Oftentimes, many of us tend to take gestures of kindness for granted, thinking that they are of little consequence. But the truth of the matter is, even the smallest acts of sincere goodwill can make the world a better place. And sometimes, they can even help alter the course of another person’s life entirely, as this one story between a student and teacher goes on to show.
M’sian woman attempts to reconnect with her high school teacher
Taking to her social media account, Ms Norasiah Jamil took to sharing a particularly heartwarming page from her life and explains how she was eternally indebted to a teacher from her high school, whose one act of kindness 36 years ago changed her life for the better.
Having aspired to further her studies in university, Norasiah wasn’t able to do so due to the fact that her family simply did not have the financial resources to help pay for her admission at the time. But her chemistry teacher, Ms Pak Lin Haw, who taught her in SMK Alor Akar, Kuantan, made a point to ensure that she could pursue her higher education.
“I am indebted to her as she was one of my strongest supporters who encouraged me to pursue my education in UTM.
I had almost wanted to give up at the time as my family could not afford it (we just moved into Felda in 1986), even though I received an offer.” she said.
A debt of gratitude
In order to pay for her admission into UTM, Ms Pak proceeded to not only use her own savings, but even managed to convince the Parents Teacher Association to provide some financial contributions, which paved the way for Norasiah to enter university. In speaking with Wau Post, she said she eventually went on to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
36 years later, she is now a successful entrepreneur who runs her own business, and hopes to be given the chance to show her appreciation to Ms Pak. She adds that while she has tried to find ways to reconnect with her over the years, but has been unsuccessful. It was only recently when she encountered an old photo of her with Ms Pak in her family home, did she resort to using social media.
“It was a promise I made to my late father to find her.” she adds.
And by appealing to social media for help to reconnect with her teacher, she was able to do exactly that! While they have yet to meet in person, Norasiah said that she has spoken with Ms Pak every day since they reconnected.
Speaking on account of her experience, Norasiah hopes that more people will come to respect teachers, for they too want what’s best for us, regardless of our differences in race and religion.
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