One of the many things that Taylor’s College does well is honour their staff. I have been on staff for six and a half years now, not the longest I have been at any one school, but longer than my stretches at Scott Street, where I started, or Elgin Court, where I went next. I have watched many staff come and go during that time, as teaching overseas is a pretty transient position. In fact I am now the longest serving expat at the school, as my good friend Easton Hanna who arrived the same year as I did went home in July.

Malaysian teachers tend to stay longer, and in fact one of them, Ungku Nazli, received her 15 year recognition at this ceremony, and two other staff Joanne Ho, and Rowena Valberg were both recognized for twenty five years. There are staff in other programs who have been at Taylor’s even longer, as the company seeks to foster commitment and contentment. Other staff arrive in our program all the time; some stay for years, others for only a year. It is always good to have new interests and new commitments. But it is also good to have those who are prepared to invest their lives in this institution.

Education is a business in much of Asia, and that is just a reality. Some are offended by this; some like myself see the potential for a lot of good. I am currently engaged in developing this company’s corporate social responsibility, and it has been both rewarding and encouraging to see so many willing to commit to the larger good of the larger community even though their present workload is heavy and their days are long. Celebrating that commitment through happy get togethers like this is one way of encouraging that commitment.

See the slide show of this event at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2s70w2IKfA&feature=youtube_gdata_player