Ms Chik Mun Yeang

From Methodist Girls School, Ipoh

Nominated by Rohan Kumar

What is a teacher? Is she just someone who teaches, trains and coaches you? That was what I initially thought of teachers before I met Ms. Chik. I've learned that a teacher isn't just a person with a head full of knowledge but someone with a heart full of love, an ear ready to listen and a hand willing to help. A good teacher can teach well but a great teacher can inspire her students to learn well and no other teacher has inspired me more than Ms. Chik Mun Yeang. Ms. Chik started out as an English teacher. I first met her in Form 1 during a relief period in our class. She was looking out for students who were interested in joining the school's Editorial Board which produces our annual school magazine. Back then, she wasn't a teacher who was teaching my class so I didn't think much about it. I was clueless then too and I didn't really know much of an Editor's job but with a little convincing from her, I signed up eagerly. The workload that came with the job was enormous. I had to spend many hours during free periods working on the school magazine. Don't get me wrong, that was one of the best decisions I've made in my life and will never regret it. Ms. Chik had taught me a lot back then. As an Editor, you weren't just supposed to do paperwork and take pictures, you had to learn how to use Photoshop, proofread and pen interesting articles as well. She guided me through all of this, making it feel like a breeze. She'd use every opportunity possible during this time to teach us something new. When we were writing articles, she'd expand our vocabulary, when we were designing pages, she'd teach us Photoshop and when checking our work, she'd teach us how to proofread. Ms. Chik became my English teacher when I was Form 3. It was an examination year for us, with PT3 looming ahead so she would drill us with tonnes of exercises. Even with all the schoolwork, she always managed to find away to make her classes interesting. Be it, by having forums, dramas or even debates in her classes, she never faltered in making the classroom a fun and enticing environment to gain new knowledge and master our skills in language. In addition to being an English teacher and the teacher advisor of the Editorial Board, Ms. Chik was also part of the school's debate team. Previously, the thought had never even crossed my mind to be a part of the debate team in my school but again, with her encouragement, me and my friends signed up. She would always push us to try something new, to step out of our comfort zones and test our capabilities. During those times, she would independently organise debate meetings and practices without any help from instructors or speakers for all of us. And when the competitions drew nearer, she would sacrifice her afternoons and weekends to stay with us and continue with our practices. We would have our practices almost on a daily basis. She was always willing to find time, even with her busy schedules to continue coaching us. Thankfully, due to our combined efforts and diligence we managed to achieve 3rd placing in the state level debate competition in 2018. It is undeniable that Ms. Chik played a large role in our success and I'm forever grateful to her dedication. Along the years, all of us will meet many teachers, but it isn't easy to find a teacher as committed and dedicated as Ms. Chik. It wasn't just about driving and pushing us on the path to success, she would take the time to instill in us life lessons and virtues that I know realise are invaluable in the working world. I'm sure it wasn't easy but she had done something right as she managed to raise us all, in an all boys school. We should never take our teachers for granted and appreciate them for all that they have done for us. All of us were speechless, the day when we heard that Ms. Chik would be transferred from our school in St. Francis Institution, Melaka all the way to the Methodist Girls School in Ipoh. She left on the 1st of January, before the school even reopened. There wasn't much time when she broke the news but we managed to have one last farewell before she had to leave. I learned that day to always appreciate all my teachers, as they may not be by your side, encouraging you forever. Inspiration comes in many shape and forms, but I think no inspiration can be greater than one from a teacher. Thank you for everything, teacher.