I don’t know if you knew,

If you knew that this is what you’d do.

Being in the Hi-5 and Do This crew,

The deliverer of smiles and peekaboos.

 

I don’t know if you knew,

If you knew you’d be a cheerleader,

Of clowning, gym-ing, singing,

They’re really part of being a teacher.

 

I don’t know if you knew,

If you knew of the hits and punches to come,

Of kicking, swiping and pinching

And the screaming, some days your ears boy they do get numb.

 

But I sure hope you know,

That you know you made that smile,

That laughter and those sillies,

Helping write these stories, really just WOW!

 

And I sure hope you know,

That you YOU helped them come so far,

First word, first school yep first poo,

There really isn’t anything you can’t do.

 

Amidst all the spoken and unspoken

For all the teaching and healing of hearts broken,

We see the miles of extra,

We hear the sometimes tears in the car,

Do know in this crazy you’re really a lifeboat,

Oh wait, I think the ‘in’ term is GOAT!

Smarts aside, do know we SEE YOU through and through

For the special that is YOU, a huge THANK YOU.

-Charmaine Koay-

Unsung heroes are not our style. With “celebration” being one of our core values here in EAP, other than celebrating our beloved kiddos, it is also our culture to celebrate and appreciate each and every team member of our EAP team. With regards to that, it has been a tradition in EAP to organize Staff Outing annually, a day of celebration to appreciate and honour our team, whilst having fun and enjoying each others’ company. It is a shame that this year we still could not spend this meaningful time in the same room physically, but to our amazing EAP Events Team, the possibility is limitless. On the 19th of June, we had our Staff Outing online and it was awesome!

The day started as early as 8 in the morning and we were pumped as we played a quick icebreaker game on where we would like to go once the pandemic is over, and had input time with our director herself, Jochebed Isaacs. The highlight of the day was definitely the Staff Outing game challenge itself where we were assigned to groups, with the mission to solve interesting riddles and work through a series of mentally challenging games in the shortest amount of time, in order to gain the first place!

“It is all fun and games,” they said. “Stay on green!” they said. 

Of course, with the burning desire to bring glory to our teams, we were all too excited to acknowledge the kind reminders from the Events Team. The theme for the game this year was “To Be Decided” and it was reflected by reliving memories of past years and the hope of a better future. Each section of the game was dedicated to a certain decade starting from the 1990s up to the 2030s, where we solved riddles on songs, TV shows and even cartoons! It felt like we were traveling in a time machine, on a delightful trip down memory lane, which also gave us a glimpse of the possible future. 

The whole activity boils down to the values of appreciation, gratitude, and hope. As we reminisce on the joyful times, it was a good remembrance of the fulfilling life we lived before the pandemic. Those were the times where we enjoyed human contact and interaction, that we might have taken for granted, and it feels more surreal now than ever. It also reminds us of how we are still in the midst of battling through the pandemic. At the end, we were reminded that life is more than what we have now, and we can look forward to a better time. In this challenging time, we have each other to rely on and soon, and know that these challenging times shall come to pass.

Other than that, we also had a highlight celebration for our director, Jochebed Isaacs as this year marks her tenth year of being the director of Early Autism Project Malaysia. Reliving the years she had served in the company, Jochebed answered questions about how those times had been for her. It was a great time listening to her interesting stories, reflecting on her unwavering and inspirational commitment to lead the company in making a difference to the world.

It felt great to be able to spend some time with the whole team. It was such an honour to be in this noble mission in helping autistic kids together but today is about celebrating the team, to let go and have fun. It was a space served for us to recharge together as a company.

We also took the chance to celebrate Teacher’s Day as a company, to honour all of our staff that have been such amazing educators and teachers to all the kiddos. The Media team prepared a touching video for the team that featured highlights of the achievements and sacrifices that therapists pour in each day, the dedication supervisors give, and the attention senior supervisors always offer. 

It brought tears and laughter, a moment of warmth.

Celebrating Teacher’s Day had made Staff Outing thousandfold greater. Voicing out how our therapist, supervisors and the whole team make a difference by teaching the kids different types of skills and knowledge as they go on each day. We also want to celebrate all the teachers out there who have been and are still shaping the new generation in the nation.

This year, the theme for Teacher’s Day is Berguru Demi Ilmu, Bina Generasi Baru which translates to Learning for the Knowledge, Building the New Generation. The nation had been severely impacted by the pandemic and it had been withholding education for a long time. 

The students were faced with multiple changes every now and then as the government worked out a plan that would benefit as many people as possible. Alongside these plans and changes, stood the teachers that are always willing to do their best. As much as the kids need to adapt and relearn what learning in school should look like, teachers work double the effort. They had been creative and flexible in making sure they were able to reach the students and keeping them successful despite not being there physically. It was a remarkable moment to see the educators of the nation rise above all and do what we used to see as unthinkable. Malaysia and online learning have never been in the same sentences before, not until the pandemic hits. We were reaching milestone by milestone each day, education in any possible way. It had not been easy, not a single moment of it was a breeze. 

Here in EAP, we honour all the teachers and educators out there. You really are heroes. All your effort and sacrifices shall bloom in the form of a greater generation in the future. 

And celebrate them, we will.

To teachers out there, thank you.

It is in your heart to provide knowledge and kindness to the younger generation of Malaysia, and we have no other words than, TERIMA KASIH.