Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Stop Complaining, Start Contributing!

This post may offend some of my readers but I'm just merely stating the truth, if you're not happy please do not bother to read on and go visit other blogs that make you happy.

The week after the final-year exam, has been really stressful and hectic for us, the marking of papers and the preparation of the Charity Dinner this coming Friday night.

I'm proud to say, I'm a teacher of this school and usually the impression that I get when I say am a teacher of this school, that I'm lucky as it is an elite school where you can find all the rich people's and VIPs children here. They are not wrong but we don't get things that easy here as sadly it is difficult to get contributions from all these people.

I'm aware being a teacher you are bound to shoulder all kinds of responsibilities, and I don't intend to complain here, I do not mind at all but my heart is a bit heart-broken when all the effort done, do not really get the support from the students and their parents themselves.

Sometimes, I think to myself is it worth all the sacrifices made, though most of teachers only have the best interest of the students in their mind but my heart keeps questioning, is it all worth it when some of the students themselves do not care a hoot of what the school is doing for them?

Since we became the cluster school, especially this year,I believe the school has done so much to serve and to cater for the students needs, but what do we get in return? I can tell you this, not much.

I had to stay back whole of this week for the orchestra practices for the charity dinner. I came on Sunday too. We prepared new blouses for the girls, we prepared permission letters, we prepare working papers, we need to prepare food for them, we hired a bus, we are hiring the conductors, we have to pay arrangement for the songs, we are paying the vocal teacher on top of our core work which is teaching and all these done so that the girls will get the chance to play and showcase their talent for the Queen in Nikko Hotel. It's a big event and it is done to upgrade all the facilities that we have in school, we are trying to be 'the school of the future' and what we want in return is to get the support from the parents to make this a reality by contributing RM200 per seat for the dinner in the name of charity.

The sad thing is that some of the parents are not even aware of this BIG event as they were not told by their children though we have distributed the letter for all the parents and we even published it in our website. We got such poor response and some students can even say the are facing 'financial crisis'? FINANCIAL CRISIS? Mind you, these words blurted out came from the students who have drivers to take them home, whose parents car are dwarfing all the teachers' car, they carry handphones that are more expensive and sophisticated than mine, who wear watches which cost hundreds of ringgit, who are willing to pay hundreds of ringgit worth of ticket concert, who go for holiday overseas annually, whose parents are willing to buy Guitar Hero, PS2, PSP and they are not willing to fork out RM200 for the school. This event is all done for the benefits of the students, definitely not us the teachers, as to prepare such big event we are bogged down with just more work.

It is just sad to see this whole scenario happening in an environment where majority of the students come from such affluent and privilege families where we have to beg them to contribute for the school. It is just sad what more with what the school has done for the students 'the Musical Night, Mantap Minda, Majlis Restu, Graduation Night' just to name a few, and the only thing that we often received is the rising number of complaints from the students and the parents. So if you're not willing to contribute, please stop complaining.

So who can we blame when the students have such selfish act?

Ask not what the school can do for you but what you can do for the school.

P/S- I remember for the years I was in that school, I had been contributing to build-up of the surau, I did not get to enjoy the privilege then but it did not stop me contributing for the school.

To write and serve with love.

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