Water Aplenty Quek

接上篇：《Cross-path with Fairy》

这是玉枝姑娘2008年10月27日在她的部落格Yamstick上的写的一篇感文，我错失了。

时隔两年，今天她发过来给我，读起来很感动，与您分享、共勉：


Water Aplenty Quek

Last night, I received a surprised call from a long lost friend - Mr Water Aplenty Quek (WAQ). Hail the blogs! Old friends get in touch.

I knew WAQ in the Singapore Children's Playhouse, way back in 1971. He was the 6th Batch student while I, the 7th. Though he was just a wee bit older than me, his mental age was very much older. He would nag or lecture at us kids when we did wrong. Mind you, he himself was a kid too! Aha, precocious. But we kids respected him.

Time passed. We soon grew up and pursued our own lives. I last saw WAQ was probably almost 30 year ago. Thus, my mental image of him remains at that age. WAQ is a friend I will never forget, particularly for the pygmalion effect he once had on me. That incident has etched in my memory forever.

More than 30 years ago, when times were hard, WAQ did his "A" Level as a private candidate. About 3 months prior to the examinations, WAQ started a strict study regime, on borrowed textbooks. With a clear goal, sheer diligence and obstinate discipline, WAQ emerged a winner! He scored all A1s except 1 A2! It was so amazing. I was deeply impressed. I went through formal lessons and bought proper text books, yet I had never achieve that kind of near perfect scores.

I learnt something valuable that day. If WAQ could, why couldn't I?

With that acquired WAQ doctrine, I moved on with life. After leaving the Playhouse, I got into the nursing school. Using WAQ's principle, I emerged with 2 medals - a gold and a silver. Later in my life, I took a degree in nutrition. Again with WAQ's method, I obtained a Bachelor Degree with First Class Honours.

See the pymalion effect WAQ had on me? So, how could I forget this inadvertent teacher?

PS: The Pygmalion effect is one big demonstration of the effect of teachers, showing they can double the amount of pupil progress in a year.