it's a strange feeling to come back to my alma mater as a teacher, albeit a temporary one. the school has changed physically in many ways, but there are a few faces here and there who look awfully familiar. it is surprising to note a few who still recognise me. we've all been caught up with events like the family carnival and the upcoming 50th anniversary of my school. it's older than singapore! though we can't really match the history of other well-established schools that date back to the freaking 19th century for goodness sake! haha.
talking about teachers, yesterday i went for an primary school friend's wedding and we caught up with our old malay language teachers. only one of the three taught me - cikgu samnah. the dear old woman was a good teacher in my opinion, although in one or two aspects i disagreed with the way she handled students. but i really liked her as a teacher. so when i approached her yesterday she couldn't recognise me at the first instance, and asked me for my name instead. when i said yusri she looked at me and slapped me on the forearm. i could sense instant recognition in her eyes! *dances around with glee* haha.
the thing about me is that my face has changed quite a bit since i left primary school (or at least that's what most of the primary school people say). i think i can agree on that. well cikgu asked me where i have disappeared to all this years. it's true that i hardly came back to peiying after i left the school in 1998. i admit secondary school was so much more happening, and late hours and my band practices always kept me tied to bp. but when i said to her im in nus she straightaway muttered alhamudillah (praises to Allah), and i felt she said it earnestly.
i think many go into the teaching line for this reason - the satisfaction that they have made a difference in someone's life. many teachers have repeatedly stated that this is one of the defining reasons that they choose to teach. they know they cannot make millions as a teacher, but the cost of changing someone and moulding him to be a better and more educated person is priceless. the pride that comes with knowing that an ex-student has gone far in life is something teachers find extremely satisfying. i think they really love it when ex-students come back and say they've achieved this and that. i'm not blowing my trumpet but from my primary school batch i'm among a handful who have actually made it to university (there's probably around less than 10 of us from maybe around 40-50 malay students?). making it to university isn't something big for most people nowadays, but when looking at context it means a whole world to many people.
i think it means a whole lot to cikgu that at least a few of her students have made it to the menara gading (ivory tower). if anything she should know that she has contributed to my success really. if not for her maybe i wouldn't have improved my malay, which enabled me to get an A* for it. because of that i could get into bpghs, and most importantly i was offered to take higher malay in bpghs even though i never took it in primary school since i was from em2 stream. and taking higher malay meant i entered a better class, and most importantly mixed and befriended with people whom i consider good and close friends with up to today. because i took could take higher malay in school i could also take malay literature and did well for it in my o levels, and because i took higher malay in bp i need not take malay at jc. the knock-on effect, ladies and gentlemen, really affects me all the way till i entered jc and even nus. cikgu's role might be understated, but i am forever thankful. she really made me a better malay language student. as have my form teacher from p3 to p6, miss bong (now mrs wong), who really drilled us into better performing students. i am forever indebted and grateful to these 2 teachers.
the thing about my success, if it is to come by, is that it is obviously not only due to my own efforts. my parents, my teachers, my friends, my peers all have had a part to play. i don't know about others, but sometimes i feel i'm carrying more than my own weight of expectations on my shoulders. of course much of it is self-imagination, but i think it means a lot to a few groups of people that i do well in my endeavours. maybe i don't owe my life to anyone else, but at least i have a debt to repay to all who have had a part to play in moulding and engineering me the way i am today. especially my parents i guess.
on a less serious and studious i watched despicable me last thursday, and it was a good movie. as i've mentioned before, it takes quite an effort to make me laugh when i watch shows, and once or twice the movie actually did the trick. it was a light-hearted show that's fun to watch. but now i'm down with an irritating influenza, which meant i didn't start the week at 100%. the worse thing is that the next day the sore throat and the phlegm will start (because that is what that always happens to me every time i'm down with flu).
and holland lost the world cup. sigh. i didn't like the way they bullied spain around, but i think they had a chance to seal a win. a team that has been on a winning streak all the way from 2 years ago cannot be underestimated, but they fell short when needed the most. i told myself if holland really won it i will go and get that holland jersey with that gold star on top of its crest, but too bad i do not have to part with my $80. a valiant effort though, and at least i can't stop hearing the sniggers when i say i support the oranje. they aren't the one-trick pony, they are the real stuff.
fly like an angel heaven sent to me.
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