the path Les travels: Hari Guru

Thursday, 16 May 2013

A day to celebrate teachers and all the work they do. Although it is mid-term exam season, exams were put on hiatus for a day to honor all of the teachers in Malaysia. Most schools celebrated in their own way with speeches, performances, games, and food.

SMK Labis also celebrated.

After the usual morning assembly, breakfast was provided for all students and teachers. The teachers received a free meal prepared by the canteen. However, since it wasn’t vegetarian, my fellow vegetarian teachers and I went to get roti canai at the shop owned by my landlord.

Upon our return, the students were in the process of forming two queues lining the road leading from the office to Block F at the other end of the school. The teachers were standing huddled under the building overhangs as a light rain began to fall. At the sound of the traditional drums, the teachers, led by the Headmaster and the administrative staff, began the procession through the students to the site of the day’s festivities. I smiled and waved like royalty as I walked past my 700 students, receiving smiles and laughs in return.

Once all teachers and students filed into the Hall, a number of speeches were given by the leaders of the school. I excused myself for a while during this time in order to prepare for my performance with the students. The prayer and speeches were given in Bahasa Malaysia so I understood very little anyway. After all of the speeches, and the oath and songs specific to Hari Guru, both students and teachers gave performances.

There was an incredible 10 minute video completed in full by students, a hilariously funny skit, a traditional Zapin dance, Chinese yo-yos, Indian veena music, a poem recitation by a teacher, two guitar performances, a Tamil dance, and a teacher’s “Oh My Bahasa Malaysia” skit.

I was involved in three performances. The highlight was the Tamil dance. For a week leading up to Teacher’s Day, I rehearsed a Tamil dance with a group of five Form 5 Indian students. The dance was only 2.5 minutes with simple movements, but it was great fun dancing with the girls. I was decked out in full Indian clothes, thavani I think the costume is called, complete with skirt, top, wrap, bangles, necklace, anklets, black hair extensions, and make-up. “Oh teacher, so beautiful!” was a very frequently heard phrase that day. When I came up on stage, everyone cheered as I started dancing. Of course my partner and I had to be front and center. You can watch a video of the dance on my Cikgu Leslie Facebook page!

After the conclusion of all of the performances, and after the teachers were awarded prizes for winning the teachers’ competitions and the superlatives (voted on by the students), the classes gave their head teacher a gift. This marked the end of the celebration. As people began to disperse, individual students came to teachers to give them personal presents. That’s how I came home with a bag full of wrapped presents. I truly do have the best students.