Meet Ms Sue from Grade 6

We see our teachers at school every single day, and I am sure those teachers know a lot about us, but do we truly know them? 

Every new school year at Sampoerna Academy brings the excitement of welcoming new teachers to our community. This year, I had the pleasure of meeting the wonderful Ms. Sue, our new 6th-grade ELAR teacher.

Ms. Sue is from South Africa, and many of us can probably relate to feeling a little homesick from time to time. When I asked her where she’d go if she could be anywhere right now, her answer was immediate: “Clifton Beach” in Cape Town. And, of course, you need a snack while sitting at the beach, right? For Ms. Sue, it would be an old-fashioned “Gatsby and Coke.” A Gatsby is a traditional South African GIANT sandwich loaded with chips (French fries) and any topping or sauce you can imagine. Sounds like absolute paradise! 

Imagine you were alone and deserted on an island far away from the rest of the world - I would personally just panic the whole time. But if you asked Ms Sue if there was anything she would want to watch or read on this island for the rest of her life, it would be the series Naked and Afraid, which would help her survive this crazy, isolated life on the island. While talking about survival, we’ve all probably wondered whether we could survive a zombie apocalypse. Before I could even finish my sentence, Ms Sue confidently answered, 'I would be able to survive. I grew up watching so many zombie movies that I feel I would know exactly what to do.' I mean, now we know who to have on our side if zombies start appearing.

As students, we may sometimes forget that our teachers were once kids in school, and let me tell you, we’ve all done things we’re not particularly proud of—and so did our teachers. When Ms. Sue was in school, she watched a movie where the kids cheated on their exams by writing the answers on plasters on their bodies. Little Ms Sue thought this was genius and decided to try it herself… but unfortunately, it didn’t work out. When it finally came time for her exams, she chickened out and decided against it. It’s never good to cheat!

It sounds cliché but one thing I’ve learned is to really not judge a book by its cover especially when the book is a person. I don’t think people would be able to guess that Ms. Sue was a part of the “emo, rock” group at school as a teenager, and yes that includes the crazy haircut and fishnet gloves.

Ms. Sue isn’t just a great and funny person—she’s also an incredible inspiration to all of us. She was the first in her family to graduate from both high school and university! Ms. Sue firmly believes that with determination and effort, you can achieve anything you set your mind to. While she admits to having a few regrets (like not taking math as seriously as she could have), she emphasizes that we’re capable of far more than we realize—we just need to give it a try. Or, as Ms. Sue might say, “A little adrenaline and impulsiveness won’t kill anyone.”