MR. TONG LEE POH: THE BIOGRAPHY OF A GREAT EDUCATOR

A recent photo of Mr. Tong Lee Poh

Mr. Tong Lee Poh and his wife, Mdm Wong

Mr. Tong Lee Poh was born on 12 April 1931. Although his primary education was interrupted by the Japanese occupation of Malaya (1941-45), he did not give up despite the hard times and continued to pursue his dream to become a teacher after the Japanese occupation ended. After having completed his secondary education, he joined the teachers' training program at SJK(C) Jalan Davidson and graduated as qualified teacher two years later. He was first posted to a primary school in Sungai Way, namely SJK(C) Sungai Way, where he taught for nearly 2 years.  He was later transferred to SJK(C) Jalan Davidson in 1954 where he taught for 18 years. He started as a discipline teacher and was later promoted to the position of senior assistant. In 1972, he was transferred to SJK(C) Naam Kheung and promoted to the position of headmaster. In 1978, he became the headmaster of SJK(C) Lai Meng.

Mr Tong was formerly the headmaster of SJK(C) Lai Meng

As a school principal, Mr. Tong Lee Poh was very hardworking, responsible, and caring. He cared for the well-being of every student and did his best to ensure that each and every one of them received a quality education. He also treated the teachers with respect and dignity.

 

In 1968, Mr Tong Lee Poh attended the World Education Conference in Dublin, Ireland

The year 1984 was a very special year for Mr. Tong Lee Poh as he was transferred to the education department and promoted to the position of supervisor for all the Chinese schools in the Federal Territory. Mr. Tong Lee Poh retired in 1986 after being an educator for 34 years. He was one of the greatest educators of his time and his patient, caring, and kind personality has won him many friends. All the teachers and students in the Federal Territory loved and respected him. Needless to say, his dedication to teaching had also won him many awards throughout his career.

Government Chinese Senior Normal Graduates' Association Award

Bulan Bahasa Kebangsaan (National Language Month) Award

Malaysian Chinese Cultural Society Cultural Award

Mr. Tong Lee Poh is happily married to Madam Wong and they have 5 children, 3 sons and 2 daughters. Their eldest son is a dentist and their second daughter is a retired teacher. Their third daughter is working for a financial company in Europe whilst their fourth and fifth sons are clerks. They have 6 grandchildren.

Mr Tong & Mdm Wong's wedding

Mr Tong & Mdm Wong's family photos

Mr Tong Lee Poh leads a physically active lifestyle after retirement and participates in many social and meaningful, productive activities.

Mr. Tong's advice to the teachers is, "Teach well and build a good relationship with the students. Take an interest in the class to make it interesting for the students as this will help you build a stronger relationship with the students. Don't make favourites because playing favourites can lead to performance anxiety. Give every student an equal opportunity to participate in classroom activities. Create a friendly and supportive classroom environment as this will not only build a better teacher-student relationship but also enhance learning."

As for the students, this is Mr. Tong Lee Poh's advice to them - "Study hard because education is very important. If you study hard, stand up after every failure and improve, it will eventually lead you to success."

My French Language Collection

Many of my friends know that I am obsessed with the French Language. If you were to ask me why I am fascinated by this language, I wouldn’t say that this is because:

• It’s a beautiful, lyrical language
• It’s the second most important language in the world
• It’s the language of literature
• It’s important to learn languages when you travel

No doubt, all these statements are true but my love for the French Language actually began ten years back during my stay in Lourdes, France. Massabielle Grotto is a place for silent contemplation and it was there that I spent hours in the evenings waiting for the sunset every day. Here, before the rock, I remembered Bernadette’s “young lady”, the Immaculate Virgin who came smiling as She appeared to the poor girl from the Cachot. How good it was to be there! And it was at the Grotto of Massabielle that my French story began. 

Me at the Grotto of Massabielle, France

To me, French is the most beautiful language in the world. Why French? Because each time I read a French book or listen to a French song, my mind drifts to the Grotto of Massabielle and I couldn’t help feeling that I am already there. The silent, private joy of peace that I experience each time I think of this place is what inspired me to learn French.

As an ardent supporter of the French Language, I would like to share my French Language Collection with my readers. I have never attended any French lessons but I found that these books were very useful in helping me to master the language. I hope that my readers would find these books useful too. You can easily get them from Kinokuniya Bookstore in KLCC. I got most of my French books there.

French by Association by Dr. Michael M. Gruneberg - an effective technique for learning and remembering basic French vocabulary and grammar for beginners. This innovative method can really help you to remember what you learn.

Berlitz French Vocabulary Study Cards to enhance your vocabulary

These CDs are very useful for beginners

French Visual Dictionaries - extremely useful for beginners 

Adventures with Nicholas (The Five Crayons & A Visit to Grandma) - a story-based introduction to learning French which beginners would find enjoyable

Adventures with Nicholas - The Missing Cat. My adventures with Nicholas have been a very interesting and enjoyable one. After my adventures with Nicholas, it was time to study French grammar seriously and to expand my French vocabulary. I found the following books very useful.

French Grammar by William Rowlinson (Oxford University Press) & the Audio Course by Jean-Claude Arragon. The audio course is intended for beginners.

French Verbs for Dummies by Zoe Erotopoulos & Berlitz New Basic French. The latter (with its six CDs) has given me a very good start in learning French. 

French Vocabulary & French Grammar by Mary E. Coffman Crocker. Having a large active vocabulary is essential to express yourselves and I have always believed in the deductive approach to learn grammar.

Berlitz French Vocabulary Handbook & Berlitz French Grammar Handbook

French Pronouns and Prepositions by Annie Heminway & French Sentence Builder by Eliane Kurbegov

French Verb Drills by R. de Roussy de Dales & French Grammar Drills by Eliane Kurbegov

Complete French Grammar by Annie Heminway & French Verb Tenses by Trudie Maria Booth

French & English Grammar by C. Frederick Farrell Jr. & Test Yourself French Grammar by Didier Bertrand

Collins Easy Learning French Conversation & French Verbs

Collins Easy Learning French Grammar & Berlitz French Verb Handbook

Better Reading French by Annie Heminway & Correct Your French Blunders by Veronique Mazet.

The Ultimate French Verb (Review and Practice)  & The Ultimate French (Review and Practice) by David M. Stillman and Ronni L. Gordon.

Advanced French Grammar by Veronique Mazet.

At this stage, I found Berlitz French Easy Read Dictionary very helpful. After I have familiarized myself with French grammar, I went on to learn French idioms and proverbs.

Essential French Grammar & Common French Expressions and Idioms by Jean Severy - books every French learner must read. Jean Severy is a lecturer in the Department of Asian and European Languages, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, University Malaya.

101 French Idioms & 101 French Proverbs by Jean-Marie Cassagne - books that can enrich your French conversation.

I also began to read dual language books.

Ten short stories by Voltaire, Balzac, Gide, Camus and others in the original French (with English translation) & Nineteenth-Century French Short Stories by Merimee, Nerval, Daudet, Flaubert, Zola, and Maupassant.

Berlitz Handbook France & Short Stories in French. Understanding culture is the key to learning a language.

Finally, I had to buy a more efficient dictionary and Collins Complete & Unabridged Robert French Dictionary (the bestselling bilingual dictionary) is my best choice. With 2178 pages, I can find all the words I need to know in it.