In BI1M @ Pantai Dalam, nestled in the middle of Kuala Lumpur, there were two teachers whose passion and energy are unmatched. The best thing about them however, was that these two teachers taught English as a pair.
Subashini A/P A.P. Menon, 61, and Padma Kumari A/P N.R.K. Nayar, 62, pace in front of class, correcting students, teaching English, and cracking jokes in the process. The two teachers have somehow reached a magical balance, helping each other facilitate each class and even completing each other’s sentences.
Padma has been teaching in our schools for 33 years, Subashini for 38 years, including a stint educating deaf children. Despite the extensive experience, working with adults didn’t come naturally at first. They persevered. Today, their students, who could not speak a word of English, can now communicate, read, answer questions, and spell in the language. Senior students can now understand their grandchildren and use the Internet, while mothers return home and teach their children what they learnt in class.
Most heartwarming of all, if one sits in a corner and observes their classes, you will notice something remarkable. As adult students file in one by one, the teachers greet them with a handshake or a warm hug. They ask about their families, about their day and about their lives. As the class starts, students launch into noisy participation, and the energy doesn’t subside until the end. When they depart, again the smiles and the heartfelt embraces. There is a feeling of community, connection and love here. It reminds one less of teachers and students, and more of family.
BI1M is so many things. In Pantai Dalam, these teachers, through BI1M, have created a community undivided by ethnicity, social, financial and even linguistic background. A community that is an example of what Malaysians can be when united by education.
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