Hear me out

So you're teaching? In a secondary school?

Wow, that says a lot about the education system in Malaysia,

even a non-graduate is able to teach in schools.

Surprisingly, I've been getting this same response from friends and family after finding out that I'm a part-time teacher, but there's more to it. 

I feel partly responsible for indirectly giving our schooling system a bad name, so allow me to explain what I do, how I got it and why what everyone has been saying isn't true. 

Yes, yes I am teaching in a secondary government school as a teacher. I am teaching as a substitute for a teacher who will be on maternity leave for the next 3 months. 

When something like this happens (maternity leave, emergency leave, Hajj special leave, etc), the school recruits part-time teachers to take over classes. 

If not, students that are affected by the absence of these teachers will be left with an existing substitute teacher, and we all know what happens. Everyone ends up doing their own work throughout the entire period. 

In my case, the teacher on leave coincidentally has all the exam-preparing forms (3 and 5), so I felt so bad when my mum told me they were going to be left to learn by themselves.

The school I'm teaching in is already short on teachers, and if I don't come in, they'd all have to add more classes on their plate. 

I thought, y'know what. I'm bored and free, I can speak good-enough English, my mum's in that school if I need any guidance, why the hell not. 

What I am doing is not illegal, by the way. They actually do do this when there is a short of teachers.

I don't get paid nor am I recognised by the Ministry of Ed., I get paid by the school's PIBG. 

As for eligibility, let's touch on that for a bit, shall we. 

This school, and I speak for the majority of the students here, have an extremely low proficiency of the English language. They struggle and fail the subject. 

For someone who has been speaking English since I was born, has a mum in the school to help with lesson plans, abundance of books to refer to (hello, it's 2017 ya), I think I'm good for now. 

And besides, some of these kids are even illiterate. I come into class with material much, much lower than they should be learning. 

But at least they're learning. Had I not taken up this offer, they would have zero educational intake for the next 3 months. 

So rather than coming up with skeptical assumptions that the schooling system is undervaluing students of this nation by shoving any Tom, Dick and Harry into schools to teach, commend them for allowing such opportunities like these to happen. 

It's a win-win, the students don't spend this next critical few months completely alone, a non-grad gets to experience the dip into the working life. 

Also, there is a short of teachers, in general, in the Ministry of Education. My mum used to tell me how hard it was to get posted to schools because of the abundance of teachers.
Nowadays? Not so much. No one wants to become a teacher anymore.
Low pay, early mornings, dealing with children. No, thanks..

But personally, from someone who's only done it for a mere month or so, I can tell you that this job is the most rewarding of all.
The people we glorify and aspire to be, they are what they are because of this group of people we take for granted.
"It's their job, they're just doing what they do to get by", that's true. It is their jobs to teach, but those who teach with such passion and hope for nothing but the best for you, that's a choice they make everyday they step into school.
My mum says her heart is always so full when she bumps into an ex-student on the streets and they tell her they've gone on to become successful people.
I can't imagine how proud I'd be if it were to happen to me, but even when my students come up to me with a clear, full English sentence, I feel like I'm on top of the World.

Believe me, teaching is the most selfless job out there. They do what they do, expecting nothing in return except everything that benefits you.
To be apart of this group of people, even for just one summer, has humbled me.

So I highly encourage anyone that is presented with an opportunity to teach, do it.
Be it through the same way I did, or through organisations like Teach for Malaysia, do it & do it willingly, because chances are those who want it most desperately are those who don't ask for it.
Insha Allah, if given another chance to, I definitely would.