A student came up to me today asking for some photos. I was not having the best mornings, and when that happens, I get annoyed easily.
This student was from another class, and it was apparent that she doesn’t know that I do not like my students using local dialects in class, most particularly Bahasa Semenanjung and Bahasa Melayu Sarawak (BMS). It’s not that I have any problem with both languages (except Bahasa Semenanjung which does get me very agitated if spoken by a fellow Sarawakian to me), but I was told by a language expert that the use of a language reflects your relationship with that person and so when you are communicating with someone with lower authority during formal circumstances, local dialects and should be avoided. Doing so reflects according to the expert reflects that your conversation is not formal, and that you are of the same level.
So, this student did such a thing (speaking in BMS), and was requesting for some photos of previous Merdeka related events. Like I said, I was having a bad morning, and her due to her request being made in Bahasa Melayu Sarawak… I was displeased. I questioned her about why she is using the dialect, and she smiled. Annoyed but not wanting to lengthen the conversation, I just replied that I didn’t have it and she should ask one of my colleagues which to my surprise, she didn’t know existed. She left after that…
In my mind, I was annoyed and sad. This student not only knew nothing about formalities, but she also failed to know a particular teacher which has been in the school for over 3 years. More disturbing is the fact that this teacher is prominent in the school, as he is also the school photographer, and one of the discipline teacher.
I’d admit that after official hours, I do not mind conversing in local dialect, but during official hours, there must be formalities. Students need to know that there are boundaries, and for me, the simplest way to start is via language. There is a language plague in my school where students are not able to speak and write proper BM anymore because they feel that BM and BMS is similar and can be used in exams. They fail to realize the difference, and I believe this is a result of some teachers failing to converse in proper BM in class although I do not want to point out anyone in particular.
And as for the unknown teacher which is my colleague, I simply do not know what to say. Maybe students these days are getting more ignorant. Maybe they are upholding the quote “Ignorance is a bliss” *shakes head.