When I was in school, I was terrible with maths. I remember so well one particular teacher, Mr. Wong Him Fook (I wonder if he is still around) who did not let me go to break and asked me to do ear squats instead.
I think I was in Std. One then. I can’t speak a word of Bahasa Malaysia and can muster through English a bit. And bad, bad Mr. Wong never want to speak Hokkien with me.
So, it was ear squats and no break. And 33 years later, my maths is still as bad. I still can’t recite dua kali lima sepuloh, dua kali enam dua belas…..
I was just reading Dr. Liew’s posting and this popped up in my mind. Now….I wonder whether it was Mr. Wong’s fault that I can’t figure how much to pay the sundry shop when I buy things or I had to scream for a calculator each time I need to do a bit of calculation.
Bad, bad Mr. Wong. Gave me ear squats.
But then hor, my older siblings (those who studied during the colonial times) told me their teachers asked them to kneel on cockles shells, upturned! Sadists!
Heh, I am lucky because later on in my secondary school years, I turned Asst. Head Prefect and inflicted ‘pergi basuh tandas’ on those Form One kids. Too bad I did not apply for some other uniformed job or else, everybody gotta do ear squats too. Muahahahar.
Do you remember what is the most torturous things your teachers had asked you to do?
I was in Std 2 in Bukit Bintang girls school–We were told not to talk and any noise our mouth s would be taped with parcel tape. I was the class monitor. Friend asked me to lend her my color pencil. I replied ” what color???. The sadist Miss whatever.. hauled her and me up and took off our clothes to our panties. We had to wear placards which said “We’;re chatterboxes. Laugh at us” We had to walk into every class from Std 1 to6. Towards the end, we were at a Std 5 class, my friends aunt was the teacher. She talked to each of us separately to get the truth. She then took us to the principal Ms T Y Ma. Wonderful and fair person. Our sadist got transferred. Howszat for cruelty.(both mental and physical)
Aunty Lilian. Please tell me when u’re coming down to KL/subang ok? Need to pass u the shirts to be sold in Penang. *grin*
We were caned, slapped and humiliated in school. Ear squats are nothing.
my high school principal was an irishman called bro albinus from sacred heart school in sibu sarawak(i’m sure lots of bloggers r from there would know him) i reckon he’s a sadist! i got whacked by him 4 times all thru my years there(lucky me) my friend got whacked like once a month for 3 years! until he left school in form 3! i reckon he’s the cause of my friend leaving school coz he was too scared of him! hitting kids & students never benefit the students, it just make things worse! right?
Wuching – Gosh, that’s tough! Poor you. Nowadays, local teachers dare not even tough a single hair of the kids. My son teacher just told me that the other day.
Adam – Yalor, ear squats was the standard punishment. And frankly, we do not have that many problems back then. Where got school kids burnt school, teachers cars, pamcit the tyres etc, right?
Yvonne – No plans at the moment la. Will let you know, ok?
romantic – Ouch, that’s traumatic! Glad you forgot her name or else….hahaha.
wuching, yeah bro albinus was from my alma mater, st. joe but fortunately he never taught me.
as for worst punishments, personally i never liked the rotan…nuff said.
I suspect 80% of oxymoron p***** members is byproduct of of the school terror brutalism in the old day. 😉
5xmom : you don’t get school burn news back then, doesn’t mean it never happens. Some new is just NEVER break our of the media in the 50′-80’s. I think today is no worst then the “good old day”, when information are not vastly available. Some say this is call “the lost of innocent”.
I’m useless one… last time. The teacher spoke louder also I started crying already!! LOL
Yes, my stupid older sister did made me do ear squats… but, I got even by cutting off her blouse buttons!! HA HA HA
mt teacher won’t let me go to the toilet to pee when i ws in std. 3. no wonder now i can control very well. i can shoot at my own free will. Hahahaha…..
once i cut my finger and too scared to see the teacher to bandage it, my friend went and told the teacher bout it, and when i found the courage to see her, she took out her cane and hit me on my bleeding finger…sobs…bad Miss Yap.
This did not happen to me or my classmates, but to students in another class: Apparently, a BM teacher asked a student to place a stone on top of a leaf and then STARE at the leaf UNTIL if flies away. Impossible!
Old virgin teacher took out rotan, hit everyone on the head. Later that day, her car all 4 tyres puntured ! Unsloved Mystery until today ! LOL !
Ever seen 20 plus Form 5 girls running 5 times around the field?…lol it was because of something they did not hand in or something… cant rmb cuz i was busy laughing at them…lol
And, there’s this bitchy n mentally retard teacher who doesnt let ppl( more like me only) put textbooks on their lap (as in when u sit sideways of the chair n put the book on the lap)… i’m always the one who always kena from her… T.T…oh well, after the she leaves the class, the whole class will either gossip abt her or jinx her..lol too bad i didnt think of the tyre punturing idea that time… was a good girl back in school (har har har..=P)
I had slight discipline problems in sec school, and unfortunately, tended to voice my opinions.
So for the whole of Form1, Sejarah, my teacher will come in and her first sentence will be “Lainie stand up, selamat sejahtera class”.
Every day.
Because she *knew* I *would* find some way to piss her off.
oh and i’ll have to stand till she leaves the class. Complaints didn’t do anything for me.
still remember during my year 6 in high school, an old virgin forbid me to meet my girl friend in her class or I’ll go to the principle’s room. Instead of meeting my gf in her class, my gf met me in my class… hehe…