Being a teacher has always been seen as one of the most respectable jobs — a role that quietly shapes the heart and soul of society.
Yet, in today’s world, especially among the younger generation, the path of an educator often feels distant, intimidating even.
Tiffany was no exception. Like many Gen Zs, she never imagined herself stepping into a role that seemed so rigid and different from the free-spirited person she thought she was.
But life, as it often does, had other plans in store for her.
Never thought of becoming a teacher
Back when she was a student, Tiffany and her classmates saw teachers as ‘untouchable’ authority figures—people they respected but never dared to challenge.
I always felt that teachers had to be serious at all times, even outside of school. Whenever I saw my teachers in public like the mall, I assumed they had to maintain a strict, authoritative demeanor.
“I’ve always been the type who prefers blending in with others, having fun together, and speaking softly, but never the one to lecture or control people. Although I held teachers in high regard, I never imagined I’d become one myself,” she confessed.
Tiffany has always enjoyed every essay assignment she was given as there was something satisfying about shaping thoughts into words.
And she has always admired the translators at her church, how they’d catch spoken words mid-flight and reshape them into another language, almost akin to a magic trick.
Driven by her admiration and love for essay writing, Tiffany went on to pursue an English degree, hoping to become a translator or editor.
Life having other plans
After graduating from university after four years of studying, Tiffany found herself in a limbo as the world was brought to a halt by the Covid-19 pandemic.
During that time, I started my teaching career by first becoming a private tutor before moving on to be a kindergarten teacher.
“However, I immediately felt burnt out and tired of the job as I realised kindergarten wasn’t for me. I wasn’t just teaching ABCs. I was also wiping noses, coaxing kids to have naps, and playing ‘food police’ at lunchtime,” she shared.
“I never imagined teaching kindergarten would be so challenging. My experience there gave me profound respect for all educators who patiently care for and teach young children day after day.”
Just as Tiffany doubted whether teaching suited her at all, an unexpected opportunity appeared: the Malaysian government announced a teaching recruitment drive which was open to private university graduates.
“Usually, this recruitment drive is only extended to government school graduates, but since they were short-staffed, I suppose I was lucky to come across this opportunity.
I applied for an English primary school teacher position along with a friend, which was a long shot in hindsight. To my surprise, I actually got accepted to be one at a secondary school.”
Teaching at an SMK
Upon taking on her new job position, Tiffany began to have questions about her ability to carry out her duties.
I was just a fresh graduate, and I had to deal with students only a few years younger than me. I wasn’t sure if I could manage them in class,” she said.
She also had to deal with whiplash when it came to teaching and disciplining her students, where she found the transition to be daunting.
“Coming from a Chinese independent school, discipline was strict and most students were obedient. We never challenged the teachers.
“At the secondary school I was teaching however, I encountered a diverse range of attitudes and academic abilities.
“The students are placed into classes based on their grades, so we teach them according to their level. But that also makes the students in the lower-graded classes much harder to manage,” she said.
Tiffany added the challenge wasn’t due to her students lacking the ability to learn, but their sense of apathy. Some would even skip classes, get into physical fights, or flip tables over.
“Once, there were two boys brawling over who would get to use the projector first, which sent tables flying and left me with a bruised leg as a result.
“Due to school policy forbidding teachers from physically intervening, I had to call in some male students to break the fight up,” she recalled.
Additional challenges
Aside from dealing with unruly students, Tiffany also had to contend with language barriers, which impeded her ability to teach her students effectively as she was allowed to teach in English or Malay only.
At first, I kept falling back to Mandarin because I wasn’t used to it. But when the principal caught me using Mandarin, he firmly reminded me to stick to Malay only.
“On top of that, I was also asked to teach Science for the younger students due to a teacher shortage. I had to spend even more time studying just so I could explain things properly in Malay. I even had to learn the topics myself because I didn’t know much about them,” she said.
Tiffany also had to design exam papers, photocopy them, and deal with a mountain of paperwork—such as sorting student ID copies for exams and filling out endless forms.
Bizarrely, she also found herself leading the school’s badminton team despite never having held a racket professionally.
“I didn’t even play badminton, but I had to lead the badminton club as their teacher. There was so much I had to learn,” she recalled with a laugh.
On some nights, Tiffany stayed behind inside an empty classroom buried nose-deep in piles of exercise books and red pen in hand while wondering if what she was doing was enough.
Finding her own rhythm
Amid the chaos though, small miracles began to quietly bloom in the background.
Students who once stumbled through simple sentences slowly began crafting full essays. Although it was still riddled with mistakes, but it was progress nonetheless.
Despite not being the most experienced club teacher, Tiffany sometimes would be surprised with a cup of milk tea bought by her students with their pocket money.
It’s these interactions with the students — seeing them improve, seeing them appreciate your effort, that shine a new light on this job. It makes all the struggles feel purposeful and fulfilling.
“These moments also helped me survive the first year and I slowly got used to the syllabus, which meant me spending less time studying it,” she said.
Tiffany also found her own rhythm when it came to managing her classes, which was way different from the strict, fearsome teachers she grew up with.
I could never be the kind of teacher who’s scary enough that students just obey out of fear.
“Rather than shouting, I’d turn misbehavior into a lesson itself literally. Whenever students acted up, I would record the incident and play it back to the whole class, letting laughter (and a little embarrassment) do what scolding can’t.
“It was surprisingly effective. When they saw how silly their actions looked in front of their friends, they usually stopped and didn’t repeat it,” she shared.
A truly fulfilling job
When asked what kept her going through all the hurdles, Tiffany didn’t hesitate to give the following answer:
It’s seeing the students making progress. And when they show their appreciation, that’s when teaching becomes truly fulfilling,” she said with a smile.
But behind the small wins lies a much bigger issue that Tiffany says she can’t ignore: the long-standing shortage of teachers.
If there wasn’t such a shortage, I don’t think they would’ve even opened slots for private university graduates like me,” she admitted. “Even now, our school is still hoping to recruit more teachers.”
Having walked the tough road herself, Tiffany hopes more young people will give teaching a chance — even if it feels overwhelming at first.
Back then, I was terrified at the thought of standing in front of a class. But once you push through, you realise you’re capable of so much more than you ever imagined.”
