Teacher With Depression Thanks His Students For Saving Him From Suicidal Thoughts
"Thank you for saving my life."
By Katrina Khairul Azman — 06 Sep 2019, 12:48 PM
A netizen's Twitter thread about how his Form One students saved his life from succumbing to mental illnesses has gone viral
The budding teacher shared about how his poor grammar triggered his clinical depression and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder
In 2013, the then-21-year-old graduate was a certified English as a Second Language (TESL) teacher. However, he could not find stable employment because he struggled with grammar.
Safwan's inability to find work led to insecurities causing depression as he felt like he was not "a good son who could support his family financially".
The situation was worsened when his father passed away due to cancer.
"I was depressed and in such darkness to the point where I dared to take my own life," the budding teacher said.
When he finally landed a job as a substitute teacher in a secondary school, Safwan decided to make the most of it.
In an effort to encourage interest in learning, he would dress up in costumes related to the topics he taught in class.
The English, Bahasa Malaysia, and History teacher even became a viral sensation after videos of him teaching in his memorable outfits were posted on social media, Malay Mail reported.
The substitute teacher also piqued his Form One students' interests by incorporating fun games into his lessons
While Safwan's style of teaching proved to be a hit among his students, he learned in August that his time with them would be cut short
After he was informed that the teacher he had been substituting for would be returning, Safwan suffered a panic attack which led to hospitalisation.
However, support from his students motivated him to look on the bright side.
"Many people say teachers are heroic figures that can change their students' lives. My story is slightly different because I'm not a knight that can fly high to protect my students. My students are the little heroes who saved me," he wrote.
