Recently, a teacher shared her inspiring story of nurturing the hidden talent of an introverted student at the school where she teaches.
Through a post on TikTok (@kameenesam), the teacher, Kameene, recounted how she discovered and encouraged the student to take on a challenge that ultimately transformed his confidence.
@kameenesam Murid ini sangat introvert. Dia budak pandai, tapi langsung tak bercakap kecuali bila namanya dipanggil. Di sekolah, tak sampai sepuluh perkataan pun dia ucapkan dalam sehari. Saya pilih dia untuk pertandingan pidato. Pada mulanya, dia tak mahu masuk pertandingan tersebut. Dia tidak mempunyai pengalaman menyertai apa-apa pertandingan sebelum ini seperti pidato, syarahan dan bercerita. Tapi saya tetap minta dia hafal skrip. Dan dia hafal semuanya. Kami buat latihan selama tiga minggu. Saya tak pernah marah dia masa practice. Saya ikut keselesaan dia sepenuhnya. Dia tak suka Google Meet, jadi saya tak buat. Tapi dia suka stay back, jadi setiap hari saya luangkan masa selepas sekolah untuk bantu dia. Bayangkan, seorang murid introvert yang tak banyak bercakap, kini perlu berdiri dan menyampaikan pidato di hadapan orang ramai. Awalnya memang sangat susah, tapi kami berdua tidak berputus asa. Dia belajar satu demi satu tentang teknik penyampaian. Apa yang paling saya kagum, setiap kali saya tegur kesalahan, keesokan harinya kesalahan itu dah tiada. Dia cuba sehabis baik untuk berikan yang terbaik. Saya berada dalam perkhidmatan perguruan ini selama lima tahun. Disebabkan sekolah saya kategori SKM, saya pernah latih ramai murid untuk pertandingan. Ramai. Tapi budak ini dia lain. Dia bukti bahawa keyakinan boleh tumbuh, walau pada jiwa yang paling sunyi. Dia bukti bahawa bila kita percaya pada seseorang dan tak pernah putus asa, mereka juga akan percaya pada diri mereka sendiri. Hari ini, dia berdiri di pentas pertandingan. Dia sampaikan pidatonya dengan penuh yakin. Dan tanpa kami jangka langsung dia berjaya dapat tempat kedua dalam pertandingan pidato kategori SJK. Kami memang tak letak harapan apa-apa. Pada saya, keberanian dia untuk berdiri dan bercakap di hadapan khalayak, itu sudah satu kemenangan besar. Daripada semua pengalaman saya selama ini, pengalaman melatih dia paling menyentuh hati saya. Paling saya ingat. Dan saya akan simpan kisah ini dalam hati saya sampai bila-bila. #2025 #karnivalbahasamelayu #langkawi original sound - Deiva
According to her, the intelligent male student was well-known for his quiet nature, speaking only when his name was called.
"I chose him for a public speaking competition. At first, he didn't want to take part in the competition."
"He had no prior experience in any competitions such as public speaking, speeches, or storytelling, but I still asked him to memorise the script and he memorised all of it," she wrote in her caption.
Surprisingly, they only had three weeks to prepare for the competition.
Kameene tailored her training sessions to match the student's pace and comfort level.
"We practised for three weeks. I never scolded him during practice. I followed his comfort level entirely.
"He didn't like Google Meet, so I didn't use it. But he enjoyed staying back after school, so every day I spent time after school to help him.
"Imagine an introverted student who rarely speaks, now having to stand and deliver a speech in front of a crowd.
"At first, it was really difficult, but neither of us gave up. He learned step by step about delivery techniques," she said.
What impressed Kameene the most was that the student never repeated the same mistake after being corrected.
Although she had trained many students before, she considered this boy special.
"I've been in the teaching profession for five years. Since my school is categorised as SKM (school with few students), I have trained many students for competitions.
"Many. But this boy, he's different. He is proof that confidence can grow, even in the quietest of souls.
"He is proof that when we believe in someone and never give up, they will also believe in themselves," she said.
Their dedication bore fruit when the student won second place in the Malay Language public speaking competition.
Proud of his transformation, Kameene expressed her joy at seeing his courage shine through.
"Today, he stood on the competition stage. He delivered his speech with full confidence. And without us expecting it, he won second place in the SJK category.
"We didn't set any expectations. For me, his courage to stand and speak in front of an audience was already a huge victory.
"Out of all my experiences so far, training him has been the most touching. It's the one I remember most, and I will keep this story in my heart forever," she shared.
