Ser: Mr Quah (the late) and PE

Ser's graphic post about the most formidable PE teacher ever and guess what? Even Convent girls get into fights...lol!




My most vivid memories of my schooldays was “PE lessons”!!!
I never actually liked PE. For a few reasons, like I hate to be in the sun and perspire like a dog but the biggest reason was the PE teacher was a MILITARY DICTATOR aka Mr Quah!

I used to think PE lessons were “Punishment Education” not Physical Education. He would yell from the ground floor when we dilly dallied our way down. Those too slow to get changed into T-shirts and shorts for his lessons were punished with running a few more rounds around the quadrangle. Then torture began as we were pushed to our limits and beyond. Our PE was tough.

Our running track (we didn’t have one) was the St Joseph's church compound, a rough graveled ground where tripping over shoelaces made awful scrapes for many a permanent scars on our knees. There were fights after PE.
One would be for water taps, where girls who don't bring their water tumbler (as we'd call it then) would be rushing to guzzle down life-giving water before the next class.
Another classic fight was for the air con. We'd sprint our way to class after PE, to rush in front of the window unit air con vent, holding down collars to get the cool drafts down our sweaty chests, pushing and shoving to get up close, clamouring on tables and chairs to get the strongest draft. Physical fights were not uncommon on front of the window units. Girls being thrown on the floor was common after PE. Broken air con vents in some classes were the evidence of somewhat more violence there I’m sure.

Looking back, we were really a soft bunch; if it wasn’t for the tough military stance taken by our PE Teacher Mr Quah, we wouldn’t have gotten around to enjoy games like basket ball, net ball, tennis, squash and swimming.

Years later, Mr Quah passed on at a young age and in memory of him, the school’s alumni organized a Charity Run on 31 January 2009. Everyone ran, including the nuns in their habits!! That’s the spirit of SAC.. it’s in our blood!

I have to thank my grandma who queued 3 days and nights outside the school to get me a place in a Convent School! I had the best education anyone can asked for!