A TRIBUTE TO MADAM KA WAI KHING

at the retirement hi-tea

Last Wednesday evening, I received a shocking text message from a colleague - an ex-teacher of SMKTUN had just passed away and it was Madam Ka Wai Khing who was an English teacher here. She was one of the senior teachers who was in school during the early days when the school was opened in the 1990's and she retired from the teaching profession in 2007. And that was the last time I actually saw her, at her retirement hi-tea in Mutiara Hotel.

with the principal and other colleagues

I remember Madam Ka was one of the strictest teachers in the afternoon session. I always believe that, from experience, you would learn better from someone strict. When she got angry, she would scold until her face turned all red and this she always did in Chinese to the Chinese students (because communication was much more effective). That is the way it should be done. I also believe that when a teacher scolds a student, it means that he/she cares about the kid. Once a teacher stops scolding, it means nothing else can be done.

Being a disciplinarian, she was actually a very fun lady to talk to and quite funny. One story that I remembered she telling me was when she was back in Sabah when she was much younger, the lady teachers would wear short skirts and go dancing cha cha after school. Other than that, she always completed her work (e.g. the students' attendance list and preparation record book) in the neatest manner and I had nothing to complain about her.

I went to pay my last respect just now with Mr. Tham Han Leong at the funeral house in Taman Tun Aminah. There were also two other colleagues and five fifth formers. (I wonder when I die, will my students come to visit *scary thought*) When I went to see her, she was not the person that I used to know - she had lost so much weight and was really different. She suffered from cancer which was detected only seven months ago. She did not want her friends to know about it actually and that was the reason why I discovered about it until this very day.

It was sad because she went too early. May she rest in peace and she will definitely be deeply missed by everybody.