Reading Response Journal: The Little Prince

Nur Hasanah Binte Osman was a classmate of Yvone Koo. But I didn’t meet her in person until after four or five weeks into the semester. She was pregnant and was about to give birth when classes began in August 2009. So we made use of distance learning to the hilt.

When Hasanah did come to class in person to join her classmates, she blended easily and took part actively in group tasks. It seemed as if she had been there all the time because she had followed the course outline diligently and had done all the required readings and the learning tasks via our electronic learning platform.

I knew she was a competent student, but her sincerity and honesty were more admirable. In this reading response journal, she has a most intimate conversation with the little child in her.

“Something to Do, Something to Love,
Something to Hope For”

by Nur Hasanah Binte Osman


I discovered in this book that life is simple and the:
“Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.” – Joseph Addison

Truthfully, reading this book made me feel sad, disappointed and even made me question my actions in life. Am I like any of the characters that the prince mentioned? Is my love like that of the prince? Am I a good friend?

In this Reading Response Journal, I will illustrate the turmoil that I went through still searching for my answers and like the prince, I would “ . . . never in (my) whole life give up on a question once . . . I’ve asked it” and through this seeking journey, I discovered the “. . . secret, very simply: you can see things clearly with your heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye.”

Entry 1: In the Eyes of Grown-ups

“But the answer would always be: ‘That is a hat.’ In which case I would not talk to that person about boa constrictors, or virgin forests, or stars. I would place myself on their level. I would talk about bridge and gold, about politics and neckties. And the grown-up would be very pleased to have made the acquaintance of such a sensible fellow.”

Adulthood is a state of mind. Being an adult, most of us are trapped with our busy schedules and we become rather narrow-minded and single track-minded. I was taken aback when I first realized this. Nevertheless, when I looked back at my actions and reactions to my pupils and children, I had to agree.

There was an incident when I jumped in anger because a child had brought an empty can for his ‘show and tell’ activity. I did not want to give him the benefit of the doubt. It was only later that I realized there was a story behind the empty can.

As adults, we constantly make the mistake of rushing through our daily chores without stopping to think and see the beauty that children see. My little girl always points to a cloud to tell me stories of the animals formed in them. She always needs to explain to me in detail, as written in the Little Prince, “ Grown –ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is exhausting for children always and forever to be giving explanations” (Antoine de Saint-Exupery, p6 ) .

I have to be more of a child.

Entry 2 : Looking with our Hearts

“If someone loves a flower, of which there is only one example among all the millions and millions of stars, that is enough to make him happy when he looks up at the night sky. He says to himself: “Somewhere out there is my flower.” But if a sheep eats the flower, it’s as though all the stars have suddenly gone out! But I suppose that, too, is of no importance!”(Antoine de Saint-Exupery, p 27)

I am often guilty of not loving with all my heart. At times, the selfish side wins over the better side of myself. I forget what is more important as I rush through my days. Only lately, with my newborn baby, have I discovered this love again. I realized the things that are more important in my life.

My family and friends are important to me. However, I have been taking them for granted. Work and daily tasks had seemed to overtake all that I truly love. I’d forgotten about my passion. As a teenager, I was an active community volunteer. It made me happy. Now, I suppose, this passion had taken a step back. It is sad, when our priorities have changed.

Life has to be simple as stated, “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” (Confucius) If only we could see the beauty in the flower like how the prince had loved it.
If each one of us cared enough for the things that are truly important, this whole place would be different.

There would not be any concern for a dying planet. Children would not be abused. Hunger and poverty would be minimized. Humanitarian activities would be everybody’s job. Then we would be like the prince, “ . . .his loyalty to a flower, to the image of a rose, which shines inside him like the flame of a lamp . . .” (Antoine de Saint-Exupery, p 77)

I have to love the simple things in life.

Entry 3: Time and Friendship

“One only ever understands what one tames. People no longer have the time to understand anything. They buy everything ready-made from the shops. But there is no shop where friends can be bought, so people no longer have friends.” (Antoine de Saint-Exupery, p 69)

This insight truly stood out for me. Friendship had been important as I was growing up. My friends were the ones I laughed with and confided in. I used to spend a lot of time with them. They were the ones who were always there by my side and were the ones who kept me warm on cold days that life has granted me.

I came from what most would say, a dysfunctional family. My father had two wives. My mother blamed us, her children, for her misery and arguments were a norm in my daily routine. It was then that friendship warmed me. It was also then I spent most of my time with friends.

It is disappointing that now I have to even check my schedule to meet up with those friends of mine. Talking about investing time on friendship? Perhaps, like what was mentioned by the fox, I no longer have friends.

I have to hope. . .

Reading Response Journal: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

Yvonne Koo belongs to a group of full-time teachers who are doing part-time studies at NIE as part of their professional development. She took Children's Literature during the first semester of Academic Year 2009-2010.

In many ways, Yvonne reminded me of Quek Hsu Imm, an accountancy major who took Children's Lit as an elective in January- April 2009. Both Yvonne and Hsu Imm are quiet and unassuming. They're soft-spoken, gentle, and mild-mannered. Yvonne didn't quite register in my consciousness, unlike her outspoken classmates, until she wrote her reading response journal.

In addition to being a full-time teacher, she's also a full-time wife and mother. Thus, her response to the book she journeyed with is like an album of cherished photographs of her own childhood as well as her children's. It's written straight from the heart, and it's a great read!

Bridging the Generation Gap

by Yvonne Koo

inspire4less.com

Introduction

I first read “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret”, written by Judy Blume, when I was thirteen years old. When I picked the book up again for my reading journey after two and a half decades, I could not remember the plot but the title of the book has stayed in my memory.

Reading it again as an adult gives me new insights and brings back memories about my teenage years. It makes me think of the world my children will be living in as teenagers and the world I was in back then. It is going to be a vast difference. How can I bridge this gap?

Entry #1: Simple Joy

When Margaret held the envelope in her hand she was filled with curiosity. She did not know who sent her the letter and the suspense she experienced while opening the envelope was enormous. I held my breath together with her. I recalled having the same experience as her too. In my teens I enjoyed having pen pals – writing letters and making friends especially long distance friends.

I really missed those times when I could receive letters from friends. A true letter where secrets were written and a stamp pasted on the envelope and no one could open it except the addressee. What I receive in the mails today are junk mails and bills. I do not have the joy of receiving mails anymore like I did when I was a teenager.

It was such a nostalgic feeling when I read how Margaret felt before opening her letter. “I wondered who sent it. Wondering made it much more fun than ripping it open and knowing right away.” (Judy Blume, 1978, Pg 79) I had the exact feeling like Margaret as a teenager when I received letters from my pen pals from all over the world. There were much joy and excitement when the postman arrived at the doorstep delivering mails. I waited for him in anticipation.

However, it is not so now. My daughters received less than three letters in their ten years of existence. They do not know what pen pals are. They wonder why they need to mail an invitation card instead of writing an email or a short message service (SMS) to invite their friends to their birthday party. How sad indeed. I would like to rejuvenate the joy of receiving letters in my daughters’ lives by sending them a letter every school holiday. I hope they too will experience the “wondering” that I used to experience when receiving letters as a teenager.

Entry #2: We Reap What We Sow

It is beyond my comprehension how Margaret’s dad could be so rude to Margaret’s maternal grandparents. His body language and mannerism had outwardly shown to them that they were not welcome. His behaviour had affected Margaret in a negative way. She began to dislike her maternal grandparents even more.

Being brought up in a rather conservative Chinese family, filial piety is an important value my parents instilled in me. Being filial means respecting the elders at all times – no questions asked. My parents modeled this value to me by being excellent children themselves - respecting their own parents at all times even though they may not always be right.

Teenagers of this generation may not be able to tolerate the 'nonsense' of the older generation better than my parents or my generation. However, I still want my children to respect their elders as this is the basic value one should possess – respecting oneself and others. By modeling such value in front of my children, I hope they will in turn manifest such value in their lives. There should not be compromise when respecting oneself and others is concerned, but as modern parents I believe in giving a listening ear to my children rather than forcing my ideas and rights on them.

Entry #3: Being open-minded

Margaret was worried that she was not growing as fast as her peers. When she found out that she was not the last one among her peers to get her menstruation, she was elated. I find it strange, as I do not remember having been so excited about all these changes I had to go through during puberty. In fact I was ashamed of telling my friends and talking about such changes.

My twin daughters are in Primary 4 now. I grew up in an all-girls school and so are my daughters. The difference is, my girls are not ashamed of talking about such changes in their bodies. They talk about the topic on menstruating so freely even though I have not yet sat them down to have a serious chat.

I believe children of this generation are exposed to the media and internet at a much early age. They could get information almost instantaneously and such topics are no longer a taboo like what it used to be during my time. Parents are more educated and they find it educational to share such topics with their children at an early age. In order not to be seen as “old-fashioned,” I believe I have to take on such topics with confidence and without inhibition.

Conclusion

My daughters will be in their teens in two years' time. Even though we may come from two different generations, I hope I will be able to go into their world and understand them and they in turn will come into my world to learn from the experience I have gone through. I hope that the generation gap will not be grow wider as we age; instead, we will bridge the gap as we share the bond and love we have been building all these years.

Like Margaret, I would like to end this book journey with a prayer for this new teenage experience that both my girls and I will be going through.

“Are you there, God? It’s me, Yvonne.
I hope my daughters will enjoy their teenage years as much as I had enjoyed mine.
Protect the friendship and bond we have built together all these years during those times, God.
Thank you.”