SomatoBrain - Xiao Teacher

June is

Today's new vocab word is 彩虹，rainbow.

Did you know that the reason the pride flag is rainbow colored is because it signifies the diversity of the community?

Happy pride month to all LGBTQ+ out there!

***an ***r **oy

Nobody is too old to learn something new.

Perhaps consider learning a new language?

Mandarin Chinese is a great language to learn despite it's presumed difficulty level.

Here's why.
1) It's one of the most widely used languages in the world.
2) Get to know the Chinese culture.
3) Picture based written languages are great at stimulating the brain's memory region, to keep your brain active!

Head over to our store to get yourself started with Mandarin Chinese language!

For USD purchases: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Xiao-Teacher

For AUD purchases:
https://www.thewheeledu.com/marketplace/seller/profile/xiaoteachersam

Use our flashcards for structured learning according to the HSK syllabus.

Or use our puzzle words activity to learn word families 形似字!

There shouldn't even be an argument on this.

Nobody is saying that not all lives matter. We're just reminding the world that black lives matter too.

Matter.

Not "deserves privilege", not "deserves vengeance". Just "matters".

Why is that even an argument? Educate yourself. Reframe your thoughts. Challenge your beliefs and biasness.

We can all do better.

https://blacklivesmatter.com/

A father is a daughter's first love.

Growing up, my father was my hero. My sister and I used to say that we wanted to "marry" him when we grow up!

This father's day, I'd like to shed some light on how far father figures have come over the generations. I used to hear so many stories of absent fathers, and that's slowly but surely changing.

Now we see fathers taking on a more active role in parenting. Roles that were once considered "the wife's job" has now become "the parent's job".

Once, one of my students stood up for herself when a boy teased her for being "fat". She told the boy: "My dad told me I'm beautiful no matter what and no boy can talk to me this way!"
Another time, a male student brought a hot water bottle for another student on her period because "dad always does this for mommy when she's on her period".
You guys, I was so proud.
As an educator and a counselling teacher, it warms my heart when I know that my students have a great father to look up to.

Happy father's day, to my dad and all dads in the world.

Love,
Xiao Teacher - Sam

Growing up, I had a bad habit. Well, many bad habits, but let's focus on one today.

发白日梦，Daydreaming.

I could be staring right at my teachers, and not hear a single word they said. Because my mind was somewhere far, far away.

To this day, I still have that tendency.

It wasn't until I learned about learning disorders that I realized my "bad habits" were traits of hyperactivity. Fidgeting, daydreaming, impulsiveness, I had all of it!

Now that I'm a teacher, I appreciate my "bad habits", like daydreaming. You see, my daydreaming tendency allows me to be creative. This creativity is what makes me connect with my students, much like staying a child in some way.

I suppose my point today is, a weakness can also be a strength, if you use it correctly.

I hope I never stop daydreaming.

Overcoming is easy when I remember why I work hard.

Today, I'd like to share my first ever customer review that I received last year when I first started selling my materials online.

This review meant the world to me, and it still does. Because of my first buyer's positive review, I continued working to make new resources for sale.

Our HSK series flashcards are printable, distance learning friendly, and comes with helpful illustrations and sentence examples! (So you know how to use your new vocabulary words correctly)

Check out our store to view all our distance learning and printable flashcards!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Xiao-Teacher

This weekend, I'm choosing to rest.

Many people find it hard to wind down and relax, and that's completely normal! Our world is constantly moving and changing, it's no wonder our minds and bodies are overwhelmed.

This is where mindfulness practices can come in handy. I've been practicing mindfulness meditations whenever I can with my students, and it helps!

In the classroom, I slot in 5 minute mindfulness meditation sessions for my students to rest and recharge.

Have you tried using mindfulness meditation in class?

Growing up as a Chinese individual, my family always emphasized on setting a good example for younger ones.

做个好榜样！以身作则！Which means, "Be a good example!" and "Lead by example!"

These are words I hold dear, and values I was brought up with.

When I first started to teach full time, I was tasked with being the counselling teacher. At that point in time, I had no experience in counselling children.

I just kept reminding myself: "Be who you needed when you were younger." I tried my best to set a good example for my students, and I decided to be the kind of adult I could look up to as a child.

My proudest professional moment came a year after. One of my students who had already graduated that year called me over the phone and wanted my advice as she was facing issues in middle school.

I was so glad that she trusted me to help, even after she had graduated. Thankfully, she managed to work through her issues easily enough.

Want to learn Mandarin, but don't need to start from zero?

Then the intermediate level flashcards are for you! Our intermediate flashcard series are based on HSK 2 vocabulary standards, with 150 vocabulary words to learn.

Check it out in the link below:
https://bit.ly/2ZAHd4S

绕口令 aka Tongue twisters are super fun! It's a fantastic way to teach 同音字, which are Chinese characters with the same phonetic pronunciation.

Check out this one, and try it out!



#绕口令

When learning pronunciation in Chinese Mandarin, one very helpful tool is the 声母韵母表。 This table works as a phonetic guide to interpret how each word is supposed to sound like.

Try familiarizing yourself with the phonetics of each letter, and deciphering pinyin will be so much easier!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EReU1BKtAXo




#声母 #韵母

bpmf Song (bpmf歌) | Chinese Pinyin Song | Chinese song | By Little Fox Subscribe and watch new contents uploaded every week. YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/littlefoxchinese Visit our website, app and check out our uniq...

"三百六十行，行行出状元"
For each profession, there is a chance for success.

Growing up, my grandma said this to me a lot. It was an especially helpful motivation, because I had so many dreams and ideas.

Whenever I told her about a new idea or ambition, she would repeat these same words to me. She reminded me each and every time that as long as I put my heart and soul into my profession, I will be able to find success.

Whether I wanted to be a fashion designer, or a farmer, or a hotel owner, I held this quote with me.

I love this so much! What about you?

When I first started out half a year ago on Teachers Pay Teachers, I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

All I knew was that I had a bunch of resources that worked wonders with my students, and no where else to use it!

I'm thankful that people in the TpT community are helpful and friendly, and always going out of their way to help each other out.

I'm also super thankful for all my followers who have been following my social media!

Today's post goes out to all my fellow TpT sellers and to my followers. Thank you for being such a good sport!

Family trees can be very complicated.

In Chinese language and culture, we split our family tree into 2 main branches: Maternal and Paternal.

These 2 branches are split even further along the way.

Check out this cute family tree infographic!

*Disclaimer: I don't own this picture, can anyone who knows the creator contact me so I can give credit?

"月经"，or in English, menstruation.

This , I think it's extremely important to educate our students on the topic of menstruation. I'm a strong advocate of menstrual health awareness, and I believe everyone should get on board with it too!

Students comes to me all the time with a range of menstruation related issues, which is why I keep a "Menstrual Care Bag" with me at all times.

Here's what I have in my bag!
1) Unscented Pantyliners
These are super important for students who are experiencing pre/post menstruation discharge, because pantyliners are thinner and generally do not cause much discomfort.
2) Winged Sanitary Pads (21cm)
Because students generally do not have extremely heavy flows, I keep non-maxi pads well stocked. I like to encourage students to practice good hygiene by changing their sanitary pads every 6 hours.
3) Winged Maxi Pads (30cm)
Just to be prepared for the rare instances where a student has a heavier flow. Or when a teacher needs one. You never know who your Menstrual Care Bag will help!
4) Reusable Heat Pack
These are useful when dealing with menstrual pain. I generally don't offer medication to students unless instructed by their parents, so the next best thing I can offer is a hot pack for hot compress to ease their menstrual pains.
5) Candy
Students who have heavier flows may experience dizziness due to low blood pressure/sugar. Giving them a bit of candy could help.
6) Disposable underwear
Sometimes, students come to me with their worst nightmare. They bled through their underwear and clothes. While the school nurse may have clothes on hand, they may not have underwear. This is when disposable underwear comes in handy!

So here's my list of must haves! What do you guys think?

“天生我材必有用“
This Chinese saying is one of my . It translates to "The talents I've been given are definitely useful".

Sometimes, or most of the time, we tend to be hard on ourselves. This can be detrimental to our self-esteem and confidence. I like to believe that we can find our talents in many ways.

Today, I'd like to share a story of one of my dear students, who we will call Felix (not his real name). Felix never really did well in academics, and was always barely passing his exams. I recall sitting down with him one day and asking him "how do you feel when you get your exam papers back?".

Felix shrugged and told me "I used to get pretty upset, but recently I don't feel that way anymore". That took me by surprise, because most of my students are usually unhappy with their exam grades, especially those who didn't perform as well as their peers.

Felix continued his thoughts and told me that he recently discovered what he was really good at, and it definitely isn't academics.

He is a great communicator, and a fantastic little salesman. You see, Felix was compiling a friends list scrapbook, and this is how he found his talent.

1) He kept running out of scrapbook pages. He had apparently made so many friends within his grade and even outside of his grade, some of his friends were even his teachers.
2) He realized that everybody loved his scrapbook pages, and he knew exactly where to buy them. With the help of his mathematics teacher, they worked out a fair profit percentage for him to sell the pages to his friends so they could also start a scrapbook.

Guys, I signed and filled in so many scrapbook pages that year. Thanks to Felix.

Whenever I have a student feeling down about not excelling in academics, I remember Felix, and his unwavering confidence in his talents. It keeps me and in my own talents too.

Have a story to share? Let me know!

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri to all Muslims!

I can only imagine how different this year's Raya celebrations must be for all of you.

As a Malaysian, it felt different. I couldn't complain about the annual Hari Raya Mixtape that malls play for a whole month, I wasn't giggling to the famous "Yusoof Taiyoob" radio commercial.. No Ramadan Bazaars, No Hari Raya open house invites..

My heart goes out to all of you who can't celebrate with your loved ones. Good blessings to all of you.

Today is.... My birthday!

How do you like to spend your birthdays?

"Failure is the mother of success"

I remember my first student. It was my first time teaching Mandarin Chinese to a person who wasn't Chinese. Boy was that tough.

I had no idea how to teach, what would work, how stern I should be with my student. I couldn't help her much at all.

It's been 6 years since then, and I realize that having my first few students (and not doing very well as a teacher) helped to boost my learning progress as a teacher.

Perhaps we shouldn't be afraid of failing, or label it as "failing“. Maybe we're all just taking steps to success, one step at a time.

We got this.

Let's peek

I can't live without my notebook. There's just something about it that sparks more creativity in me when I brainstorm ideas.

What's a productivity tool/item you can't live without?

Today's is from one very wise and traditional Chinese proverb.

Have you ever stopped practicing a skill, only to realize later that you're not good at it anymore? I sure have. I used to be able to play the piano, and now I struggle to even read notes correctly.

It's the same with learning a new language. Practice, practice, practice. Don't stop learning.

Good luck to all my language learners out there!

Traveling is a fantastic way to learn! While traveling isn't an option now, I sure look forward to the day we can all travel safely again.

My favourite trip so far, if I really had to choose one, would probably be Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.

I visited Ho Chi Minh back in 2015 for about a week. Five years later, I still dream of visiting Ho Chi Minh again. As a huge foodie, this holiday destination was paradise! Banh Mi from food motorcycles, Pho in the markets, Spring Rolls, French, Fusion bars...

One of the best things I did was to visit Saigon Opera House for the A O Show. I'd recommend this show for anyone who wants to learn about Vietnam's transition from rural Vietnam to today's modern landscape. Books and museums aside, theater is a great way to learn!

What's your favourite holiday destination?

Is the weekend almost over again? It passes by so quickly!

For this week's I'm sharing one of the stories I tell my students. This story explores the idea of loving yourself and embracing your own special talents!

PS. This story is also perfect for bubble play!

What are some of your favourite stories?

Our Beginner's Chinese Mandarin Flashcard Bundle is part of our Learn Mandarin project. This project and product bundle was crafted by none other than Xiao Teacher - Sam, a trilingual language and creative learning educator who spent much of her career teaching Mandarin Chinese as a foreign language!

With distance learning becoming more popular, Sam has adapted the product to be distance learning and print friendly, all in one simple file!

You can print it, use it on PowerPoint, use it on Google Slides, use it as a PDF, and so much more!

Check out our flashcards here:
https://bit.ly/2zYfpMU

Happy Friday! It's the weekend!

It's important to let our minds and bodies relax and rest after a tough week at work.

How do you like to spend your Friday nights? I like to unwind by having a nice dinner

for my fellow teacher authors!

I absolutely adore HTML Color Code searchers. Sometimes, I find a colour palette that I love, or an image with the exact colour I wanted for an element in my pages. But the eyedropper tool just can't seem to get the right colour!

For all of you facing this problem (like me), I totally recommend this

https://html-color-codes.info/colors-from-image/

Just hover over the colour you want and click on it. The correct HTML colour code will just pop up! I find this super useful when using Canva!

HTML Colors from Image Get HTML colors from any image with this simple online tool.

After about 55 days of staying at home because of the movement control order (in Malaysia), I finally caved in and Marie Kondo-ed my work desk!

I have to say, a cleaner desk does spark more joy! (or at least, more creativity and productivity in my case)

Back to work! Can't waste a perfectly good productivity opportunity.