Cikgu! Apa Khabar?

Hello all...

This morning I had breakfast with my family before going to the bus terminal to go back to the Big City when I saw a familiar face coming out of a book store. It was my Math and Science teacher Cikgu S. He was one of my favorite teachers of all time during primary school and without hesitation I immediately called out to him, "Cikgu!" When he turned around I held out my hand to shake his and proceeded to ask how was he, where is he currently teaching and all.

I could see that he didn't recognize me immediately but he smiled and chatted amicably just the same. I think he only began to place me when he saw my parents. Then my sister greeted him. He had been her teacher as well. Then guess what? This random Chinese guy passing us stopped and greeted him too! "Apa khabar cikgu?" he asked.

It struck me right then and there just how much people this great man in front of me had touched during his life as a teacher, just how big his influence was and still is in the community. Oh, how huge his blessings must be as in Islam we believe that when a person teaches no matter how small or simple *teaching in this sense is not confined to the classroom*, he or she will get blessings or pahala. He or she will also get pahala when the person he or she taught passes that knowledge to another person and so on. In other words by sharing knowledge with others, we get cumulative blessings as long as we do it with pure intentions.

I don't know why but meeting my former teacher today set me thinking how lucky teachers are especially those teaching young children the basics of counting reading and writing. These basic skill are what we as human beings use every day in our lives, whether it is to count how much is the price of an item after discount during sales season *ahem* or stringing two words to make a sentence, a paragraph, a blog post, etc. Each time we use these skills, whoever it is that taught us get blessings. How cool is that?

To all the teachers out there, the world now is not as it was during our time and certainly not like the times of our parents. There are new challenges in facing this new generation of young people that you call students. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to be a teacher at this time and age. If you can, please persevere. You have no idea how much power, how much influence you hold in your hands. What you are doing is a noble thing.

One day, most of the monsters students who once had snot running down their noses/whom you had sent out of your class at least 5 times in a month will grow up to become distinguished and learned gentlemen and ladies and you had a hand in making them as such. One day you will be just like Cikgu S, and have your former students coming up to you to greet you, shake your hand. If all else fails in giving you motivation, just think that one day they might even be teachers themselves and they will know what a pain in the behind it can be. (^^)

Until the next post, cheers peeps!

Love,
Phoebe