I’ve got an adorable little girl patient who just started standard one. She can’t understand much Malay or English as of yet so communication between us is more sign language and embarrassing sound effects on my part with her shaking or nodding her head gingerly.Â
So I decided to travel back to my standard one academic memories to see if I can get a better response from her.
I asked, “So sudah belajar banyak benda di Standard one hor! What have you learned? Bola? Buku?”Â
Then she started saying, “One, two…”
“Oh! You’ve learned how to count! Okay, One, Two…?”
“Three…four…five…six………” she went on.
I cheered her on until seventy before I decided that if I didn’t get started with our treatment, we’d be one of the last to leave the clinic.
Malay words were rather limited but strangely, she responds when I say the words out in bahasa baku. Especially when I sing it the way we were taught how to do in standard one.
If I wanted to ask if she felt any pain, I said, “Sakit tak? S-A SA, K-I-T KIT! SAKIT!”
She shakes her head.
“G-I GI G-I-T GIT. GIGIT!” and she bites!
Awesome.
Since she was such a good little girl, it was a practice to reward them with little stickers after their treatments so I let her choose a sticker from the sticker box (not mine, they didn’t ask me to be a supplier, boo.) She didn’t understand what I was doing.Â
So I said, “Choose one! S A SA, T-U TU! SATU!”
She took one and left the clinic to find her daddy.Â
So glad I found a solution. S-O So L-U- LU T-I TI O-N ON. SOLUTION.Â
haha.. I never thought this will work this way. Thanks for the story.
Jo: hahaha i didn’t know as well! But I guess it works because she’s more familiar with the sound of the words if we put it this way.
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Wow…good story…. I missed my standard one. I adored teachers who taught me. I cherished the moment. I was excited to be in school evry morning..
jo: hello Nor! 🙂 Oh you were such a good student! 🙂 Must be a teacher’s pet! hehehe.
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haha thats so cute jo! this must be the best part of ur job huh dealing with patients and making them feel better 😉
jo: *whispers* no actually money is the best part. shhh. hehehe.. yeah, it makes you feel warm and fuzzy if the patient feels good about themselves and the whole experience. It makes you feel like you don’t suck too much. But also like when you do some art and craft project, if it goes well, YAY! If it doesn’t, you feel like a failure. 🙁
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Jo..jo..,
That was really brilliant!
You are a ‘chip of the old block’.
Your proud ddda aaaa dad
Jo: hehehe thank you dad for being proud of me! <3
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SO CUTTTEEEE the patient!
Jo: Yalor!! <3 <3 <3
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Hahahah!! I’m gonna reward my patients in paediatrics with stickers too. 😛 Great minds!