NOV 8 — Up till the beginning years of my secondary school, I never really thought much about myself. I was convinced that I was destined to remain an average person.

Having gotten 4As and 1B for UPSR while the rest of my classmates got their perfect string of As was enough to cap any form of greater expectation I had for myself. Ironically, I come from a very loving family with parents who are always supportive and will go that extra mile to seek the best for their children. I knew my parents would love me no matter what and I’m grateful for it. 

But it wasn’t enough.

Unknown to me at that time, I wanted the validation of others — especially from those who have no obligation to look me twice in the eye. And it came in the form of my teachers.

When I told those around me that I was born in secondary school, many would dismiss it as a mere form of hyperbole. But I mean every word. For a boy who thought average was okay and accolades belonged to someone else, the constant encouragement and validation of teachers who could easily turn a blind eye meant the world to me. 

I write this article at a time when the issue of PPSMI saturates our national discourse and the future of our education system is being debated front and centre. While the teaching of maths and science in English has its place, I believe very little is discussed on the need to have passionate teachers in our classroom. We need them not just because they are driven to teach well, but rather when teaching is done right, it kindles interests and changes lives. 

When one of my teachers asked me, “What is it about our education system that is so bad?” I replied that there are many specific policy grievances, but the overarching theme would be that our education system has been reduced to a rite of passage.

Most of us go to school because the law decrees so. The credibility of our schooling system to add value comes under siege. And that is how education inequity begins — when those who need help cannot get it and those who do not need help will do well regardless. 

It’s just a little perplexing to see that there isn’t an equivalent political momentum to raise the stature and standards of our teachers vis-à-vis how we are pressuring the government on PPSMI. Hypothetically speaking, if tomorrow maths and science are to be taught in English, without teachers who can teach it or teachers who want to be there teaching it, we might as well disseminate these subjects in Latin! 

The truth is teachers are undervalued, overworked and underpaid. Funnily, part of the reason is because it’s so easy to be a free rider. We put our children through the education system hoping that they would never be teachers and it’s always somebody else’s child that will be that passionate educator that that we so desperately need.

I’m not advocating that every bright person needs to enter the teaching profession — that’s silly. There is nothing worse than having a teacher who treats his/her job as a last resort. But for those who want to be teachers and are willing to put up with whatever the system throws them, to have their passion systematically extinguished is a real tragedy indeed.

We all don’t need to be teachers. But we all can be education advocators by ensuring that those who want to enter this profession get the help and support they so rightly deserve. This is a far cry from idealism.

My story is not unique. I am sure that most of us can recall a teacher who made an impression in our lives. And some of them have probably changed ours. They are not extinct, even till today. It’s just that they are relatively quiet. 

In their memory and in any capacity that you can, let’s restore the magic that the teaching profession so rightly deserves.

* Ang Jian Wei is the campus representative for Teach for Malaysia at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. He believes that teachers can change lives. He blogs at lowfatketupat.wordpress.com

* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.