FIRDAUS

So today is the 111/9 English paper. All those night classes, staying back after school until 6 in the late afternoon and running and catching students to get into morning classes finally ended today.

While I was at PKG Cherang Ruku, attending the meeting for PMR paper marking, one of the teachers at my school called me to ask a strange question. Apparently, one of the students from my 5MPV class was still not present at 8.10 a.m. albeit English 1119/1 (essay writing) had begun at 8 a.m.

The strange question was “Is this kid a student who always fail in the English paper (for monthly tests) or is he one of the targeted passing students?”

What made me wonder is why that question is asked?

Is there some sort of double standard between the Target A students and failing students?

Hell yeah, there is!

If the student who was late this morning is one of the Target A students, betcha not one, two or three teachers would be scrambling away to call the students, the parents or even to the extent of getting the home address and fetching the student to the school and lay out the red carpet for that student to walk on.

But since this is one of the MPV students, nobody gives a shit. At least the shit given was not much.

I must admit that there are some kids that I just want to spit on their faces. Or maybe karate chop on their heads.

But again, these students deserve equal opportunity at being successful. Getting out of where they have been stuck in for like the rest of their life. SPM is it.

It’s a ticket to a world that is just waiting to be explored.

What would it make us if we differentiate students based on how many marks they get in the exam. Sure, I get pissed at those shit heads who won’t just quit talking when I am straining every inch of my limited vocal range, explaining stuff in the classroom. But to deny these kids the chance to sit in the exam? That is just plain evil. And wrong.

I’m not the most morale person you would ever have the chance to meet, but then again as bad as I am, there is still compassion and humanity left in me. Or maybe I’m just over-thinking and over-analyzing that question. Maybe the teacher who called me did not intent what I was thinking of at that point of time.

Well, back to the late kid. It turned out his motorcycle ran out of gas and he had to walk the bike all the way to the petrol station and that took him 50 minutes. He arrived at 9 a.m. and only had 45 minutes to answer two essay questions. I heard his eyes were watery due to what happen. What pained me was he’s a good kid. Quiet and never disrespect me as his English teacher. So, if it were some shithead, I will not feel anything? I would still feel something but I would also think that it was God’s retribution for him. But in this late kid’s case, I guess it was just God’s way of testing him. May he will be rewarded handsomely for his patience and perseverance. Still coming to school despite being tired after walking the bike for 50 minutes.

I’m not going to talk about his parents, why they did not do something to prevent that misfortune from happening. I guess they got a good goddamn reason for letting their son who is an SPM candidate to drag that motorcycle all the way to the petrol station. They must have their own excuse for letting that kind of incident happening.

The bottom line is, sometimes, bad things happen to good people. Hopefully, in around 5 months time, he will be receiving a very good reward for what he had to endure today.