Some of my 1969 classmates of Lok Yuk KK had a lunch at a local restaurant with our former English Teacher before she left for Australia. When she taught us in the late sixties, she was 26 and a fresh graduate. Sushila Chari is a petite Indian lady who married a man whom she called "my China Man". After her marriage, students called her Mr. Sushila Chung. Now, both teacher and students are all senior citizens.
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| Class of 1969. |
Talking about teachers, there is a quote that says, "The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspire".
I could recall mediocre teachers, indifferent teachers, uncommitted teachers, dispassionate teachers, some good teachers, extremely rare superior teachers and great teacher who inspired - none I could think of.
I remember a teacher, a known majong enthusiast who came to class with occasional yawns for lack of sleep. His favourite teaching method was to ask the students to turn to the pages on worked examples and he would start copying the examples on the board. Once, he failed to realize that he had copied wrongly until the students pointed out to him.
Then, we had another teacher who came to the class, pulled the chair and sat down. Without looking at the class, she asked the students to turn to specific pages of the text book and started teaching. There was hardly a moment that she would raise her head to look at the class and had eyes contact - a dispassionate teacher! Surprisingly, she rose to become a school principal.
It turns out it was a trainee teacher from a teacher training college whom I consider a superior teacher when I was a lower secondary student. He would take extra effort to make all the models and teaching aids to supplement his teaching. In a class outing, he took the effort to join the students and we had such great fun and laughter. There was no difference between teacher and students. He was one of us. That left a lasting impression on me.
Teachers should not be rated just based on the teaching skill alone. Sometimes, it is the little things that they do for the students, their compassion, their understanding that earn them the credentials to be regarded as good teachers. This is the case of my English Teacher.
When the lunch with my English Teacher was over on 5 July 2018 and photos shared, this is what she shared in WhatsApp:
"I will never forget this particular day, good food, excellent company and beautiful memorable photos. What could one ask for. Thanks Jesus for the young men and women I had taught 42 years ago!".
To be exact, it is 49 years ago!
