Inspiring Teachers Awards: Mr Sabar lent me a listening ear when I ran away from home

Being in Secondary Four in 2017 was what Syukri described as "a year of disaster" fraught with family, academic and time management troubles.

The Spectra Secondary School student eventually came up on top, thanks to Mr Sabar, who was a pillar of strength and support for Syukri.

Here is Syukri's entry for the Samsung-Stomp Inspiring Teachers Awards:

"This is my story.

"As a first batch of being a Spectran, I have known Mr Sabar ever since I joined Spectra Secondary School in 2014. I used to live in Sembawang and every weekday morning, I always saw Mr Sabar cycling to the mosque to perform sunrise prayers.

"He always approached me first whenever he saw me. We always greeted and wished each other a good day. Well, that was part of my daily routine to start my day.

"Mr Sabar is a faithful, caring and kind-hearted teacher who was always very patient when teaching his students.

"As an English teacher, he make his lessons and teachings simple to let the students understand. Although he used to teach at a Junior College, teaching in a Normal Technical school is very different but he never gave up.

"In 2017, I was in Secondary 4 and it was the year of stressfulness to prepare for the N-Levels.

"As announced in the timetable, Mr Sabar would be our English teacher. Well, the teaching environment was going to be way different from our previous teacher but hey, different teachers teach different methods and slowly, we will get there.

"Well, 2017 was my disaster year with my family, studies and time. I couldn't concentrate. I used to skip school during the first term because I was facing too much stress and depression.

"At that time, I was supposed to move out from Bedok to Choa Chu Kang and needed to prepare to pack some stuff. As the distance between my home and school was really far, sometimes I skipped school just to get some rest.

"But with a huge argument between me and my family until I ran away from home to my relative's place, I couldn't concentrate on my studies.

"Mr Sabar noticed the changes in my behavior. He told me to meet him after class and we had a 1-to-1 session. I told him about my current situation. He knew that I ran away from home.

"I just needed a listening ear and he was the one who could be with me to tackle my problems. At night, I messaged him that I was really going to give my life up. I was so depressed that I couldn't talk to anyone who could calm me down.

"He told me this:

'Just be patient. Pray to god that you wanna end these messy situations. This year is the major year of your life and I want you to continue fighting until you get the right path.'

We continued to have 1-to-1 chatting sessions after class and even gave me some snacks as my lunch.

"Even then, I have always looked forward to his lesson. Although I was not confident in passing my N-Levels, he taught me some easy steps to pass my English.

"The N-Levels were coming and he asked me privately after class to see if I had any more problems. I told him was fine and he said:

'Don't give up in life. This is just a test to see how you can manage it. I know you told me you wanna quit school. Don't ever think of this. If you want to have a better career, have a great family, then come to school often. Every day, you will learn different things and there is no need to rush to learn. Slowly but surely, you will be alright.'

"He knows I'm going to the Rapid Transit Technology course in ITE and that I was from retail class. He also told me:

'Going to a School of Engineering from learning a retail course is a major impact. There are more job opportunities, especially in the rail industry which needs people like you.

'Go and achieve your dream. Remember what you had learnt in Spectra and ITE and put that positive mindset and skills at work. Don't forget to remember those who helped you to tackle the problems and your studies. Because these are the people who help your dream and future.'

"Now that I'm in ITE College West in Year 1, studying Nitec in Rapid Transit Technology, I would like to thank all my teachers who helped me to make my dream come true, especially Mr Sabar, who helped me and took his time to have a private session just to talk and discuss my problems. He made me confident in passing my N-Levels and let me share some of his positive vibes.

"Mr Sabar, Together We Can!"

When contacted by Stomp, Mr Sabar said he was "indeed honoured and humbled " by Syukri's nomination.

The contest is now closed and winners will be contacted shortly.

Read all entries for the contest here.