For Cikgu Vonn, every child deserves the chance to belong

For 37-year-old Velerie Wheelervon Primus, teaching is more than just a profession – it is a calling.

Vonn, as he prefers to be known, spent seven years in mainstream education before moving into special education in 2020, after his own child was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

That decision meant leaving behind a career he was proud of: his students had earned more than 60 awards, while SK Tuarid Taud Keningau had reached six world championships during his time there.

But Vonn and his wife wanted to better understand the world their child was entering. Both underwent a year of training before he made the switch to special education, where what he encountered changed the way he thought about teaching.

In rural Sabah, many classrooms had limited space, equipment and staff. Some children struggled to read or communicate their basic needs, while others became distressed when lessons were not suited to the way they learnt.

Vonn began asking himself what he could do differently.

“I conducted my own research and eventually earned a doctorate – not because I wanted the title of ‘doctor’, but because I wanted to better understand the emotions and inner world of students with special educational needs,” he told FMT Lifestyle.

One answer began to take shape while he was accompanying his own child for occupational therapy. There, Vonn learnt about the sensory pyramid, which places learning at the top while recognising sensory needs as part of its foundation.

The idea became the basis of Miracles, a programme he developed using sensory intervention to support his students.

At SK Bingkor, there was no purpose-built multisensory room, so Vonn used his own money to transform a former teachers’ quarters. The space eventually included a room to help settle students who were not yet ready to learn, as well as a STEM room and therapy area.

For Vonn, the real success of his efforts could be measured by what happened to the children themselves. In 2021, a mother approached him about her child, who had autism, was non-verbal, and could not yet manage daily activities independently.

Two years later, she returned with a very different message. “Thank you, teacher. My child can now read. He can now take care of himself,” Vonn recalled her saying.

For him, the experience reinforced the belief behind the programme: “Miracles do happen.”

Another student would leave an even deeper impression. When the boy’s mother first contacted Vonn, her nine-year-old son used a wheelchair and diapers. She feared no school would accept him and told Vonn it would take “a teacher with a big heart” to do so.

For seven months, Vonn worked with the child using sensory activities, tyres, yoga balls and other equipment to help develop his motor skills.

Then one morning, Vonn arrived at school and saw him walking. “I looked again and asked myself, ‘Where is this student’s wheelchair?’”

The boy came up to him and said: “Good morning, Cikgu Vonn.” For Vonn, the moment was extraordinary.

He would later see another student with cerebral palsy progress from having difficulty walking to being able to run and play football.

In 2024, Vonn’s work in special education and inclusive learning earned him the Malaysia Teacher Prize. This year, he was named the Southeast Asia and Pacific regional winner of the Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards.

But his efforts have continued beyond individual classrooms. Through a programme called NeuroHope, Vonn works with parents on individual education plans tailored to each child.

Through NERI, or the NeuroArts Equity Road Initiative, he shares training and best practices with communities in Sabah and elsewhere in Malaysia.

Across these projects, one principle remains central. “These are human beings whom we need to understand, believe in and give extraordinary love to,” Vonn stressed.

His convictions explain why he has sometimes chosen to spend his own money rather than wait for assistance.

“We did not wait for outside contributions, nor did we wait for ministry allocations to come through, because that could take a long time. If we waited, how much time would we have already lost?”

For Vonn, inclusion does not stop at the classroom door. As Malaysia celebrates the diversity of its people, he believes the same willingness to understand and accept those who experience the world differently should shape how Malaysians treat one another.

Recalling education minister Fadhlina Sidek speaking about the highest ideals of education at the Malaysia Teacher Prize in 2024, Vonn said the message strengthened his belief that love and compassion have a role in building national unity.

“How is unity created? Unity is created when there is love. Regardless of our religion or race, we need to respect one another with love and compassion,” he said.

For him, that is also what Malaysia Day represents: people with different backgrounds and abilities having a place in the same community.

And when he thinks about where his students might be 10 years from now, Vonn’s hope is modest but profound: “If they can walk alongside the communities around them, that alone is enough for me.”

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