Tuesday with Morrie

Since I ran out of books to read and pay day is a few days away and I can't seem to find the book that I really want to read so I thought, I'll reread Tuesdays with Morrie. Have to say that the book had a profound effect on me. God must have had it planned that I should reread the book. Mitch Albom is a great writer. The stuff that he writes makes me ponder and think about my own life.

"A great teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops"
Henry Adams

Took that quote out from the book. In all honesty, I never liked going to school as a kid. Right from primary school to secondary school to hotel school. I always felt left out, a little out of place. I couldn't speak Mandarin as well as my school mates and therefore I did feel ostracised half the time. I met a really nice teacher in secondary school that made me think about my life. There's heaps that I want in life and she made me think about my life. It's sad in a way that I never really bothered to keep in contact with her. Mrs Richards, thanks.

I loved my uni life. Had heaps of friends. Met my best friend there as well. And well, I felt that finally my brain is growing and learning. Went to NIE for teacher training. Loved it as well. And at grad school. I learnt heaps. It's strange that I actually miss going to school and learn now. If I have the means, I'll want to go back to grad school and do my phd. There are days that go by and I worry if my brain cells might be dying.....

Looking at that quote again. Now that I'm a teacher, I wonder how many lives have I touched. And more importantly, how many lives have I touched positively? When I became a teacher, I wanted to touch lives. It sounds very silly, like the ads that you watch. Be a teacher, touch lives, mould lives. You know that sort of stuff. But the reality of it, I really wanted to make a difference to a child and that's why I became a teacher. And that quote reminded me that a teacher has a lot of influence in a child's life and sometimes, or rather most of the times, the influence goes beyond.

Have you really ever had a teacher? One who saw you as a raw but precious thing, a jewel that, with wisdom, could be polished to a proud shine? (Taken from page 192, Tuesdays with Morrie)

When I read that, I thought about myself. Have I ever been that teacher that was able to see the good of the naughtiest kid in my class? Was I able to see that raw jewel in a kid and polish him or her to a proud shine? I remember teaching 2A and 2B, it was the most trying times of my life teaching the kids that were of low ability and rather naughty as well. But it taught me to be humble and look at every child's weakness as a strength and that every child is precious. This is a book that all teachers should take time out to read. It's something that teachers should time about.

I was reading towards the end of the book while walking on the treadmill. I read the part when Morrie died. Yes, I've read the book before but when I was reading it again. I had to stop myself from tearing. Take time to read the book. It'll do you wonders.