A HEART FOR TEACHING

AROUND March last year, I learnt of the death of my Math teacher, Mrs Moses Yu.

She was the first and only teacher who gave me two out of 40 marks for my first Math test. In my immature, young mind, it was downright cruel. How could she do that? It was all I could comprehend, forgetting that having scored this low would mean more work for her too - more remedial classes and setting mock exam papers. In the end, Mrs Yu helped me to achieve a B3 for Math at my O'Level examinations. What a relief!

Mrs Yu was a very firm teacher with excellent stamina and an elephant's memory. Towards the end of her long, industrious teaching career, she took fewer classes and had to lean on her sturdy walking stick while teaching. Back then, teachers did not have the luxury of clicking on the mouse from a desk and the use of colourful multimedia.

To the rookie teachers, she was formally their teacher and now a mentor and inspiration. Mrs Yu continued teaching even when sickness caught up with her.

While her passing must be a huge loss to her family and loved ones, they must be happy knowing that she had made such positive difference in so many young lives. To many, Mrs Yu was a teacher who had a heart for teaching. Most importantly, Mrs Yu was a very special teacher to me because she believed in me, even when I didn't.

How do you become that special teacher to someone? A teacher whom students will remember and appreciate years after graduation?

While a student will always enjoy a teacher who peppers his lessons with humour, it is the life's lessons that he will never forget. A student will never forget a teacher who teaches him to confront his fears, encourages him in his dreams and aspirations, and believes in him, even when his family or society thinks otherwise.

These life lessons translate to principles that a student will take with him as he steps into adulthood and faces life and its many challenges. The methodology in solving problem sums is constantly changing, but the principles in solving life's problems, such as perseverance, never change.

And only a teacher who has a heart for his students and their future will see beyond the classroom and into the lives he's impacting. Therefore, teaching is never just a job. It is a high calling to be able to shape someone's path in life.

Fifteen years on, numbers and equations are still not my cup of tea but I dread to think what would have happened if Mrs Yu had quit on me or on the other weaker students.

In every profession, having the passion for what you do is the common mantra. How much more it is so for teachers who deal with our future movers and shakers everyday. The Brunei Times