I’m Soffeatul Raunaqiah binti Mohamad Rahim, an English teacher based in Putrajaya. I’ve been teaching for 5 years, since mid 2017. I was recently selected to be one of the Edufluencers for KPM, of which I’m very excited about.

I have had the privilege of receiving my childhood education in the UK and I feel that it has heavily influenced my perspectives on education, especially now that I am a teacher.  As a child my progress improved leaps and bounds once I was introduced to a different system and educational culture altogether. The UK’s education system is far from perfect and its not fair to compare ours to theirs, however I feel its very possible and doable for my positive experiences there to be replicated here in Malaysia, if we are willing to change our viewpoints on certain things.

For example, on the matter of examinations. Though I am not anti-exam, I feel that many teachers see exams as the only valid tool in measuring a child’s potential.  Teachers are often quoted to say that students are demotivated without exams and have no “real goal” without it, and I vehemently disagree! I believe teachers have far more power than sheets of paper in motivating kids to learn and that the end goal of learning shouldn’t be scoring a test. Many compare education without exams to a race without a finishing line and right there is the problem; education isn’t supposed to be a competition. It shouldn’t be a competition between students, between schools, between districts and states, and certainly not a competition with previous years.

There are many other “outdated” beliefs like this that are still rampant among the teaching community. The glorification of corporal punishments, the push against syllabus changes that is better fitted for this generation (believing that old content and methods produce doctors and scientists just as well) and the “us versus them” mentality against the ministry. Many teachers also seem to be afraid of exercising autonomy and doing something that isn’t “by the book”, believing that it will get them reprimanded or punished. I think such a perception developed due to how teachers were trained when they were still trainees and also the attitude of certain officials who give the whole ministry a bad rep.

What I try to do through my social media platform, specifically Facebook, is to encourage fellow educators to do away with these archaic, non-evidence-based way of thinking. I also try to urge teachers to see challenges brought by the education system (which is admittedly flawed) from a solution-oriented mindset and that we are more than passive victims of bad policies. Not wanting to pin it all on teachers, I also do regularly criticize the system and suggests ways in which the ministry can do better.

My main motivation really was to inspire and be inspired. A lot of good teachers became good because they were inspired by other good teachers. It could be a teacher they had as kid, or a teacher they’ve gotten to know as a colleague.  Inspiration can be magic. Now with social media, inspiring others have reached a whole new level; a positive outlook, a good practice or a touching story can reach hundreds and thousands of people within minutes.

Teaching is a profession that can be tough to love on some days. Being in a positive circle and seeing others hurdle through whatever challenges thrown at them can really give you that shot of strength to get you to keep going.

Some teachers are unaware just how much change they can bring to the educational scene without waiting for a new minister or wait for themselves to be “big” and in power. Each teacher, no matter how “small”, is capable of bringing about change. We don’t need to wait for policies that transform schools nationwide; we can just start the transformation at our own respective school.

Several years ago, I did several paperwork asking for donations from PIBG and doing crowdfunding of my own. I did it to gain some financial support for some of the projects I intended to do at school. I had a colleague who was dissatisfied over me getting the money saying there are other areas that need the money more; and my question to him was, did you seek the support?  Did you make the effort necessary to help finance the solution to the problem? You can already guess that his answer was no. 

I feel such a situation is common. So many teachers are quick and capable of seeing the problems around them, but not all have the realization or willpower to do anything about it. Certain people will argue “it’s not in the job description”.  We can demand for better change from the “higher-ups” and do something about it in the meantime.  Those things can happen simultaneously.

I believe influencing teachers to realize just how much change they are capable of bringing is what will lead to small but impactful transformations.

My number one tip would be to just do it and shoot your shot. I have many competent teacher friends who are afraid of applying because they are too self-conscious on whether they are “worthy”. You do not need to hit a certain number of followers or win a certain number of awards to be an Edufluencer. If there IS one criteria that I think you should consider if you want to be an Edufluencer, it is your love for sharing. An Edufluencer, just like a regular influencer, should love sharing and spreading positive influence.

And the sharing in question isn’t restricted to best practices or teaching tips either. You may love sharing on the daily happenings of your classroom; how you disciplined the kids and dealt with parents or you may love creating aids that others can use. The sharing also does not need to be your own. If you feel you’re not at a level of creating your own content yet, then furthering the spread of good, beneficial content by other teachers is also good enough!

I like to answer this question with a true story. It is the story of Roger Bannister, the first human to run a four-minute mile; a feat previously thought to be impossible. Experts even laid out precise conditions in which the feat can be achieved (perfect weather, dry track, loud crowd),  but Roger managed the once-impossible on a cold day, wet track and small crowd.

And that one example changed it all for runners around the world. The next person to break the barrier did it merely 46 days after it was first broken. Then a year later, more athletes achieved the same, with even better records.

Some challenges are unknowingly more psychological than they are situational. Humans tend to think challenges are bigger than they are because they have never seen anyone else overcome it. That is where the role of Edufluencers come in.  A closer example would be the stories of two other Edufluencers, Samuel Isaiah and Muhammad Nazmi. Both teachers worked with underprivileged students and have many factors working AGAINST them succeeding, but they succeeded despite it all. Both have received “first in Malaysia” international recognition for their contributions and its an absolute wonder to see the impact of good teachers on disadvantaged children.

I believe many more “impossible” barriers will be broken  when Edufluencers work to transform the mindset of what’s possible. These little spurts or big bursts of inspiration will cause a butterfly effect on the whole teaching community.  I really believe so.