Tropicana Jan-Feb 2018 #116 A Start from the Heart
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Ian Temple<br />
INTERVIEW Sharmini M.Rethinasamy<br />
photography Brian Fang, M8 studio<br />
ART DIRECTION Nor Hamimah Abdullah<br />
make up and hair joey yap<br />
laughs today and <strong>the</strong>y are getting used to me but I guess mine<br />
is a completely different sense of humour. The poor kids! They<br />
are getting <strong>the</strong>re but hopefully by year end, along with business<br />
studies, <strong>the</strong>y will learn some British humour, which is a cultural<br />
exchange of sorts.”<br />
Quite <strong>the</strong> introvert when he was in school, Ian was a shy boy.<br />
“I would actually just take my time and observe an entire situation<br />
until I was comfortable knowing that I would get it right,” he<br />
shares. “I was <strong>the</strong> type who would look after myself and wasn’t a<br />
loud mouth or show off. I just enjoyed my game of squash and was<br />
pleased that I played it at a decent level. It kept me motivated and<br />
got me through <strong>the</strong> school day with a smile on my face.”<br />
Ian was so into <strong>the</strong> sport that at <strong>the</strong> age of 18, he took a year<br />
out of study to play squash and see if he could achieve more in<br />
<strong>the</strong> game. “Unfortunately, I didn’t but I had some great times<br />
playing it. I got to train with World Number One, <strong>Jan</strong>sher<br />
Khan, who was just a few years older than me, at <strong>the</strong> quarter<br />
finals of <strong>the</strong> Scottish Open. It was a great experience, though<br />
he absolutely wiped <strong>the</strong> floor with me, but it didn’t matter as<br />
I played with <strong>the</strong> World Number One and made some great<br />
friends on <strong>the</strong> circuit.”<br />
As any hope for a stellar career in <strong>the</strong> sporting arena was<br />
dashed, it was a turning point and Ian knew he had to do<br />
something else. Hence, he pursued his degree.<br />
“I can’t understand why I didn’t pursue a degree in<br />
geography though,” says Ian. “I love <strong>the</strong> physical side of<br />
geography and get fascinated with geographical barriers.”<br />
“Probably one of <strong>the</strong> most positive experiences in <strong>the</strong><br />
classroom during my school time was my geography teacher,<br />
Mrs Whitehead. She was tough as boots but wonderful all <strong>the</strong><br />
same. Really <strong>the</strong> kind of authority a teenage boy needs. In<br />
those days, we could get caned in school as a child.” He quickly<br />
adds, “I was a good child; in fact, I was very good. It’s a little<br />
embarrassing as I was only ever put in detention once. My<br />
whole class was late for a lesson. It was my only ‘criminal’<br />
record in school!”<br />
Ian has, over time, learned to adapt to <strong>the</strong> different social<br />
and cultural environments he has taught in. Having worked in<br />
Dubai for a while and now in Malaysia, he has come a long way<br />
to bridging <strong>the</strong> gaps in cultural differences.<br />
“I come <strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong> nor<strong>the</strong>ast of England where you may have<br />
three Muslim families in your entire community,” he explains.<br />
“Having those Muslim students come to your school is a moving<br />
experience for those children who have never been out of <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
geographical region. It’s been a great learning curve for most of<br />
<strong>the</strong>m. I went <strong>from</strong> being a deputy principal of an outstanding<br />
school to <strong>the</strong> principal in Dubai not knowing what I was going<br />
to get myself into. I had never even visited Dubai, but I did have<br />
friends <strong>the</strong>re and <strong>the</strong>y persuaded me. It was a hotbed of multiculturism.”<br />
“They [UAE] still have <strong>the</strong>ir visions for what <strong>the</strong>y want <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
citizens to be, to be able to accept all cultures. It was really <strong>the</strong><br />
first time I was working with <strong>the</strong> Chinese and again <strong>from</strong> Persia<br />
and Iraq, you name it, to Brazil, New Zealand and Kazakhstan.<br />
It was absolutely fantastic. We used to celebrate International<br />
Day, and everyone would celebrate <strong>the</strong>ir cultures. That’s where<br />
I really learnt about my international mindedness, my multiculturism<br />
in Dubai. You don’t have a choice, a lot of <strong>the</strong> schools<br />
are like that, to <strong>the</strong> point where <strong>the</strong>re’s only around 20 per cent<br />
of locals in a school. Whereas here [Tenby], we have 70 per cent<br />
Malaysians, and on <strong>the</strong> flip side, we only have 30 per cent of o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
nationalities in <strong>the</strong> schools, so you can still get that international<br />
mindedness.”<br />
Ian is motivated to come to school every day to get things<br />
done. No matter how good <strong>the</strong> school is he knows <strong>the</strong>re is always<br />
room for improvement.<br />
“I would absolutely be bored stiff if I didn’t get to teach and<br />
have those relationships in student-teacher-management levels<br />
with everybody,” he says. “That excites me even if it’s just <strong>the</strong><br />
everyday matters of fixing <strong>the</strong> roof and ensuring <strong>the</strong> drains are<br />
not blocked.”<br />
“If anyone told me in 1993 when I started teaching, that<br />
I would be a head teacher, I would have laughed it off. It just<br />
hadn’t crossed my mind, because I was embarking on this<br />
new career, and I just wanted to be a good teacher. I still want<br />
to be a good teacher and I will always be a teacher. That’s <strong>the</strong><br />
fun side of life. That’s why dabbling in modelling, music and<br />
squash made it is so clear. I hope to be able to drive that, so<br />
that children know that <strong>the</strong>re’s got to be a life/study balance.<br />
O<strong>the</strong>rwise, you’re just going to be this boring academic making<br />
no difference.”<br />
There’s no stopping Ian as he continues to grow as a school<br />
principal and teacher, but most importantly as a mentor to <strong>the</strong><br />
young. Has he any regrets leaving <strong>the</strong> UK to come teach in a<br />
country so far away?<br />
“It’s <strong>the</strong> best decision I’ve made, cause I’ve made friends, got<br />
to know various cultures and people; it will stay with me for <strong>the</strong><br />
rest of my life.”<br />
TM | january/february <strong>2018</strong><br />
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