Retirement Summed Up Whether You Are Successful As A Teacher Or Not
Jan 21st, 2008 by Clare
During our school days (set this at secondary school, I could not remember primary school), we often had assemblies to honour retiring teachers who had more gray hair and wrinkle in the skin than the rest of the other teachers. During that assemblies, the principal would list down all the achievements that the said teachers had successfully gained throughout their teaching career before giving out tokens of appreciation to them in front of the entire applauding school. Well, that was the common procedure. Most of the time, students did not even listen to half of what were being said during school assemblies.
The success of your career as an educator is determined on your retirement day. This was what happened when my former school Sacred Heart Secondary School in Sibu held an assembly to honour two teachers who retired at the same time, Mr. Arthur Wee and Mdm. Ngae:
Mr Arthur Wee
Arthur Wee: The smart-looking guy in coat
The queue of students presenting him with gifts during the assembly was endless. This showed how much the students liked/loved him. Even though Mr Wee had never taught me the entire 2 years when I was there, those friends who had been taught by him sang praises of him. He even gave English tuition to students. One of my best friends attended the tuition class and commented that Mr Wee was sarcastic and funny at the same time. She said that learning English were never that fun before.
What’s with English teachers and their sarcasms? Ever since when I was in Form 4, English teachers who had taught me/my class -Mdm Geraldine Lim, Mr Joseph Dawson (ah, the toupee guy! 
), Mr Augustine Law - seemed to favour those who were good in English over those from the Chinese-medium school who sucked big time in English. I laughed at their sarcastic remarks towards these students but never felt the prick. Well, maybe because we understood the sarcasms.
Mdm Ngae
Mdm Ngae: Second from left
Despite being the Penolong Kanan 1 (sort of like an assistant to the principal) for so many years, no one gave her gifts during the assembly. Looked like Mr Wee had won the heart of the students in SHS. Well, I don’t blame the students for prefering Mr Wee to Mdm Ngae. I personally think that Mdm Ngae deserved it. Most students do not like her. Those who seemed to like her were those who always suck up to her.
She failed in her career as an educator. The most important thing to do as an educator is not to discriminate the students. She did. Even though she did not directly said it, obviously, she often prefer the Science Stream to the Art Stream. Science Stream students were given priority in the school. For example, my brother who were in Arts Stream then told me that Mdm Ngae had given them (useless) advices like “If you people don’t take Arts/Economics/History in your STPM, you will not enter a local university” that kind of bullshits! My brother came home feeling depressed as Mdm Ngae kept giving different crap advices every day.
Oh, and if you have been following Kampua Talk long enough, you would know my brother’s condition. Well, as long as Mdm Ngae was sitting comfortably in her Penolong Kanan 1 chair, it was hard for my brother during his first few years in the school. But thank God for sending some of his helpful classmates to ease his burden. Then came the saviour in shiny armour, Mr Stephen Tan, the school principal who took over from Philip Chan (or was it?) and improved the school from all directions. My brother was happier and his studies improved as well.
At the end of the day, people will remember Arthur Wee. Students do not want to remember teachers who mistreated them. It was a really embarrasing moment when you did not get anything (not even a thank you) from the students during your retirement but your fellow colleague did. It was even more embarrasing to know that students did not like you. Therefore, to save Mdm Ngae from embarrasment, form teachers were asked to collect money from the students of their respective class and buy something for Mdm Ngae.
Being a teacher is not all about your own advantage or position in the school. It is about building a rapport with the students. You can make learning fun for them and being strict at the same time. Arthur Wee had succeeded in this department (apart from food department, of course! 
). Now he can buy a house and live in the countryside or travel around the world using his upgraded status as a Warga Emas (senior citizen)! Bwahahahahahhaha!!!
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate suituapui for his retirement! Though belated, it’s the thought that counts right? 
Happy Retiring!
Mr. Wee, teehheehee.. hes so funneh. him retiring is a big lost to the school… my primary 6 teacher also damn sarcastic but funny, Ms. Vimala Devi, heard of her b4? but she left long time ago la… ive got quite an experience with good and funny english teachers… miss the good old days ^_^ thank god mr.stephen tan took over the shool, if not she would have taken over in the administration cause u know la how phillip chan is rite? and i heard frm mum that mr.stephen tan coming back, hurraaayyyyyy for the school.. long live mission schools!!!
Yeah, heard from your mum too. YAY!!! Long live Stephen Tan!
I have been very curious with this SuiTuaPui. He has his own blog? He always leave a comment without a link. He co-blog with Ah Beng? Oh yes, I wish to retire soon… but I still have 26 years to go.
I’ll let him answer your questions
Oh… So he retire liaw… He was my english teacher back in SHS too
Although I sleep most of the time in class, but I do heard lots of laugher in his class and everyone seems exciting waiting for him to came into the class… How I wish can go back SHS study again 
Puan Ngae can’t even educate her own son la, speaking of other’s son le…
he’s my debate master!and it’s a huge lost to our school,i agreee with zouk.sighh so unlucky he not sempat to teach me.boo hoo hoo
my english teachers all dull and boring -.-
Sometimes it’s kinda sad to see the not-so-loved teachers being treated so differently during their parting ceremony. you sort of forget, well, sort of, all the bad things they did and emphatise about how they must feel… But they do deserve it.
And hurray to the teachers that inspires us, teaches us not just how to read and write or remember, but how they make us a better person, even if they do it indirectly. Life is so much more sweet with the memories of those people…
i kinda have to agree with pervert.. to a certain extent that is. yeah, we need these kinda sucky teachers once in a while.. with them, we’ll learn how to put up with all those pricks out there in the real world cuz theres like abundance of them.. Life to me is like a bed of roses and roses obviously come with thorns.period.thus, life comprises of happy as well as sad moments. If there were no sad moments then the importance of happy moments couldn’t be realized. just like teachers. if everyone were like mr.wee or mr.stephen tan.. then theyd be so forgettable just like any other teachers.. just my 2 cents..
LOL. Mr. Arthur’s Hall of Fame. Nice one, Clare. Love the way you spin the web. Btw, suituapui told me abt this site. Haha. He must be so proud of you all.
Thanks, Clare. I think I’ll refrain from commenting on your post.
But to reply to Choonie’s comment, no, I’m not a blogger, just a kaypo2 going here, there and everywhere kacau2 only. I’m not co-blogging in “my longkang” either though he has bestowed the “honour” of being a “guest blogger” on me and often posts my comments as main posts in his blog. Maybe I should charge him royalty for that? What do u say, bengbeng?
26 years? If only I had 26 years. I guess we need to find true meaning in whatever we do so that we will not see what we do as just a “job”. How I miss my boys! Once u can find the right chemistry, once u have in in ur heart and soul, u would wish it would go on forever. U may not get any awards, and the money isn’t that much…but the joy that u get from every little achievement that ur students make, the love and respect that you get in return is worth more than anything else in the world. “Teaching is a work of HEart.”
Suituapui retired?! Time flies… It seems like yesterday I sat in his class and listened to his jokes, and the way he threw exercise book right to my face, I knew I can’t write well, Hahaha… Proud to be his student anyway…
Aiyo! He so ganas wan meh?
Ooi…Monkey! Did I throw ur exercise book in ur face? Me got so fierce meh? Ha ha ha ha ha!!! Can’t remember when I last got students to use exercise books; no strength to carry mah! Had to take home to mark! U were my student too kah? Can’t remember…! Gosh! looks like I can’t remember many things now…but I’ve a good excuse! Old age!
Good excuse! Clever you! LOL
owh.. no wonder stp sms me ask me go read clareng.com
wan me2 read all the comments glorifying him wahahha!!
but yeah he’s an awesome teacher. i learn all my dirty jokes from him..and they just keep gettin’ better each day. stp ftw!
Really? Well, there will never be a second suituapui in the world of education liao. STP rocks!
Haha, last time during his retirement i can’t make it. Used to go bac to attend the retirement of teachers i respect but tat time really cannot make it. Thinking of asking a fren 2 bring bac a cake from secret recipe but tat fren couldn’t make it. How was the cake from 5S1 and 5S2 of 2005? thank you sir anyway for all you have taught us…….