Followers

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Thank You, Teacher!

Should have said something, but I've said it enough.
By the way my words were faded,
I'd rather waste my time with you.
- Blue and Yellow by The Used.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Situation: After a class one morning in school.

Class monitor: Stand up! Thank you teacher!

Class: Thank you teacher!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do you remember? After EVERY class in school, we were taught to thank our teachers upon their departure from our class. Oh, how sweet the memories. :) But do we remember why we said "thank you" to them? Was it out of genuine gratitude that our teacher had passed something down to us and in doing that, made us more knowledgeable, and overall better people? Or did we say it just because "that's what you do when the teacher exits the class"?

I'm not sure about you guys, but upon reflecting, I have found that I am in the latter category. There was nothing genuine, nothing honest in my "thank you teacher" for the whole of my 11 years of primary and secondary education. I've finally found the true meaning of those words, mere words, in tertiary education, where there's no class monitor to order you to stand up and greet the lecturer. If you want to give greetings, then it's because you truly want to. The same goes for thanking the lecturers. The situation depicted above does not happen in lecture halls. If you wanted to show your gratitude to the lecturer, then you would have to do it on your own effort.

The words "Thank You Teacher" carry a very big meaning. When you say that, you are actually expressing your appreciation to your teacher who has sacrificed an hour or two hours of his/her life just to make you a better person, so that you can make your parents proud, so that you can fulfill your destiny, so that you may realise your true potential and be great and take your nation to greater heights. You should not be saying it just because... That's not the way it should be.

Teaching, to me, is the most under appreciated profession there is, especially primary school teachers. They may be looked down upon in society, but their responsibility and significance towards the world is as high as any honorary Pullitzer-prize winning Professor, because if that Pullitzer-prize winning Professor did not have a teacher when he/she was young, there is no way that he/she could have achieved whatever achievements that have come his/her way. Yet, most of us cannot even remember the names of our primary school teachers, let alone acknowledge them for our accomplishments. (I am guilty of this too).

As a future teacher, I need to pledge to make my students understand the importance of the words "Thank You Teacher", because that will lead to a future generation of better people, and in making that, creating a better society. A better society creates a stronger nation. What more can we ask for, right?

So here's to my past teachers who have taught me so well until I have become the person that I am today. "Thank You Teacher!!!"

Dialah pemberi paling setia
Tiap akar ilmu miliknya
Pelita dan lampu segala
Untuk manusia sebelum manjadi dewasa.

Dialah ibu dialah bapa juga sahabat
Alur kesetiaan mengalirkan nasihat
Pemimpin yang ditauliahkan segala umat
Seribu tahun katanya menjadi hikmat.

Jika hari ini seorang Perdana Menteri berkuasa
Jika hari ini seorang Raja menaiki takhta
Jika hari ini seorang Presiden sebuah negara
Jika hari ini seorang ulama yang mulia
Jika hari ini seorang peguam menang bicara
Jika hari ini seorang penulis terkemuka
Jika hari ini siapa saja menjadi dewasa;
Sejarahnya dimulakan oleh seorang guru biasa
Dengan lembut sabarnya mengajar tulis-baca.

Di mana-mana dia berdiri di muka muridnya
Di sebuah sekolah mewah di Ibu Kota
Di bangunan tua sekolah Hulu Terengganu
Dia adalah guru mewakili seribu buku;
Semakin terpencil duduknya di ceruk desa
Semakin bererti tugasnya kepada negara.

Jadilah apa pun pada akhir kehidupanmu, guruku
Budi yang diapungkan di dulang ilmu
Panggilan keramat "cikgu" kekal terpahat
Menjadi kenangan ke akhir hayat.
Nukilan SN Dato Usman Awang

Assalamualaikum and good day!

13 comments:

WiDa said...

Good sentence and well pronounced...At first, I thought that poem was your poem...Hahaha. Then, at the third stanza I began to realise that it was written by Dato Usman Awang. 'Testpad' la weyh...

kacipcrew said...

man. this sure reminds me of the old days' teacher's day celebration.. primary school one.. i bought many soaps for my teachers :D

chris federick said...

If people hv realised d meaning of thank you teacher like u did, then i think all d practice in primary and secondary school has finally paid off.

For my part, thank you teacher... but to the ones i like only, not to the ones who skip class to smoke in d stor sukan haha :P

anak pak man said...

Wida- My humble being is not capable of creating anything even close to such a masterpiece.. huhu

Pidi- for me it was chocolates! hehe

Chris- maybe a bit too late? If only my teachers knew the existence of "Whatever You Say I Am".. huhu

LaBubiZkiTeR.Inc said...

cant imagine how my previous tcer
think when im following their steps s teachers!..haha..well, sure im gonna be better tahn em'..*kowt*..:D

Sonnet said...

as a teacher, i'm very proud of u for posting the poem from SN Dato Usman Awang.

I never forget my teachers in primary and secondary school and i hope that my students won't forge about me.

being a teacher is hard but i really enjoy teaching. Once i step my feet in the class, my life starts there

anak pak man said...

Ujang- let's hope for a better generation of teachers to come.

butirstar- I posted it because it's so true. it makes my eyes watery every time i read it to myself with heart. I haven't forgotten my teachers, just some of their names. Though, this is not something to be proud of.
Teaching will be he profession I'll be undertaking, InsyaAllah.. I can just hope that I'll still have high spirits about teaching once I start.

anak pak man said...

Ujang- let's hope for a better generation of teachers to come.

butirstar- I posted it because it's so true. it makes my eyes watery every time i read it to myself with heart. I haven't forgotten my teachers, just some of their names. Though, this is not something to be proud of.
Teaching will be he profession I'll be undertaking, InsyaAllah.. I can just hope that I'll still have high spirits about teaching once I start.

zol dabat said...

wah jd ckgu english r lpas ni nowh
klaw camtu nnt hg blik r
mngajaq kat kolej
bru bleh jd mcm pak ho
apapon gud luck utk hg
smoga brjaya dlm mnggalas tugas
mendidik anak bangsa.....

Thoyba Mursyidah said...

i'm not good in expressing my feeling in english but i'll try my best.
dear, it is so meaningfull to have a future teacher that have different perception of this profession. thus, when you become the 'real' teacher, you will realize that a teacher is not only spreads their spirit and effort in class, but it just more than that. certainly!
as usual, i totally sure that you remember this word, anwar----"revolusioner"
huhu..

p/s : please ignore the grammatically errors sentences..adios kecepis!!

anak pak man said...

zul- tima kasih.. tapi aku amek degree skolah redah lar.. >__<"

thoyba- revolutioner.. I'm just wondering if the spelling is correct.. hehe.. hm, yeah.. we're just gonna have to wait n see..thanx for the words..

mademoiselle tq said...

oh.. that's so touching.. (i_i)

anyway, i realized that i was also in the second category.. (that's when i was in school)

but these days, i noticed that i thank the lecturers just because i want to, not because it is something that should be done after every class..

btw, thank you teacher anwar for this great post.. :-)

HILMI FUAD said...

i still remember very well the song entitled 'terima kasih cikgu' that my frenzs and i sang during teachers day celebz...=)

yes it is hard for them to understand the meaning of thank u teacher but for a teacher to hear that, it is a satisfaction...
but one day they will realize it..

to all future chalkies..best of luck!