16-05-2025
Leaving indelible mark during their teaching days
Teaching is said to be one of the noblest professions, as educators often make an impact on their students.
The knowledge and wisdom imparted by teachers usually help to mould their students' character, preparing them for the future.
StarMetro spoke to a few former students along with the teachers who made a difference in their lives.
Hard history lesson
Former Education minister Datuk P. Kamalanathan, 60, felt his Form 5 history teacher's refusal to give him the two marks needed for him to pass his trial History exam made a major impact on his life.
(From left) Kamalanathan visiting Ranjit at her house in Rawang, Selangor.
This move saw him revising the subject thoroughly for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and ultimately, scoring C3.
'I was truly upset with Ranjit Kaur Randhawa, also known as Mrs Mahinder, but I studied harder and did well in History,' said Kamalanathan, who grew up in Rawang, Selangor, and went to SMK Seri Garing.
He was afraid of his teachers because they knew his parents as it was a small town.
So, he couldn't be mischievous and skip lessons.
'Mrs Mahinder and several other teachers such as Zahir Abdullah and Bing Selamat saw some of their students as family.
'There were no short-cuts as we were all treated with a lot of care and attention.
'Mrs Mahinder also saw my potential and made me part of the school editorial board,' said Kamalanathan.
He said this role at school was his first exposure to leadership and public relations.
'She gave me responsibility and I learnt to coordinate things through my involvement with the editorial board,' he said.
He went on to do his Form 6 at Tunku Abdul Rahman College, now known as Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT).
In early 2000, Kamalanathan completed his Bachelors in Communications at Edith Cowan University in Australia and in 2019, Master of Arts in Political Science before pursuing his PhD in Communications at Universiti Utara Malaysia.
He is ever grateful to his teachers who had instilled in him an interest in lifelong learning.
Kamalanathan said Malaysia presently had 500,000 teachers and about 190 days of schooling in a year.
'Every day there are many good teachers who are impacting the lives of students and this must not be forgotten.
'We cannot forget our teachers; some of the retired teachers end up in shelter homes.
'We must not become a generation that forgets the good deeds of their teacher and should pay a visit to them when possible.'
Although now 81, Ranjit still lives an active life.
A popular neighbourhood figure as many know her from her teaching days, she keeps busy carrying out social activities.
Ranjit said she was the first woman in her family to pursue Form 6 and go to university.
Hailing from Melaka, she completed her secondary education at SMK Canossa Convent there and later, graduated with a Bachelor in History and Economics from Universiti Malaya.
She was drawn to the teaching profession because it gave her time to have a family and career.
Ranjit made an effort to connect with her students and make lessons more interesting
'I always helped the students who would get themselves into trouble at school.
'Every child at school was important to me and I was also a discipline teacher.
'Teachers must care for the students and love them like your own children. Each child is different and we cannot take the same approach for all,' said the grandmother of two.
Ranjit had wanted Kamalanathan to spend time on enriching activities.
'He was always helping the teachers.
'I felt his time should be spent doing things that were meaningful such as the school editorial board.
'I did not want him to mingle with the wrong crowd,' she said.
Applying moral studies
For Raymond Chew, 47, a pair of married teachers had helped to shape his character and keep him interested in learning.
Chew (right) recalling old memories with teachers Tan (centre) and Ho at their house in Taman Tenggiri, Seberang Jaya in Penang.
Chew, who came from a poor family, is now a business owner dealing in self-service digital kiosks.
He recalled Year 5 and 6 teacher Ho Kim Lee, 67, at SRK Seberang Jaya in Penang, was strict but caring too.
'She pulled my ears when I was not paying attention in class.
'But she cared, so when she punished me, I didn't take offence,' he said.
At SMK Seberang Jaya, Chew's favourite teacher was Tan Weng Siong, 70, who is Ho's husband.
'I did not know that they were husband and wife until I left school after Form 5.
'They were both amazing teachers,' said Chew.
According to him, Tan taught Moral and made lessons enjoyable for students.
'The Moral subject had many 'nilai' or values that had to be remembered and understood.
'Mr Tan would write down the values on the board and make us talk about them during each lesson.
'These values were drilled into us and easy for us to understand.'
He said the values were not just memorised for exams but also applied in their lives.
'For a student like me, there was little nurturing from my parents who were struggling to make ends meet.
'It was my teachers who instilled all these values. I am indebted to them,' said Chew.
Ho remembers Chew as a quiet and hard-working student in her English class.
She appreciates the relationship they have fostered since he left school.
Ho completed her secondary education at SMK Convent Butterworth, Penang, and trained as a teacher at Maktab Perguruan Sultan Abdul Halim in Kedah.
She taught English at SRK Seberang Jaya for over 20 years.
'I would make the students sing a lot of English songs. This helped them to improve their grammar.
'I love teaching as I could watch the students grow,' said Ho.
She added that teachers now were more educated compared to her and hoped that they would be more dedicated towards their students' growth too.
Her husband Tan taught at SMK Seberang Jaya for over 20 years and has a degree in History and Political Science from Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang.
Tan said he did not envision becoming a teacher but he made the best of his career.
'We were not too ambitious in the past.
'We would just apply for jobs and were happy to hold a government job.
'Most factory workers then would receive RM200 while teachers would get RM500 as monthly wages, so the better pay appealed to me,' said Tan.
As a teacher, he made his lessons fun, especially the Moral subject.
'Teachers often do not want to teach this subject because it is boring.
'I, on the other hand, decided to analyse this subject and taught the students with a lot examples.
'I would also ask the students to share their examples in class and this held their attention during the lesson,' he said.
His advice to younger teachers – analyse the subject being taught and prepare lessons well.
'Do not walk into the classroom, open the textbook and read it to the students.
'Plan and give a lot of examples as this will catch the students' attention,' he said.
Tan also recalled Chew was a good student.
He too appreciates the friendship fostered with his former student over the years.
Always listening
For Dr Arunan Manoharan, 32, Moral teacher Nizam Beevi Rahmatullah, 60, had been an inspiration to him.
(From left) Dr Arunan delivering a bouquet of flowers to Nizam on a visit to her home in Klang, Selangor. — FAIHAN GHANI, LOW BOON TAT and ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
He studied at SMK La Salle, Klang and Nizam was an exemplary teacher.
She said to him once that he was not going to do well in SPM because he had skipped class.
This scared him into studying harder and he went on to score 9As and 1B in SPM.
'She is well-loved and not like the other teachers that we had.
'Nizam would treat both the students from the first and last classes the same.'
Dr Arunan felt that she was non-judgemental and that won the hearts of all the students.
'She would also back us up when other teachers accused us of some mischief.
'She would listen to our explanation first before coming to any conclusion.
'This made the students feel at ease with her and they would open up.
'Students come from different socio-economic backgrounds and they behave based on their upbringing and environment – she understood this and had a lot of patience,' he said.
Dr Arunan added that Nizam would also come prepared and make lessons fun.
Nizam, on the other hand, said she was inspired by her own teachers to pursue the teaching profession.
'I am an Indian-Muslim and in the past, girls from my community were married off after Form 5.
'However, I wanted to become a teacher and my parents encouraged me.
'As a young student, I liked the confidence my teachers had and how they dressed.
'I wanted to be like them,' said Nizam, who has a Bachelor in Education (Teaching of English as a Second Language) from Universiti Putra Malaysia.
At her first post as a teacher in an all-girls school, she would put in the effort to dress up like her former teachers.
However, she had to dress more practically when she was transferred to SMK La Salle Klang from 2003.
'When I was posted to the all-boys school, the boys were a handful. They would get into fights and I had to separate them.
'They grew to respect me. I gained their respect by first treating them with respect too.
'I do not judge their background but I will speak to them with kindness.'
She said that she would greet the students at the entrance of the school.
'By just engaging with the students they become comfortable with me.
'When they are comfortable with me, they open up about their problems,' she added.
Nizam said her best memories as a teacher was being able to stop fights among the boys.
'I feel happy to see the boys make peace,' she said.
'My advice to teachers is to always show students kindness,' she added.
