Johor Bahru has changed a lot since I saw her last in the 70s. The town is more bustling and is also cleaner. The trade-mark J.B smell - the stench from the J.B river is gone. However, I was delighted to see the old government building ( which houses the Johor Education department) still standing tall and proud. To me, the building looked like a wedding cake. I first entered this all important building for my scholarship interview. At that time, Choy Min, Bee Lian and I had to stay in a back lane motel - which turned out to be where the 'ladies of the night' ply their trade! ( I had blogged about that incident in my early blogs).
The second time I entered this building was to attend an interview for my official appointment as a teacher. I still remember one of the interviewer quoted a verse from Yeats' "Elegy to a Graveyard" and asked me to finish the rest of the stanza. Boy, was I flabbergasted ! Yeats is not one of my favourite!!
And the third time I visited that place was to apply for my transfer to Sabah - to which the Deputy Director of Education flatly refused to entertain. His reason ? "We are equally short of English Language teachers here!" I pleaded with him telling him I was to be married soon but he was adamant : "Getting married is not the same as married. You can always call off the wedding after you get your transfer. I want solid proof!" I was almost in tears.
By the way, that was the reason Dad and I got married in October - just to show the 'joker' the proof! Armed with the marriage certificate, I went back to see him - this time he was more friendly and signed the letter of transfer - but not without regaling me with stories of his expertise in teaching Geography - solid 100% every year! Even as a Deputy Director, he made it a point to go to schools in JB every now and then to teach and "to show the young teachers a thing or two on pedagogy." - his exact words. I managed to look suitably impressed.
Upon thinking back, I think he must have been a good teacher - one of those old stalwarts. Sigh! You don't get many of these like that nowadays. Anyway, this trip to JB, I stayed in Tropical Inn - no more of those back lane motel ! Sniff!!
The second time I entered this building was to attend an interview for my official appointment as a teacher. I still remember one of the interviewer quoted a verse from Yeats' "Elegy to a Graveyard" and asked me to finish the rest of the stanza. Boy, was I flabbergasted ! Yeats is not one of my favourite!!
And the third time I visited that place was to apply for my transfer to Sabah - to which the Deputy Director of Education flatly refused to entertain. His reason ? "We are equally short of English Language teachers here!" I pleaded with him telling him I was to be married soon but he was adamant : "Getting married is not the same as married. You can always call off the wedding after you get your transfer. I want solid proof!" I was almost in tears.
By the way, that was the reason Dad and I got married in October - just to show the 'joker' the proof! Armed with the marriage certificate, I went back to see him - this time he was more friendly and signed the letter of transfer - but not without regaling me with stories of his expertise in teaching Geography - solid 100% every year! Even as a Deputy Director, he made it a point to go to schools in JB every now and then to teach and "to show the young teachers a thing or two on pedagogy." - his exact words. I managed to look suitably impressed.
Upon thinking back, I think he must have been a good teacher - one of those old stalwarts. Sigh! You don't get many of these like that nowadays. Anyway, this trip to JB, I stayed in Tropical Inn - no more of those back lane motel ! Sniff!!
1 comment:
Man...you sure stuck it to him...
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