I can’t recall all the teachers who taught me but there are a few who left vivid memories in my mind. Among those whom I vividly remember till today are my three English teachers namely Pn. Tiong, Pn. Anna Khor and Ms. Rovena Capel. Today, I bumped into Pn. Tiong in church. The feeling was sweet for the last time I spoke to her was when I took this final photo with her 10years ago back in school.
Pn Tiong never taught English in my class, my encounter with her was through the school debating team. I was sent to her for training and her command of English left me in awe. She was unique, different from my other teachers. She was one of the rare Chinese teachers in school who hardly knew Mandarin. She had a charisma which I always admired and yes, she had a husband who was stunning, a blue eyed Eurasian professor from USM. Indeed, she was someone I looked up to.
I was a dummy when I joined the debating team. It was not what I was interested in. I was forced to be in the team because my English teacher sent me to her. Despite us being uninterested in debating, Pn. Tiong groomed us pretty well, good enough to beat our opponents in the inter school debating competition and enter the district level finals which we lost eventually. Though we lost, I gained confidence in myself through her guidance. I learned to write and think critically, to put my thoughts into words.
I have always considered myself to be a small fry, someone who did not leave much impact in other people’s life. Therefore, each time an old teacher remembers me, my heart really leaps with joy. Pn. Tiong remembered me today and yes it really makes me happy to know that.


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