i sprang out of bed, greeted the chirping of the birds with a positive note.
my face still carved a subtle smile although i had to literally drag my big bag of exam papers, with almost 2kg of weight to boot.

i walked to school even though i was perspiring my ass off.

i was excited - for my 9 and 10-year olds,
who were anticipating their exam results today.

a bit of background information:
this batch of kids im teaching, never had a solid foundation in malay.
speaking was never a problem, but writing proved to be a living challenge.

and this, i have to admit, was (and still is) a culture shock to me.

i made it through my primary and secondary school days surrounded with friends with powerful grasps of the mother tongue language (read: swissies, jypians).
everything was a competition. one mark less than the partner sitting next to you would mean two periods of staring at each other's papers - as if staring can change anything.

but it's the competition that bonded us together and made us succeed in the language.
true, no?

for my kids, getting a 25/50 for the main component of the paper deserved a big pat on the back.
initially i was angry - angry that they aimed so low to be happy about their minimal results.

but humans err.
as i spent more time with my students, i realised their problems and their easily-contented attitude.

i learn from them, as much as they learn from what i teach.

okay, i've digressed. back to the topic!

this morning, i stood in front of the class, studying each and every one of their faces while i announced their results.
quite a few improved and the glee on their faces were apparent.
this particular student of mine (name withheld as he's minor) got a 26/50 for the main paper.
the paper was average, not too difficult nor too easy.

he couldnt stop smiling the whole time i was in class.
i was curious so i walked over to his vandalised (kurang asam btol!) desk and asked,

"awak suka dapat 26? ni pertama kali awak lulus?"
(are you happy with your results? is this the first time you passed?)

he nodded his head profusely and shone me his glistening smile.

"cikgu, ni first time dlm hidup saya, saya pass subject. thank you."

i smiled and turned behind. i was tearing. kental ah mira sikit2 nk nangis.
and thank god, the bell rang.
i sped out of class with tears streaming down my fat cheeks.

no, not that i wanna claim credit for my students' success or anything,
but i never knew someone who took 26/50 to be a milestone in their academic life.

this, convinced me to stay as a teacher.
eh no. an educator.