So You Want To Be A Teacher (Part 2)(Stories From the East)

“The greater the difficulty, the greater the glory,” Cicero once said. In this second part of his article, Jarod Yong offers us glimpses of a rural educator’s glorious life deep inside Borneo. (The first part may be read here)

IF YOU’RE A BEGINNER TEACHER FROM A HUMBLE BACKGROUND, you’ll most probably end up in the Green Lungs of Borneo.

Yes, this includes those of you from Semenanjung and also those designated to teach in secondary schools.

It can’t be that bad, right? Well, it isn’t as bad as it was several years ago.

Actually, why don’t you judge for yourself?  Here’s my experience as an English language teacher in Katibas, Kapit, Sarawak.

Distant & Isolated

The biggest concern for any teacher working in the interiors would be getting to your school.

My school isn’t so bad. From my home in Kuching, I take a flight to Sibu (RM150, 1hr), an express boat to Song (RM20, 2hr) and then a long boat to school (RM5, 1hr).

There are schools deeper in the interior and travel involve 5-8 hour boat rides, long 4WD rides, hours of wading through waist-level monsoon flood waters or a combination of all three.

During your journey, you are at risk of drowning, falling or being attacked by wild animals.

Because of the harshness of travel, teachers in deeper schools travel only once a month or less.

No Connection

We are a connected generation constantly on our phones or on the net.

There is no mobile coverage at my school. Although, if you climb hills or search all over the compound like a Ghostbuster with your handphone sweeping for sweet spots, you might get lucky. Oh, did I say you have to keep the phone static while you are texting or calling? Some spots require you to hold the phone high above your head. Oh, did I also mention the bloodthirsty mozzies… SWARMS of them?

This would be the same for a majority of interior schools except the deeper ones would probably require you to be more adventurous in your search.

Thankfully, my school has got satellite Internet set up on a Wifi network so I can look for the latest teaching materials from the comfort of my home.

However, just like Astro, weather conditions can adversely affect your connection quality and speed. Also, if every teacher and staff used the connection at the same time, it tends to overload itself and people who wait for a website to load develop violent tendencies.

Limited Electricity

Prior to the Sarawak Elections, we only had 16hr/day of electricity. Several weeks before the elections, we suddenly received 24hr electricity. Rumours are the 24hr luxury will go on for much longer. Thank God BN won!

However, I’m wary of how long our main generator will last. That machine is as old as I am! It has broken down several times during the past few years and is in critical need of replacing.

5 years ago, we were given 2 new generators but they were meant for schools with a population of around 100. My school has got 550 students and 100 staff! True enough, these new generators tripped all the time because they were taxed beyond capacity.

The solution is to rotate their use. The big old generator will run during peak hours while the smaller ones will run together during off-peak hours.

When the old generator breaks down, anarchy ensues. The school is closed for months while repairs are conducted or a replacement is sought.

I’m not sure if other secondary schools are as fortunate to have 24hr electricity but I’m pretty sure that Primary schools do not. Heck, they might not even have 16hr/day. More like 8hr/day or so.

Imagine no electricity at night. How are you going to use that satellite Internet to search for teaching materials? What the heck are you going to do at night? Sleeping at 7pm is unthinkable to our generation!

Weak Students

They lack exposure in the interiors. This is not a problem because by sheer hard work and determination they can still scrape a pass in PMR or SPM.

More importantly, they lack role models. Their guardians (mostly grandparents) are illiterate. Many parents are either divorced or are in extra-marital relationships. Some care more about their pride than their children.

Furthermore, there are too many youths in the longhouses who have nothing else to do but smoke, drink, fish, cock fight and live the good life. Their parents/grandparents are unable to force them to go out and get a job, so they hang around in the longhouse and adversely influence students living in the same house.

You will meet students who are very weak but very willing to learn. These students form a small majority.

At the same time, you will also meet students who are weak but think that they are great heroes. These form a majority of the older male students in school. They will answer back and throw tantrums when in front of friends.

Don’t think that just because you teach in the interiors the students are easy. They are EASIER but sure as heck not a piece of cake.

You must be emotionally, mentally and physically ready to bang yourself against a brick wall to get the results you want.

Are there other teachers reading this who have had experiences in the wilderness?

Do share in the comments! I’d love to hear from you and allow you to vent your frustrations!

Cikgu, watch your language though.

The last part of this article will be published tomorrow.

Jarod Yong is single and available but he makes very little money and he lives in the jungle. Any takers? Chicks only, mind you.

Tags: Jarod Yong, Sarawak, Semenanjung, Stories from the East, Teaching, alcoholism, animals, classroom, education, electricity, internet, longhouse, rural schools, students, teachers