Cikgu Matthew Apok: Anugerah Guru Inspirasi McDonald's 2021

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For Anugerah Guru Inspirasi McD 2021, I want to nominate a former colleague of mine at the Sarawak State Sports School who has inspired me to become a better teacher. Cikgu Matthew Apok is the kind of teacher who would accept all responsibilities assigned to him & work hard to deliver on all of them. ahem… unlike me

You will not find him taking pictures of his work & sharing it on social media ahem… unlike me  or even in the school WhatsApp group. Once he has completed a mission, he would quietly fade away onto the next task, rarely receiving recognition or praise for his numerous contributions throughout the years. This is the kind of teacher I want to see nominated for this award: The unseen ones who work hard behind the scenes while others benefit from their work.

As a football coach, he had the arduous task of building the basics in the junior players who might have plenty of technical skills, but very little in terms of teamwork, tactics, & strategy. His work with these state athletes enabled them to excel in the mental aspects of the sport once they mature into the upper forms. Additionally, he has built an ice pool for our athletes to soak in after competitions to hasten their post-match physical recovery.

As a Bahasa Melayu teacher, he used to teach the most challenging SPM classes with creative & innovative teaching methods to help student athletes who are not academically inclined to comprehend & excel the must-pass paper. He often conducts extra classes in afternoons, evenings, & even weekends.

I have worked personally with him on many projects & he is the senior teacher I want to be for my juniors. I remember fondly working with him on MC scripts for several school events. He would complete the Malay scripts early, so I had something to refer to when I did the English versions. This was extremely refreshing as I am often thrown into the deep end by my seniors.

I remember being able to count on him to be on time, complete responsibilities thoroughly, & leave only when the job is done. Needless to say, I felt a deep loss the day that he transferred to a school back in his hometown.

Nonetheless, I’m grateful that he was a part of my life & I can finally give him some recognition for how much he has inspired me. I hope that everyone reading this will think of a teacher who has inspired you &, please, nominate them for this award too.

Be sure to submit your nomination(s) before 18 April here:
https://www.mcdonalds.com.my/anugerahguruinspirasi/nominate


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