I MUST SAY that I stumbled upon teaching as a career. It was totally unplanned. As the years unfolded though, I realised that while it may not have been a part of my plans, God certainly had it in His plans for me.
Upon completing my A-levels, I took on a relief teaching assignment at my mother’s nudging. It was to be a “time-filler”. Little did I know then that that brief experience on the “other side of the classroom” would get me addicted to school for life! My teaching career began at Bukit Ho Swee Secondary School in the late 1970s. English Language was a challenge for the pupils and it was a norm for pupils to just call out in dialects in class. My lack of exposure to Chinese dialects meant that the random remarks about the new teacher that made the class burst out laughing were always lost on me.
At times I was at a real loss – I wondered whether teaching was for me after all. Adapting to the demands of attending lectures in the morning at the then Institute of Education in Paterson Road before reporting to school and teaching through till 6.30 pm was exhausting. Managing a group of teenagers, many of whom did not view education, let alone the learning of the English Language, as a priority in their lives then, made each day even more challenging.
Despite the challenges, however, I was finding each day pretty fulfilling. I wanted this to work. I knew I could make a difference in the lives of these young ones.
I was fortunate during those years to have had good Christian friends with whom I could share my challenges and hopes. Based on the counsel of good friends and mentors, I began to call my pupils (mostly the boys) aside one at a time – the loudest ones first, to understand why they behaved in the way they did in my class. It took some time but I eventually got their attention and cooperation. It was an important breakthrough and a precious lesson learnt.
My first students taught me that unless I understood the child and his needs and concerns, I would never be a teacher to him. The Lord taught me that I really was nothing and had nothing to offer – but if I were to yield myself completely, in obedience to His will, He would certainly be able to use me. I yielded myself – an instrument in His hands.
As a school leader today, those first lessons continue to be relevant. I yield myself daily to God’s guidance and see in each child, God’s precious creation yearning to realise his or her potential. In my last 30 years in school (i.e. “on the other side of the classroom”), I have learnt that though I am nothing, God is able to use me if I remain obedient to His will.
Elsie Jeremiah is a member of the Methodist Church of the Incarnation.