Teacher’s Day is a day to honour and appreciate educators for their dedication and impact on students’ lives. This day highlights the crucial role teachers play in moulding the future.
Reminiscences and Thank You’s
It is without a doubt that teachers play a pivotal role in every child’s life. Whether they are gentle teachers or strict teachers, each is involved in moulding characters. By touching the lives of many, they are also the ones responsible for the future leaders. To commemorate their efforts, National Teachers’ Day falls on May 16 annually.
Growing up in Malaysia, the day is often seen as a celebration among students and teachers. Celebratory assemblies are held, followed by class parties. The programmes of the day usually involve memorable times between students and teachers.
Remembering fond memories of notable teachers, I recalled my lecturers in college. One, though strict and always nagging, was actually quite caring and inspiring. Another lecturer I remembered always shared motivational stories in class from her younger days. They both have shaped me thoroughly into who I am today as a journalist in the media field. After I graduated, we continued talking for a while, and they were my pillars of encouragement in a new environment.
Asking others about the notable teachers in their lives to commemorate Teachers’ Day this year, eight people shared with me their stories of how their educators had managed to leave a lasting mark on them, despite the years since school.
Chang Yi, 75, English Teacher (retired)
Looking back, I remember Mr Keith Wiltshire for his speaking skills, which included lots of dramatic elements. I can remember every lesson he conducted to this day. Meanwhile, another teacher, Mrs Kuruvilla, imparted her values to us: “Girls should be smart, girls must study hard to have a career.” Whereas Miss Jackie Fries taught us to be alert and score high marks, as well as to be kind and supportive.
Lilian, 38, Sales Agent
My school’s vice principal, Mrs Tay, encouraged me to look beyond the conventional world and think outside the box, not just follow blindly. She explained that just because a child reads a lot doesn’t mean they are smart, and just because a child doesn’t study doesn’t mean they are useless. She emphasised that many things can happen beyond our immediate world, and this also means we should never give ourselves excuses to skip our studies.
Bryan Marshall, 29, Technical Manager
Madam Doria Edwin was my English and Classroom teacher back then. Her patience and dedication to teaching English inspired me in primary school. I would say that my foundation in the English language was built by her. Not to forget her sense of fashion! She is the kind of teacher who presents herself well. To this day, I am still in contact with Madam Doria via Facebook, and we never fail to wish each other happy birthday since our birthdays are just a day apart. She has also congratulated me on every achievement and has expressed countless times how proud she is to have been my teacher.
Aqilah, 30, public relations officer
When I first moved to Sarawak, Cikgu Kaptiah was my class teacher. She was very caring and nice. Being somewhat the only Semenanjung student in the class at that time, she made sure I had everything I needed and guided me throughout the years. She was not only close to me but also to my mother, and when we returned to Kuala Lumpur, we visited her at her home. It’s safe to say that the relationship between teacher and student does not end at school. One of my core memories with her is that she ensured all her students received the same treatment.
Eva Ngu, 29, Digital Marketer
I remember Ms Chai, my piano teacher. She’s a big fan of classical music and very skilful too. I used to dread going to my music classes every Sunday because whenever I hadn’t practiced enough, Ms Chai would extend my lessons from one hour to four or five hours. I’d be exhausted, practicing until I got the notes right. However, she taught me the importance of consistent practice. Despite my busy schedule as a secondary school student, she ensured I never skipped my weekly home practice. Eventually, this constant determination helped me score well for the first time in my Grade 7 practical exam.
Joan, 29, Project Manager
Mr Chai F V — as he would put it, “Art is everything.” He rarely gave us a grade lower than an A- because he believed that no artwork could ever be ugly, unless one put no effort into it. All the templates he provided for us to paint in each class were hand-drawn by himself, though we didn’t appreciate them at the time. However, now that we’re older and he has moved on, his students cherish the memories of art class and the few pieces of artwork we have kept.
Raycliff Peta, 32, Site Engineer
Being the “anak cikgu” (teacher’s child), expectations are always high. In my case, my mother, Cikgu Tekri Liat, was my Kajian Tempatan teacher in primary school. My most significant memory of her is teaching me English at home; she reserved 8pm to 9.30pm exclusively for studies each night.
Roger Chai, 30, Chemical Engineer
Once an English teacher of mine, Mr Tan, told my class before we started our SPM examination week, “You will succeed, and you will succeed in many ways, but never ever let anyone tell you otherwise.” To my teacher, thank you for these simple yet powerful sentences. They brought out so much confidence in me as a student. I will forever be grateful and in remembrance.
