The Unforgettable Mr. Salam

Mr. Salam was a teacher at SD Negeri Percobaan, Surabaya. He was Lia’s teacher at grade 6. My daughter, Lia, was very fond and respect to him. For me he was almost an ideal teacher too. He could be friend to his students and also could be a father. He gave so many homeworks but he also spent his spare time to correct the homeworks seriously. He insisted the children to learn and understand the topics he’d explained but he also made himself as a bank of solution for all of the students’s question. Mr. Salam was Lia’s favourite teacher. Our family moved to Bandung as Lia graduated from SD Negeri Percobaan Surabaya. She entered SMP Negeri 5 Bandung and then SMA Negeri 3 Bandung. She still in touch with her friends in Surabaya and Mr. Salam. About 3 years ago when the teachers of SD Negeri Percobaan Surabaya were visiting Bandung for a vacation, Mr. Salam phoned Lia too. Unfortunately Lia couldn’t meet her teachers for they were going to return to Surabaya already. And a few months ago, Lia sobbed after receiving a short message from Gita, her friend in Surabaya. ‘Mommy, we missed Mr. Salam. He passed away yesterday. Mr. Salam had been sick for a month, but Gita didn’t know the disease…’. The news shocked me too. I took the handphone and made a contact with Mrs. Umi, Lia’s teacher in Surabaya. Mrs. Umi said Mr. Salam got myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular disease characterized by weakness and marked fatigability of skeletal muscle. Maybe the treatment was too late for him. ‘Listen honey, the end of life is always a mystery, and good people often pass away soon. If you love and respect Mr. Salam you have to make his dream come true. He dreamt his students become fair leaders in every field and their knowledge always give solution in every problem. You have to study hard, honey…..’. Still sobbing, Lia nodded.