4 LUMEN | SPECIAL FEATURE
League of
Extraordinaire
By Marakatham & Elisabeth Mosbergen
In SJI , we are privileged to have with us Allied Educators : Sister Julia Ong , Brother Paul Ho and Brother Pinto in our midst who go beyond the call of academic teaching to instil the Lasallian and Christian values that are crucial to the SJI education .
Brother Paul Ho
When I am invited to write a few lines about myself , I like to think of the quotation : ' God writes straight with our crooked lines '. Many a time I just wonder the marvels of my life experiences and many of these experiential situations just happened by accident . God calling me to lead a life of a Brother 37 years ago is just like turning a page of a book . You are just led on a journey of faith .
I was brought up in a middle class family , doing what most average families did in the 1960s . My father being the only son from a family of six daughters was the apple of his sisters ’ eyes . I had close rapport with my cousins and they were the ones who taught me the art of reading as a hobby . I surrounded my childhood fantasies around Enid Blyton ’ s books and one of my earliest fantasies was to open a sweet shop just like Enid ’ s toyland shops . My religious books were Uncle Arthur ’ s Bedtime Stories on Christian morals .
Where I grew up in Kuala Lumpur , was a close neighbourhood of the 1960s . The parish church was within walking distance . The Brothers ’ school was also nearby ; I remember walking to school and church . I joined the altar boys by the age of 11 . I could ‘ croak ’ in my primary years and so I was in the school choir . In short everyone and everything were nearby .
As for academic achievements , I was found wanting . My parents sent me for tuition which in those days , you dared not mention to your friends . Attending tuition after school was considered only for dummies . The tuition did not do much good either . So my teenage years of academic progress were saved by the Brothers . I spent five years in the junior novitiate . There were 22 of us from all over Malaysia . We had the end in mind and that was to be a Brother . Unfortunately many left after their ' O ' Levels . The majority did not pursue the religious life . This was the first stage of God calling me , making sure that He writes straight with my crooked lines . Living with different personalities and living up to the expectations of the Brothers were indeed challenging years .
The next stage of my training was to spend two years in getting the teacher ’ s certificate at the Malaysian Teachers ’ Training Institute . By the time I qualified , I was sent to La Salle Secondary School in Klang . The first day of school was interesting and historical . There were two sessions in the school and I taught Seccondary 1 and 2 in the afternoon . There was a thunderstorm that afternoon and the school compound was flooded . When I stepped out of the classroom to return to the Brothers ’ house I fell into a shallow drain and I was soaked to the skin like an immersion baptism . Then I heard a voice that said “ This is my beloved son ...” From that instance , I knew I was destined to work only in education . Believe it or not ! I like to believe it .
SJI can be considered the post retirement phase of my life as an allied educator . I enjoy going back to the classroom and building rapport with the students through the teaching of literature . The subject gives me much space to explore the creativity of English with the students . I like the Catholic atmosphere in SJI and there is this constant reminder that education goes hand in hand with moral values . I feel that exciting times are coming to SJI once the Integrated Programme ( IP ) is emplaced . It would offer new challenges and greater scope for educational creativity within the Lasallian family in Singapore . What does the future hold for me ? I hope I will be around to see the fruits of the first generation of IP graduates .
In SJI , this is said succinctly “ to be men for others .” It is a very loaded statement and there is no compromise when we want God to write straight with our crooked lines .