Prior to becoming a biology lecturer, 34-year-old Firdaus Azis had a brief tenure teaching school students and it was these fond memories working with teenagers that led to the creation of his educational Youtube channel.
Upon graduating with a Masters Degree in Biology, Firdaus had a teaching stint at MRSM Kuantan and SM Sains Alam Shah before taking up his lecturing position at the Faculty of Applied Sciences, UiTM Perlis.
Speaking to Malaysiakini, Firdaus said his early teaching years inspired him to set up his YouTube channel "Firdaus Mendel" - which he uses to teach Biology to Form 4 and Form 5 students - to further continue his contribution to school students.
"I always had an interest in school, and my first degree is in biology education. Even after leaving it for a long time, I can still recall the time I taught in school.
"I was thinking about how I can help (school) students, because now I am teaching at diploma and degree level.
"This is when I thought of YouTube as a medium, so I went for it," he said.
Since the first video uploaded on Dec, 2018, the 'Firdaus Mendel' channel has garnered nearly 15,000 subscribers and 850,000 views.
A reflection of his dedication to education, most of the videos featured handwritten and hand-drawn notes, as well as accompanying graphs.
"At the end of 2018, I learnt we can record our screen using an iPad Pro (tablet). Previously I used to think about how I can deliver my lessons.
"After learning how to screen record, I started to just use an iPad. I don't use a camera or a phone to record.
"All the notes and drawings in my videos are 100 percent mine," Firdaus said, adding that he did not take anything from the Internet to avoid copyright issues.
In the videos, his voice could be clearly heard explaining the lessons, with extra annotations made for clarifications when needed.
The notes are also available for purchase.
"My weekend schedule is packed from day to night, working on the teaching materials," he said.
The available biology lessons cover the latest syllabus for Form 4 and Form 5, while the syllabus for the Science subject is being updated.
Firdaus added that he had no reservations dedicating most of his personal time to grow the channel, describing it as a dream come true.
'Dream come true'
"Even if I can just help one or two people, I already feel very honoured. I like to see the students understand.
"I like to be able to contribute something to them, although I am no longer a school teacher," he said.
Scrolling through his comment section, Firdaus said the most meaningful ones often come from students who prayed for his success and ease of affairs.
Having recorded over 100,000 hours of view time so far, which is an impossible feat for classroom lessons, Firdaus said YouTube has helped him to achieve his dreams of helping students.
As for future content, Firdaus said his lesson plans include the new Science syllabus, as well as biology materials in English as requested by his students.
"My students request all kinds of things... but my priority is still towards my primary career (as a lecturer).
"They message me and ask, 'teacher, why are you not making more?' I had to apologise and say I would love to help everyone but sometimes I have no time," he added. - Mkini
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