A profession in education is nothing short of easy, and that’s all the more reason to celebrate our beloved teachers. Their sacrificial nature is commendable and in conjunction with Teacher’s Day, Vulcan Post wishes to highlight 8 cikgus who made a difference in their students’ lives not just by caring, but by taking the trouble to lead their respective projects to make a difference.
Even with insufficient funds for projects that they would like to immerse their students in, these educators went all out on local crowdfunding platforms like 100% Project and Give.my to raise the necessary funds for the kids whether it is to go on a fun-filled excursion or to fix a broken amenity on the school grounds.
It is love for the kids that drives them forward. Hence, it is safe to say that these educators gave their students more than 100% when it comes to dedication, and here’s to celebrating some of these “capeless heroes”.
1. Cikgu Gina
When my students say “Wah! Cantiknya”, are able to sit down, or complete a task independently—we celebrate these valuable milestones with them.
Image Credit: Give.my
These are the words of Cikgu Gina, who is a kindergarten teacher for autism in Sabah. She planned to raise funds on Give.my in hopes of bringing in sensory integration play tools to improve sensory development of her students. She notes that children with autism experience difficulties in processing sensory information such as textures, sounds, smells, tastes, brightness and movement, and the tools can help her students out.
Her aim was to raise RM5018.20 for her students, and Cikgu Gina achieved 124% of the intended funds, by the end of her campaign which ended on February 21 this year.
2. Cikgu Samuel
Almost all of my students’ families live below the poverty line where access to ICT is a far-fetched luxury. When 30 of my students cramped around my laptop in the classroom with glimmers in their eyes, it sparked the drive in me to establish a 21st Century Learning Classroom for them.
Image Credit: Give.my
These are the words of Cikgu Samuel, a teacher at SK Runchang, an orang asli school in Pahang. He planned to raise funds on Give.my in hopes of providing a conducive 21st century English language learning environment for his students with the aid of IT facilities like computers, printers and scanners.
His aim was to raise RM5000 for his students, and Cikgu Samuel achieved 169% of the intended funds, by the end of her campaign which ended on March 7 this year.
3. Cikgu Soon
Broken whiteboards, broken tables and chairs and missing doors…putting myself in their position, I will be equally unmotivated to learn anything from the teachers.
Image Credit: Cikgu Soon YouTube page
These are the words that Cikgu Soon conveyed of his students. He teaches English to students in Form 1 to Form 4 in a public school in Malaysia, but he noticed that the condition of the classroom was one of the biggest reasons why his students were highly unmotivated to learn in English. He aimed to raise funds on Give.my to curate a 21st century learning environment for his students, and this includes plans such as an English learning trip to Penang with 40 students and 4 teachers.
His aim was to raise RM5000 for his students, and Cikgu Samuel achieved 101% of the intended funds by the end of his campaign which ended on December 24 last year.
4. Cikgu Hanani
Despite being a 120-year-old school in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, the library is not a common hangout place in my school. I took a step back and imagined myself in my students’ shoes—a library which is old, dull, warm is definitely not attractive. Then, I realised the library needs a makeover!
Image Credit: Give.my
These are the words of Cikgu Hanani who is a library teacher at SMK Victoria. Her aim was to give her school’s library a makeover and she aimed to raise funds on Give.my to obtain colourful bean bags, air conditioners, a couch and new books for the library.
Cikgu Hanani’s aim was to raise RM5000 for her students and she achieved 200% of the intended funds by the end of her campaign which ended on February 21 of this year.
Drawing inspiration from Google, my student will have daily sessions to brainstorm on ideas or problems they are passionate about.
Image Credit: 100% Project
This was SMK Subis teacher, Cikgu Victor‘s hope for his students. The teacher in the Sarawakian school aspires to promote creativity amongst his students through the implementation of Genius Hour, which is a concept whereby students are given a certain amount of time to brainstorm on ideas or problems which they are passionate about. With this, Cikgu Victor aimed to raise funds through 100% Project, a crowdfunding platform for education, in order to acquire items such as projectors and laptops.
Cikgu Victor’s aim was to raise RM3315 for his students and he achieved 100% of the intended funds by the end of his campaign which ended on April 25 this year.
6. Cikgu Li Yen
In most classes, there are a few students with literacy level of kindergarten students.
Image Credit: 100% Project
This was Cikgu Li Yen‘s observation, as a teacher at SMK Kuala Kurau. Her aim is to help raise funds through 100% Project in order to improve the English literacy in a school in fishing village in Kuala Kurau, through the aid of MY Readers module, a literacy intervention module which has proven to have an average growth of 2.8 years of reading level amongst students in a timespan of only 1 year, and at best, 7 years of growth.
Cikgu Li Yen’s aim was to raise RM2650 for her students and she achieved 100% of the intended funds by the end of her campaign which ended on April 25 this year.
7. Cikgu Nawi
My school is located in a rural Orang Asli village near the border of Perak-Pahang. My biggest challenge in this school is to introduce a conducive learning environment for my underprivileged students whom are spatially removed and disconnected with the outside world.
Image Credit: 100% Project
These are the words of Cikgu Nawi, a teacher in SK Pos Musoh Landing Zone, Tapah. He aspired to make available a 21st Century Learning Center in his school in order to enhance interest in learning among Orang Asli students. With this, he aimed to raise funds for items such as a shelf, a speaker system, a projector and a projector screen.
Cikgu Nawi’s aim was to raise RM2710 for his students and he achieved 101% of the intended funds by the end of his campaign which ended on March 15 this year.
8. Cikgu Mei
When I first arrived at my school in Miri I was struck by the challenge that my students would face in their future.
Image Credit: 100% Project
These are the words of Cikgu Mei, a teacher in SMK Riam, Miri. Despite the socio-economic background that her students were in, Cikgu Mei wanted them to have dreams and goals of their own to motivate them. With this, she aimed to raise funds to paint two murals along a high traffic walkway in her school. It would then be called the Wall of Dreams and would consist of students’ painted on thoughts and dreams. This would motivate them as they walk to class, and remind them of what they can be.
Cikgu Mei’s aim was to raise RM2000 for her students, and she achieved 100% of the intended funds by the end of her campaign which ended on October 25 of last year.
It is hard to touch the lives of every single student in a classroom, but these teachers strive to do so and they wisely make use of the online platforms that are available to them. They can’t make these differences on their own, if you wish to support them, go on over to 100% Project and Give.my to make some dreams come true.
