Everything has a dateline. Every application has a closing date. Every food in the supermarket has an expiring date. My job too, has a date where I will be terminated.
I know that day will somehow come. I just didn't expect it to come so soon. I thought it would be longer. Maybe someday when I have fed up with the greeting "Lao si Jao An" or "Selamat Pagi Cikgu". Or at least it will wait until I have done something fulfilling like to help a dumb kid to get 100 marks in exam. It seems I haven't done anything at all. But then it's already time for me to say goodbye.
Time is always in such a hurry with its hyper speed that when you come to realize it everything has already turned into history.
The day was still dark when I woke up. Like the usual, I had cereal for my breakfast. In the bathroom the water was as cold when it ran down my body and gave me the chills like every other morning. That day I purposely picked my best dress in my closet, I spent more time than usual in front of the mirror just because I thought I want to leave everybody in the school a good last impression.
There used to be a long conversation on the journey to school in the car which I car pool with a senior teacher. But that day, it was just silence.
"Tomorrow, you won't have to wake up this early anymore. So good." my senior colleague tried to break the silence by kicking start a joke.
"Yeah..." I answered short.
Obviously, the joke didn't go so well. Maybe, last day is meant to be quiet and more to the reminisce and appreciating in silence.
When I walked into the office I had all the attention of the other senior teachers. They all knew. But they still asked.
"Last day?"
"Yes."
Had my butt on the seat and my bag in its usual place, I started my routine-mind-wonder.
"Well, let's see. I have 6 periods today. Should I be teaching or doing something different? Like giving an inspirational speech on 'why human needs to study'? Or an emotional heart-to-heart talk with my students on my last day?"
My lesson had come. I walked into my standard 2 class room and then greeted by the long, dragging greeting "Laooooooo.......siiiiiiiiiii.....jaooooooo.......annnnnnnn". I carried out the first period by asking the students to read their text book and allowed them to ask questions like what I used to do.
For second period, I asked everybody to close the book. And then I broke the news to them.
"For your information class, I won't be coming to school tomorrow, the day after tomorrow and so on." I just thought they will understand what I meant.
To my horror, there was instant change of mood in the class!! Most of them become freshen up, and started to cheer and clapping their hands. My god....
Oh.... that was not what I expected.
One student some more added this, "You better not be kidding us. If I see you tomorrow, you are so going to die. I'll tell the principal you lied to us."
I felt a little angry, sad and hurt at the same time. I grabbed hold of the plastic bag of key chains that I had prepared earlier that I planned to give to every each of them as souvenir.
I took in deep breath and said to myself, "Ok, they are still young and they are 8 years old. They meant no harm saying that."
What can I still be expecting from them after all? The crazy, mean and evil Cikgu Lee who gave them homework like mountains and punished them when they "forget" their homework finally is going to be gone!!! I will cheer too if I were one of the students.
Okay then. Last day should be the craziest and most evil. I asked all the students to line up in front of the class room.
"I am going to beat each of you 10 times with this cane I have in my hand so that you will remember me after I have gone." I tried to scare them.
"You can choose to go back to your seat if you don't wish to remember me.", I continued.
In just 2 seconds, the row of students disappear.
Only one left.
"Are you sure you want to be beaten? I'll really beat, you know" I confirmed him.
"Yes. I want to remember you." having said that, he raised out his hand.
I dropped my cane and smiled to him. Inside I just felt so touched. At least one student. Even he was never my favourite as he was not the best in his class and was the weaker ones. I beat him quite often as he never study for his spelling I gave.
One student.... at least there is one.
That's something.
The school bell rang. It was recess time again. I had vegetarian porridge (carrot with potato) that day. One of the teacher cooked it for me. So sweet~ (not the porridge)
Finally, it was my finally period that day with my standard 4. We were having Home Science class and that day we were going into work room to complete their recycle project.
I was already very disappointed with my standard 2 students. And thus, the idea of giving inspirational speech and emotional heart-to-heart had faded.
Coincidentally, 2 groups of students never brought their project to school.
Aha... time to let go my fury that I had kept so long inside. I gave them some good scoldings and punished them to copy passages in the text book exactly like what was in the text book including the pictures and the patterns that make the passage interesting to read, as if they were photostatting machines.
I didn't have enough money to buy so many key chains therefore I made them bookmarks.
I made them just the night before. There were 30 of them and so I stayed till very late at night to have all the bookmarks cut into the similar shape.
Bookmarks: Actually the bookmarks are in feather-shape. Nothing much written on the bookmark as the time was running short. I just put on a few words on them... "Study hard, good luck..." follow by their individual names.
There wasn't any ceremony to give out those bookmarks. I just walked to the groups one by one and distributed the bookmarks.
They were just surprised but not really enthused to receive my bookmark. Maybe they still feel a little depressed and angry with my scoldings few minutes ago.
Almost time to go. I told them the news that I'll be leaving:
"Well, today is my last day in school. You don't have to see my annoying face anymore after today. But now, you'll still need to obey me even you don't feel quite like to. I haven't lost all my power yet. Not today. Those who haven't finished copying the passages or that I'm not satisfied with what you have copied, you are not allowed to go home today." I tried to threaten them.
Oh...the "You cannot go back home" sentence really worked!! Some students panicked and cried.
"You don't cry in front of me. That's not going to change the fact that you can't go home today. So stop crying" I found it funny to fool with them just before I left.
The crying didn't stop.
The bell rang again. That indicates my last day in school was over.
"All right then. You can stop copying. Just make sure you don't do the same mistake again. Alright?"
That's what teachers do, right? Saying not to allow their students to go home if homework not done but then they don't really do that.
Another reason, the students had to have their lunch before their co-curriculum activities began. It was Wednesday.
So I freed them, looking at their backs leaving one by one.
And then there was only me in the empty work room......
I went back to the office and then started to pack my stuffs preparing to leave the school.
An aunt who worked in the canteen came into the office and complained to the teacher in charge of student's affair that a standard 4 was rude that he refused to take his lunch and cried his way back to the classroom.
Oh my lord, I didn't beat the student. I didn't humiliate the students so badly that they would refuse their lunch.
The teacher went to the boy's classroom to find out what was wrong.
In the meantime, I just started to panic and quicken my packing speed. Hopefully I would make it to step out the school gate before the teacher was back with the student and I had to apologize to the student for scaring them out.
Done packing. Rush my steps out of the office. But.... damn it. The teacher was back. And called my name.
"Cikgu Lee", my name was heard from the other door of the office.
Sweet god....
"Yes?" I tried to remain calm.
Good. No student was by her side.
"You made the standard 4 boys cried.", the teacher said.
"Oh...", I was speechless.
"They said their hearts feel heavy for your leaving.", the teacher smiled.
"Oh, what? Can't be...", I was disbelieved and feel a rush of emotion.
At that scene my tears almost drop out. But I got it controlled...
The standard 4 students that I yelled, beat and scolded most cried for me?
They are not the best students in the school, but they are definitely my favourite ones.
So much for teaching.
So much for my last day in school.
I can finally said this out loud....
"My mission has completed!"
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