Episode 5 – Schooling in Ipoh
Here’s part 5, from UV.
Episode 5 – Schooling in Ipoh
After two years with the brightest of ACS for this batch of students which included Yee Woon Chee, Nga Tung See and others who constantly hogged the first and second place in the form, my various extra-curricular activities took its toll on me. In the crucial Lower Certificate Examination (Form 3) year I went to the ‘B’ class again.
In Form 1 and 2 I had Mr. Rasathurai for Mathematics. Incidentally, he was the son of the Head Master of the TR ACS Branch school. Later I understand, Mr. Rasathurai’s daughter became a teacher too and I think I met her once in Taiping when I was giving a talk to one of the schools there. Mr. Rasathurai was a fantastic Mathematics teacher but his jokes were even more fantastic. He would not fail to crack a joke every time he is in class and until today we can always recall some of them and oft-time we would use it whenever we are called upon to do some Master of Ceremony work.
In Form 3B in 1960 I was taught Mathematics by Mr. Balagopal. He is most noted for his bicycle and simple rattan woven bag. This greying, almost bald Indian gentleman would come into the class in a no-nonsense manner and would solve Mathematics problems rapidly on the blackboard for us to jot down, those who couldn’t solve them the previous day. Then he would stop half-way and asked some of us to complete the solution. Most of us couldn’t or would try and make some awful mistakes and he would be at at back, rubbing it with his open palm a few times before raising it to slam it hard down on our back! It would usually be accompanied with the words, “Idiot, it is?” Then we know for sure it isn’t the right solution! However, one would never forget how to solve a problem let it be Arithmetic, Algebra or Geometry after that whacking!
Mr. Balagopal gave me a strong foundation both in Mathematics and Mathematics 2 and it helped me qualify the next year for Four Science A. I have him to thank for this but I never pursued a career later in life that would require my using my Mathematical skills.
In Form 3B too we were blessed with Mr. Oh Boon Lian, our Geography teacher. No one would dare play the fool in his class. He wasn’t Mr. Quah Guan Teik who would cry when boys do not pay attention to his lessons. You pay attention to every word that comes out of Mr. Oh’s mouth when he is in class, so I missed nothing during his lessons. That was the start of my interest in Geography. In those days we had to learn all the Southern Continents and the whole of South East Asia for the LCE Geography syllabus. That is why today; those from that era could tell you the capitals of practically every country in South America, Africa and States in the Continent of Australia and New Zealand.
The Lower Certificate of Education Examination was a major hurdle to cross. It would decide whether you continue in Form Four in the Science or Arts stream. Most of us would sit for seven subjects. Others may also offer languages like Chinese, Tamil and Punjabi. O yes, I took up Latin in Form 1 and 2 but learned more to take punches for not being able to conjugate Latin verbs from our teacher who taught us during Saturday mornings for free! Some of you might recall him. He was the one instrumental for the start of Berita ACS! (No, not Mr. Jamit Singh)
When I visited Venice, Florence and Rome after I retired, I recalled some of the words I learned in Latin class but it did not help me at all when I was lost in Rome and luckily English was such a universal language, I was able to find my way back to my residence using it.
Science always intrigues me since Form 1 when Mr. Low Kum Wai started teaching us. He would make science come to life with all his stories of how to apply Science to our daily lives. I can never forget his lesson on friction when he described how he nailed nails into the sole of his clog and when cycling fast at nigh down the road he would let it glide over the surface of the road and would leave a trial of sparks to attract the attention of young girls! That’s Mr. Low Kum Wai and his Science lessons. How can one ever forget the facts with such a tale to fascinate you?
History was boring as usual. With the ‘What is Bronze’ teacher (see Episode 2) spending the whole year asking us to define bronze as the main part of our History lesson in Standard Four, I never took a liking to History in school. All we need do then was to buy a revision guide book written by a particular Indian gentleman (not a teacher in ACS) and memorize it and we are sure to pass! I did that for Form 5 too and even scored an A!
However, History was still the British version unlike what we have today. We learned Colonial History and History of the British Empire. We learned about Ancient Civilizations. We learned very little of Malaysian/Malayan History as there was so little of it except from book written by Englishmen! Parameswaran was a Hindu Prince then and Hang Tuah and Hang Jebat were heroes! I have often been involved in arguments with younger people over this! They do not learn what I learned in the past about these same characters!
In this episode I tried to give you an idea of what being in lower secondary was like. It was not so much the subject matter but who your teacher was that made you remember enough facts to pass your crucial examination! The teaching methods (Pedagogy) may be unique but it was effective, at least, for me. Learning was fun despite the threat of a major examination. Why so? It was so because our teachers made it fun! Even the whacking on the back with reprimands of “Idiots” and “stupid rascal” never deterred us from wanting to study and perform well.
What has changed today? Should a teacher lay a finger on a pupil the press will make a big issue out of it, police reports would be made and politicians will cry blue murder. I too have cried for the ‘blood’ of some teachers who went beyond the point of decency in handling students (especially girl students). Times have changed and teachers no longer can do what their own teachers did. I would accept a lot of things teachers did to my son but I don’t think he would accept the same being done to his children.
Do we call those days when I was in Lower Secondary school the ‘good old days’ or the ‘bad old days’? It depends on who is reading this. You share your comments on this, please.
The teacher who taught UV Latin was Mr. Devadason. I studied Latin under him and also received punches on my face when I could not conjugate. “Amo, Ama, Amas” still rings in my ears. Mr. Devadason was my English teacher in Form 5. I was not one of his favourites but he kept on reading my essays in class. I got an “A” in my Form 5 exam and thanked him but he said that he was not responsible. He only helped those who would have failed otherwise. Mr. Devadason’s contract was not renewed (he was from India) and was on contract basis and I learnt that he went to Sabah or Sarawak where he died. Thanks UV for bringing back the enemies.
I also remember Mr. Rasathurai and his stories. His brother, Ramachandran was my classmate. I was lucky to have Mr. Lee Hoo Keat to teach me Mathematics in Form 2 and 3 instead of Mr. Balagopal. Mr. Lee is still around and he was one tough Mathematics teacher who will slap you on your back if you do not do your work. Mr. Oh Boon Lian also taught me Geography. He used to pick us as punishment.
it’s funny: that corporal punishment produces both negative AND positive effects on students….
I did study Latin, too. I was told then in order to study medicine you must know Latin, but sorry, never ended doing so. Another interesting point is Me. Devadason tried to introduce rugby to the school which I participate but it was not a success. If I am not wrong, ACS do not have a rugby team.
UV, those were the good old days, yes I agree with U. Moreover, I believe u had more good dedicated teacher in our good old days. Something that I admire of our good old days were the teachers. Those teachers were from Kirby, Brinsford or just simply a Cambridge School Certificate holder with a pedagogy training from any Malaysian Teachers Collage. They were capable to handle all level students be it LCE, MCE or even HSC classes. Today I wonder can a straight As SPM student with such qualification teach students of the same class?
All the students care about and do these days is to pass exams, that’s all that education has been reduced to. U were lucky, it reflects in all your writings about your good old school ACS. For one thing I sure, ACS would never be as how it was in the good old days!
In his episode 5, cheers to UV who highlighted the ACS teachers that had made a lasting impression with the students. It is quite understanding he left out the mediocre ones. Fortunately, there were few.
Students come from various socio-economic backgrounds. Among them, some are bright while some are not. A teacher is considered good if he/she can teach effectively, i.e. having the pedagogical ability to impart knowledge to all his/her students.
It is for this reason that I would want to express my gratefulness to Mr James Phang (Form 2), Tuan Hj. Abdullah, Mr.Balagopal, Mr. Yee Sze Onn (Form 3), Mr. Ramalingam (Form 4) and Mr.Foong Ah Yoong (Form 5).
In retrospect, I thought the principal during my time was quite blinded by money. The coercion to make students buy a $5 ticket to watch a drama was devoid of human feelings. $5, at that time, could feel the whole family for the day. Some families couldn’t earn that in a day.
Sorry, typo mistake. Last line: COULD FEED and not COULD FEEL
I am delighted with the various commendable sentiments expressed on the quality of the teachers those days in ACS Ipoh and the school experiences that we gained from.
I wish however to post a different perspective to a particular point of view which held that one particular action on the part of a principal “….was devoid of human feelings …” .
Yes, many of us will recall that we were bussed to nearby towns like Taiping and Kuala Kangsar to sell ACS drama show tickets and we were allocated some tickets to sell on a non-returnable basis.
Look at it this way: how were the swimming pool, the air-conditioned library with its well-stocked books collection, the air-conditioned library and the classrooms expansion funded in those days?
How was the ACS Ipoh stage popularized and rendered famous?
We should be thankfully that we have in the Principal an exceptional CEO who had a vision for making ACS Ipoh renowned and also equipped with enviable facilities to benefit both poor and rich students alike. Indeed there was never any form of discrimination against poor students in the classroom teaching , in holding offices (including prefectship) and taking on leadership position in school. If anything, ACS Ipoh and its teachers were supportive and facilitative towards the poor students of whom I was one.
The Principal never insisted that each and every one must pay for the ticket from their own pocket . We could on-sell it to rich relatives, well-heeled friends of our parents or even comparative strangers. It was a good move to force each and every one of us out of our comfort zone and to use the skills we were taught in school to secure a sale. This ultimately would prove useful to us when eventually we came into the employment market. We also learned that there was no such thing as impossible. Each of us in our own small way must be committed to helping the school’s cause (no big payment in return for the exceptional teaching and facilities we were privileged to enjoy).
For those of us who really wanted to watch the show and there were money, we saved the meagre monies we earned from giving tuition and doing menial odd jobs. It was good ethics to learn and believe that we did not require hand-outs.
Had it been optional , how many of us would make a serious effort to effect a ticket sale? There is no point in staging a superb performance if the ticket sales don’t come through. Would we allow our actors and actresses to play to a half empty gallery? I can still recall with pleasure the fully packed audience and the robust and frequent curtain calls. Long may that last!
Sorry, first line penultimate paragraph should read :-
“…. to watch the show and there were many, ….”
and paragraph 5, first line should read :-
“We should be thankful that we had in the Principal….” ,
Hi UV,
I, for one, and being a victim of constant punishments from teachers, do not agreed that education and harsh punishment should go hand in hand.
Punishments do not always instill discipline in students. On the other hand, it created fear and depression in our hearts. I believed learning should be a joyful activity. Teachers should make their lessons interesting and meaningful for students to enjoy the lessons, instead of making it something they will dread to take part in.
I think constant exposure to fear and depression will make a child develope inferiority complex, some which will last a lifetime.
Yes, cane a naughty student if his or her conduct is unacceptable, but plese spare the slaps, punches or kicks if their mistakes is as minor as being forgetful or careless. We are all humans and to err is human.
Our grandparents or even parents will take harsh punishments as part of education but it is very hard to convince parents of today that this method is acceptable.
Hi ipohgal,
I am with you. A few strokes of the rod but not quite splitting the skin is ok. For the boys, even a few measured slaps on the back (a favourite “patting” past time amongst boys, done half affectionately and the other half of the purpose being to test that one is not a “sissy”) may be tolerable.
It was then considered important that it must be driven into the boys’ heads that one should and would be held accountable for one’s misdeeds / miscalculations. All to be taken in good spirit, mindful of the saying, “no pain , no gain”. But then , of course, it taught us to think carefully of the limits to which we would take things to. After all, some price might be too heavy to pay
But corporal punishment like slaps on the face, punches , kicks and even excessive verbal abuses are absolutely No No.
Thanks to those who responded. Ipohgal, being almost one generation after mine, I can understand your attitude towards coporal punishment. As I said, things have changed nowadays and so too teaching methods. Yes, the enjoyable method is best. There were those like Mr. Low Kum Wai, Mr. Rasathrai and Mr. Yee Sze Onn who used those methods too even at those times.
As for the comments on Mr.Ram and the ‘forcing’ of pupils to buy drama tickets, I tend to agree with LMS136. I alwo like to add that being sent to sell tickets gave us practical experiences in sales and social contacts that made some of us great business people! I’ll be writing about fun fairs and fund raising by Mission schools in Ipoh in the yesteryears and why it was necessary to be done as already highlighted by LMS136.
Thanks S.Y.Lee for helping me get the name of the Latin teacher. Do you remember, he was a big chap compared to us small fries. Sorry to note he passed on, if not, I would love to return a few ‘friendly’ punches!
Hi LMS136 and UV,
Thank you both for sharing the same sentiments with regards to harsh punishments in school.
I think for serious cases like stealing, fighting, truancy, bullying and blackmailing among students, then yes, I am all for caning. Give them a stroke they could never forget.
But like I said before, being forgetful or careless in our homework does not warrant a tight slap on the face, a hard blow on the head or verbal abuses. It took away the joy of learning and instead resentment creeps in.
By the way, I am writing Part 2 (final) on life in a girls’ school and how we were punished for simple mistakes. Do visit my blog for an insight of how sick or brutal some teachers are, towards girls as young as 9 or 10 years old. I think if they are doing these acts today, they will be out of their jobs in no time. They could get away with it in those days simply because our parents were uneducated and too poor to protest.
Hi ipohgal,
If I may add, one of the most daunting experiences that I had (fresh from joining ACS Ipoh after completing my primary education in G.E.S. Jalan Pasir Puteh, Ipoh) was a public caning exercise.
The whole secondary school , including the girls in Sixth Form, was assembled at the quadrangle.
The culprit wearing shorts signifying that he was in the lower forms, was paraded on stage. His misdeed was publicly announced and he was then asked to bend down to receive 6 of the best. The strokes administered were, I was sure, nothing like prison whipping. But, oh, the sheer humiliation.
I did not have the opportunity to find out how he reacted thereafter – whether he repented or he became even more hardcore. But then those were the days when gangsterism was not only rife in Ipoh but also in schools. The school authorities simply had to take a tough stance and crack down where necessary.
I am looking forward to reading your Part 2. It is astounding that such brutal punishment can be administered even in a girls school. This was tantamount to physical abuse and not a disciplinary measure. Glad you survived that intact
Hi Ipohgal,
I agree and empathasize with you 100%.
For serious offences like stealing, fighting, truancy, bullying and blackmailing, then yes, the student should be punished.
But for simple things like forgetfulness, asking for things to
be repeated before we comprehend etc, we should not be slapped,
punished or insulted with slurs like “stupid ass” etc.
Some of these nice kids who get such abuses end up going for
counselling in their adult lives in order to get over it.
I could name all the abusive teachers. If they are here reading this blog, then
we hope they get back their karma of feeling humiliated in return.
Yes, shame on these abusive teachers.
Ipohgal, when you write your next blog, please take a look
at the book “Tiger Mum” by Amy Chua.
Amy is a Chinese born in the Philipines and later became
an American citizen is a Harvard law professor.
Although that book talks about tough parenting to the point
of being borderline abuse or some may even consider it abuse,
there are lots of similarities to the tough teachers in schools.
Yes, you are right, if teachers of today ever do that, they
will be fired.
Perhaps you should named your new blog “Tiger Teachers”.
You are a good articulate writer and I shall be happy to
give you as much input as possible.
There is something about the PE lessons in boys’ schools that
is still unanswered. Perhaps some of you could shed some light
on this subject.
In some of the schools that I know of, why are boys required
to take off their shoes and shirts for PE/
Don’t you think it is not safe as you may never know what you
might step on by accident?
In America, whether it is a school or a workplace, we must have
out shoes on at all times. Even handymen, electirician who
visit homes have to keep their shoes on. When visiting Asian
homes whose custom prefers shoes off in the house, these workers
would wear plastic booties on top of their shoes.
Please shed some light on this. Thanks.
In regards my second question in my previous response, I noticed at least in the schools I know of is that boys are required to
take off their shirts for PE. But why?
Even athletes paly with their shirts on. So why can’t boys in
Ipoh be allowed to keep their shirts or at least t-shirts on
for PE?
Don’t you think it is not good because it causes silent
attention to female students and teachers and a few gay boys
that I know of. I have observed how some Form 6 girls and even
female teachers take furtive glances at these boys.
Although such attention is good for the male ego, I don’t feel
it is appropriate in a school.
In Malaysia and in Ipoh, at least in the days and times I know
of and remember, I am glad there have not been a case of
female teachers seducing boys but in America, this has happened
many times.
The requirememt of boys to take off their shirts for PE
is an aspect of the schooling in Ipoh that baffles me even
up to today.
I like to hear your feedback. Thank you.
Oops, sorry I have a typing error in the sentence
“Even athletes paly” – the correct spelling is “play”.
Khuan Mun, ACS used to have a rugby team. Mr. Moreira used to be the teacher in charge. Rugby in ACS was nothing much to shout at, we inevitably lost. Better teams were from the STAR and other schools. I know because I used to play rugby, which is played in only a few countries. Remember the Maoris from New Zealand and the Fijians and the Australians who used to play in the Ipoh Padang?
I always suspected Mr. Moreira was a sadist. He used to cane students just for standing too close to the teachers’ cars. One day, we had a free drink from 7-Up when it was first introduced. Some students made an “Ech” sound when we were walking back. Unable to catch the student, he decided to can half the class. This is corporal punishment at its worse. We had to take it then. I remember that one of the teachers, Mr. Joga Singh (who is now a semi-retired lawyer in KL) was my Maths teacher in Form 4. He was formerly teaching MGS and came over to teach in ACS. When the boys annoyed him, he used to slap them on the back. But as he came from a girls’ school, just before his hand connected with the back, he stopped just there was no physical contact. The students laughed at this and it did not take him long to really slap their backs. So much or being nice to naughty boys.
For HoemesickforIpoh, the rationale for taking off the shirts is just that when we exercise, our sweat make the shirt wet. Inevitably, we do not have a change of clothing. Hence, taking off the shirt. But then, during school days, at least in the lower forms, we did not mind. Form 6 student were not required to do so.
LMS136, the principal you referred to had the foresight to buy the adjoining piece of land. We had the swimming pool and the air-cond. library. For those who failed in Form 5 and wanted to repeat or even for those who did not fail but just want to repeat to get better results, it could be arranged for attend ACS. Included were those who managed to get into Form 6 though their result were not too good. All for a donation. No accounts, like our public donations to some of the national calamities.
Hi SY Lee,
Do they still require boys to take off their shirts for PE
nowadays?
What if students decide to tell the teacher “no” and is willing
to change clothes?
From my understanding, it was the teacher’s insistence on
boys taking off their shirts and is not up to the student to
decide.
I have heard lots of horror stories in America of female teachers
getting aroused by adolescense boys to the point of having sex
with the boy.
If you do a google search on Mary Kay Letourneau, you will know
what I mean. She was jailed in 1989 for the seduction,
then released, then co-authored a book with the boy and made a
movie out of it. The name of the movie is
“All American Girl : the Mary Kay Letourneau story”.
She even married the boy in 2005.
Such happy endings are rare as usually one or the other gets
psychologically damaged.
In general, I am uncomfortable at such requirements of taking
of shirts for PE as it draws undue attention.
Hi LMS136,
Yes, I did survived the impact but along the way, from an extrovert girl, I became quite introvert. In the end, for the remaining of my schooling days, I kept to myself. Hardly anyone notice me and I ended up being voiceless and faceless. Nobody remember my face or name although I could recognise many school and classmates from MGS in facebook. They were curious of who I am and how I look. Infact, they requested my latest photo to identify me. Although I declined at first, I guess I have no choice but to accomodate them in my next blog.
And to HomesickforIpoh,
Thanks for your suggestions. I will give this a thought.
My elder brother had it worse at Sam Tet. He was severely punished for minor mistakes back in the 1950s and 1960s. As a result of low confidence and self esteem, he came a stammer, and he still was, even to this day. This came to be, according to him, because, each time he read wrongly from the text book, the fierce language teacher would rain blows on him and verbally assaulted him. In the end, he could neither read nor speak well.
Teachers of yesteryears who used harsh methods on students did not think of the mental damages their actions could have on young minds.
And to HomesickforIpoh,
Thanks for your suggestions and I will consider it. Yes, I like to believe in the theory of Karma. Good beget good and bad beget bad.
Please ignore comment no. 20 due to typing error.
The correct one should read as:
Hi LMS136,
Yes, I did survived the impact but along the way, from an extrovert girl, I became quite introvert. In the end, for the remaining of my schooling days, I kept to myself. Hardly anyone notice me and I ended up being voiceless and faceless. Nobody remember my face or name although I could recognise many school and classmates from MGS in facebook. They were curious of who I am and how I look. Infact, they requested my latest photo to identify me. Although I declined at first, I guess I have no choice but to accomodate them in my next blog.
My elder brother had it worse at Sam Tet. He was constantly punished for minor mistakes back in the 1950s and 1960s. As a result of low confidence and self esteem, he came a stammer, and he still was, even to this day. This came to be, according to him, because, each time he pronunced wrongly from the text book, the fierce language teacher would rain blows on him and verbally assaulted him. In the end, he could neither read nor speak well.
Teachers of yesteryears who used harsh methods on students did not think of the mental damages their actions could have on young minds. For my brother, the damage remained for a lifetime.
And to HomesickforIpoh,
Thanks for your suggestions and I will consider it. Yes, I like to believe in the theory of Karma. Good beget good and bad beget bad.
Hi ipohgal,
It was very unfortunate that the scars of excessive and unreasonable , even unwarranted, punishment had left such a severe mark, more so on your brother.
But at least, it didn’t break your spirit, you had the resilience to bounce back. Reading your postings, your articulation doesn’t suggest that you are anything but extrovert, certainly very personable. If you were at all “voiceless and faceless” those days, your blog now projects an assured personality, eager and having the capacity to share your knowledge and experience.
Keep your postings coming! Very interesting perspectives and well written.
I am sure that your past experiences are well applied to ensure that both your daughter and son progress through their learning years happily, well balanced and emerging as confident individuals.
Hi LMS136,
Thanks for your kind words of encouragements and I will try my best to blog on despite time constraint.
Yes, it had been some 30 years ago and I am all grown up now. I have walked away from the shadow of those frightening days.
I hope my children would not have to endure the kind of punishments I have to endure then, just to be educated. I hope they will find much joy in the course of learning, which should rightly be the case.
Hi Ipohgal,
Sorry to hear about the treatment your brother got at Sam Tet.
It is no surprise to me when I heard of some students at Sam Tet
actually beat up the teachers after school. If they are that
abusive, they deserve it. In America, a few kids even go to the
extremes of shooting their teachers.
For me, I was equally abused by Mr. Au Chun Chong. So a group of
us reported him to the Education Department which led him to
get fired. He ended up leaving the teaching profession.
It served him right.
Can your brother still sue Sam Tet school? What is the statute
of limitation to sue in Malaysia? In America, although the
statute of limitation to sue is a few years, but if it is certain
long term damages such as dental surgeons leaving behind bone
fragments after a root canal surgery, it is indefinite.
I am glad students and parents of today have protested enough
to stop such abuses.
Hi Homesick. I trust the above is an accurate statement of fact and that you can prove in a court of law that that Mr Au was fired from the teaching profession because he abused you.
ipohWorld, as the managers of this blog do not support libellous statements, so if you cannot prove the above please advise me on info@ipohworld and I shall withdraw you comment.
May I remind you that althogh you no longer live in Malaysia, you are not outside the scope of a civil action against you.
Hi Ika,
Mr. Au abused more than me. He abused several students by punching and slapping them unnecessarily in front of all the students. It was a group of us who wrote to the Education
Department.
Thanks for your concern.
Hi HomesickforIpoh,
I think the chances of bringing such abusive educators to court is very remote, more so if such abuses took place more than 45 years ago and those teachers were long gone from this world.
Like you said before, let Karma take its course. That is the only consolation for victims of abuses. Let bygone be bygone. It is our duty to make sure no more such abuses will take place again.
Hi Ipohgal,
You are absolutely correct in regards difficulties bringing
these educators to court. But nevertheless, I am glad many of
my friends were brave enough to report one of the teachers
to the Education Department.
I applaud yourself and a few others for ranting it out here
because vocalizing it to willing listenners as a form of
sounding board and sharing these experiences out loud is a
good healthy way to heal.
In fact, a counsellor had said “why not write a letter to the
abuser but don’t send it since they may be long gone.
Instead burn burn the letter”.
Remember in 1992 right before the elections in America,
Paula Jones made it public to the world charging the then
soon-to-be President Clinton that he had sexually harassed
her several times. You can do a google search on this just
in case that news didn’t make it to Malaysia at that time.
This was definitely not politically inspired because Paula Jones
never ran for any public positions. It is definitely a healing
feeling for her to let the hurt out of her system.
Bravo to you and many others who came forward. Thank you very
much to Ika for alerting me to potential litigations.
But if it is true, there is nothing to be afraid of.
Hey S.Y. thanks for enlightening my mind by stating that some of the ACS(am I right?) students were allowed to stay on in Form 6 even if their Cambridge results were not good simply by giving a donation to the school. Regrettably, I was too poor to be able to do that in 1960 else I could have been allowed to stay on. In retrospect, thanks to that principal I am much more well off now than if I were in Ipoh. Funny how sometimes bad things can turn out so good.
Hi Ipohgal,
I forgot to mention that besides Paula Jones, there was also
the scandal of President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky.
So if Paula Jones has courage to stand up in court against the
President of the US, we too should have courage to stand up
against the abusive teachers.
When I was in “Sekolah Menengah Jalan Silibin”, a coed school,
one girl wrote a letter to the principal to complain about a
lazy teacher and got all our signatures.
Of course the teacher retaliated by caning the whole class
for the slightest trivial mistakes in our homework. But
nevertheless we were all inspired.
If we have a chance to sue or happened to be sued as Ika
has alerted me, I will be glad to challenge the abusive
teachers to look into my eyes if he ever says he has not beaten
or abused any students.
We must be brave and look forward to a bright future for our
children so that they will not suffer the same abuses as we did.
Finally, have you thought about speech therapy or a linguist
or maybe the Rosetta Stone’s language software to re-orientate
and re-learn so that he does not stammer in his speech.
If you get a chance to see the movie “The King’s Speech”,
there is hope for your brother.
Thank you so much for sharing your stories. I went through
similar experiences as well and can relate to them.
Hi Ipohgal,
Hi, sorry, what I meant to say was
“have you thought about speech therapy or a linguist for your
brother……”.
Good luck.
Hi HomesickforIpoh,
Each time I received abuses at school, I would come home to write my feelings in my diary. Yesterday, I blogged about such abuses and you can read it up at my blog, 188hughlowstreet.
Yes, the stories of Paula Jones, Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky were well covered in Malaysia at the time it happened and we followed them like a sensational drama.
Although I have healed properly but my brother did not. He started to stammer at a young age, about 11 or 12, and at that time, due to poverty and ignorance, there was nothing much my parents could do for him. My Dad was too occupied with the struggle to put food on the table, and speech theraphy was unheard of in those days, in the 1950s.
Today, at the age of late 50s, he could not do well in life, both in marriage and career. Sadder still, he was the only son in the family. But we got used to his stammering and we helped him as much as we can to get by each day.
By the way, he was a happy and carefree child before he started school. But all that changed as the year goes by and he was mercilessly abused by some of his teachers.
I hope what happened to my brother will not happen to other kids again.
Hi Ipohgal. sorry to hear about your brother’s traumatic experience. i hope he did get over the stammering in later years.
Hi Felicia,
Thanks. As his siblings, we gave him plenty of moral support and love as he struggles with his handicap.
Hi Ipohgal,
Thanks for sharing your blog. I will look at it sometime.
BTW, I think there is hope for your brother and I believe
it is never too late in life for anything.
I saw on http://www.stammering.ch that there is help for adults as
well as children.
Yes, it’s a good idea that you had everything in a diary.
Going forward, we (muyself, yourself, your brother and
whomever who were abused) can make re-affirmations to ourselves
that these people cannot harm us anymore and may they seek
their own karma. We will be strong, positive, nice and succesful
in our own ways in life.
We hope that our exposure of such abusive teachers will help
inspire future generations to stand up for themselves.
I was not afraid to mention the names of teachers like
Mr. Au Chun Chong or Mr. Koshy even though Ika alerted me to
the fact that I could be sued.
If it is the truth, there is nothing to be afraid of in the
courts. In fact, as earlier mentioned, I will be happy to
challenge the plaintiff to look into my eyes if he ever sues
and says he has NEVER slapped and beaten any kids over trivial
harmless things.
As with any litigation, there will always be “he said versus
she said” or “you say versus I say” scenarios. Afterall, that’s
what lawsuits are all about.
Some students even challenge Mr. Au to a fight.
But we genteel ones however chose to report him to the education
department because we know that “the pen is mightier than the
sword”
I hope our reporting of these abusive teachers has pioneered
and encouraged other students and parents to do the same.
My best guess is that it is such reporting and exposing them
legally is the reason such abuses had declined to the point
where it hardly happens today.
Thank you everyone for being our sounding board, thanks for
being a listenner, thanks to UV for asking us to share our
experiences.
This has been the most healing moments for many of us when we
get to vocalize it the same way Paula Jones vocalized her
disapproval of President Clinton’s actions to her.
Today we feel a sense of emotional liberation and god bless
yourself (Ipohgal) and your brother and also all other victims
of abuse.
Oops, sorry I had a typing error. The correct spelling
is “myself” and not “muyself”. Thanks.
Hi HomesickforIpoh,
Thank you very much for the link and I will go through it to see how best to help my brother.
In western countries, most courts of law will strive to get “justice seem to be served” for the plaintiffs. But not over here.
Some ten years ago, my mom’s surgery went wrong and it caused her a lot of pain. The family went back to confront the private surgeon but he denied any responsibility. We wanted to sue him but were advice against it because firstly, it was too costly to do so, way beyond our financial means, and most importantly, the chances of us getting some justice are remote, more so when the surgeon whom you wanted to sue is a well known Datuk who moved around in the circle of the elite. Since my mom died from another illness, we decided to let him off. See, it is not so easy to sue in a Malaysian court of law, compared with those in other countries.
Time, like laughter, is a good medicine. Time heals and liberates. Therefore, step out from the shadow of fear and hatred and moves on. I guess, since I have blogged about my feelings kept within me for some 30 plus years, it is time to close my childhood diary and put it away. I have a long journey ahead, so too for you, my brother and others who had been wronged in one way or another in the distant past. Let’s continue with our journey in life and perhaps there will be better days ahead.
As for now, I am glad to hear that abuses in schools had dropped drastically and children will be able to learn in joy once more.
Ipohgal, very well-said. The past would not change. It is not good for the psyche if you continue to dwell on it. The future matters more than the past.
In schools today, the discipline has deteriorated, much to our chagrin. School principals can no more do as they please.
Hi Ipohgal,
I hope the link in regards stammering can help your brother.
You articulated everything very well and look forward to a
happy future.
I thank UV’s suggestion that we share our comments on the
“good old days” or “bad old days”.
We all need to vocalize our experiences. That helps us heal
by putting the past in perspective. It also gives us closure.
I had no intention to sue NOR slander anyone when I mentioned
names.
The reason I brought up the subject of suing or being sued is in
response to Ika’s comment #25 that alerted me to the potential
of a civil action (meaning lawsuit) being filed for slander.
If it is the truth, there is nothing to be afraid of in the same
way Paula Jones was not afraid of even the most powerful man
in the world, that of the President of the United States,
Bill Clinton.
As for whether abuses in schools have really dropped, I am sure
you know better since you still have a daughter in school.
I have been out of the country for so long and so I am only hearing it second hand from various posters here.
Yes, the vocalizing, sharing and ranting is the healthiest
way to heal and seek closure for us all. Now, we can both filed
away our diaries and move forward to a better future.
I also hope this will enlighten future generations so that abuses
from teachers can be better dealt with.
God bless you, your brother and all of us who were abused and
have faith in the higher powers that these perpetrators of
student abuse get back their karma in some form.
I really enjoy reading your experiences. Good luck and have
a great day.
Hi Ipohgal,
Sorry to hear about your mum’s situation. In America, medical
malpractice lawsuits are equally hard to win. First, there is
the 6 months statute of limitation to sue from the date of
the surgery or the date when the error was discovered.
Second, we need to get “second opinion doctors” and many are
unwilling to testify against practitioners of their own
profession unless it is very blatant such as that of a surgeon
leaving behind stuff in the body after a surgery.
The healthcare and legal system is a mess in the US. People
are so litigious.
That’s why more and more Americans are now patronizing “hollistic
medicine”
My doctor, an Osteopathic doctor who just retired is 92 year old.
He has healed many patients by by not giving medication and by
discouraging surgery. He himself was hospitalized twice and he
survived by saying no to medication while in the hospital.
And his wife is strong and healthy at 99.
This doctor has been a godsend to me and my mother.
He and a chiropractor have worked together to heal my mother’s
chest pains with the osteopathic manipulation, chiropractic
adjustment and intensive no-medication therapy.
He also told me a story of a doctor and his son.
Here it is:
“One week, an old doctor went on vacation. So the son attended
to his long time patient. The son examined and told the patient
that she is not sick anymore and released her from his care.
He then relayed that information to his father upon his return.
So the father said “What!!!??? she was the one who supported you
through college and you released her!”.
I hope you can see from that story that medicine here is all
about money rather than helping people.
BTW, Americans used to underestimate Chinese medicine or other
alternative medicine and pass them off as quackery. It is
amazing how times have changed that they now recognize
Chinese, hollistic and alternative medicine.
We now have OMD(Doctor of Oriental Medicine), accupuncturist,
spiritual healers and so forth.
In Malaysia, what did we use to call spiritual healers?
Is it “bomohs”?
Anyway, it is sad that philantropic doctors like my osteopath
who does not charge much and really care are extremely rare.
Hi PT,
I think there should be a good balance in everything.
The liberal American school system here is too out of control
towards one extreme
And the strict Malaysian system is too towards the other extreme
whereby some teachers abuse their power and authority by simply
slapping and punching students even for harmless mistakes.
We have students bringing guns to school if you recall a case
in 2000 in Arizona when a student went to school and started
a shooting rampage.
Then there are cases of students calling the principal
“whore, bitch, asshole” etc.
I find this totally disrespectful.
Hopefully times have changed in Malaysia with more students
and parents being able to stand up for themselves.
We sure hope for a better future.
Hi HomesickforIpoh,
Yes, you are right. Western medicine are very very expensive nowadays, especially if you seek treatments at private hospitals. Treatment fees ranged from thousands of dollars depending on severity. It is all about money and nothing else.
My brother-in-law (hubby’s elder brother) met a terrible car accident some 6 years ago in Singapore. His nervous system was badly damaged and as a result, he became partially blind in both eyes. He seek treatments at hospitals both in Singapore and Malaysia but was told nothing could be done for him. His condition deterioted over the years and he became home bound. As recently as two months ago, I brought him to Tung Shin Hospital in KL to seek traditional Chinese treatment. He was put on acupuncture sessions every alternate day and for free too due to his handicap status. Now, he was on the way to total recovery. He was beginning to see much clearer and venture out of the house. Ah, that was the power of the needle!
My daughter and her classmates still got occasional strokes on their palms but with a wooden ruler. Another way of punishment was to make them write lines hundred times for each mistake. At least this is more tolerable than what we used to have during our school days.
Re my former classmate S Y Lee’s comment at #1, “I also remember Mr. Rasathurai and his stories”, here are salacious details
The rather dashing looking Rasiah Rasathurai, to offer his full name, was rather fond of Agatha Christie mystery novels, especially those featuring Belgian detective Hercule Poirot.
At the end of term, when we were all in a holiday mood, he would often tell us students – being captive audience – a whole story from start to end, sometimes taking a couple of periods or days to finish. And entirely from memory besides. The marvel of it was that he never made a mistake and backtracked. And left nothing out, so that if you were paying attention throughout, his presentation of clues and final denouement made complete sense.
For reasons of his own, he allowed various people to borrow his collection of paperbacks which were invariably not returned, and he eventually had to buy new ones to replace them. At least that’s what I was told years later.
Like the rest of us, he had his dark side as well, but there’s no point in dwelling on the past. After all, I’ve learnt – above all else – that we “create our own reality” That was what that wise man meant when he uttered these words:
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ~ New International Version (©1984)
Thank you Peter for shining some light into the recent darkness we seem to have been having. Personally I have no doubt that there is a good side to everyone, although it is sometimes difficult to find, and my strategy on life has always been to look on the bright side and be grateful for what you have.
Hi Ipohgal,
I just saw the movie “The King’s Speech” and thought of you and your brother. If you have not seen it, I hope you’ll find the DVD at least, to enjoy, at your convenience. I thought it was a masterpiece and deserved all the Oscars won recently.
Far removed from Schooling in Ipoh, but all about schooling King George VI on how to overcome his speech defect, this is truly a great film. I saw it on an aircraft this week and I hope it becomes available in Malaysia as it really is an enjoyable movie.
Hi ex Ipohan,
Thanks for your suggestions. Yes, I have heard about this movie recently and will definitely give it a view once I got it in hand.
For those of you who want to meet your old teachers and principals (at least those who are still around and attend our Alumni dinner) you can meet them at the ACS Ipoh Alumni dinner on 6.8.11 at the New She Lai Ton Restaurant. You can contact us for further details. We make it a point to invite all the former principals and former teachers
Dear Old Salts,
A reflection of corporal punishment:
On Corporal Punishment:
Modern teaching methods have no place for corporal punishment. In the 50s and 60s, modern psychological counseling for errand students has not yet emerged as the accepted practice. Hence, teachers in that era were schooled in the art of caning and other physical abuses; and they would consider their actions as the norm. Parents were no better either as they condoned the actions of the teachers. The type of abuse accorded to students in the past, may now be considered as “assault” or “assault causing bodily harm). It is obvious that the etiology of physical punishment was a consequence of “ignorance” of a better method and/or the continuation of the British school disciplinary procedure.. The use of the cane was universal in all types of schools whether the medium of instructions was English or Chinese.
At ACS, I had observed a difference between teachers having a foreign qualification (UK, Australia, NZ and USA) or a university degree and those locally trained in Asia. Generally, the difference lay in the attitude to discipline and the use of corporal punishment with the overseas trained/degree holder teacher more schooled in modern techniques than the local ones.
Cane wielding teachers thought incorrectly that pain and embarrassment were essential to learning. In this case, students can only choose not to make the same mistake twice for the simple reason of avoiding the cane. Yes, you can teach an animal not to do its business in a prohibited spot by whacking it. But students should not be treated like animals and it is cruel. Caning might improve retention of knowledge but it would never make a student learn, use and appreciate the knowledge. Students with strong character would take the canning without much of a psychological scar but the weaker ones can self-destruct emotionally and may even carry a speech impediment and a loss of self-confidence. Fortunately, psychology research has shown that the way to teach children whether it is at home or school, is by reasoning. \
I doubt whether any corporal punishment will correct improper and socially unacceptable behavior. Some schools in the Western countries still have canning, but it only restricted to hard cases. In brief, unsocial behavior in school needs to be corrected but the case should be in the hands of a qualified counselor.
In my experience in ACS, I tried very hard to evade the cane. However, I was also a victim of the cane for not getting it right rather than for unsocial behavior. Although I have no hard feelings for those who have often abused me, I still think they were wrong and perhaps, I can be too forgiving by rationalizing that their actions were the sign of the times and they were ignorant. Or perhaps I can be charitable by quoting “Lord, they did not know what they were doing”.
I am a Grandfather and I have observed my daughter-in-law teaching her children. She uses reasoning and it worked well. I did the same with my children and they are university graduates. With my experience in ACS Ipoh, I will not put my kids or grandkids though the “wringer”.
In conclusion, I bear no animosity towards my former teachers who practiced “physical” teaching. In bringing up this subject, my wish is that we learn from our mistakes and not to repeat it. In my analysis, these teachers do have an intention to impart knowledge to their students and they are not basically “evil” or “sadistic”. They were the signs of their times and temporal prisoner of their upbringing and education.
Hi,
Name is Ling TS. ACS Ipoh 1960 – 1963. Joined ACS Ipoh 1960 in Form 3G class (a class of all repeat students) from ACS Sitiawan. Appreciate any input from students in Form 3G class of 1960.
Brgds,
ling
Correction:
Should be 1960 – 1962.
Hi Ling TS. Welcome and we are pleased you decided to post here. It is definitely the right place. Come back soon. Hopefully you will find some friends.
Hi DrApun
Your posting #49 articulated it all so beautifully as it reiterated everything I have posted in a different way.
Indeed, abusive teachers of that time have conditioned in us
with proverbs like “spare the rod and spoil the child”.
They really made us feel that using the rod is the only way
to discipline and never thought of psychology, talking,
reasoning etc as better alternatives.
Yes, it was good for all of us here to rant, rave and vocalize
all of the wrong doings of corporal punishment and then move on.
Vocalizing it all out helps the healing process.
Thank you for sharing.
BTW, I suddenly thought of a movie of a kid that climbed up
the roof and refused to come down. Finally when the guy played
by actor Steve Martin went up the roof to talk to him, he
came down. If anyone remembers the movie, please let me know.
I think the movie is “Roxanne” but I cannot be sure.
Oh, on a lighter note, in the movie “Sound of Music”,
when the father was so stern and the kids feel unloved, they
acted naughty to all the nannies until the kind hearted
(firm but kind) Julie Andrews came along to bring out the
beauty in those kids.
Thus the moral behind the story is that when you treat someone
like a sinister, they will act like a sinister. When you treat
them nice, they will be nice. When the father was so stern
by assuming the worst of the kids, it only brought out the worst
which was why they played games on all the nannies.
But when Julie Andrews was so loving, firm but kind, it really
brought out the beautiful qualities in the kids.
Likewise, in the movie “Mary Poppins”, the kids wanted a nice
nanny
“who will never be cross nor cruel, never give them reasons
to hate her nor put salt and pepper in her tea nor hide her
spectacles, will play games and sing songs, have a cheery disposition” etc etc etc.
Well, the same ideas should apply to teachers.
FYI, I am still friends and kept in touch with a few teachers
who were very kind to me. For those abusive ones like
Mr. Au Chun Chong or Mr. Koshy, I will not even acknowledge them even if I see and recognize them on the street.
Oh, Miss Kuan Yue Ying was an extremely nice teacher.
When I was a treasurer of the Science society in Form 1 and lost the money that I keep in a big envelope in my pocket
(probably fell out of my pocket when I sat on the bus),
she never punished nor scolded me.
In fact, she sypmathised and covered for me and I am forever
grateful to her for that.
Fast forward 20 years later, when I came back to Ipoh and looked
her up in the phone book, I met with her. I have since been
in touch with her. I will always pay for her taxi fare and
also gave her lots of presents.
She was surprised and wondered why I was so nice. When I told her
how grateful I was in Form 1 when she did not punish me for
losing the money from the Science Society projects and even
covered for me, she said she already forgot about it.
Anyway, I believe kindness begets kindness and rudeness begets
more rudeness. Cruelty will have its karma returned to the
sender in some way by the lord.
Thank you DrApun for sharing your insights. Amen!!!
Oh, I forgot to add that I had given back Ms. Kuan the money
that she covered for me when I was in Form 1 plus more.
Thanks from my heart and to the lord for nice people like her
because another teacher would have punished me severely for
being careless.
khuan mun
March 18th, 2011 at 1:54 pm · Reply
>If I am not wrong, ACS do not have a rugby team.<
We had, but as far as I can remember, for only one season. Low Mo (Moreira) was our coach, and we did play a few friendlies. When I left school I played the game with friends at the park in front of St Michael and Hale St (can't remember the name). Based on such flimsy experiences, I later coached a Malay residential school in Tanjong Malim to win a lower Perak schools' under-16 competition: according to the captain (Wahab?), that team went on a couple of years later to beat RMC for the national title.
I graduated from the class of 1958, love to get in touch with long lost some old mates: Leong Kah Loong, Jimmy Ho, Vincent Chong Chun Chee & leong Sun Mun, just to name a few…Please contact me:
lichiusuen@hotmail.com
I’ve been living in Australia since 1959!!
Li Chiu-Suen.