Ms Aminah binti Mansor

From MRSM Pengkalan Hulu

Nominated by ARIFF IQMAL BIN IDZQANDAR

A teacher is one of the most criminally underrated professions in the world. It is undoubtedly a daunting task to educate students especially today’s generation. Sometimes finding a whole-heartedly dedicated teacher devoted to their craft is like finding a needle in a haystack. Becoming a dedicated teacher is always momentous task when they are constantly dealing with problematic students, certain benchmarks that have to be met while consistently being pressured by the principal and the amount of work that has to be done which is way above their pay-grade. Despite this, I am positive that there is one teacher in my school that rises above the rest in terms of the effort and passion she pours into her work. Cikgu Aminah taught me Chemistry at MRSM Pengkalan Hulu and I must say, while Chemistry might get a tad too boring or confusing, she always finds new creative ways to spice up how she educates her students. Always energetic, she rarely even sits down in class while teaching which shows her utmost love of her job and never shows even a hint of disinterest at all. She is always attentive in making sure that we fully grasp certain concepts explained by her. It always lights us up when she cracks a joke or tells an amusing story from the past. Since I am in a boarding school, it feels sort of magical that I am never sleepy in her class opposed to some other classes though it still remains a mystery how some students can still fall asleep in her class. Her love and passion for her work shines through especially when she marks and checks our exam papers. First of all, I must note that she is without a doubt the fastest teacher who settles marking an exam paper. A test that was answered on a particular day will most probably be checked and marked in a span of two or three days after that without any hiccups. It becomes even more flattering when we open the test paper and see that it is all covered up with red ink especially for those who scored low on a test. Of course getting a low grade is not flattering (obviously) but seeing that she always comments on our wrong answers with her witty remarks on the fact that we probably did not focus in class is a prime example of how much effort she pours into her work. While most teachers would opt to just tick the right answers and cross out the wrong answer, she writes down with her infamous red pen why we answered incorrectly in painstaking detail. While you may think that all she does is actively and purposefully spends her time in the Chemistry Lab poking fun at students’ mistakes, the opposite is true. She always finds time during the evening to actively play sports within school grounds. Whether it’s ping-pong, football or volleyball, if you name it she could probably play it. She’s that good. It turns out that she had always been active in sports since she was young. She would always tell us captivating stories from her pasts where she was in an all girl school and that she represented her school in various sports. So it came as no surprise when I first saw her playing volleyball on the court crushing the juniors like they were nothing. Is there anything this teacher cannot do? She came from humble beginnings from a poor family in a small village situated in the outskirts of Kedah climbing up the ladder to success which can most certainly attributed to her sheer willingness to overcome the impossible. Despite the constrained childhood she endured, like access to proper education, it is miraculous that she got to further her studies to high school and then to Universiti Malaya. It is especially eye-opening to think that she got to that level as a Malay woman where during those times only the cream of the crop could excel. There was this one time where she actually took the time to talk about her entire life up to that point. Teaching Neelofa in MRSM Langkawi, close relationships she had with her lecturers and the joy of learning Chemistry in University are just to name a few events she covered. She might as well write an autobiography as soon as possible. I believe that she could have furthered her education and earn a doctorate’s degree if she wanted to because she is just so intelligent and hardworking but she chose to educate because that is where her passion lies. Entering her class, while she values every second and always speaks about proper time management, she never ceases to give us pep talks and at times may even show motivational videos. From these talks and videos, it gives us a sense of what kind of mindset Cikgu Aminah has and what is her drive in giving 100 percent in everything she does. From the top of her head, she’ll talk about certain issues in the country, in the school and problems that persist in my batch. She would stress on certain ways to overcome our differences, provide guidelines on how to excel in academics, give quotes from famous people. She is nothing short of surprises. After every test, she will reward her students that pass a certain grade with a gift without fail. Sometimes it would be a pen, a fancy ruler but more often than not she would hand us an empty notebook with only the first page filled with her writing. She would personally take the time to write words of motivation handwritten with her pen. It is mind-boggling that she takes the time and effort to write it when you actually keep in mind of her packed schedule as a full-time Chemistry teacher. Even if half of the class scored higher than her benchmark she would still be willing to burn a hole in a wallet to compensate for everyone. A great teacher not only educates but essentially teaches us how to operate as a fully functioning human being. Hence, Cikgu Aminah is a textbook example of what a teacher should be, cultivating the love of learning in students and it is flat-out undeniable that she accomplishes this in spades. Youthful yet mature, strict yet approachable, she surely is a gem. She proves that no matter what you do, if you find joy in it, you can excel in life tenfold. No matter where I go, I am forever indebted to this wonderful person that taught me for a short two years of my life. Thank you Cikgu Aminah!