?When I recall the past, I must say that there I owe a lot to several teachers who had a tremendous influence on me during the course of my secondary schooling. So many years have passed, but reminiscences about some of them still remain fresh in my mind. I remember well the likes of Miss Cupidon, Christian Ducasse and Mr Frank Richard.

Miss Cupidon taught us mathematics in the lower forms. She was a real Jane Austen and a strict character. I must concede that I was scared of her. But on the other hand, I must admit she was the ideal person to teach mathematics. She made us become so familiar and at ease with the subject. Moreover, she always insisted on neat presentation of work. She also made us use our logic a lot. In spite of her severity, she would always assist us if we needed help.

I cannot forget Christiane Ducasse for many reasons. At that time she was a young teacher full of life and very enthusiastic. She used to communicate her enthusiasm to us and would take us to view art exhibitions at the British Council on Saturdays whenever there was one. She got us interested in the world of ?art and culture?. But above all, I am grateful to her for having encouraged us to read French novels. As a matter of fact, she would bring books for the whole class. There was never a dull moment during her lessons.

Another teacher that I could qualify as ?impressive? was Mr Frank Richard, a great figure in the field of education. To him, I owe my love of English literature. I am sure that I am not the only one in whom he inculcated this love for English literature. He just had to make textual comments and we would feel transported to the world of Shakespeare, Byron, Shelley etc. By being in contact with such a great person, we could not resist the attraction and pull of a classical education.

Those three teachers all had something special in their ways of teaching and their approach towards the students. Last but not least, the one teacher for whom I have a particular thought and to whom I should definitely pay tribute to was Mère Du Bon Pasteur who passed away very recently. She was our teacher in Form 4. My remembrance of her has more to do with her benign character and angelic smile. She was the kind hearted and very caring woman who would always be there to help me. She offered me valuable guidance, which is something I cherish very much today.

Her approach was very much a pedagogical one, I should say. Furthermore, she knew how be respected in her own environment. When a student had done something wrong, she would call her and let the student find out what mistake she had made. Also, as far as I remember, she never really raised her voice with any of us. What I will never forget is that, when she decided to become a nun, there was a big mass and she invited all her students (including me).

Mère Du Bon Pasteur, as well as the three other teachers mentioned previously, has formed part of my alma mater in one way or another. I always looked for an opportunity to express my gratitude to them for the influence they have had upon me. One should never forget one thing; those teachers did not have as much training as teachers nowadays. However, they knew how to make themselves respected and make the students love their subjects! ?