PETALING JAYA, July 26 — Teacher Samuel Isaiah has been teaching Orang Asli children for the past eight years.
And he doesn’t hesitate in tweeting about how proud he is of them.
“I’ve been writing a lot about my children since last year, I not only find it therapeutic but I want to spread the message of how great my Orang Asli children are.”
Samuel’s tweets on how 100 Orang Asli students travelled 200 kilometres to attend his wedding in 2017, was recently picked up by media outlets.
The now-viral tweets that garnered a lot of positive feedback from social media users also mentioned how the kids performed at his wedding.
The passionate educator added that his students were ecstatic when they heard about the popular tweets.
In the tweets, the 32-year-old was reminiscing about one of the most unforgettable days of his life when he married Dr Shanti Mugunen, 31, who he had met through a mutual friend.
He added that they both strove to provide the best for people they meet.
Samuel graduated from teacher training in 2011 and he was sent to SK Runchang in Muadzam Shah, Pahang in January 2012.
His tweets are also meant to break negative stereotypes that are often attached to the Orang Asli.
“My life for the past eight years has been utterly amazing,” he said.
“The love and the bond my children and I have, and how we progress together in learning new things daily makes everything so worth it.”
Samuel said the Orang Asli children he teaches often make him feel like a celebrity with hugs, high-fives and fist bumps coming even from those he doesn’t teach.
The many funny moments they shared is worthy of its own post on social media.
What if the joy of learning is not confined to the walls of a school or classroom?
— SamSam (@samuel_isaiah87) March 18, 2019
“Sekolah Pokok” is an idea I started in January 2019 to tackle the alarming attendance rate in my school, and promote English Language Learning.
This is a thread :) pic.twitter.com/UJ516ZrAyH
For many city dwellers who don’t know about Malaysia’s aboriginal communities and their learning environment, Samuel said these children view the world from a very different perspective.
While most urban children life has been overshadowed by gadgets and the materialistic world, Samuel said his Orang Asli kids enjoy being one with nature.
“Diving into rivers, having an awesome time as they run barefoot in the rain. Pure happiness, I’d say.”
On whether they learned differently from their peers in the city, Samuel said his students required something extra to make the learning process meaningful, fun and engaging.
“Once they’re empowered and love what they do, the sky’s the limit which means they’re as capable especially when the pedagogy is right, they feel the passion and love, and with lots of hard work,” he said.
While Samuel’s interactive and fun teaching methods that incorporate outdoor learning to respect his students’ relationship with nature has changed their lives, they too changed his life.
“My children are my inspiration. My whole life changed when I dived into their livelihoods and fell in love with them. They’re the reason why all this is possible,” he added.
Born and raised by two hardworking parents who emphasised the importance of love and family helped shape him.
“Though we didn’t have much money it all eventually didn’t matter. I guess those values served me well through the years,” he said.
“I hope that my children remember that they’re amazing and are capable of doing amazing things in life. For whatever other obstacles, their Mr. Sam will always be there for them,” he said.
