A Tribute To My English Teacher

It’s marvellous what Facebook can accomplish for you. One of the latest wonders at my end was the chance to get in touch with an English teacher who, little that she knew, played a significant part in making me who I am today.

Yes, Ms Amar Shobha Sarna......it’s you, and this is a tribute to you.

She came into my Set B English Class for the first time in 1986. I was really nervous during this first encounter as her introduction was not words from her mouth but words that she listed on the board. The ‘rules’ as she explained, were what we had to adhere to in order to survive her lessons. She was a stark contrast from all the teachers who had taught me English before. She came across as realllllly GARANG and I was reallllly scared.

Prelude ~~~~ You see...I came from Jengka where nobody spoke English. Even the English teachers there didn’t speak English to us. They coached us on how to answer the English paper during Penilaian Darjah 5 exam, but did little else to enhance our grasp of the language. Considering the circumstances, I shouldn’t blame them though. And I actually did fairly well in the exam, being one of the three who managed to secure an ‘A’ out of about 100 students in the class. As a young boy, I had always wondered why the Malay subtitle for English programmes on TV didn’t seem to reflect what was actually being said. The punch line in the subtitle didn’t seem funny in ‘Mind Your Language’ but the laughter I heard in the backdrop of the show indicated somebody had definitely said something really funny. I thought then that it would be wonderful if I knew the language and be able to better enjoy shows like Combat and the Incredible Hulk. Then, against all odds, I had the opportunity to enrol into the Royal Military College (RMC). Expectedly, after the placement exam, I found myself in one of the weakest English classes and struggled throughout my first year while at the same time feeling intimidated by others who spoke English as if it was their mother tongue. I don’t know how I did it but managed to somehow climb my way out into Set B the following year and remained there for the next four years.

Ultimately, I found out that I had no reason to be afraid of her. In fact, her influence on me grew and the three years she taught me English was filled with lots of delightful memories. Miss Shobha as she was fondly known turned out to be a very dedicated teacher who devoted her time to help us comprehend the English language. Most of us in her Set B had to work hard no doubt, we had our fair share of being scolded by her as well...oh yes mam, I told you she was GARANG...but despite that she was a big influence on me....Why???? Because....‘SHE MADE ME BELIEVE’. She made me believe that I could speak the English language, she made me believe that I could do well in SPM, ......hey, she even made me believe that I could do well in my English 1119 exam....and ultimately she made me believe that I could be somebody...that I could accomplish things....that I could taste SUCCESS.

Miss Shobha paid attention to every little detail of our work. She diligently read every word of our essays. She was always ahead of all the little tricks we tried to pull (like ‘extracting’ sentences from the Reader’s Digest.....ha..ha..it wasn’t me:), it was my good buddy who’s now in the air force). She gave out little rewards like postcards and bookmarks to those who did well in assignments. She insisted and made sure that nobody...I really mean nobody...was late in submitting his work (we were just simply scared of the probable consequences).

At the end of my Form 4, when I found out that my English result was good enough to get me promoted to Set A, she pulled me aside and convinced me to remain in her Set B so that she could help me better prepare for SPM and 1119 exams the following year. She didn’t have to convince me...I was actually glad she offered me the opportunity to remain in her class. SPM English was one thing, but 1119 English was a completely different ball game. However, despite the seemingly impossible task of passing the 1119 exam (especially for those in Set B like me), she worked hard to prepare us for it...at times harder than us. I didn’t get an A, but the result I got surprised a lot of people...it even surprised me. And as expected I got an A for English in SPM.

She has always remained as my favourite teacher all this while...the same as Mike Flanagan as my favourite coach (Yes, you guess it, there’s going to be a tribute to him as well in the future).

She was like an angel who touched so many hearts...and changed many lives...she changed mine for sure.... and for that I’m forever indebted to her.

Ms Amar Shobha Sarna....thank you very very much from the very bottom of my heart......you are the best.