Matthew 7:7
The students
stood and walked up, one by one. Their names were called out by the MC of the
event, with each and every one of them receiving a generic scroll that
signifies their entrance into the bigger world as a graduate of Universiti
Teknologi MARA.
Signifies.
How appropriate, for it is indeed, a significant day.
I
watched and observed on stage, with varying levels of concentration; it turned out to be
a long session, with literally thousands of students going through the process.
It was not dissimilar to last year, but all the same, I find myself struggling
to truly remember each and every single face and name.
Looking
through the graduation book, I remember almost all of the names almost
instantaneously. A swift stroke of the pen, a simple cross along a certain
point, was enough to cause consternation amongst many of them, for the
deduction of marks appears to have sounded the death knell for some of them.
Being a
lecturer now, I have a better understanding of how the game, how the system,
works. In my student days, my concern is primarily with marks, but over time, I
realised that it was not necessarily the marks with which I could make my own
mark in this life.
The
marks, if anything, is merely a means to an end, an end that could be loosely
defined as “whatever the hell you want it to be”.
I see
now that the thing that stood me in greater stead through my respective careers
is not necessarily the mark I get from my own lecturers, but the knowledge
garnered. This, allied with a sense of practical experience, would help to lead
me to the next stage, and it is this that I hope that many students would
consider.
For the
teacher, the lecturer, is almost nothing.
We sit
there, reading the scripts or assessing the exam answer sheets, and we give
what we think is the appropriate number of marks. The key thing, however, is
that what we think varies. Though standards can be set, different people seek
different things to be favourable towards. For my part, for example, a slight
misstep in a grammatical or spelling context is enough to dim the mood for me.
This is especially when I can see the difference between an honest mistake and
a work that reflects the lack of care and attention given.
We are
nothing, however, because the marks we give don’t really matter. Of course,
within certain contexts, such measurable standards are desirable, but
ultimately, our respective lives is so much more dependant upon the kinds of
attitudes and mentality that we have. Your A+ won’t help you if you can’t
muster the courage to speak to people in a confident manner. That high CGPA?
Throw it out if you can’t learn to adapt on the streets of this concrete
jungle.
What I’m
trying to say, though, is that ultimately we are all proud of what you have
achieved, but we hope that the biggest thing you have learned in the course of
our tutelage is the ability to stand on your own two feet and represent not
only the university and us, but far more importantly, yourself with great
courage.
The
world out there is not necessarily one particularly pliable towards us, but it
is in how we deal with it that reflects the true us. And I hope that the us
reflected, the knowledge you have received, is enough to set you up so that you
yourself can get to the next stage.
Though I can't claim to speak for all the teachers and lecturers in the world, I hope
you know that we are ultimately nothing, that we don’t really matter within the
bigger schemes, for it is now all about you. I hope that I have provided for
you all enough, both inside and outside of the classroom, to go forth and
conquer.
I guess
what I wish to say on today, this Teacher’s Day, is thank you. There are no
teachers if there are no students, so thank you for making the nothing that is
us proud of who you have become. I now truly understand the saying that teachers
are truly proud when the student have surpassed them.
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