The Next Exciting Episode - The Last School in Singapore, 1975-1977

Just 8 of the many lovely kids I taught at JSS.
From the Left: Din, Yuwrajh, Lely, Ben, Oi Bek, Rojiah.
Front: Rohayah, Irene

There were no class photographs for Jurong Secondary School's School Magazine. Instead individual photographs of the students were used for each class. It was a relief for the teachers too because you do get weary of having your mug shots taken with tetchy teenagers.

I decided to post the above photograph for two reasons. That lot above were/are such a fitting example of what Singaporeans and Malaysians should be - just like my schooldays of many years ago. They are made up of 2 Peranakans, 2 Chinese, 2 Malays, 1 Indian and one of Bangla Deshi origin. Amongst themselves they speak and curse and swear in English, Malay, Hokkien and smatterings of Mandarin. They tease each other using terms which we would describe today as racist. They are frequently in and out of each other's homes - which are made up of flats in Jurong Town. So you do not really need a kampung atmosphere to bond in a relationship and friendship that can be found only in Singapore and Malaysia. And as I mentioned in a previous posting, JSS is a Chinese medium and English medium school and such a medley of kids could only come from the English stream. I use the word 'medley' because when kids of different hues get together they make very good music. Secondly, I chose this photograph just to annoy them with memories of their wild and woolly days.

Si jeunesse savoit; si vieillesse pouvoit.
If youth knew: if age could.

Henri Estienne 1531-1598

What made JSS special? Because I had spent a year away from teaching, I did not feel so jaded and depressed about getting back to work. But that trip abroad also gave me a different perspective about kids and teaching kids. They need room to express themselves and they want us to trust them, albeit a little in the first instance. But I still keep faith to the old adage: start by being firm and loosen the leash later.

It was sometime during my first week in the school when this 'rejuvenated ' teacher met her first challenge. I was on my way to the Teachers' Common Room (isn't that an old-fashioned term) when I saw a little commotion in one of the classrooms. There was a bunch of 14 year old boys pushing something into the class cupboard. I put my head in and asked them if there was a problem. They were startled and as a result several boys 'fell' out of the cupboard, the littlest of them was the first one to descend and I still remember his name : Suhaimi. The puzzled (not angry) look on my face made one of them explain : "We are trying to find out how many (boys) can be stored in the cupboard." This rascal and his accomplice are in the photograph above.

What did I do? The normal thing is to round them up and call in the Discipline Teacher. I just told them, " Be careful". When I got back to the TCR, I broke out in laughter at the antics of these scallawags. They've got spirit I said. But some of the teachers frowned and said I should have sent them to the Principal's Office. Only one teacher shared my glee. She's KT Lim who became my special friend and colleague in that school. I found it strange that the ones who disapproved were younger than KT and I !!

This was a foreboding of times to come.