Mr MELVIN YEOH CHIAN YIK

From SEKOLAH MENENGAH KEBANGSAAN PUTERI WANGSA

Nominated by MOHAMAD HANIS BIN HARANI

Becoming a teacher is not about going to class and deliver the lesson or marking the examination papers. That is just a piece of fragments from the roles of the teacher. Teacher is an agent of change, a person who will develop each of the students into a better person. A person who will help their students to overcome the negativity and shift it into a positive energy. A person who will inspired the students to fly higher and achieve their dreams. Those are the qualities that make teaching a noble job. The teacher that i know with such qualities is Mr. Melvin Yeoh Chian Yik.

Mr. Melvin Yeoh is an extraordinary teacher. During the day he was a school teacher but after the school finished he become a mixed martial art (MMA) coach. He was also a well known professional MMA fighters. I really admired him and once I thought he is a real life ‘Batman’ due to his ability to play two different roles which is a school teacher and a MMA fighter. Quite an odd combination too. Plus, he also has his own unique method to help his students and shaped them into a discipline and positive person. Usually the ordinary teacher will send the problematic students to detention but Mr. Melvin Yeoh had a better idea. He send the problematic students to the Ultimate MMA Academy gym and trained them. He gave the opportunity for those students to channeled their anger and frustration in the right way which is throwing punches at the punching bag instead of hitting other people. He also gave the students a pep talk, explaining to them how important to be a good and honest person. He also taught them how to respect and help other people in need. Just like the movie ‘The Karate Kid’ he used mixed martial arts (MMA) as a platform to provide a positive way for his students to channeled their anger and motivate them.

He believed that if all the negative energy from his students channeled in a positive way the students will behave and even listen to him. Surprisingly, those students change into a better person today. I used to see Mr. Melvin fought in the cage. When he fought, he became fearless and give all out in order to win. He was not just fighting, he also shown a real example to me that if I want to achieve what I want I need to endure and overcome all the obstacles that lies ahead. He shown me that to be a great teacher is not limit in the classroom only. It was beyond that boundary. 

After I finished my SPM, I pursued my education in Teacher Training Institute because I want to follow his footsteps to become a great teacher that brings positive impact to the students. Even until today, I still keep in touch with him and he always gave me a lots of advice on how to be a great teacher. Since I just completed my degree in education, I can’t wait to go back to school and continue his greatest legacy as a teacher. A nation builder!

Happy Teacher’s Day sir!