Star power: Yeoh guiding a pupil on how to use a computer during the launch. Next to her is Lai.
“BELIEVE in yourself and you will make it. I am sure one day you will become managers, ministers and other respectful individuals in society.”
Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh, who is slated to meet her fans on Tuesday (April 18) at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, said this when addressing the pupils at SK Methodist (ACS) Ipoh, Perak, some 25 years ago.
To this day, the message is still fresh on the mind of the school’s former headmaster Lai Kum Ming.
“It is so profound that in her acceptance speech at the Oscars, Michelle gave almost the same inspiring speech,” Lai told StarEdu.
During her speech at the 95th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, United States, on March 12 – where the Ipoh-born Yeoh won the Best Actress category for her role in Everything Everywhere All At Once, making her the first Asian actress to receive the accolade – she said to the “little boys and girls” watching her: “Dream big and dreams do come true.”
Her message to have faith in “hope and possibilities” struck a special chord with Lai.
Recalling Yeoh’s visit to the school on April 23, 1998, Lai said he had invited the Hollywood star, who had then just acted in 1997’s James Bond flick Tomorrow Never Dies, to officiate the launch of the school’s first computer room, when he met her at an event hosted by her mother Datin Janet Yeoh.
He added that during her speech, Yeoh, who donated a full computer set to the school, emphasised the need for the pupils to set goals for themselves. Urging the pupils to have self-confidence, to be determined, to work hard and to never give up, she also said those who failed to keep abreast of the latest technological developments in computers and information technology (IT) would not only find themselves at a disadvantage, but would be left far behind.
The visit, said Lai, came at a time when the school was gearing towards taking part in the government’s Smart School initiative.
“The school’s computer room was aimed at increasing IT awareness, besides exposing pupils to more efficient methods of gathering information.
“We rented 22 computer sets and employed experienced teachers to teach the pupils to use special software,” he said, adding that all the pupils, including the poorer ones from rural areas, were given equal chances to equip themselves with computer skills and smart learning.
Lai, who is a firm believer of the benefits of using technology in the classroom, said it can improve engagement and push up pupils’ success rates.
“Having IT skills will prepare students for the workforce, encourage collaboration, support different types of learners, teach pupils to be responsible online and add a fun factor to learning,” he added.
Expressing his gratitude for Yeoh’s visit, Lai said she had been a great role model and inspiration to his pupils.
“We were really proud that our school was the only school in Ipoh which was visited by Michelle,” Lai said, adding that Yeoh took time to go to every classroom to specially sign autographs for his pupils.
In the wake of Yeoh’s Oscar win, Lai said a number of his former pupils had reached out to him to reminisce about the “wonderful time” they had with Yeoh during her visit.
Lai, who served at SK Methodist (ACS) Ipoh from 1997 to 2002, retired as headmaster at SK La Salle, Ipoh, in 2011.
On what he misses most about his teaching profession, he pointed to the interaction with his pupils, whom he described as “absorbing and trusting”.
“As a teacher, I held hands, opened minds, touched hearts and shaped a future. I believe it is not how much we do, but the love we put into what we do that counts,” he said.
In choosing a career for themselves, he advised students against “following the path which most people take”.
“Don’t be afraid to choose a new path and make a difference.”
Li Lian, 18, a student in Kuala Lumpur, is a participant of the BRATs Young Journalist Programme run by The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) team. For more information, go to facebook.com/niebrats.
