sha: jangan penyekkan suara!

Frangipani Flower on a Wall
Originally uploaded by Craig Jewell

Ibu ayam ditangkap musang
Anak ayam cari ibunya
Ibu ayam berlari...dan berlari
Dan ditangkap musang!
Anak ayam mencari...dan mencari
Ibunya yang hilang...
Oh kasihan...oh kasihan...aduh kasihan...

She taught me this song. I still remember the lyrics until today.

Dari jauh bunyi menderu-deru
Umpama angin yang bertiup kencang
Rupanya air yang melompat tinggi
Melompat-lompat bagai tak berhenti
Lihatlah cantiknya
Air terjun namanya
Marilah kawanku
Mandi bersama

Another song. I remember drawing the picture of a waterfall in my exercise book. She gave me a C.

Taat pada perintah Tuhan, Raja dan Negara
Membantu tiap masa
Patuh undang-undangnya
Kami ahli Pengakap Muda
Buat sehabis baik...

She taught me about Goldilocks and Three Bears.
She prepared me for my first public speaking in the assembly.
She scolded me for not being a good story teller in the story telling competition.
She was my hockey coach.
She taught me how to camp as a Girl Guide.
She forced me to memorise Sifir 25.
She tapped my fingers because I couldn't draw straight line.
She spanked and slapped me in front of my classmates.
She put a make up on my face on the day I represented the state in choir.

But one day...she couldn't answer my question. My teacher, Mrs. Param instructed us to paste pictures of flowers in our vocabulary book and labeled them. She couldn't tell me the English name for "kemboja".

Before submitting the book to my English teacher, Mrs. Param, I said,
"Teacher, I don't know the name of this flower."

Mrs. Param said,
"Have you asked your mum?"

"Yes, teacher. But she don't know too," I told her.

"Give me your book," Mrs Param then took my book.

The next day, Mrs. Param gave my book to me.

"The name of the flower is frangipani. Do you know how to spell it?"

I shook my head. She taught me.

Later that night...

"Ibu, Mrs. Param cakap nama bunga tuh Frengggggiiippeeeeeniiii..." I struggled to pronounce it.

"Frangipani," she said sternly.

"Freeennng...freennggg..."

"Frangipani!"

"Frengipeni," my Malay accent stood up.

"Good. Say it again. Frangipani. Jangan penyekkan suara!"

"Frengipeni!"

She nodded.

And the next morning...

"Thank you, teacher," she said that to Mrs. Param.

I rubbed my eyes. Teacher?

"Your mother was my student when she was your age. Do you know that?"

"No, teacher."

"And she was smart. You must be like her, okay!" the elderly woman said lovingly.

The lesson that I got that day was regardless how smart you are, there will always be things that you don't know.

Frangipani was taught by a teacher who used to be a teacher's teacher.
She taught the mother and she taught the daughter.
The mother learned even after she became a teacher!

The person who didn't know frangipani was my mother. The best teacher ever.

Oh, did I mentioned to you that she taught me about love and life?

Happy Teacher's Day, ibu.

And to all the teachers out there;)