THE prank may have been mean but M. Thavasothy Pillai, who is blind, took his Teachers Day joke in good faith.
On that day some years back, the SMK Taman Petaling class that Thavasothy was about to teach had switched with a class next door to fool the 56-year-old.
But the wise man could sense something fishy when he did not hear the familiar sounds of his students when they replied to his greeting.
Far from being angry, he laughed with them and told them their game was up.
"I was not hurt as I knew they were playing a trick on me but I guess I was too clever for them," he said with a laugh.
The 2007 Tokoh Guru Selangor recipient said he could tell if his sighted students were paying attention to him.
"I'll know if they are not paying attention if I hear them whispering. I would usually quiz them frequently during my teaching or ask them to read back what I had dictated."
He retired last month, having served as a teacher since 1980.
"Teaching was not my first choice of a job. I could not get a job as a researcher after getting my degree," said the father of two medical undergraduates.
He said society was not confident about giving the physically-challenged a chance to prove themselves.
"It is nice to hear society saying it should do more for the poor and underprivileged but saying something and doing something are two different things," said the holder of a Master in Special Education from the University of Tasmania, Australia.
Nevertheless, he enjoyed teaching his students, especially his favourite subject history, which many youngsters found boring.
"I always tell my new students 'I'll try my best to make the subject as interesting as possible. I'll make you fall in love with the subject'," he said.
He even gave nicknames to students based on local historical figures such as Parameswara and Hang Tuah, which students would write down next to their names on their exam papers.
"I wanted them to be involved to show them that history is not a dead subject. History is important as what happened in the past is happening in the present," he said.
The widower said he never once took medical leave during his teaching days, more so when exam time was approaching, feeling he would let down students who may have had questions.
"I feel just as nervous as them during exam time because I would remember how I used to panic during my time."
He said he felt proud when his students produced good results as it made teaching a worthwhile job.
He added that teachers must come down to the students' level, learning their likes and dislikes as student life cannot just be focused on academics.
He said if teachers these days did not like their jobs, they should not show their hatred or frustration as it would be reflected in their teaching.
"Teaching is not an enjoyable profession as it once was; it is hard to keep students interested. Some are rebellious and talk back and show no respect for authority."
He said teachers must show authority the right way and be patient with students.
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