The "almost" forgotten day!

I was out beraya with families til late night last night. By the time I logged on to facebook, I saw greetings on friends' statuses. Yikes! I lost track of the date that today's actually 23rd Sept. Brunei's official Teacher's Day :) so....

"HAPPY TEACHER'S DAY TO ALL TEACHERS IN BRUNEI DARUSSALAM"

So this morning I got a text from a colleague saying:

A good teacher is like a candle - it lights the way for others but consumes itself to do so.. Happy Teacher's Day ..

So true! So very true! I like the text so I forwarded it to several others. The replies are amusing and some are thoughtful. Here are some of them:

Happy Teacher's Day to you too. How true! We burn ourselves to educate others.. (HL)
- I see the hidden meaning of the word "burn" here. Can you? ;)

And moths and other sorts of ugly creatures hover around the lighted candle and get burnt. Can you blame the candle? (Irman)
- I can seriously relate this connotation with my every day's life facing numerous kinds of kids in and outside the classrooms. So I replied him:
We burn ourselves to educate others and when statistics show teachers are among the highest number of patients with hypertension, burning others is sure NOT a fault ;)

A good teacher is like a sun. Plants need light from the sun to survive. So do us. Students need our specialties to live! (Danny)
- I see the point so I replied:
Hell yeah! We burn ourselves for them and we burn THEM when they give tantrums!! Are we to blame??

In facebook, we had chain comments on Teacher's Day's songs. One particular song that I have always loved singing and listening to is this: (it's in Malay)

Hari pertama masuk sekolah
Tak pandai membaca mengira
Tetapi cikgu begitu sabar
Mengajar kami sungguh-sungguh

Bermula ABC sampai Z
Hitung 1 sampai 10
Baru ejaan dan kira-kira
Kami belajar dengan lancar

Berkat kesabaran
Guru bijaksana
Memberi pelbagai petunjuk
Hari demi hari
Kami mengerti
Pelajaran nilainya tinggi

Kami ingat setiap masa
Jasa guru mendidik bangsa
Sambutlah kini ucapan kami
TERIMA KASIH CIKGU.....

You won't believe I was even singing typing up the lyrics just now ;) So, during the chain singing on facebook, I remembered my teachers whom I always respected way back from primary school years right up till my uni time. So, I'd like to take this opportunity to list down some of the many great teachers I had throughout my childhood and adulthood life. They are:

The best teachers in primary school:
Cikgu Hjh Fatimah and Cikgu Dina (Malay), Mrs. Alison (English), and Cikgu Kamariah (Maths)..

The best in secondary school:
Cikgu Hjh. Khadijah and Mr. Chan (English), and Cikgu Dk. Hashimah (Science)..

College (MD) lecturers:
Mr. Simmonds (Sociology), Mr. Burke (Geography) and Mr. Krishnan (Public Affairs)..

UBD years:
Mr. Peter Crompton, Mr. Nigel Turton, Mr. Alan Chamberlain and Mr. David Presscott - he helped me with my thesis and I can't thank him enough for making me see a "B" on my result sheet! :)

Sometimes, with all the stress and depression after a long day at work, I can't help my self wondering whether I "could" stay working as an educator for the rest of my life .. Honestly speaking, I can't! I can't see my self in classrooms screaming on top of my lungs teaching in front of hungry faces when I am 60..

But my dad made it! And my mum is gonna retire this October and we all can't believe that she's actually PLANNING to continue her service!!

Will I be like them? Hmm... We'll see! Anyway, HAPPY TEACHER'S DAY again all. Spread the greetings to all your teachers. You can't deny it! Without them, you're a nobody today :)


PS: The chain singing comments on facebook started when not a single Hari Guru songs is played on the radio today. Honestly, we felt forgotten! And seriously people, I am sick of the Raya songs already!! Especially one by this particular new local artist (Aisyah??).. the one with the raps! Gawd!! BIDA BERABIS!!!