IN STEP Volume 14 Issue 2, 2002- 1 -

Teaching to Touch LivesP5

Teachers Celebrate

P6

Excellence Unto God

P9

In Partnership

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IN STEP Volume 14 Issue 2 (PP6303/9/2002)

Teachers’ Christian Fellowship MalaysiaKeeping Christian Educators Informed

Onward Christian Teachers P3

“Guru Berkualiti,“Guru Berkualiti,“Guru Berkualiti,“Guru Berkualiti,“Guru Berkualiti, Aspirasi Negara” Aspirasi Negara” Aspirasi Negara” Aspirasi Negara” Aspirasi Negara”

IN STEP Volume 14 Issue 2, 2002 - 2 -

EDITEDITEDITEDITEDITORIAL COORDINAORIAL COORDINAORIAL COORDINAORIAL COORDINAORIAL COORDINATTTTTORSORSORSORSORSMiss Liew Nyuk Lan

Mr Yap Kok Keong

EDITORIAL COMMITTEEEDITORIAL COMMITTEEEDITORIAL COMMITTEEEDITORIAL COMMITTEEEDITORIAL COMMITTEEMrs Peggy Chong

Mr Daniel GanMiss Indyrany Kannaiya

Dr Tan Juat Ngoh

LALALALALAYYYYYOUT / DESIGNOUT / DESIGNOUT / DESIGNOUT / DESIGNOUT / DESIGNMrs Tan Nguk Lim

ILLILLILLILLILLUSUSUSUSUSTRATRATRATRATRATTTTTORORORORORMiss Davina Chan

TCF OFFICETCF OFFICETCF OFFICETCF OFFICETCF OFFICEC10-0-05

Subang Perdana Goodyear Court 347610 Subang JayaSelangor, Malaysia

Tel/Fax : 03-56375623E-mail : tcfmy@pd.jaring.my

PRINTERPRINTERPRINTERPRINTERPRINTERPrintmate Sdn Bhd

AS 38 Jalan Hang Tuah TigaSalak South Garden

57100 Kuala Lumpur

VIEWS EXPRESSED ARETHE WRITERS’ AND DO NOTNECESSARILY REPRESENTTHOSE OF TCF.

IN STEP IN STEP IN STEP IN STEP IN STEP is a non-profitChristian newsletter which ispublished four times a yearby the Teachers’ ChristianFellowship Malaysia (TCF). Itis dedicated to Christianeducators and issued FREEto TCF members. For moreinformation, please contactthe address above.

ASSEMBLASSEMBLASSEMBLASSEMBLASSEMBLYYYYYwithwithwithwithwith

our Honorarour Honorarour Honorarour Honorarour Honorary Ty Ty Ty Ty Treasurerreasurerreasurerreasurerreasurer

Pun Sow FongPun Sow FongPun Sow FongPun Sow FongPun Sow Fong

How does an organisation survive whenincome from the annual membershipsubscription is RM18,000 while expenditureis RM70,000 to RM80,000?

To date, TCF has about 900 memberspaying an annual subscription of RM20each. The organisation has tried very hardto keep the membership fee low so that asmany teachers as possible, especially thenew ones, benefit from the ministry.

The organisation has depended very muchon contributions and pledges from a coregroup of faithful supporters comprising afew churches and about twentyindividuals to meet the shortfall in theannual budget. Many other members andfriends have also remembered theorganisation and the staff through theirgenerous and oft-times sacrificial giving.

Since 1991, 925 members have allowed theirsubscriptions to lapse. The exco isconcerned about the high failure rate inrenewal of subscriptions. One way toovercome this is for members to sign up aslife members. This will do away with thehassle of members having to send a chequeor postal order every year. To date, the ratioof life members to ordinary members isalmost one to one. We are thankful for thisdevelopment as it helps reduce the numberof lapsed memberships and generatesinterest for operating expenses.

In 1996, many heeded the chairman’s callto sign up as life members for two mainreasons. One was to raise funds for thepurchase of a TCF property. Secondly, thelife membership fund in fixed depositswould generate more interest. Three yearslater, the vision was realised when TCFmoved into its own premises. In theprocess, members and friends had raisedenough money for the building fund andno withdrawal needed to be made from thelife membership fund for the purchase ofthe property. This has resulted in ahealthier bank balance for the organisationbut the funds received need to be prudentlymanaged.

For example, Johnson signs up as a lifemember at the age of 40 and lives for threescore and ten years. This means that TCFwill serve Johnson for thirty years. TheRM300 is equivalent to annual subscriptionspaid for 15 years (assuming the membershipfee remains at RM20) and there will be nomore money coming in for the next 15 years.The RM300 should not be used up in fewerthan 15 years as it is actually fees paid inadvance. Parents who are saving up for theirchildren’s education understand very wellthat the family has to live within a certainbudget although they have a seemingly largesum of money in the bank.

The exco is thankful for the many membersand friends who have stayed with theorganisation over the years. You saw theworth of the ministry to teachers and youinvested your time and your money. It is ourprayer that you have been ministered to insome way through the activities and thepeople in TCF.

The needs are still many. There is an urgentneed for staff to serve in the Chinese TCFministry. The Mandarin-speaking group ofteachers is the fastest growing group andthe organisation would like to be able to setup a fund for the day when Chinese TCFbecomes a fully independent organisation.There is also the need for a staffworker tominister to teacher trainees in the colleges.Our present staff of two are hard-pressed tomeet the increasing needs of the ministry.More staff would definitely mean a biggeroperating budget.

We value your partnership and support. Thedwindling number of Christians entering theprofession may mean that the organisationwill have to fall back on the financial supportof the existing group of members. It istherefore of utmost importance that yourenew your subscription or sign up to be alife member. If the Lord leads you to give toTCF, pledge to give regularly. Your supportof the ministry is a legacy for futuregenerations of teachers.

IN STEP Volume 14 Issue 2, 2002- 3 -

“Teaching these days is to be endured rather thanto be enjoyed.” This is the sentiment shared bymany in the profession including Christians. Tomove forward we must be confident in our calling.The fact that we are teachers is not a result ofcircumstances or a reckless decision on our part.An incident in Matthew chapter nine describeshow Jesus felt great compassion as He looked atthe crowd of needy people for they “were harassedand helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Heturned to His disciples and asked them to praythat the Lord of the harvest would send moreworkers into the harvest field.” This was whyTCF was formed and this has always been itsconstant prayer. Do you strongly believe that yourbeing in the teaching profession is the result ofGod’s response to Jesus’ desire and prayer? Ifwe do, we need not feel small or insignificant. Wecan hold our heads high in the midst of people inother professions for we know that ourappointment is not just from the Ministry ofEducation but from God Himself.To capture for us the spirit of the theme “OnwardChristian Teachers” I would like to draw our attentionto the 2nd letter of the Apostle Paul to the CorinthianChristians. In this letter, the Apostle repeatedly exhortedthe early Christians who were undergoing various trialsnot to lose heart. The Apostle gave several reasons whichwe could well appropriate to encourage our own heartsin our hour of darkness.

First of all, it is “God who always leads us in triumphal

procession in Christ and through us spreads everywherethe fragrance of the knowledge of Him (chapter 2 vs14).” The God who always leads us is the Lord ofHistory, the Sovereign Lord. He is incapable of makinga mistake. The events and circumstances of our lives,no matter how stressful and hopeless they may seem attimes, are not accidental. We ought to trust Him andallow Him to work out His goodwill and purposes in us.We may be lonely but we are never alone for we arepart of a triumphal victorious procession following inour Saviour’s footsteps.

Although we are like weak and vulnerable jars of clay,we possess a treasure of immeasurable value withinus. The light of the knowledge of Jesus Christ forevershines in our hearts empowering us to be a resilientpeople: “We are hard pressed on every side but notcrushed, perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted butnot abandoned, struck down but not destroyed.” Whenwe are weak then are we strong for “the joy of the Lordis our strength.” Try singing Christian songs as youwalk along the corridors of the school, especially asyou head towards the classes that are difficult to manageand teach. As we practise the presence of Jesus, HisSpirit will give us creative ideas to overcome ourdifficulties. We move forward by looking upward.

The clarion call ‘Onward Christian Teachers’ is a call togo forward to make a difference in the schools God hasplaced us in. We are “the aroma of Christ” and we mustnever under-estimate the power and impact of ourinfluence in the lives of our students. My wife and Iworship in a small church in Subang Jaya far awayfrom the schools that we once served in. To our surprisethere are six former students, now married with their

OnwardOnwardOnwardOnwardOnwardChristianChristianChristianChristianChristian

TTTTTeaceaceaceaceacherherherherhersssss

Talk given by Mr Yap Kok Keongat the Teachers’ Day Celebrationin Sibu on 18th May 2002.

IN STEP Volume 14 Issue 2, 2002 - 4 -

young families, worshipping there too. I would like tothink that by God’s grace, in a small way, we have left alittle of the fragrance of Christ in each one of them whenthey were our students. Let’s pray that because of ourpresence, the school or classroom will be cleaner; peoplewill be a little kinder, more patient and caring; and therewill be more love and laughter all around.

The Apostle goes on to describe us as “a letter sent fromChrist” to the school to be read by all our students andcolleagues. It is a letter of recommendation “written notwith ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not ontablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts”. Mayour attitudes and actions in school commend rather thancondemn Jesus Christ. For our lives to commend Christ,we need to grow in Christ-likeness day by day. Spiritualmaturity is a journey, not a destination; and because it isa journey, we need not despair that we are still so faraway from Christ-likeness and that the fruit of the Spiritstill remains so immature. The most powerful of the fruitof the Spirit is love – agape love. Love speaks a languageeveryone understands. Our students need our love morethan our knowledge.

We live in a broken world and our children often carrythe pain and consequences of this brokenness. Do youever wonder how many of our students standing in themorning assembly every week are actually on the pointof making decisions that will forever change their lives:to join a gang or not, to drop out and work as anapprentice somewhere, to give it all up and commitsuicide? We ask God to give us eyes to see the lonelyindividual amidst the hustle and bustle of the crowd. Jesuswas always hard pressed by the unending demands ofthe multitudes, but He had time to single out and attendto the needs of Matthew, Zacchaeus, the Samaritanwoman at the well and countless other individuals in needof a touch of love and assurance. May we also do thesame in our schools.

How do we show we care for the individual? Ask Godfor the eyes to see the unseen, the ears to hear theunspoken and the heart to empathize. I am thankful toGod for the experience of growing up in the midst ofpoverty in a squatter colony for it made it easier for Godto put compassion in my heart. Set aside a little extratime. Pause to listen and laugh and cry with individuals,pause to share and encourage. Set aside some moneyevery month to help needy students. (Consider it part ofyour tithe if you like, for it is an expression of the socialconcern of the church). However, do be culturallysensitive and protective of the dignity and self-esteem ofthose we seek to help.

Do not be afraid to err in love. On one occasion I wantedto emphasize to my 300 odd PMR students theimportance of a strong healthy body in preparing for theexams. At first I thought of giving multi-vitamins to everystudent. Then it occurred to me that it might be unwiseas some students might have adverse reactions to them.After considering other options, I settled on giving themnutritious hardboiled eggs. So I asked the canteenoperator to boil eggs to be given to all PMR studentsduring recess. I thought it was such a good idea untilword got around that the pengetua wanted all his PMRstudents to get eggs for their exam. I had unwittinglygiven everybody a good laugh. Come to think of it, givinghardboiled eggs would not have made much differenceto the students’ health and certainly wouldn’t have helpedthem pass their exam. But I think they knew a little bitmore of the heart of their principal.

To make a difference, we want to bring Christian valuesto bear on the management and programmes of theschool. It would be much easier if we were in theadministration but it is not impossible for the committedChristian teacher who is prepared to graciously speakup and walk that extra mile. It is that extra one or twoperiods, that extra attention that we give to the weakerstudents, that extra effort to be present when the schoolteam is playing their hearts out, etc. that count the mostfor the kingdom of God. This calls for sacrifice andthere is certainly a price to be paid. The Lord knows andnothing given to Him will ever be wasted, “for we knowthat in all things God works for the good of those wholove Him and are called according to His purpose.”

Finally the apostle Paul reminds the Corinthian Christiansthat they should persevere in the face of adversity becausethey will receive an eternal reward. “Therefore we donot lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting awayyet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For ourlight and momentary troubles are achieving for us aneternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix oureyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen, forwhat is seen is temporary and what is unseen is eternal.”This is undoubtedly our comfort and will be our greatestreward. However, as Christian teachers we have theadded blessing and joy of seeing generation aftergeneration of our students growing in knowledge andwisdom and making their own contributions to society.Some, by the grace of God, are even occupying pews inthe body of Christ today.

Comment from participant:I became more aware of the need to fellowshipwith other Christian teachers. We cannot sustainour enthusiasm unless we are constantlyreminded of our calling as teachers. The speakergave a very interesting analysis of our role asteachers from a Biblical perspective.

Comment from participant:I understand now why you Christian teachers areoften full of zeal and so committed. Your Biblegives clear instructions about your role as teachers.I would like to know more about your God.

IN STEP Volume 14 Issue 2, 2002 - 8 -

things to all students so that he can teach some!

Once I taught a lesson on David and Goliath. I preparedthe class for a battle. I told the story from David’s pointof view. They walked with me into the brook to pickfive stones. They looked up at Goliath and felt so small.Then David put a stone in the sling and swung it roundand round. The stone flew out of the sling. It went up,up and up. As the stone rose, I pointed and followed ittowards the ceiling. The class was spellbound; they wereout of their chairs looking in the direction of the invisiblestone. Then all of a sudden I shouted “BANG”, and thegiant came tumbling down. The class slumped into theirchairs. I was amazed at the power of a dramatized story.When was the last time you told an exciting story toyour class?

Some of my formerstudents have reminded meof the geography lessons Itaught them. These studentsremembered the maps Idrew free hand on theblackboard. They wereamazed at the accuracy ofthe maps. Those of you whoteach geography know thatthis ability comes througheffort and hard work. I hada geography teacher whowas my inspiration. The funis in satisfying the curiosityof the learner and the joy isin discovering informationand new ways tocommunicate a lesson. “Sir,I like your geography lessons. Although there are a lotof facts to remember, it is very interesting.” It is nice tohear that and to know that my efforts have paid off.

Have you seen the disappointment of a child throwing ajavelin? Try as he might, the javelin just won’t landheadfirst. It goes up and descends on its tail end! Patiencein teaching the correct technique gets rewarded with thegrin of a child when he finally makes it. I had theopportunity to learn how to swim. Then I had the privilegeof teaching some boys to swim during the weekend.When I was a schoolboy I was coached by a goodteacher and later, I had the opportunity to coach othersin school. To succeed in passing on a skill to someoneelse is sheer pleasure.

My first posting took me to Sg. Rengit, Pengerang.Trained as a specialist in teaching English as a secondlanguage, I began teaching English using the situationalmethod. My friends and I met resistance. We didn’t usetranslation at all and the children thought we were weird

Chinese who could not speak Chinese. The ringleaderswere rounded up and given a private talking to. Afterthat we had no problem. I also privately conductedSunday School, with two objectives: to teach the Bibleand to teach English. Later when I was in MU, I receiveda letter from one of the boys. He wrote to say he hadbecome a Christian. You can never tell when the seedssown years ago will bear fruit! I still get phone callsfrom Sg. Rengit—from a shopkeeper, a taxi driver, apharmacist—and we communicate in good English.During Chinese New Year they come in a van to see me.O what joy and pleasure! Then I visit them in return tobe feted with seafood. Today we are not teacher andpupils, but pals.

When my son got his first jobin Batu Pahat, the young menhe worked with guessed whohis father was because we arethe only ‘Toks’ in town. Theytold him, “Your father is oneof a kind. He talks first andcanes later.” They werereminiscing about the dayswhen I was the PenolongKanan Hal Ehwal Murid(HEM). It was not easykeeping a balance betweendisciplining and counselling.The ‘HEM’ had an odd mixof duties, handling mattersbetween the boys and theteachers, as well as betweenthe Pengetua and the staff. Hewas literally hemmed in.

Those boys valued my fairness and reasoning with them.

I still run into former students who ask, “Sir, Sir, whereare you teaching now?” and I have the pleasure of saying,“Not teaching anymore. I’m overaged!” Then theysuddenly realize that they have grown up. Standing besidethem, clutching their hands, are their own little boys andgirls. Then there are teachers I run into who say, “Cikgu,apa khabar? Cikgu dulu mengajar aku Geografi di FormSix. Cikgu Tok, best!”

What I have just shared with you is nothing really torave about. I only recounted some happy moments inmy life as a teacher to encourage you. And those greatmoments were times when I gave of my best in theclassroom, or spent time patiently developing somesporting skills in children, not expecting any reward orgain. Life as a teacher is too short to dwell on thedissatisfactions. To be a happy giver, do not expect toget! God knows. It is better to be rewarded by God thanby men. “For it is more blessed to give than to receive.”

In everything I did, Ishowed you that by thiskind of hard work wemust help the weak,remembering the wordsthe Lord Jesus himselfsaid: “It is more blessedto give than to receive.”Acts 20:35

from pg 5

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up to him? This is one of my favourite lines in Scripture,“Courage, get up, He is calling you.” (Mark 10:49)

“Courage”. Simply because we have called out to Him infaith and trust, He will give us courage and hope.

“Get up”. The call comes from Him, it is His initiative,but we must cooperate. We can’t just lie there wallowingin the mire of our despair and expect Him to pick us up.We have to find some way of lifting ourselves out of therut.

For what reason? “He is calling you.” If that isn’t agood enough reason, I don’t know what is.

C - complacencyWith due respect to all Principals, the standards in ourschools are not great. The “budaya cukup makan” whichwe started off despising and despairing about has becomeour own “comfort zone” because with hardly any effortwe can actually look quite good! In a bed of morningglories, the sunflower is King!

It’s time to look at ourselves in our classrooms, throughthe eyes of Jesus, as if He were sitting at the back of theclass. Time to put the presence of Jesus back into thestaffroom, into the canteen, onto the playing field. We’vebeen entrusted with a mission, “Peace be with you. Asthe Father sent me so I am sending you.” (John 20:21)Our schools today are enough of a war zone! Seriously,when Jesus says “I am sending you”, He means intoclassrooms filled with children who know material well-being better than they know love and acceptance. It is ageneration which has grown up believing there is noabsolute truth - truth and justice are determined by whohas the money, the power, who wields the baton, andI’m afraid there are discipline teachers who reinforcethis on a daily basis.

Our actions must speak our faith. St. Francis of Assisifrequently reminded his monks, “Wherever you go,preach. If necessary, use words.” None of us can affordto rest on our laurels. As long as the Kingdom values oflove, truth, peace and justice are not the values of thissociety, you are being sent. When we say the Lord’sPrayer and we pray “Thy Kingdom come,” it’s not wishfulthinking. It’s a renewal of our commitment to activelymake His Kingdom come.

R - reluctanceIn government service, as you get older you move intoadministration. And I truly empathize with administrators.It can be so difficult to get anyone to make constructivesuggestions at meetings. So difficult to get people totake on anything more than they are absolutely required

to do. So difficult to fill a position of responsibility thatfalls vacant.

No one wants to get out of the boat and walk on water.We are cowed by our own needs, by our self-avowedinadequacies. We begin to sink. Yet, when we get outof the boat, Christ Himself stretches out His hand andsays, “It is I. Do not be afraid.” (John 6:20) So why arewe waiting? We may think the sin lies in pushing ourselvesforward, looking for that promotion, wanting positionand power. But let us not forget that we might just aswell be falling into sins of omission. (James 4:17)

How does one tell the difference? How does one decidewhat the right thing to do is? By the practice of what inChristian spirituality is called discernment. A deepeningof our prayer life. A personal relationship with Jesus.It cannot fail. As one’s prayer life grows richer,paradoxically, one grows in poverty of spirit becausethe awareness of one’s sinfulness grows alongside. It ispainful, but necessary. The great mystics called it “thescraping of the soul”.

And the fruits of prayer? None other than the fruits ofthe Holy Spirit which Paul enumerates in his letter to theGalatians - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,trustfulness, gentleness and self control.

Can we afford to pass this by? We all need to spendmore time with the Lord. Martin Luther once said wordsto this effect: “I have a busy day ahead with so manythings to do, that I think I ought to spend the first threehours in prayer.” That was Martin Luther who didn’thave traffic jams and kids to send to school and a punchclock that just cannot be reasoned with! We do what wecan.

We have all put our hand to the plough. Now we arecalled to be excellent unto God. Ours is a calling whichwe can imbue with the presence of God.A calling of daily self-discovery, a calling in which wecan say of our students:

“The twig is so easily bentI have banished the rule and the

rodI have taught them the goodness

of knowledgeThey have taught me the

goodness of God.”

IN STEP Volume 14 Issue 2, 2002- 11 -

TCF Membership Update, 1 June 2002TCF Membership Update, 1 June 2002TCF Membership Update, 1 June 2002TCF Membership Update, 1 June 2002TCF Membership Update, 1 June 2002Ordinary Members - 471Life Members - 419Total - 890NB. The Ordinary Membership fee is RM20 per year and Life Membership is RM300. Ifyou would like to sign up as a Life Member or renew your lapsed membership, please makeyour cheque/MO/PO payable to “Teachers’ Christian Fellowship” and send it to :

Teachers’ Christian FellowshipC10-0-05, Goodyear Court 3

47600 Subang JayaSelangor

Seminar on “School Indiscipline” byMr. Phua Seng TiongDate : 3 Aug 2002 (Sat)

Venue : Wesley Methodist Church, Sitiawan

Time : 8.00 a.m. – 1.30 p.m.

For further details, please contact

Mr. Tan Ying Kee

E-mail : yingkee@pd.jaring.my

Tel: 05 – 6912217

Seminar for Christian AdministratorsDate : 17 Aug 2002 (Sat)

Venue : Impiana Hotel, Kuala Lumpur

Time : 8.00 a.m – 4.30 p.m.

Cost: RM 80

(Details in brochure enclosed)

12th Preschool Conference on“Implementation of the NewPreschool Curriculum in aThematic Approach”Date : 7-9 Sept 2002 (Sat – Mon)

Venue : STM, Seremban

Cost : RM 160

(Details in brochure enclosed)

27th Sarawak TCF AnnualConferenceDate : 7-9 Sept 2002

Venue : Kapit, Sarawak

Theme : “Onward Christian Teachers” by

Mr. Cheli Tamilselvam

For further details, please contact

Ms. Cynthia or Pastor Thomas at

SU/TCF office in Kuching

E-mail : suswak@tm.net.my

Tel : 082- 425120

Seminar on “ Courage to Teach,Courage to Lead” byMrs. Ding Seok LingPENANG

Date : 9 Dec 2002 ( Mon)

Time : 8.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.

Venue : Reservoir Garden Baptist Church

Cost : RM50

JOHOR BAHRU

Date : 12 Dec 2002 ( Thu)

Venue : Tropical Inn

Time : 8.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.

Cost : RM50

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