Go Figure!

I asked my Form 4 students to write three sentences, and they present me with few mind-boggling coded language:

1. I like caretaker child

Most likely to be deciphered as: I like to take care of children or I love to babysit

2. What you look2X my paper? Ha…

Most likely to be deciphered as: Why are you looking at my paper? Ha!

3. Frind2 I intesiy like felying gitar

Most likely to be deciphered as: My friends love it when I play guitar

4. U hive a missig call

Most likely to be deciphered as: You have 1 missed call (Yeah! My ‘interior’ students have their own handphone!)

5. Colour fivaret I is blue

Most likely to be deciphered as: My favourite colour is blue.

I asked my Form 1 students to fill in the blanks and add as many extra info as they want;

My name is ___________. I live in _______________. I am ____________ years old. I have a friend. __________ name is __________. ________ lives in __________.

Note: This is a streamed class where the better students are put together. Still the range of difference is quite far apart. Here the example of my students’ work.

My name is … I live in Kampung Tongod. I am thirteen year years old. I have a friend. Girl name is …. She lives in Kampung Bulot. She not kind my friends that other. I hope want to be an teacher. My hobbies are playing ball trellis, volleyball and leap tall.

My name is Aslelye. I am thirteen years old. I study in Sekolah Menengah Kebangaan Tongod, Sandakan. I like reading and sleeping. I come from a family of five. I’m the eldest child. I have two younger sisters. My father is a driver and my mother is a housewife.

My favourite subjects are English and Mathematics. My ambition is to become either a doctor or teacher. My father’s name is …. and my mother’s name is … . My father’s age is thirty-six and my mother is thirty five.

I have four best friends. My best friends’ names are Kartini, Marviana, Kaslinah and Welta. They live in Kampung Kiandongo and Kampung Malagatan Kecil. Kartini, Kaslina and Marviana are fourteen years old but Welta is only thirteen years old.

Kaslinah’s favourite subject is History, Marviana and Kartini’s favourite subjects are Mathematics and History while Welta’s favourite subjects are Malay Language, Science and English. I’m very happy because I have best friends. I think not having any best friend will make us feel like we are alone. So, if you have best friends, rejoice them, don’t make them sad…

I'll write more about my approach towards handling these students. Maybe you'd care to share some thoughts?