To the Teacher Who Inspired Me to Become One

I know it has become a cliché to ask if there is a teacher who influenced you to be who you are. However, I truly believe in the positive influence an extraordinary teacher can bring into an individual's life. I am now a primary school teacher thanks to that one passionate teacher I met in primary school. I wish to take some time to remember this respected teacher who had played a big part in getting me to where I am today. Teacher's Day Appreciation Towards My Primary School Teacher Meeting My Life Teacher For The First Time Since young, I have had deep interest in reading. Thus, being a school librarian was my dream. I wished to spend my time reading more books in the school library. The smell of the paper books could keep me in the library for the whole afternoon. I eventually became a school librarian when I was in Standard 3, and Miss Tan was the teacher-in-charge. She patiently guided us on how to help pupils borrow and return books in the library, and even how to process new books. She never vented her anger or frustration on us whenever we made any mistakes. On the other hand, she was highly motivated and persistent in educating her pupils. How am I so certain about her passion in teaching? She never discriminates her pupils based on their learning level. Throughout her teaching years, she had constantly proposed herself to teach those 'weak' classes where other teachers would avoid. Unlike ordinary teachers who gave up on naughtier and demotivated pupils, she tried her best to make sure the pupils mastered the subjects or languages. Witnessing Her Teaching Passion Miss Tan has served in my alma mater for more than 20 years (Image credit: SJKC Sin Min A official Facebook page). She was certainly a typical fierce teacher whom every pupil could be fearful of. Whenever I walked pass her class, I would see her holding up a Malay workbook and a cane. She would go through every word and explain the meaning to her pupils. She would then ask them to revise the words as she would give out an oral quiz the following day. Those who could not answer her quiz would get punished throughout the lesson. Here's why she was so strict with her pupils. She believed that no matter how far the pupils are left behind, they could achieve as much as the other pupils from the 'elite' classes. She proved it right. It was in 2006 where she taught a class of weak Standard 6 pupils. Within a year of hard teaching and learning process, she was capable of getting the whole class from fail to pass for Malay language in the Primary School Achievement Test (also known as UPSR). Some even achieved grade A or B in the subject too! Malay language was the one subject to achieve a 100% passing rate for this particular class. While other teachers who taught the same class blamed their pupils for not working hard enough to pass the subjects they taught, Miss Tan had lived out what Dan Rather said: The dream begins, most of the time, with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you on to the next plateau. She believed in her pupils so much that she pushed them every day to take baby steps in mastering the Malay Language. Making Her My Role Model Having Miss Tan in my life is truly a blessing in disguise. Since then, I made my life decision to become a teacher as dedicated as Miss Tan. I applied for the teacher training course as my tertiary education. And whenever our lecturer asked us the core reason why we pursue the teaching profession, I would proudly share how Miss Tan's dedication in teaching has touched me personally and how eager I wished to be a teacher like her. I wish to touch other children's lives as she touched her pupils' learning journey. After five and a half years of training, I am finally an official primary school teacher since 2018. I wished to tell her how grateful and satisfied I am to have followed in her footsteps. Thus, I decided to pay her a visit during Chinese New Year in 2019. I was deeply touched when she could still call me by my full name. My eyes brimmed with tears when she told me how proud she was to see me becoming a teacher just like her. She even asked me out for another meet-up to share some practical teaching tips with me. Since then, I would pay her a visit every Chinese New Year and Teacher's Day to give her some tokens of appreciation. Happy Teacher's Day To Myself and Other Teachers Hopefully Miss Tan's story made you recall any teachers who mean the most to you. If there is, take the effort to contact your teacher and wish them a 'Happy Teachers' Day' on the 16th of May every year. Your little message or any other form of Teacher's Day appreciation could bring your teacher heartfelt moments beyond your imagination. I would also take this opportunity to thank every teacher who has shaped me to be who I am today. I hope to do the same for my pupils too. And a Happy Teachers' Day to every teacher who is putting in your utmost effort and dedication to nurture our next generation. No matter how tired and frustrated you may get at times, keep believing in yourself that you are capable of making a difference in every child's life. You've got this! For more insightful stories and fun recipes, stay tuned to Motherhood Story!

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