An influential person in your life

Henry Adams says: A good teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence
stops. Do you agree with what he says? In my opinion, a good teacher never feels disappointed
with his or her students and who share his or her knowledge with students selflessly. A good
teacher is like the star in the midnight sky which sparks hope in our life. An influential person in
my life is my secondary tuition teacher, Mr. Cheah. He taught me Physics, Chemistry and
Mathematics. He is no more than ordinary by his appearance with the same neat shirt that he is
always wearing. He is a good role model for student because he neither drinks nor smokes. Most
importantly, he guided me, inspired me, and changed me, into a better person!
He is not a famous tuition teacher. He does not have plenty of students in his tuition
classes like others. A class with only five to ten students does not allow him to earn a lot by
having tuition classes. A selfless person like him prefers to teach in a small group to ensure that
his students are well-guided to excel academically. During his classes, I have never seen him
referring to his book while teaching. It seems like all the information is already in his brain, and
he always deliver knowledge confidently. Mr. Cheah uses the most conventional method of
teaching with by writing with chalks while explaining. What makes him so different is that he
always relates the theory to our daily lives which fascinate me in a way triggering my curiosity to
overcome my laziness. In my memory, he is a calm and cool teacher I ever met. I have never seen
her frown or loose temper during class even when I have fallen asleep. He is so considerate that
he repeats what he had taught just now. Coaching shy students after class is just a norm for him.
When I was in Form four, after receiving my mid-term marks, I spoke to Mr. Cheah about
failing in my Additional Mathematics paper. I told him that it was the first time in my life that I
failed in the test, and I was unaware of the cause. So I asked his help. He agreed on my request
without thinking. Since then, I spent an extra hour with him after the tuition class. He noticed that

I did not even have the basics for additional mathematics, he photostated notes and exercises and
give to me. Every exercise that he gave will be attached with the steps and answer so that I can
check it myself after completing. Moreover, he offered me to attend his tuition class every
Monday night without extra charging. In the end, I was able to score a B+ in my mid-year exam.
His duty of a teacher did not stop there. In our last class with Mr. Cheah, he acted like a
counselor, sharing his experience with me and telling me the paths that I can choose for my
future. Due to my parents economic problem, he encouraged me to continue my studies in
politeknik rather than private colleges. That's how I knew about politeknik and started searching
more information about politeknik from internet. With just one hour conversation between me
and him will make me have a better understand on what to course to choose based on my hobby
and interested. It was still fresh in my memory the day my SPM result was out, I received his call.
In his conversation, he was not concern about my result but he kept reminding me to apply for
these and that. He even make a second call two days later to inform me the latest update about
buying pin number for application in case I was unaware of it.
I felt so lucky to meet such a good teacher like him. I would say there shall be no
comparison for people I met with him. He is the person who guides me until I enter my degree.
Without him, I think I will be just a normal salesman struggling to earn every penny for my
family. He never gets frustrated in teaching me. Believe it or not, till now, he still lending a hand
on me when I having problem in sciences and mathematics. To me, he is just like a Polaris star
that shines like a diamond in the midnight sky. All his sacrifices will always be a spirit for me to
succeed in my life. For each of us, there must be a person who has made difference in our lives.
My life was changed by my teacher, Mr. Cheah. He will always be remembered no matter how
successful I have become in future.