Maybe it takes time to process. Maybe it just hasn’t settled in.
Me, the kid who slept in classes, who skipped classes at any opportunities, who spent his high school life arguing that school is a waste of time. Yes, I teach. (My former teachers will probably get a stroke if they hear of this)
It’s been a long ride so far. The craziest stories have been pouring in, and it’s barely a month yet. From students that can’t speak Malay or English, have no ambitions in life, answer “buah tangan” as an example for fruit, to students that just hate school and teachers going into empty classrooms due to student boycotts. From the admin side of being thrown every single duty and position available at school to surprise duties and schedule changes, and six/seven-day work weeks.
Yes, life has been tough. And I didn’t think I’d be worn-out, disappointed and demotivated so early on. And I see fellows experiencing anger, frustration, disappointment, fatigue, sickness, low self-esteem; the list goes on and on. As more and more obstacles and frustrations pile on to my plate, I find myself asking, “Why am I even doing this?”
But I think it is precisely because of these challenges that I signed up for this. Every single hurdle that I encounter tells me there is still more to be done. I am given an opportunity to impact lives and change mindsets, the platform to influence policies and procedures, and the support to help us bring tangible and intangible changes in the system and our country.
It is good that we are angry, that we are frustrated, that we are complaining. This means that we have passion. This means that we haven’t given up. We have to rise again and again from each and every upset and disappointment. The harder the battle gets, the stronger we have to become, because there is a greater mission. We are fighting for our brothers, our sisters, our sons and daughters. We fight for all the generations to come after us. We fight for education in Malaysia, and we fight for Malaysia.
This is not a sprint. It’ll be a long-ass marathon that will demand every ounce of our strength and determination. But the end result will be worth the blood, sweat and tears.
Today we might fall flat. But tomorrow, we go again.
--
Obstacles call out great qualities and make greatness possible.
Me, the kid who slept in classes, who skipped classes at any opportunities, who spent his high school life arguing that school is a waste of time. Yes, I teach. (My former teachers will probably get a stroke if they hear of this)
It’s been a long ride so far. The craziest stories have been pouring in, and it’s barely a month yet. From students that can’t speak Malay or English, have no ambitions in life, answer “buah tangan” as an example for fruit, to students that just hate school and teachers going into empty classrooms due to student boycotts. From the admin side of being thrown every single duty and position available at school to surprise duties and schedule changes, and six/seven-day work weeks.
Yes, life has been tough. And I didn’t think I’d be worn-out, disappointed and demotivated so early on. And I see fellows experiencing anger, frustration, disappointment, fatigue, sickness, low self-esteem; the list goes on and on. As more and more obstacles and frustrations pile on to my plate, I find myself asking, “Why am I even doing this?”
But I think it is precisely because of these challenges that I signed up for this. Every single hurdle that I encounter tells me there is still more to be done. I am given an opportunity to impact lives and change mindsets, the platform to influence policies and procedures, and the support to help us bring tangible and intangible changes in the system and our country.
It is good that we are angry, that we are frustrated, that we are complaining. This means that we have passion. This means that we haven’t given up. We have to rise again and again from each and every upset and disappointment. The harder the battle gets, the stronger we have to become, because there is a greater mission. We are fighting for our brothers, our sisters, our sons and daughters. We fight for all the generations to come after us. We fight for education in Malaysia, and we fight for Malaysia.
This is not a sprint. It’ll be a long-ass marathon that will demand every ounce of our strength and determination. But the end result will be worth the blood, sweat and tears.
Today we might fall flat. But tomorrow, we go again.
--
Obstacles call out great qualities and make greatness possible.
