Being a Teacher : Response to You know Who (mostly blabber on my part)

Assalamualaikum

Recently, the blog entitled “Untung la sape jadi Cikgu” (is this the correct title?) by Miss Yana Adnan has gone viral over the internet, getting many angry responses from teachers, teacher’s husband, teacher’s wife and etc. The content of her writing for me is shown as someone who is in Malay called ‘Cetek pemikiran’ or in English someone who are shallow in thinking! Maybe she is shallow or maybe she is not but only Allah S.W.T and she knows what is going on in her mind and heart.

In my opinion there is no occupation/job/work that is easy. Even ‘Pembuat Roti Jala’ is a hard work! I can’t imagine myself to be one, to stay close to the fire and working in the heat (no offense to anyone but if  no one is cooking it, how am I going to eat one, ha..ha.. ).  The same goes for every other job. The doctor, the engineer (hmm.. hmm I cannot be angry with every engineer since my bro is one) the teacher, the shop keeper, the paddy planter, and etc. What is important is your passion to do it! If you did not have any passion for it, nothing is going to work for you.  So it is wrong for her (Liyana Adnan) to bash on teacher occupation or even any other occupation! We are living in a symbiosis world. We need each other!

Well, before I started being a teacher trainee, I also have these types of misconception (well at that time I was only 18, so I might be forgiven for being ignorance?? Ha..ha..) The wage is pretty good, the working hour is not bad and plus we got a lot of holiday, isn’t it? Furthermore, to those who are lucky to be chosen to enroll in Teacher Trainee’s Institution, you even got scholarship to go by! Isn’t that a good deal??  So I applied for it and when I got in, I went to my college with a thought that I will able to sail my life breezily by being a teacher.

Well, how wrong of me to think of such things! Being a teacher is NOT easy! In fact being an anything is not easy.  (My teaching training took six years that sometime I wonder if instead of being a teacher, I was actually learning to be a doctor. Well doctor of life, attitude, child problem and ethics I guess!) My teaching experience only expand for 6 months (I know, but I have no one to blame but the GOVT for not making the posting process go faster rather than at the speed of the turtle, *grrr!) 3 months as the practical teacher (last Jan – April) at one primary school and another 3 month (last April – July) at Special Education Secondary School. So it is not a lot. But during those 6 months I have learned the harsh world of being a teacher.

I am not saying that my job is more important than other but can you imagine of facing a class average of 30 pupils who are small and totally dependent on us to provide them the knowledge of the world?? Well maybe you are not if you have never experience being a teacher! The first time I step into the class, I was feeling totally overwhelmed and helpless. These small children with their innocent (and sometime not so-innocence) eyes looking up at you, expecting for your first word and action, their brightened up face when you praise them and their glee when they compete with each other sometimes make me wish that I was a better teacher than what I am. Even though I had prepared my lesson plan and teaching aids, I always feel like that it wasn’t enough. My urges to develop them to become a better human being sometimes make me cried due to my own helplessness.

Teacher deals with a human being and that one thing sometimes make it one of the hardest works in the universe. There are no human that are two peas in a pod. All of them have a different need. All of them need a different approach. All of them need a different style.  And teachers have to deal not only with the student but also with the parent, guardian, colleague, Admin and etc. I think one of the people who deal with many people in their life is the teacher!  Probably this is one reason why teacher are being respected and known to many people! However I also believe that, the teacher conducts and attitude also play major important roles in the gaining (is this a right word? Oh well need to improve more) the “Respected Teacher” title (I also need to work more on this, with me always being to childish)

Though to some people, there are many so called perks in being a teacher, but in my opinion, many of those perks are sometime being use for the children itself. I always feel happy to spend my money and time to conduct a different teaching approach for my pupils. For me, when their eyes lit up in appreciations and understanding, it is more than enough to give me energy to work harder for them (this might sound over the top, but I really love it when pupils understand what is being thought to them)

There are people who said that we tend to act rashly when we feel dissatisfied with something. Maybe Miss Liyana Adnan are not satisfies with teacher profession who seems to be having free wages by only walking and teaching at the front, with a lots of holiday and GOVT servant perks. So if you are not satisfied with your work and feel envy of being a teacher, why don’t you apply for the KPLI and try to be a teacher. Maybe by doing that you will know the word of gratitude?

                Well I apologized for my inconsistent blabber. I think my brain is not working properly due to the feeling of angry and sad with Miss Liyana’s statement.  Actually there are many things I want to write about but I think enough is enough. I think Miss Liyana herself is no longer needed for another person to tell her the holiness of a teacher! Ha..ha.. Well as the word goes by, try putting yourself in someone shoes before you spew off offensive word. Because   ‘Terlajak perahu boleh diundur, terlajak kata ….’

                Until next time Miss Liyana. I hope I will get the honors of meeting your children in the future!