Bible Knowledge class... only for the goody goody ones?

The picture on the left, taken on Fri 2nd May 2008, shows my BK (Bible Knowledge) class students. Seated from left: Jonah See, Daniel Chia, Johannan Sim. Standing from left: Thai Wei (Matthew), Ming May, Ruth Ong.

MIA (Missing in Action) were Anna Teoh (busy mugging for her mid-year exam) and Kay Lyn.


Sat 3 May 2008 - I conduct BK classes in the MGSS Media Room every Friday from 2.30 to 4.00 p.m. There is a host of reasons why I should NOT be teaching BK - that's the best time to sleep (yawn), I'd rather be marking my exercise books (school inspectorate coming...), aiyo such a dull subject, and hey, I'm so so so unChristian so unfit to teach such a 'holy' subject! Sigh... I took up the challenge of teaching BK and so here I am!

I started with about a dozen students at the beginning of this year but one by one, they dropped out like flies with common excuses like "no time" and "too tired". Syabas (Congrats) to all those who are the "tahan lasak" type (hardy and tough) and are still with me! The students come very very punctually and entertain me with their jokes and antics for the next one hour and a half. The boys are the talkative ones, positively and effectively dispelling any myth that girls talk a lot more than boys! If I were to give the students awards...

1. The most "mulut murai" (talkative) - Daniel Chia from SFI (Jonah and Johanan tell me that actually, Daniel is from Infant Jesus Convent...)

2. The most "missing in action" award - Jonah See also from SFI. I had struck his name off my list when one day, he suddenly appeared at the Media Room doorstep. I asked him whether the whale in the biblical Jonah story had finally spewed him (Jonah See) out of its belly... (By the way, he and Daniel are both from SFI but during school hours, poor things, they have no chance to talk to each other so during my BK class, they make up for all the lost time...)

3. The most serious student award - Matthew Leong Thai Wei from Methodist High School. He is future pastor stuff (looks the part too) - a young man of few words.

4. The most helpful student award - Tan Ming May from MGSS. She'd faithfully open and close the Media Room every Friday. See what good exemplary students MGSS produces...

5. The "latest to arrive" award - consistently goes to Johannan Sim from St. David (in Bahasa Malaysia, the school name is roughly translated as "Lebai Daud") but I understand, he has to zig zag across town in order to reach MGSS.

6. The "Miss Demure" award - surely goes to Anna Teoh also of MGSS. Sweet, fair, angelic-looking...

7. The "newest student" award - Ruth Ong of MGSS who joined the class yesterday.

8. The "most considerate" award - Kay Lyn of Gajah Berang School. So sweet... when she can't attend BK, she calls to send her apologies.

It can be physically challenging teaching BK at the siesta hours of 2.30 - 4.00 p.m. but I have no regrets taking it up although it means extra work (and less beauty sleep) for me. BK students, if you are reading this, take note that we will meet for one final lesson on Luke Chapter 24 on 24 May, and BK test is on 13 June. Please don't give me nightmares and heart attack(s) by not being able to answer the test questions. I don't want to be saying to myself each time I mark an answer, "Forgive them, Father! They don't know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)

P/S The Mr. "Mulut Murai" told me I was blur and I have to agree with him. At least I have an excuse - my age which is creeping close to half a century. My apologies to Eunice Teoh - I had inadvertently called her Anna Teoh (her elder sis), thanks to my daughter who ill-advised me on the sisters' names. Well, whether Eunice or Anna Teoh, a rose (Eunice) by any other name would smell just as sweet (Shakespeare).