YOURSAY | ‘You’ve taken the brutality out of a brutal system of education. Well done, Sir.’

I'm a teacher, and a student made a racist joke to my face

Dont Just Talk: Kudos to Chow Geh Tsung for going out of the way to teach ‘X’ the meaning of respect.

Respect has to be first taught by parents. In school, the teachers and friends are the next group of role models for the child to emulate. Then comes the university level, followed by one’s mentors at work.

We hope that there are many more teachers like Chow, who take the extra effort to teach the children in her school the meaning of ‘respect’.

Vijay47: Cikgu Chow, I must compliment you on your patience. I cannot imagine teachers in this day and age not lashing out at sassy smart-alec students.

Your piece brings to mind my own school days about a million years ago. At my school, there used to lurk frightening creatures called ‘Masters’ who seemed to worship a strange religion called Discipline. Just step out of line and he would give you six of the best.

Complain to my father? He would have given me another six of the worst. These monster teachers, who came from all races, somehow simply did not see race in us, we were either good students or "You come here right now".

Today when I think back of those years in a galaxy far, far away, I realise that these were the teachers who made me what I am and behind that scary mask, were my best friends.

Rubystar_4037: Bless you, cikgu, for taking the time to write this article.

I hope all teachers have what it takes to be a teacher and to set an example on how to deal with wayward students, who could have watched people like Ali Tinju and Ridhuan Tee Abdullah too much.

Anonymous 2411361459930771: Here’s a teacher of immense patience. Chow reminds me of the words of Mahatma Gandhi:

"It has always been a mystery to me how men feel themselves honoured by their humiliation of their fellow beings."

Vent: Goody two-shoes teachers? Never knew any when I was a sulking testosterone-raging teenager.

Racism? Some of the worst were teachers and that, too, at a time I always refer to nostalgically as a ‘kinder’ Malaysia.

Spare the rod and spoil the child? Guess so in today’s Malaysia. Or the race card will surely be hurled at you and it can hit you real hard with the usual suspects screaming sedition at you as well.

I guess your work is all cut out for you, Cikgu Chow. So don’t complain or go get a life somewhere else.

Anonymous_1421406986: What Cikgu Chow has done goes a long way to change the mindset of students. Non-Malay teachers are few in number. Building race relationship falls on Malay teachers.

I am not generalising Malay teachers, for there are many who are upset with the damage caused by politicians and preachers (including invited speakers of international repute). I am referring to Malay teachers from states with practically no contact with non-Malays.

This is an area where the teachers training colleges should look into, making them understand and appreciate that Malaysia is a multiracial/religious country.

They are on the front line as nation and unity builders. When students respect a teacher, they also respect the race of the teacher.

I am lucky I come from a kampung but I also had selfless Malay teachers, and one such teacher was Cikgu Rafaei from St Michael’s Institution, Ipoh.

I pray that he is still around, giving me an opportunity to wish him Happy Teacher's Day, cikgu, along with Masters Jonas Phang (Penang) and Louis Rodriquese.

Tali Gantung: Having read Chow's piece, I feel like it is Merdeka once again for Malaysia. Having good, civic-conscious and sensible teachers is always an asset for nation building.

But, sad to say, currently we have some teachers who are themselves badly brought up and talk rubbish to their students and drawing anger from concerned parents.

Freethinker: Education and respect start at home. Parents play a major role in educating their children to respect others and themselves. More often than not, parents leave all the teaching to the teacher at school.

Racism was not born but cultivated. If parents are racist, very likely their children will be so, too.

Teachers, on the other hand, play a supporting role in education. Teachers, like the writer above, I would dare say, are one in a hundred. It would be one in every thousand if the country allows racism to grow.

Anonymous_1371952461: Cikgu Chow, thank you for being who you are. My admiration and respect for your choice of vocation. Thanks for teaching with kindness.

I wish I had more teachers like you. The one who made an impact on me, I remember them till now, and I shall pass it forward. Have a great day.

Cogito Ergo Sum: Experience is a brutal teacher. You have taken the brutality out of a brutal system of education.

If there are more teachers like you, Chow, we have some hope that the future will be in capable hands.

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