SINGAPORE - This touching Ministry of Education advertisement narrates the story of Glenn Lim, a wayward youth who was inspired by his teacher, Mr Kumar, to mend his ways and become a role model to others. The actual teacher and student the ad is based on can be seen at the end of the video.
The ad shows that when Glenn was a student, he was hot-tempered and did not focus at school. Mr Kumar, however, notices that he has a natural flair for public speaking because he was good at gaining the attention of his classmates when he stood in front of the room to talk.
Mr Kumar gives Glenn a book about public speaking, and tells him that only he can shape his own future. After losing his temper with his family members, Glenn leaves home, and soon gets arrested and sent to a boys home.
While serving time, Glenn remembers the book that Mr Kumar gave him, and reads it in his cell. The end of the ad shows that Glenn Lim is now a successful public speaker who gives motivational talks, while Mr Kumar is still a teacher who inspires his students.
The video drew many positive comments since it was posted on Facebook. One person said that Mr Kumar was his teacher as well, and another said he wished he had a teacher like Mr Kumar.
Glenn Lim meanwhile has become a prominent motivational speaker."
Good to see MOE projecting positive teacher role model after recent spate of 'bad press' by some rogue teachers who tainted the vocation's noble goals and roles.
Lessons for me are:
1. most teachers are trying to nurture the school kids and our young as best as they can - professionally trained and, hopefully, intrinsicly believing in their noble goals and roles;
2. when the internal motivation to be a teacher is very strong, the teacher will naturally do his or her best to perform his or her roles with utmost respect and passion. This will include the knowledge that he or she will have to continue to learn about the motivation of the kids they are nurturing, the macro environment that they are in and being influenced by, and the company they keep, etc. When the teacher continues to learn and apply, the kids will have someone to inspire them. Actions speak louder than words. What the kids see, they emulate.
3. it is also gratifying to know that the 'material' part of teaching has been taken care of by the MOE. While it is a sacred vocation to be a teacher, she or he is still part of a functioning material world where adequate compensation commensurate with the skills, knowledge and experience of teacher must be a given so that they can get married and have kids of their own who will be taken care of by more loving and skilled teachers like themselves.
I continue to look forward to Minister Heng's 'Every school is a good school' vision and the thousands of contribution by teachers of Singapore!
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