On 16th June 2012, I was given the letter of promotion to be the principal of SMK Tropicana, a low band five school occupying the bottom 12% position among all secondary schools in the nation. I received the letter with a mixed feeling as I asked myself how low it could go in the city centre of Petaling Jaya, next to the high end township of Bandar Utama and Tropicana Club Residence.
The fact that it was a place for rejects and poor achievers from nearby villages except for a small percentage of hopeful students from close-by vicinity, it appeared extremely worrisome for one who was positioned there with the mandate of hope in bringing transformation. The bleak outlook and the uphill task to bring about change seemed impossible as the rich and academically inclined students had the options to enrol in five other high performing schools in the district. Parents had no confidence in the school as many did not want to take the risk of placing their children in a school like mine. However, some graciously believed that I could be instrumental to bring about change. Personally, the push factor to work hard and to excel for Christ’s sake was dominant and I was determined to bear a good testimony at my work place.
Gangster-ism and vandalism were rampant coupled with low morale of teachers as performance of students was exceedingly low. The future did not seem promising for a place like ours with high rate of discipline problems and unmotivated teachers having to fight rude and indifferent students who viewed school as a place of rest as many of them had to work in the evening until late in the night. My journey began with hope when I told God that `You are the head and I am just a tool for Your use’. Then things began to move quickly with lots of prayer support and encouragement from many quarters. God was on the move and things happened miraculously, one after another for our good. Funds rolled in to install grills with the purpose of controlling movement of mischievous students, bright spot lights were put up to encourage reading habits and to instil the importance of valuing time for the early birds each morning. Broken doors and switches were also replaced by the intervention of God when He moved donors from sources we least expected. Help from private institutions in motivating the students and changing their mindset soon helped to make them see the importance of doing well. The tagline of, `Coming to school with hope and leaving with success’ was a regular reminder and encouragement. A major contribution came from the group `Generasi Gemilang’ which was and still is a major co-partner in rendering invaluable help in many ways that I am immensely thankful of.
By the end of 2013, the school improved in every sense and I was privileged to receive the New Deal Award for Heads of School as the school had inched up 431 places up the scale. I learned that with God, truly there is nothing impossible. The school continued to improve by leaps and bounds when we made tremendous progress in our average school grade for SPM in 2014 and was chosen to represent Selangor for the highest jump. [Lonjakan Saujana Berdasarkan Gred Purata Sekolah (GPS) Mengikut Negeri]. This year we are in the running for the New Deal Award for Heads of Schools for the second time in a row because the school has inched up another 788 places, putting us in a higher band and in the second quarter in the ranking of all secondary schools in the nation. Only God can do the impossible. Today, things are continuously moving forward for our betterment. Brand new expensive rattan chairs and tables were donated to the school and we could have a new face lift in the meeting room, visitors’ room and canteen. What more can I ask for than being lost for words and awed by His faithfulness and goodness. He is truly the capable and wonderful Head, obviously beyond my ability to bring about change on human terms.
I soon learned that putting God first was vital. I need not worry too much about outcomes be it positive or negative. God would take care of every detail and in His perfect plan and purposes, He would know when and how to release help in times of need. Resting in God and trusting Him to work on my behalf has enabled me to experience His faithfulness without doubt. He knows my limitations and shortcomings by putting Christian administrators and counselor to work alongside with me, plodding on and encouraging one another when the going gets tough. He surely knows our strengths and weaknesses and how best to use them for His glory.
In hindsight, I like to take the opportunity to encourage Christian educators to take up challenges to be heads of schools in spite of unpromising places and difficulties. Our work place can be our Isaac laid on the altar where obedience and willingness to sacrifice ultimately brings about victories for others and ourselves with God finally receiving the glory. To Him be the glory, Amen and Amen.
Ruth Cheah
Full Gospel Tabernacle, Subang Jaya