By Amanda Lim (25A01B) and Cayla Goh (25A01B)

Featuring Ms Ma Jialin

When you think of someone standing at Everest Base Camp, dangling over a cliff above the Pacific Ocean, or crossing a moving glacier, you most likely picture an adventurer, maybe even a NatGeo photographer capturing the perfect shot. But your chemistry teacher? Probably not.

But that’s exactly who you should be picturing — Ms Ma Jialin.

Evidence of Ms Ma in her element!

How well do you know Ms Ma?

So, do you really know Ms Ma? When asked to describe her, her students didn’t hold back. Words like “helpful,” “enthusiastic,” and “super active” came up — with some even describing her as “very woke” and “alpha”. 

It’s clear that Ms Ma leaves a strong impression, but no matter how many adjectives her students throw out, they’re only scratching the surface of who she really is. They only catch glimpses of someone who’s much more than just a teacher.

Before stepping foot into the classroom, Ms Ma was on a different path entirely. Trained as a chemical engineer, she spent six months in the field before realising that working with machines wasn’t her thing. So, she made a bold career switch to teaching — a decision that has stuck for nearly 20 years now.

And it’s a good thing she did, because her passion for people is what makes her such an incredible teacher. Ms Ma’s genuine care and diligence are evident in everything she does, especially in her current role, where she works with the Year Heads to ensure the well-being of the Year 5 Batch. 

(Before we even began our interview for this article, she greeted us with a warm smile that immediately made us feel at ease, and genuinely asked about our day, even though she doesn’t teach either of us. It’s these small, personal interactions that really show how much she cares.)

But Ms Ma’s experience extends far beyond the classroom. When she first started teaching, she was also a CCA teacher in ODAC, where she got hooked onto rock climbing — literally. When she’s not in class diving into the periodicity of elements, you’ll find her on a cliff, getting up close and personal with actual elements. 

Ms Ma in her element 

There’s little better than hearing someone talk about their passion. Ms Ma is definitely not an exception; her voice is self-assured, imbued with all the experiences she’s had. There’s a spark in her eyes, both reminiscent and hungry for future opportunities to climb. (Which are just longer ways to say that she was really cool.)

Rock climbing is a very vulnerable sport – it puts you face-to-face with your weaknesses, both physically and mentally.  But this is what gives her the chance to say: “This is me, and I’ll do my best with what I’ve got!”. 

In fact, this is what brings her back to it: despite and because of when she stumbles. The crux–the most difficult part of each route–can defeat the hardiest of rock climbers. However, the perseverance she has built up, as well her sheer curiosity for scaling new heights keeps her going.

Her favourite kind of climbing is lead climbing. Lead climbing is when you hook your rope to the bolts on the cliff face as you reach them. This requires trust in yourself, because when you fall before you get to clip your rope, you reset the previous few metres of progress. This is done again and again. Limits are pushed; faith is tested. 

A life changing experience for her goes back to a summer’s day in Australia. 

One summer’s day 

Ms Ma recounts the story like she’s talking to an old friend. 

Picture this: it’s summer at Mount Arapiles. At 5 p.m., Ms Ma and her friends start their climb, expecting the sunlight to last for four hours, but just three and a half hours later, the sun is dipping in the horizon, and the moon peeks out instead. 

By 9:00pm, they had lost their route, handphone-less and headlamp-less. ‘We were just hanging on the rock with no idea where to go,’ she recalls.

Then, in the distance, a satellite tower. A sign of a road! They scramble to it, and they start walking along the pavement. It’s pitch-black. Nothing but the crackle of their shoes with each heavy step. (And the kangaroos jumping around in complete darkness.) 

‘I was like, I’m not going to make it through.’ Ms Ma recalls the panic she felt along with her friends. But then, there it is–the light at the end of the tunnel: a car! It’s her other friends, who drove up to search for them. They’re saved–and live to conquer other rock walls. 

It’s a story of resilience, and a lesson to always ‘bring water! bring a headlamp! and your phone!’ She laughs, the experience clear as day in her memory. Though, despite everything: ‘That was amazing,’ Ms Ma concludes. It’s these challenges and the ever-changing nature of the sport that keeps her on her toes. No one climb is ever the same. Each time, the sun paints the rocks a different shade of beautiful. It’s beauty, both in the scenery as well as the tenacity of the human spirit. 

Ms Ma has tried other sports like tennis and pickle ball, but she always goes back to rock climbing. Rock climbing is her rock – the reminder that the scale up is possible.

The creativity she needs to project routes for rock climbing is the same creativity she feels is reflected in Chemistry. It’s the elegance and mystery of it – and the exciting way you can explore the answers with others. When asked if she has chemistry with chemistry, she replied: ‘It’s an equilibrium that’s still shifting.’

When rock climbing bonds with teaching

‘It’s the best form of mindfulness training,’ she asserts. (We’re more than inclined to believe her.) It keeps her grounded, even if it is several feet off the ground. It gives her a deep understanding of her body’s conditions, zeroing in on the next step to climb. Her attention cannot be fragmented, as the slightest crack can hinder her course. This, she says, helps her a lot with her teaching. 

Teaching is a vocation that requires a lot of giving. There’s the behind the scenes work, the piles of marking they have to clear, the lesson planning with us in mind. Then there’s also what they bring to the classroom. Bringing her full self to class every single time is her priority. The ability to be grounded in rock climbing applies to her genuine presence in the classroom, too.

The same way that rock climbing teaches her resilience, she teaches this resilience to her students. Through stories like that one summer day on Mount Arapiles, or even just her teaching, she demonstrates this resolve. Challenges come, but in us – she says – is the ability to show up, overcome them and turn out okay.   

‘Scary and strict’ is what Ms Ma thought her students would have thought of her. (‘I’m quite confident about this.’) But, in reality, even if we can’t see the walls she’s scaled at the Everest Base Camp or in Italy, there’s still something as distinct as her passion for rock climbing: her dedication and drive toward those whom she teaches. Her impact on others is tangible. Something we all can appreciate this teachers’ day.

Now you know more about her! (Psst. Now you know you can give her some rock climbing related gifts.) 

The shifting equilibrium of life

Just like in chemistry, the equilibrium of our lives is always shifting. Yet, while the equilibrium of our lives may forever be in flux, Ms Ma proves one thing is constant: her ability to embrace new challenges with a smile — whether she’s climbing cliffs or struggling to help us JC students understand organic chemistry. 

So, this Teachers’ Day, let’s celebrate Ms Ma and all our other teachers — not just for their exceptional skills in the classroom, but for the way they each inspire us to reach a little higher, climb a little further and push our limits to achieve great heights. (Though, on second thought, we might never literally scale quite as high as Ms Ma has.)

This article is originally featured in our Teachers’ Day 2024 Special Edition.