没想到这一天终于到来了。昨天我请了假，回返我最心爱的圣中，参加了李立群老师的欢送会。
(i would finish up the rest of the post in chinese if i were as fluent in the language as i am in English, but since i can express myself better in english, here goes...)
i was really happy to be back, despite having to clear half a day of leave to go for the farewell. it really was never about the drama camp and the accompanying 小品比赛, it was always about laoban, wasn't it? listening to her goodbye speech yesterday was a really heartwarming, heart wrenching and altogether emotional experience. and i realised that this awesome woman, who has inspired loyalty, respect and admiration among more than a decade's worth of students, has really taken a hard beating, by politicking, by (unnecessary) stress, and she's finally have to give up, throw in the towel and take care of herself more. hearing what she had to say about being 'targeted' and 'maligned' by the school management, which really drove her away, was a very sad thing. i realised that it was an unnecessary loss to the school, to CDS. i think laoban never wanted to leave AHS. as an alumni, nobody really wants to leave AHS, we keep returning, keep on calling up and meeting teachers and friends, because it really was one of the best experiences of our lives. but she had to leave, because of the way she was being treated by the school.
她昨天给了一个演讲。她说，她在清理书桌时，把所有的测验，笔记，都丢掉了，但她唯一没丢的东西就是数年来学生写给她的贺卡，the letters of appreciation, the many custom-made gifts from batches and batches of students. “这些东西不能丢，丢了就买不回来了“， 然后忍不住地，热泪盈眶。my first impression of laoban was that she was a really fierce, unapproachable strongwoman, the iron lady with a titanium will, and steely glare to match. she was legendary in that her stare alone would make some girls cry. but yesterday, she did show her softer, vulnerable side, a side rarely seen, a side that seldom surfaced beneath that strong, unbreakable exterior. 老板始终也是人。
i think laoban is a remarkable teacher, the best in her trade. not because she is able to churn out dozens of A students year after year, but because, her students (A or otherwise), never fail to return to the school year after year. her students give her their best because she always gave us her best. 蔡老师说，她很羡慕老板，为什么？因为，她有这么多校友，即使毕业了这么多年，当学会，当老师，需要帮忙时，他们都会积极地会来帮忙，而且不是意思意思回来，而是带着“一颗心“回来的。这不是一般老师能够做得到。老板成功不在她的学生毕业后，在社会上有非凡的成就，不在她的学生毕业了能够上大学，获得奖学金，做公司总裁，国会议员，等等。她成功在，她的学生，不管是靠到什么成绩，不管在上学时期是个high profile,积极的学生，她的欢送会时，竟然招徕了一批又一批的毕业生回来。我觉得这是非常难得的。that so many batches of students would rush down to AHS after work, after school, that two crazy guys would clear half a day of leave to comem down from Sungei Gedon camp, is testament to the breath and depth of the impact she's made in her students' lives after all these years. although many of these alumni have stopped returning to AHS regularly, although they haven't been around much, they've never forgotten the times in AHSCDS, and more importantly, they haven't forgotten laoban, no matter how far they've gone in life, what they've done or where they're going. in that respect, i think laoban is an extraordinary teacher, a life-changer, a person-developer. i think that's rare in a teacher, and i think our principal has failed in that she lost such an extraordinary teacher.
但老板累了。她的身体不好了。长年累月为我们奔波，为我们打气，为我们担心，为我们哭，使她的眼睛不好了，being exposed to stress for such a long time has really took a toll on her body, on her health, and yes, 她必须多爱她自己。so she's leaving, reluctantly, to a new environment, where hopefully she'll be alot happier, alot more relaxed, less stressed, where the principal will treat her better. thank you laoban, for always putting your students first, for having the true heart of a teacher. i think really, the mark of success in life isn't how much you have in your bank account, or how large your house is, or how many girls you've bedded, but how many lives you've touched. laoban realised that a long time ago, and her time in AHS really hasn't been lived in vain. i only wish that i could have a farewell like hers, where the different people i've encountered over the years would return as a powerful demonstration of a life well lived.
加油吧，老板。
为得今日的掌声
费尽不少的心血
没有辛苦的耕耘
何来欣慰的收获
谁不曾在学习路上尝到失败与挫折
有谁不想成为明日耀眼的星星
望了失败继续前进
世上没有做不到的事
戏剧工作虽然艰辛
我却坚持走下去
不怕困难没有畏惧
自己的路自己掌握
只要勿忘我曾是中文戏剧一分子
只要铭记在我心我爱戏剧一辈子
-戏剧之歌（圣公会中学中文戏剧学会）
