The Land of My Ancestors’ Sepulchers , livre ebook

Partridge Publishing Singapore - Miranda P. Yeoh

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153 pages

English

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What is it like to be born into an extended Peranakan family that has seen better days? Besides poverty, there’s strife when some don’t pull together. However, I had a wise Grandma, Dad, and Aunt. Reading transported me into a world of joy, and soon I loved learning for its own sake. The Scriptures challenged me to seek the kingdom of heaven when I was at university. Why should I teach in Selangor rather than my beloved hometown, Penang? Could I rely on God? On several occasions, I realized that God blessed me just on time! I tried to influence my students to be intrinsically motivated. I tried to nurture a passion for knowledge. Besides teaching, I researched to facilitate the learning of my students. How could I manage caring for an aging aunt, but by God’s mercy? How would I cope with my health issues, uncertain if healing would come? Would all the events, and my responses to them, show that I worship an all-powerful, merciful God in whom I can trust?

Sujets

Ethnic

Cultural

Biography

Conversion to Christianity

Regional

Autobiography

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Publié par	Partridge Publishing Singapore
Date de parution	07 janvier 2022
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781543765298
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0200€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

THE LAND OF MY ANCESTORS’ SEPULCHERS

And the world of a teacher-researcher

MIRANDA P. YEOH

Copyright © 2022 by Miranda P. Yeoh.

Library of Congress Control Number:
2021910652
ISBN:
Hardcover
978-1-5437-6530-4

Softcover
978-1-5437-6528-1

eBook
978-1-5437-6529-8

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of creative nonfiction. While the stories in this book are true to the best of the author’s memory, some names and details may have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals. The reader should consider this book a work of literature. Thank you for understanding.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

www.partridgepublishing.com/singapore

To

The Yeohs:
Eppie,
Elizabeth,
Eileen,
Esther,
Collin, Evelyn and Ellen;
The Khoos,
The Koays and
The Rambohuls

Good Friends:
Pastor and family,
Mary and Fidelis,
Debbie, Bee Suet,
PT and IT,
TS, SY, KM,
Edgar, Christine and HC,
CNT, El Foong, El Siew, SB and PY,
Jan, Siew Y., Beng E., Yen L., Opal, Jenny, SL;
CGL, PFS & UPM friends and beloved teachers;
Colleagues of KHS, SMKSK, KMS, and RECSAM;
Thanks for your love and prayers.

In loving memory:
Yeoh Guan Ghim,
Yeoh Cheng Lim,
Yeoh Cheng Nya,
Yeoh Cheng Pow,
Yeoh Seng Chong,
Koh Siew Lean, and
Margaret Khoo Gaik Suan.

I praise You, my God, my Maker and my Redeemer. You are my Faithful Provider. Amen.
CONTENTS
About the Book
Prologue
Chapter 1Preschool Days (1956 - 1962)
Chapter 2Primary School (1963 - 1968)
Chapter 3Secondary School (1969 - 1973)
Chapter 4Pre-University And University (1974 - 1980)
Chapter 5Teaching In Kajang (KHS, 1980 - 1991)
Chapter 6Teaching In Seri Kembangan (SMKSK, 1991 - 2010)
Chapter 7Teaching In Matriculation College (KMS, 2010 - 2016)
Chapter 8A Break After Matriculation
Chapter 9Research In Penang (2017 - 2018)
Chapter 10Retirement And A New Beginning
References
Editorial Reviews
ABOUT THE BOOK
What is it like to be born into an extended Peranakan family that has seen better days? Besides poverty, there’s strife when some don’t pull together. However, I had a wise Grandma, Dad, and Aunt. Reading transported me into a world of joy, and soon I loved learning for its own sake. The Scriptures challenged me to seek the kingdom of heaven when I was at university. Why should I teach in Selangor rather than my beloved hometown, Penang? Could I rely on God? On several occasions, I realized that God blessed me just in time! I tried to influence my students to be intrinsically motivated and nurture a passion for knowledge. Besides teaching, I researched to facilitate the learning of my students. How could I care for an aging aunt other than by God’s mercy? How would I cope with my health issues, uncertain if healing would come? Would all the events, and my responses to them, show that I worship an all-powerful, merciful God whom I trust?
PROLOGUE

Fig 1. The grave of my grandparents at Batu Gantung, Penang

The Land of my Ancestors’ Sepulchers

Don’t even think I don’t belong,
Don’t think that I bring no joy: no music, no song,
We know what we all deserve,
Like my forebears, I work and serve.

There’s no need to question my ancestry,
Nor my belonging in this country,
See for yourself the tombs and sepulchers of my ancestors,
In this country, in this very city!

O Father God, You have blessed this land with abundance,
Don’t let any citizen get deprived of a shared inheritance,
Though some may try to salve the conscience,
Choosing paths of ease,
To accumulate for themselves and their children,
That which could satisfy an entire nation.
Provide for us governors like Nehemiah,
Leaders whose righteousness we admire;
But if we fight for just our community,
We would be as racist; true heroes, we wouldn’t be.
The land of my ancestors’ sepulchers -
Here is where God placed:
An educator, a research scholar, a lifelong learner,
A curious, energetic baby boomer.
You and I may have received advice that the present is all we have. We tend to live in the moment, in the present moment. We may hear well-meaning, familiar voices suggesting to us living in the moment or living for the moment and seizing on things that gratify us will make us truly satisfied and happy. However, do we find that trying to have our way, behaving impulsively, and grabbing selfishly to satisfy our present desires always make us happy and satisfied? We observe that the desire to fulfill the impulses of our nature may cause many to leave the responsibilities of relationships and neglect our health. We strive for earthly things that may promise peace and happiness, but they do not deliver. I thought searching for happiness and avoiding risks were sensible, but what did I learn?
Perhaps, a better piece of advice we may have received is to live in the present for how we would like to remember it (Hardy, 2016) and for the joy of our recollection of its memories and no regrets. We may live in the present moment making conscious choices rather than acting on impulse. Being a person of faith, I would also live in the moment for the future. Yes, I have seen friends and relatives passing on. Is there anything beyond the grave? My faith says, “Yes!” After all, Christianity teaches me the transience of mortal life and the vanity of accumulating earthly possessions. My faith teaches me that “Death is swallowed up in victory” because my Savior died as a ransom for my sins and rose again. I learn to view Death as the door to eternal life. But these are hard lessons not easily discerned by my physical eyes.
Anyone can write a memoir, but not everyone may have the desire to write a faithful record of what they have experienced or to relive their pain and shame. I’m writing a memoir because of a burning desire to preserve the legacy of my ancestors. They came to live on this land more than 550 years ago. This country is the “land of my ancestors’ sepulchers”! Like Nehemiah, the prophet who sought the good of his country, I seek the peace of this land. I believe we achieve peace and prosperity by seeking truth, working and striving with our hands and minds, and learning from our mistakes. As a wise man said, “Insanity is doing the same thing again and expecting different results.” I believe that the progress of Singapore since independence (Leyl, 2015) points the way forward for this country.
The second reason I write this memoir is to share my teaching, learning, lecturing, and researching. I hope it may be helpful to anyone concerned about educating the young people in society and developing lives of service for the nation. I hope that teachers and researchers benefit from my research in these areas: musical mnemonics to facilitate learning, cooperative learning, motivation, self-directed learning, entrepreneurship in education, transversal competencies, problem-based learning, and ethical research and publishing.
Yet another reason to write is to share the scenes of my story, although it’s not always pretty, and share the precious lessons I have learned. My past does not always make me proud; there are points I wish were different. But I have learned from it. I have learned how to live, or not to live, the rest of my days. I hope that the pain and injustices I suffered within the family and from without may teach us to say in difficult times: “This too shall pass.” I believe that racism stems from self-interest (Thomas, 2020), and if I only serve my community, I would be just as guilty. There’s no courage in being racist. But there’s courage in selfless acts to all who need charity regardless of ethnicity and color. I see my neighboring country in the south, Singapore, prospering while firmly rejecting racism and giving to others as we would like to receive. Doing my duty to all my students was my focus during the years I was teaching. In the present day, you and I may rejoice that several prominent leaders in various countries around the globe are concerned about serving the larger national and global community and not just the interests of a particular ethnic community or political group.
Above all, I hope it’s clear that the events and the timing of the events I describe in this book did not unfold haphazardly; or as I wished. Perhaps, we may see these events guided by the hand of a heavenly Father. I pray that His wisdom shines with luster on these pages amidst the backdrop of my ignorance and flaws. May the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus be magnified!
CHAPTER 1 PRESCHOOL DAYS (1956 - 1962)