wahaza extra

A quote by the American novelist remind me a day we celebrate teachers. Most of us would have forgotten this day except if we’re in an educational profession.

Some of us would try our best not to remember how we grew up and same goes with me.

I can’t remember why I would feel so uncomfortable talking about school year. Is it the thing that I do in school or maybe the year it was, puzzle me all the time. But, one thing I would remember and cherish every time I see myself now – a person who shape yourself when you’re in school uniform, all of us call them – teachers.

In my life, there are many teachers I remembered who gives me memories about laugh, smile, cry, serious face, spank on my butt or even public canning. Even three of my siblings also work as teachers.

However there is 2 teachers, I would say have the greatest impact on my life.

STORY ONE

Back in primary schools in year 1980′s, in small kampung, what a boy would remembers the most?

Indefinitely crying inside the rooms full of classmate. It was a toughest year for me, growing up with a big family of 8, you wouldn’t have any privilege different from any of your siblings.

You only be able to get one shoe, once a year, a blue uniform short, once a year and maybe a pair of white uniform shirt. In tropical weathers we live in, would you imagine how much weather would impact your daily life, especially during old time.

One day, it was rain heavily, I got myself in a big trouble when my shoes soaks while walking back home a couple of miles from school. It would not just dry on the next day.

So what would you do when you’ve one pair of shoes only? You wear a red selipar jepun.

That was my desperate measure.

The next day in school, this teacher would ask me why? I told the truth. And she ask me back, why I didn’t have another pair. By then, how could I answer that. My family is poor and my parent could not afford to buy another shoes. I’m to naive to think that kind of answer back then.

So I would just cried my heart off.

She as politely, close to my ears and said.

She have notices the poor condition of the shoes couple a week before and already got me a new one in her room for me!

Is that sweet?

To Cikgu Siti Sarah, I know you’ve retired. Happy Teacher’s Day…

STORY TWO

The another teacher, have slightly much bigger impact on me.

I can feel his energy till today. While writing this, I guess his spirit does running in my guts. We have nothing more than just a connection between a student and a teachers. Some people might think, I’m weird, but the greatest thing he do for me, is just noticing me.

Earlier in the secondary schools, he would be the teachers who I would see running around the school chasing the bad boys, and me a nerd in the rooms full of classmate in the religious boys school watching him pass by and get scared with his army face.

As I grew up, living with 5 sisters before me. I kind of choke in what do you see yourself 5 years, 10 years or even 15 years from now. You’re dying in need of a mentor. You can’t compare what your sister do, and your dad was in a way not the person you want to see yourself to be (my dad would say this to me, he send me to school because he don’t want me to be like him, poor and uneducated. I’m proud of him for saying that to me).

You would stuck in the world which there is a lot of new thing come to you and a family who just started to explore beyond the kampung life. (At that time my eldest sister just got a colored TV, a car and a husband)

And I see myself as a long ranger, without guidance of a person who have experience as a ’1990′s man’ in life.

Then, one day you realise you had a potential. Same with me, act fast and leverage on it.

When you know all your sister could write, some are good and some are really good. And what you do? Get their help writing your first poem!

‘Tiba-tiba nama itu hilang di dada pantai‘ was born. My first pieces of writing, maybe much a lot of word there was from my sister.

In school, it was a ‘Sastera Week‘ and there is one competition of Deklamasi Sajak. All my classmate push me to enter into this competition and every class have to represent one and bluntly I say YES.

And without notices, he was the judge.

After my turn, I was so out of the world. Either I was shock with the clapping or amuse I could do that kind of thing really good.

Before announcing the winner, he come to me and said..

“You’re really good”

And end up, I won the 1st place defeating his class, the higher class, which he taught how to write the poem… so that was the first impression I get from him.

(the teacher in the above photos is not him)

After that, I kept bumping into him either in teachers room or across the school corridor, and every time he would remember who you are even he didn’t yet teach any of your classes. So, I was kind of building this kind bond unnoticed where you would see him as a person you like to be at later stage of your life, at the same age he was that time.

Which is my age now.

Some call me crazy in love with him, I just ignore.

However, I would say I had a crush to a person I admire his uniqueness as person who would able to shape me without be next or close to me. On the second first impression, when he start teaching me Bahasa Melayu, he wrote a mark for one of my exercise book.

He said while returning this book in end of classes,

“One day you’ll write a good story and share with people. You’ll touch so many people heart with your truthfulness”

Cikgu Jile’, if I may say so now,

“You’ve taught me, beyond just a school subject. You taught me the life in simplest way – never give up hope whenever and wherever you’re, because education is what remains when one has forgotten everything he learned in school”

For Cikgu Ahmad Ghazilan Ngah, Selamat Hari Guru!

Like what Henry Brooks Adams would said…

“A teacher affects eternity… he can never tell, where his influence stops”