Dear students,
How are you feeling today? Though you might not have noticed, I, like many other teachers do wonder what truly is on your mind and if indeed school is where you want to be. The precious time we have together passes by so quickly. I feel this more at the start of every year, when I stand in class face-to-face with you, my students, staring at me, the new form teacher, when exams are around the corner but there is still so much you need to learn; when after a learning journey, I ponder if you have enjoyed the experience as much as I wish you did. The best students are indeed the ones who are engaged.
I think you have realised by now that all teachers have so much to talk about and share. They embrace sharing and care with such fervour, it becomes their second nature. Teachers could go on and on to share their experiences, their thoughts, their advice, their knowledge, concerns, guidance and much more. But, as your teacher, if there is one thing I would like you to remember as you continue to pursue your dreams, it is the belief in doing good. If you could get this right, you will soon realise that in time, everything else will fall in place. There is nothing or no one that will deny you your hope and aspirations as long as you have the right values and aspire to do good, especially towards others. But please help me to convince your parents the next time we have the PTM conversation. You are worthy of respect. You are the person whom we all are proud of because of your good character.
Many successful people in this world have shared that the greatest source of joy and satisfaction in life is not from mere celebration of achievements, but in overcoming challenges to finally taste success and in turn, benefit the community. School is indeed a time for you to explore. Go out of your comfort zones, make some mistakes, but pick yourself up and continue to seek your own path to success and happiness. You can be assured that there would be as many teachers that would celebrate your victories as there would be those who would cheer you on to finally pass that difficult subject. So be motivated, be resilient and continue to dream.
And so it goes that despite so many other things to be concerned of, I will choose to continue to be bothered by that piece of paper under your desk that you have pretended not to notice, the PE t-shirt that doesn’t belong on the teacher’s table, and that container at the back of the class that has long passed its ‘testing’ stage. Perhaps, what I am really doing is also to impress on you that while you may be absorbed with the hectic or the mundane activities in school, please remember to look beyond exams and beyond the accolades of all your medals and your triumphs. There are just so much you can learn from around you. Be civic-minded, be observant and definitely be curious.
Indeed, I truly believe that all of you are very talented and unique individuals with your own strengths and aspirations. And just like you, teachers do come in different ‘shapes and sizes’ – we can be kind, we can be firm, we can be creative, approachable, critical and caring all in one year. But guess what? More often than not, within a span of a day. So lastly, remember to be kind, especially to your teachers.
Yours Truly,
Madam Hanim
