019t perform well academically. You may for example, be great at sailing boats, or at art or sports. Whatever it is, do it with passion.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s okay to say, \u201dTeacher, I don\u2019t like to study.\u00a0Saya tak pandai belajar tapi saya pandai \u2018repair\u2019 kereta<\/i>.\u201d (I\u2019m not good at my studies but I\u2019m good at repairing cars). Good, do it well. Be passionate,\u00a0jangan \u2018simply\u2019 aje<\/i>\u00a0(don\u2019t be lackadaisical about it).<\/p>\n
They will realise the impact later \u2013 indeed, they will realise it.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t believe that only book-smart kids will make it in life.<\/p>\n
Not all successful people did well in their studies.<\/p>\n
If you have passion, you can go far in life.<\/p>\n
Lydiawati Binti Rusli graduated with a Masters in Advanced Care in Dementia from King\u2019s College, London. She joined the Fellowship in 2015 and is a second-year teacher in a high-need school in Kerian, Perak. Lydiawati teaches History and English.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u2013<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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