Ponteng (truant)

school
One of the things that my sister often nagged me is how I let my sons skip school. They skipped school for weeks sometimes when we travelled. They skipped school when I was too lazy to wake up in the morning to sheperd them to school. They skipped school for no reason at all.

What my sister doesn’t realised is I got this ponteng sekolah bug since small. I am the youngest and my two older sisters were 14 years and 10 years older than me. Therefore, when they were dating with my future bro-in-laws, they would take me to the BILs hometown in Sitiawan and Ipoh, respectively. Hence, I got to be the chaperone and skipped school at the same time. *sigh* Yet, this sis of mine would be the one that goes ‘Aiyoh….you let your kids skipped school? How to catch up? Exam time lose out lor.”

One of the most memorable quote from my late father, through my mother is “You are not going to be any smarter by going to school one more day.” (Translated as : Ponteng all you want, you can’t get any dumber.)

Hence, ponteng sekolah to me is as common as breathing or sh*tting.

But there is a price to pay. I am gonna be grilled by the class teacher when I attend the school Open Day. Open Day is when the parents go to meet the teachers. I have plenty to gripe about Open Day. My palms are all clammy now because it is this Saturday. Maybe I will ponteng Open Day too.

Don’t you just love to ponteng, play truant, AWOL, MIA, skip class, pretend to be sick and get fake MC? It makes life so much more fun, isn’t it?

27 thoughts on “Ponteng (truant)

  1. I’m always playing truant when i was in high school. My dad didn’t really mind after all.. I only got caught once and the principal called my dad on his handphone! U know what my dad told me when i reach home? “Why you so ‘mm seng mok’ one..Next time cabut lari fast fast!” LOL!!

  2. Hmm…. bad bad bad. But you better buck up, Lilian. I have a relative like that too. And so her son grew up picking up her habit. This was fine at school. Unfortunately, he’s still doing that now at work. Needless to say, he gets fired a lot.

    Heh. Better buck up, woman!

  3. Gee once I ponteng with few other friends to Teluk Batik and we met police. They interrogated us (as in “kenapa tak pergi sekolah?” that kind of thing) and we just bluffed our way along, saying that we were college students and having holidays, blah blah blah. But it scared the shits outta us really šŸ˜›

  4. It doesn’t really make a difference in me.

    When I go to school, I sleep, makan, chat with friends, teacher didn’t really teach…
    But when I didn’t go to school. I still sleep, makan at mamak, chat with bloggers, I didn’t really study.

    The only thing that encourage me ponteng is those school officially functions, like Teacher’s Day lah (so bad hor?), Mauliddur Rasul lah, speech giving day lah…… when most of the classmates will plan to ponteng together. Our class broke the record once, by only 2 students present during the PMD (Program Maju Diri). But we are still so proud of this. Terror leh?

  5. All-time record for truanting in my class this year was 17 absent in a class of 36 for one day, including me… xD

    Sometimes better not skip too many days at one time, might miss some important events… Just pick the correct day… šŸ˜›

  6. Every time we travel my dad would send one of those ” please excuse my daughter… due to unforseen circumstances…etc” letters. I believe we learned more on those days with him than at school. I do that with my child when I want to take her overseas or out of town but not for shopping trips.

  7. Romantic – Me too, me too. I only let them play truant if they are exhausted, teachers went to courses, after exam yadda yadda.

    Tan – Heheheh, I am flexible. No point forcing them to school 365/365 days and then, later, when they are older, they play truant behind my back. There are parents like that, very strict.

    Andy – Only when the cikgu pergi kursus time. And like my kids just returned from camp, with 10 blisters on their hands each, I kesian kasi MC today (monday).

    Mr Kiasi – Hahaha, your parents need to give letter or not? My kids teacher cincai, so I pun dun care ler.

    Yingci – LOL, lucky did not end up on front page of paper. What I meant was for the kids to ponteng with my permission la. Not wear school uniform and then, cabut to cyber cafes. That one big mistake lah.

    James – Kehkehkeh, it takes a crook to catch a crook. Hopefully, next time when they are bosses, they know how to catch the kaki MCs.

    MrsT – We have to adjust with times. Have to bend in their ways.

    Julee – Cool dad you have there!

  8. Hi Auntie Lilian,

    U are right by saying we won’t get smarter if we ponteng 1 day or two from school. One example is my friend who is a genius, has the worst record by having more than 30 days absent from school!!
    BUT…only true geniuses can afford to miss classes like that coz she self study and learn Form 6 Physics all by herself…she even teaches us when she comes to school…
    She gets warning from teacher but her results (top in class and top 5 in whole form 6) kept the teacher quiet…hehehe
    For myself, I prefer to go to school daily mainly to:
    discuss questions with my wonderful friends,
    collect the day’s homework,
    i don’t go to trips to anywhere or holiday,
    school is fun!
    I do ponteng for average 3 days during exams to study quietly at home…

  9. Wahlau usually is the son that skips school without mum’s knowledge, this one opposite! Nanti the teacher grill you baru tahu. Tried to go for a perfect year attendance once in secondary school, missed just a day so they denied me the good attendance cert so in uni gave up and didn’t bother hehe.

  10. If my daughter reads this, she will be soooooo happy, coz I won’t even let her skip school on those days when they have all this’persembahan’ in school and no lessons are taught. Sometimes, I also ‘kesian’ her but her father would flip if I agree to it.

  11. I am a traditionalist; didn’t skip classes in school nor in uni. Panicked like hell when I did miss any lectures due to illness. Now, my students and I are from different planets. I bar them from the exams if they miss 20% lecture hours (college policy). One student said she couldn’t get up early for the 8 am classes. “Shall I ask my mother to write you a letter?” she asked. No my dear, you’re barred.

  12. I’ve never skipped school either. Which explains my bulk of annual leaves waiting for me to take up šŸ˜›

  13. I used to ponteng in Primary school cos I hated school and the fierce teachers. Now I see my sisters doing what you’re doing.

  14. like i always man, you are one cool mom, man. so small become tiang lampu for sisters, so you cantrain your younger son to tiang lampu your older kid when they go phakthor-ing…

  15. Mom would send me to school at 8am and handle the school guards and prefects (and sometimes teachers). Dad will bail me out at 10.30 latest. I hated that particular school and they knew it. On a good day (where I stayed in school the whole day) I’d skip class (especially Add Maths after I found out I was hopeless) and lepakked in the Principal’s office. The point is… parent’s never really pressured me since school was this stupid place I waste time in.

  16. Truant is costly around urban area, the cost in term of $$$$$. Food, travels, etc need $$$. Another reason to truant is the hot weather.
    I agree that no one will be dumber by skipping school. Except mathematics, exam is only memory mind game.

  17. moo_t – The kind of truant I am talking about is ‘safe’ but not those who play truant behind their parents’ back. Those can lead to juvenile crime, dangerous.

    joho – You must be a very lucky kid back then. So, with all the late-coming and early returning, you have no problem? I failed Add Maths in SPM too ‘cos I use the period to do spot check. I was a prefect and abuse the time to do prefect works, just to run away from Add Maths.

    Simon – Hahaha, my siss used me as their ‘tai sei kuai’. I no go, mom won’t let them go. So, I get to travel!

    MG – So are you going to follow ‘I did it my way’? Hahaha, the ponteng starts from kindy actually. I would go, “Aiyah, I paid money already, go don’t go also they don’t care, got money paid enough liao.”

    Fashionasia – Some parents are very strict, which is good. Both my hubby and I are youngest children to very old parents so we are rather ‘wild’ ‘cos we were pampered and hence, no rules, no laws.

  18. Die, I think I opened a can or worms. So many pontent kakis and so many anti-ponteng.

    Juan – I suppose when you are working, you have the responsibilities. My hubby also have annual leaves that carried over and over, year in year out.

    Viewtru – Go catch fighting fishes or girls watching lor?

    fishtail – Hahaha, would letter still works? But I agree, there has to be some discipline. Right now, I am worrying for my children ‘cos one of them have to attend 80% of his cathecism class but his scout activities had taken up the time. Which I warned him he has to re-sit for another year. Catholics have confirmation at Form Four. And I make sure he is fully aware of the consequences.

  19. bkworm – Luckily, both of us are of the same wavelength. But we tend to push to each other, like you ask your father, you ask your mother kinda tactic.

    Kervin – Yeah, I do get grilled every year, twice x 3 sons = 6 times. Over the behaviour in class. Hahaha.

    AdieJin – Hi! Welcome. I also stumbled upon soohk’s blog last night. Will be back and pop by yours soon.

    Eileen – Genius very hard to find leh. Anyway, I exaggerate a bit la. The most they skip is just a few days here and there. But last time when we used to go overseas, they did skip. Now, all adult fares, cannot afford to fly overseas so much liao.

  20. WOWEEE!!!You must be one of the coolest mum alive :-)..If my mum ever read this,she’ll totally flip,hahaha..During my school days,I didnt have the chance to xperience n feel the “joy” of pOnTeNg..(plus I was a prefect,so the more reason to be in school..sigh).Nway,I totally agree on ur dad’s “prophecy”..skipping a few days of school doesnt make you dumber.

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