A Tribute: My teacher, guide and friend

They say that teaching is the profession that teaches other professions.

Learning has always been the milestone for mankind, for it is through learning that we have created such a world we have today, and it is through learning that we have only ourselves to blame for the mess we create. To learn, we must first teach. Much of the people we see today cannot deny that what they are enjoying today is the result of teaching. We owe our lives to teaching, or rather, our lives are the result of teaching. Even the most successful engineer or the most competent businessman must have been taught some way or another.

They say that a teacher's purpose is not to create students in his own image, but to develop students who can create their own image.

I would describe the teacher-student relationship as a reflection on the water's surface, where the water depicts the student. The distorted image of the teacher in the water variates with the formation of the reflection on the water's surface such that it is not consistently the same, and yet the image would always be recognised as that of the teacher. It is imperative that we gather our learnings from the teacher, but at the same time discerning and understanding aligns the values imparted to us so that it would be able to fit into our lives. Teachers will be able to make out the image of themselves in the student's lives, but this image would be uniquely associated and adapted to each individual.

They say that the best teachers teach from the heart, not from the book.

Personally, I am grateful to all my teachers who have been such a wonderful inspiration to my life. They were the ones who taught me valuable lessons in life, guided me through trial and tribulation, and acted as a friend by my side during times of distress. When you stop and wonder about the reason behind having such wonderful people in your life, think passion. Teaching is all about having a heart to go the extra step in shaping the lives of others and imparting valuable knowledge to students, which serves as a foundation for filling up the empty pieces in one's life. It is not about personal glory, and neither is it for the pay. With this, let me salute all the teachers out there who have given their lives for others to learn from, for when you teach your student, you teach your student's student.

They say that teaching is about moulding lives.

This entry is especially dedicated to my physics teacher, Mr. Lau Soo Yen, who has so carefully and dedicatedly moulded us into students of integrity and respect; students who have grown spiritually and mentally throughout the two years he has been teaching us. Most teachers take the extra step forward in helping students with their work as well as their lives. Mr. Lau took me through the extra mile. The lessons he taught us not only encompassed learning, but also living and believing in each other. He also left with us fond memories of our time with him and lessons in life in the form of delicate cards which he personally made as a graduation gift to each of us, and this we will keep by our side for the rest of our lives, for it is part of his reflection on us.

He gave us something to take home to think about everyday besides homework.
He taught us Physics. The Physics of Life.

Mr. Lau, if there were anything to say to you, it could all be summarised in 3 words:-
Never quit teaching.

With all sincerity,
Thank you, Mr. Lau. You made your teachers proud of you too.

"In teaching you cannot see the fruit of a day's work. It is invisible and remains so, maybe for twenty years." ~ Jacques Barzun