First Day Stories: “Saya nak jadi budak baik.”

“First of all, contrary to the impression we’d received earlier, students in class were eager to engage and participate! I’d actually expected them to be rebellious, but generally that wasn’t the case at all. Of course, some students immediately made an impression – there was M., a boy with a pink school bag from the class next door who begged me to teach his class to sing.

‘Cikgu, masuk kelas kitorang ajar nyanyi cikgu?‘

I told him there was already a teacher in his class and that he should get back inside. He refused to budge, so I asked, out of curiosity: ‘Why do you have a pink bag?’

‘Cikgu, saya dah Tingkatan 5, nak jadi budak baik. Untuk saya warna pink ni warna baik. Ajarlah kitorang menyanyi, cikgu. Saya boleh serious, cikgu. Nak ubah jadi baik.’

I didn’t get to talk to him as much as I’d have liked to because a fierce teacher came by scolding the boys along the corridor, and M. went back into his class. Later, we heard a student excitedly telling his mother what we’d done in class.

I believe there is so much potential in the students I met today. They just may not have had the right amount of stimulation and encouragement! Feeling good for how much we can do in this school, fingers crossed.”