Like the image in the rear view mirror, things can seem inverted 180 degrees in retrospect.
When I was a wee lass of 14 years, I was sent on a wonderful education experience in Singapore through a scholarship from their Ministry of Education (MoE). Long story short, in my graduating term in the second year, all MoE scholars of the day meet at Victoria Junior College to receive a provisional extension of our scholarship for junior college on the following year. As a wrap-up, and possibly to drum up some “love” for the program, the MoE representative asked for a couple of volunteers to speak about their experiences over the last two years. Without the help of volunteers willing to tread the waters, they picked out one lad and one lass from the unusually meek audience: A scholar from C-- High, and one of my good friends who was from my class that year.
The boy from C-- High turned out to be a walking billboard for his alma mater. He took off his cardigan and strolled down to the lecture platform. His first words: ”Sorry for taking such a long time to get here… I removed my shirt because… I wanted to show you the uniform of my beloved school C-- High”. I think I suppressed a mild uprising of gastric regurgitation then. This guy was gold. Beloved is such a strong word. Clearly he was enamoured with his adopted school, but this was bordering on a serious case of overkill.
When juxtaposed, my friend was by no means a shrinking violet. She was always the exuberate one, never mincing words. She was often outrageously explicit, intentionally and sometimes unintentionally since she only started using English as a first language 18 months before. She spoke about life at the hostel that we had called home, the exploits and mischief that sub-16 year olds generally get up to. Like the rest of us who had trekked to VJC from our hostel, she had on an unsanctioned class shirt under our standard-issue school pinafore. While the rest of us for our hostel were regaling in laughter, having been reminded of some of the good times we had, I could tell - from her gradually darkening countenance – that the MoE Head of Scholarships was not as amused.
A couple of days later, the “scholars” of my school year were called up to the principal’s office. It precipitated that the MoE head had contacted our principle who had close ties with the ministry (she was one of the panellists during my entrance - I still like to think of that as a good thing). This was now a “please explain” session. She wanted firstly to find out what happened, and why the school did not leave a deep enough impression to not warrant a mention during the gathering. Wanted to know why there was no display of “school spirit” that each school was so keen to instil in their students.
Surprisingly the tone she used was enquiring rather than accusatory, despite clearly being slightly embarrassed to hear about it from an MoE colleague. We too were pretty recalcitrant about where our “loyalties” at the time laid – with our hostel rather than with the culture of the school. In the end, I think she had come away with nothing much, and probably was a little frustrated when we failed to give her something substantial to work with. She was not a popular principle, but I think my respect for her grew exponentially since that episode, simple because she had chosen to use that session as a fact-finding mission, and understood that teenagers would always be teenagers.
Why did I choose to tell you this story? In part because that was probably the deepest memory that I have from that time in Singapore. And also to illustrate how some things can be overshadowed, yet left a deep impression.
A trip to Facebook reminded me how much my alma mater shaped me when I saw some of the comments from girls from my old school. “Who was your favourite and most despised teacher in school?” If there was anything that I valued most from my two years in secondary school, there would have been the bunch of eclectic teachers that taught and mentored me:
Ms Joanna Tan – she was the temporary form mistress of Sec 3. Fresh out of RJC, she taught us Biology. She was tall, beautiful, and the woman that everyone in class probably aspired to become at that time (she eventually received a president’s scholarship to study dentistry I think). She introduced us to what is now the biggest part of my life right now (Physiology) and taught us that studying can be fun. And even put smiley faces on the end of exams to prove her point. On her last day, she indulged us by singing the RJC school anthem – we were a little shocked to find that she was a very deep alto.
Ms S Goh (?) – She probably went by another name since marrying later in the year. She was a new teacher at school and had to fill Ms Tan’s giant shoes. Coming as a D— High alumnus, a high ranking Chinese school, she had difficulty establishing the same rapport with us. We had found her stiff compared with the effervescent Ms Tan. She also took over Biology, and it was here that she imparted the sticky “Structure/Function” methodology for mastering the subject, one which I still apply in med school. And for that I’m grateful.
Mr Dennis Lim – Not to be confused with the “other” Mr (Adrian) Lim, this man is probably the dorkiest educator I have ever encountered, surpassing even the tutors from uni. This guy however was a whiz at teaching inorganic chemistry, which was something that most greenhorn Sec 3 students would struggle with. He intimidated me with his use of the overhead project (OHT) on my first day – at that time I was not at all techno savant. Still remember his reference to Madonna’s “silicon” bra (can’t remember the context… think it was when he talked about macro covalent structures… pointy bits?). I suspected he had a concealed contempt for teaching girls, but he definitely knew his stuff. And he was a heck of a laugh when he loosened up.
Mrs Sin – the head of discipline. She was also in charge of the scholars in school, which was strange because she was probably the person who I had the least connection with. She loved her prefects, and those who were under her wing would attest that she was a good mentor.
Ms X – God. I had the most amazing E Maths and A Math teachers in Sec 3, but I can’t remember who they were. I remember Ms Yeoh coming to relieve us for a term, one who was undeniably very good, but was probably sizing us up constantly against the “top” class, that she was form mistress of. I think the mathematicians in our class probably performed better though.
Ms Johari – Physics Sec 3. She was quiet, efficient, and pedantic. Most people would remember the neatly sectioned green folder that she taught us to keep. Notes, assignments, practical notes and exams – all in the exact order and separated by dividers. She was not a good disciplinarian, but lucky for her we were keen to learn and behaved accordingly. I relied more on my textbook and TYS ‘s than what she covered in class, but will forever remember her neat handwriting, and the occasional smile that was so hard to get out of her no matter how we tried.
Ms Ngo – Our first geography teacher in Sec 3. She reminded me of the almost-queen bee of a high school. She was a “pretty-young” thing but was not as popular with students as she’d like to be, and in the intuitive way of every high school girl, we saw that and held her at a distance. She was always talking about “gumption”, when giving advice about answering exam questions or in whatever aspect of life that cropped up in class. I thought that was an excellent word but never really saw any occasion to use it myself. She was, as all teachers are, fun and even endearing when she loosened up; and unbearable when uptight.
Cikgu ? – After the fiery Malay teachers from my Malaysian schools, the ones in Singapore were likened to pussy cats. It helped that classes were smaller, but it was a little disconcerting when we had some (native and non-native speaking) students with a more superior grasp of the language than the teacher. My recollection is that the teachers for the subject didn’t stay for very long.
Mrs Thong – First our English teacher, and later our geography teacher. I have to say under her tutelage, Mrs Thong has developed an impression that I was a good writer (alas, my O’s proved otherwise), so I had received more attention from her than I would have liked. She was a good soul, but as a linguist, she was uninspiring as she seemed to teach “by-numbers”, i.e. she was not creative in her teaching. I remember her quizzing me on my simplistic book review of the “Phantom of the Opera”, and my coming away with the distinct feeling that I’d disappointed her by my poor recall of the book. Lord knows why our school has instigated that reading program for Sec 3 students in the first place – no one above primary school level should be forced to read for leisure. As a geography teacher in Sec 4, Mrs Thong did a bit better, at least in my eyes. I remembered being assigned this massive “this-ain't-going-to-help-my-O's” project about deforestation, and loved it because it gave me opportunity to do proper research (I have my nose in National Geographic’s over weeks – the most interesting material anyone could work with).
Ms Yong – The assistant manager of the softball team (which I was part of for the two years), and our A Maths teacher for Sec 4. She was a gem, who spoke with a musical accent since she was probably more comfortable in Mandarin. She was probably the best person one could get in terms of understanding geometry and differential and integrative calculus as she would describe formulae in funny little ways that you’d remember and repeat them until they stick. The differential of the natural log of x: “1-over the something, differentiate by the something”. Gem. Honest and unpretentious.
Ms ? – She was a friendly Chemistry teacher in Sec 4 who reminded me of my mother, also a Chem teacher. She was a patient, but slightly distant, with her loyalties still with her form class. I remember the ever-changing Swatch watches that she’d wear to class, and being pretty close to the front I would be impressed by the different designs. Quite down-to-earth, but always wondered why she was single. Unlike my mum, she was not strong in organic chemistry – which is why I'm not strong in it either. Ek.
Ms Lim – Also probably going by another name after getting married. She was our Sec 4 form mistress. She was keen, in teaching and in trying to be a “friend” to us. Somehow we had instinctively felt that Ms Lim was better off as a figure of authority than a BFF. She was also in charge of the softball team, and had told the class a pretty embarrassing story of me asking her for permission to join the team. Funny thing is she never really attempted to pick up the game until we started a losing streak.
Ms J? – J was a young gun, fresh out of uni and wanting to change the world. She taught us E Maths, and quite decent at it. I never really related to eager-beavers, but my juniors told me that she was a doll and a great backer when it comes to a new idea.
Mr Tan Y – The proud owner of a Seiko Kinetic. The most unabashed old-school machoist who taught Physics at our all-girls’ school. He would dismiss concepts that were in the ‘too-hard’ basket with “You girls wouldn’t understand” or “(The technical school next door) teaches this… No need to teach it to you”. We never really took him seriously. Quite a few of my classmates went on to study engineering.
Ms Tng – P was something else. She is a whirlwind of energy, and in the words of another old girl “forever changed (the song) ‘Uptown Girl’” for everyone in my school by making it the soundtrack for our school aerobic routine, an exercise mandated by the MoE and performed every term in a special assembly. The wacky ideas they come up with to combat obesity. She was an alumnus, and we had indulged her because we knew the more she had her way, the more sports we’d get to do…Uptown girl, she’s been living in a downtown world… She also help us out in our school production “Men in Black” (referencing the movie with Will Smith) – a one-sided production but fun nevertheless.
Ms Pang – Before Ms Tng took over the PE department, Ms Pang reigned supreme. She was probably credited for the netball team’s stellar performance over the years (national division champions for a few years) and had the shrillest voice I have ever heard coming out of a teacher. She was someone who led by some mysterious force, which should be a good case study for MBA. She went on to head the PE department for the premier girls’ school in Singapore.
Ms Ong – the HoD of Science. Ms Ong was like a nice grandma, who’d probably bake you cookies and frown disapprovingly if you trekked into the house with your footwear on. She was the highly enthusiastic during our Chemistry speech competition qualifiers and finals, and probably came up with the majority of ideas since we had very little idea what it demanded. I think Mr Lim tried explaining the formation of free radicals and the active site for nicotine to us without much success.
Ms Chan – Save the best for last. Ms Chan was the best English teacher. Unperturbed about her tubbiness, she had a wonderful sense of humour, a sharp wit and a holistic approach when it came to English teaching. She probably treated the subject like the A-level GP, which was what kept us overworked Sec 4s interested, peppering the semesters with debates, though-provoking essay topics and constantly challenging us to think broadly. She lived with a (fat) cat, and would constantly bring up anecdotes that involved this cat and sometimes used him as a sidekick when she self-depreciatingly joked about her size. She studied in Perth, and constantly references it in class. She was probably the one who gave me the ‘balls’ to attempt an argumentative essay. I think she went on to heading a neighbourhood school, which I think sorted her personality and drive.
So my old school did have its merits. So rest easy Ms Leong (who since left for a post at the MoE), --GS still holds a place in our hearts… Demure and Resolute.
