Teacher’s Day – A Tribute to My Teachers

May 16th, Teacher’s Day. I don’t think I can be where I am today without my teachers.
So, on this special day I would like to remember them and thank them for all that they have done for me. Who knows, maybe some of them might stumble upon my blog and realize that their labour of love had not been in vain. I owe them so much.

And the honoraries are…. (drum roll)

Mrs Foong, my kindergarten teacher, a no nonsense Chinese lady with a hair-do that made her stood at least another half foot taller, complete with butterfly shaped glasses. Very, very scary if she held a cane!

Pn Zainal, my class teacher for standard 1 and 3. She was a Chinese who converted to Islam by marriage. She taught Art those days. I was her pet actually. ;-) She frequently called me out of the classroom to help her in all kinds of art and craft projects, be it the school play decoration or art competition. I looked forward to it as it meant fun rather than sitting in the boring classroom.

Pn Nathan, my class teacher for standard 6. A tyrant at the beginning of the year but she became our friend by year end. She taught us English. I still remember the time she punished us by making us squat under the desk or squat under the black board for the entire period as she carried on teaching, oblivious to the fact that her poor (but mischievous) pupils were having severe lower limb cramps. By year end we were frequent visitors to her home where we had great fun and tea. Her son became our good pal.

Mrs Boo, my English Teacher from Form 3-5. Another irritable lady! It would be unwise to be in her bad books. Luckily, I was her pet! She made a tremendous impact on my reading habit. Happy were the days when I was at her house for tea and she would introduce me to her favorite authors, showing off to me her vast collection of books in her library. She would get me to read the books and tell her what I think of them. I don’t think we can find teachers like her anymore. She taught me English by example.

Ms Lee, my geography teacher in Form 4 and 5. When this lady tells you about the demography of a place anywhere in the world, you’d better believe her as she HAS been there!!! She gets very animated and excited when she tells you about some place she has been before (which was just about everywhere….oh well, when you are single….); and so the usually dull subject of Geography became alive when she taught! She planted the seed of curiosity in me.

Ms Lim, my ‘Kertas Am’ (General Paper) teacher in Form 5 and 6. She was petite, soft spoken and spoke malay so fluently you could easily mistake her for one. Ironically, she was the one who taught me to be a little cynical; not to look at the world with sugar coated eyes. I still remember her words to me: ‘Find your niche in this world, if you don’t, some day there will be not one inch for you or your race to stand in this country'. She was by no means a racist. What she said was true and I still believe it.

Mrs Ong, my Mathematic and Additional Mathematics teacher from Form 4 to 6. She was the one who literally turned my life around. Towards the end of Form 5, when the trial exam was drawing near, she literally pulled me aside and told me to get my act together. I was scoring borderline fail those days in maths. Maybe she saw something in me that I could not see in myself. Maybe she knew I could do better. After her private ‘lecture’, I poured in 101% effort into maths and changed from a mediocre student to one of the top students. I never looked back since. She taught me excellence required hard work.

Mrs Seong, my Biology teacher in Form 6. She knew that I was weak in my science subjects but still accepted me into her class (thank God, otherwise, I can kiss Medicine goodbye). Happy were the times when we would be at her home playing UNO or SNAP or Monopoly or anything! She taught us there was life outside of the classroom.

Ms Khoo, our music teacher. Grave would be the life of anyone who mistakenly addressed her as ‘Mrs’ Khoo!!! She whipped a bunch of us into a formidable choir group. Our greatest achievement was performing at the Kuantan Stadium during one of the MSSM meet. Her house was the ‘lepak’ (hangout) place for us, even after we left school. A lovely wooden bungalow surrounded by a lush green garden. She taught us that education does not only mean books.

Dr Wan Zurinah, my supervisor and mentor in the final year of my BSc (Hons) program. Tall and willowy, energetic and full of ideas, she was a great encouragement to me especially the times when my experiments did not yield the desired results. My thesis got an ‘A’. :-)

Prof Dato’ Lam Sai Kit, short in stature but powerful in influence. He was a tough taskmaster as I worked as a Research Assistant and Masters Student under him. He introduced me to the wonderful world of genetics and bugs. When I chose to end my postgraduate study prematurely and pursue a career in Medicine, he did not stop me but instead encouraged me. Throughout my undergrad days in Medicine, he would send news or cards and later, emails. I know I have a good friend in him.

Dr Ingrid Kautner, my bubbly supervisor from Poland when I was doing research in UM. It was a joy working with and under her guidance. She introduced me to the classics when she gave me a book titled 'The Castle' by Kafka. Took me forever to read it. She deemed the stuff I was reading prior to that unsuitable for a scientist! She taught me perseverance and not to give up, no matter how bad things were.

Dr Susan Benjamin, my physiology lecturer in India. She walked with such grace. If you can imagine those private tutors in the Victorian Era, she would fit the bill nicely. She was a walking physiology book! Physiology was interesting when she taught it. She taught us that Medicine can be graceful.

Dr Benjamin Joseph, hubby of Dr Susan and Orthopedic Surgeon extraordinaire. He made me beam with pride when he patted me on the back during an orthopedic ward round after I explained to postgraduate students the entire process of fixing biopsy tissue into wax and subsequent slide preparation. (He didn’t know that I had first hand knowledge of such things). He taught me the power of affirmation.

Dr Anjali Rao, my biochemistry teacher. The most vivid memory that I have of her was that of her pacing up and down the lecture hall, dressed in her saree (with perspiration evident under the arms), furiously wiping the perspiration from her brow with the tiny hanky in her hand as she taught biochemisty in the hot Indian summer. To me, that’s dedication and passion.

Dr Lavanya Rao, my O&G lecturer. She was a petite lady who was a firebrand. She taught, she scolded, she threatened, she yelled, she shouted, she screamed and she pestered; and she got some O&G stuff into our thick resistant brains! She taught us that the most unpleasant subject can be learnt.

Dr Chandrashekar, my ophthalmology lecturer who taught me the power of imagination. I remember him telling us as he showed us a slide, “Can you see the microaneurysms in the fundus? Can you? Can you? You can’t? If you can’t see, then just imagine them!!!”. And then miraculously, all I could see were microaneurysms everywhere!!! Enough said.

Dr Sharmini, my Community Medicine lecturer, also wife of Dr Chandrasekhar. I love Community Medicine because of her! Actually I can’t remember much of my community medicine stuff when she taught. It was a pleasure just watching her. Such beauty and grace! Not a hint of perspiration even in the hottest Indian summer! And yes, I did get a gold medal in Community Medicine. :-)

Dr Jim Mathew, my close friend, brother and fellow church member and, a postgraduate student in Medicine when I was in India. He taught me to love medicine, taking the trouble to have me around the hospital in the night just to show me this or that patient; or he would be coaching me on the finer art of medicine in an empty room some where in the hospital. Thanks buddy.

Dr Suhas Bhat, a young lecturer in Medicine. He was the heart-throb then, girls would faint in his presence. He had good looks and beautiful hazel eyes. I owe him lots for the long hours he spent with me in the district hospital where we were posted together, going through one ECG after another ECG with me, helping me to understand that the wavy jagged lines on paper actually meant something! He helped me want to be a physician.

I could go on and on. I just want to say “thank you” to them for all that they have done in my life. My prayer is that I might in turn, make a difference in another person’s life just as they did in mine. Happy Teacher’s Day!