In 2012, I met Esther Cheah at Stratford Learning Centre, an English enrichment centre in my hometown of Sungai Besar, Selangor. I had walked in for an interview, hoping to work as a relief English teacher during my two-month semester break.
Although I had no formal training as an English teacher, Esther accepted me for the role. She believed my command of English was relatively strong for a town where the language was rarely spoken. At the time, her centre was also expanding and she was looking for additional teachers as student enrolment increased.
Later, I learned that Esther was from Bukit Mertajam and had opened the enrichment centre in Sungai Besar after seeing an opportunity there. During my two months teaching grammar and writing to seven Form Three students with weak English, I also observed how she ran the centre, complete with a small library and pantry for students.
She occasionally organised culinary sessions where students followed English instructions to make biscuits, which I found refreshing compared with the rote learning of my own tuition days. When my semester break ended, two students asked to continue lessons with me and persuaded me to conduct four extra classes at my house to prepare for the Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) examination.
The experience boosted my confidence and interest in teaching, and one student later called to share that she had passed her English exam. Some time later, Esther opened a centre in Bukit Mertajam and, in 2013, invited me to teach weekend classes there while I was doing my industrial internship in Kamunting.
Throughout those three months, I travelled to Bukit Mertajam every Saturday afternoon to teach the lower secondary school students in the evening; and went back to Kamunting on Sunday afternoons after finishing my Form Five class.
Esther allowed me to stay overnight at the centre. She prepared a brand new mattress for me in an air-conditioned office where I could rest and prepare my lessons. In the evenings, I often spent time reading the many books available on the centre’s shelves before turning in for the night.
From time to time, Esther also treated me to nice meals. Despite being only a relief teacher, she went further by registering me, along with her full-time staff, for a seminar called Cambridge Experience 2013 organised by the University of Cambridge at the Eastern & Oriental Hotel in Penang.
The seminar allowed me to mingle with teachers from national and international schools while learning interactive methods for teaching English. Esther even drove us to Penang and back to Bukit Mertajam so that we could attend the event together.
Before my internship ended – and with it my weekend classes at the centre – I once again received encouraging feedback from my students about my teaching approach.
When settling my pay, Esther generously surprised me with a cheque to cover my petrol for the weekly trips between Kamunting and Bukit Mertajam. Though hectic, those three months of travelling back and forth were a valuable experience.
Today, Esther and I still keep in touch through WhatsApp, although we have not met in person for about a decade. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, she has semi-retired from teaching. She now conducts smaller classes from her family home while also offering online lessons.
I have also learned that she continues to perform quiet acts of kindness, such as supporting the Save the Strays programme by providing food for stray cats and dogs.
Looking back, I remain deeply grateful for her encouragement when I was still a greenhorn teacher. She took great care of me when I was serving in her enrichment centre and the experiences I gained at Stratford Learning Centre played a significant role in nurturing my passion for teaching.
Esther’s generosity and guidance left a lasting impression on me, and I sincerely hope she continues to enjoy good health, happiness and the fulfilment of helping others through her kindness.
