PUTRAJAYA: A teacher’s sacrifice is not just limited to the classroom, but also goes beyond physical and technical challenges to ensure that his students succeed.
Mike Jonathan John, 28, a teacher at Sekolah Kebangsaan Kuala Analogi, Tatau, Sarawak, is a vivid example of the sacrifice of an educator who is dedicated to serving the countryside.
Sharing his challenging experience when interviewed after the 48th Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Convocation Ceremony today, he recounted how he overcame the difficulties of teaching in areas with many shortages.
One of the biggest challenges he faced was the problem of poor internet coverage, which forces him to go 10 kilometres away from home after teaching hours to find a more stable internet connection to prepare learning materials for his students.
“Locations with good internet coverage are usually under the Kuala Tatau bridge,“ explained Mike, who today graduated as a Master of Technical and Vocational Education.
However, the challenges did not discourage him even though he had to climb the school building at night to get an internet connection to complete his teaching preparations the next day.
“I also took the initiative to buy a signal booster to strengthen internet coverage for teaching and learning at that time,“ he said.
He said the twists and turns he faced as a teacher in a remote area were what fueled his enthusiasm in continuing his studies to ensure that he could carry out his responsibilities as a teacher better.
“I often advise my students to become educated and become useful people to the family and society. Even though we come from families far from the city, education is our priority to change the lives of our families and ourselves,“ he said.
