May peace be upon you.
An experienced teacher was elated that he was promoted as a principal of a school. His joy however, was short-lived after he found out that he would be posted to the remotest school in his country. The school is for the 'orang asli' children living in several small villages in the jungle.
The school is so remote that there isn't any proper roads leading there. You need to ride on a scrambler motorbike in order to reach the school because the only road there is a mud track .
It was hard for him the first time. He had to leave his family behind since there was no proper accommodation for them. And when he rode the scrambler which he was unaccustomed to, he fell and had mud all over him.
At last after 4 arduous hours he reached the school. The school is surrounded with dense jungle but to his relieved it was a proper school with concrete one storey buildings and running water. But... no electricity.
So when he entered the school compound, where the teachers, the students and their parents were waiting, he looked like a...well...someone who just went through a mud bath. They were all staring at him.
A boy said to his mother, "He looks like a water buffalo!" There was silence.
Suddenly there was a laugh. The new headmaster broke into laughter. "Yes, you're right. I do look like a water buffalo." And everybody there joined him laughing. That incident broke the ice.
The community welcomed him and they knew from that moment, he was the one. He is the one who is going to change the school's future.
The school had only six classes from year 1 to year 6. There were only 9 to10 students in one class and only 6 teachers including him. The passing rate is 0% and during the 'petai' and 'durian' seasons, the students will mysteriously disappeared. He soon learned that they will go into the jungle with their parents to find these favourite delicacies. Petai and durians are very much sought after in Malaysia so they fetch quite a handsome sum of profit.
Therefore, he knew he had a long way to go in order to improve the students' achievements and the school as a whole. He knew in a remote place like this he had to reach out to the community to help him.
He began his approach by learning the community's culture and language. For example, he found out that they don't cane their children so he instructed all the teachers never to met out corporal punishment against the students. Any teacher who failed to follow this, will be transferred.
He respected the Orang Asli's tradition and in return they gave full co-operation to him. Student's attendance improved and their grades started to get better.
He also treated the other teachers as his family. Looking after them just like they were his brothers and sisters. The teachers in turn look after the students like their own children.
Somehow he managed to get electricity to the school so the students who lived in the school's hostel can study and do their homework at night.
With all of them working together and with full determination, soon the school became the best rural school in the country.
Life is a bit like a durian, it is thorny and so difficult to pry open and yet when you succeed, it is so sweet and delicious.
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