I first started teaching in 2014 at a student care centre. In the centre I was tasked to handle children of ages eight to ten. In addition to monitoring their school work, I ensured that they would practice for their school's spelling tests as well as additional work given by the centre. By working as a student care teacher, I am better adept in handling children with different characters and structure ways to help them understand their work.
When university began, I started giving tuition for Singapore Comparative Studies (SCS) and English language to a Year 4 student. Although I have only been with her for less than half a year, she gave me feedback that my lessons were comprehensive and it targeted the areas she was weak at.
Primary level - Chinese English Higher Chinese Higher Maths Mathematics Science
Lower secondary level - Chinese Geography Higher Chinese Mathematics Science Social Studies
Upper secondary level - A Maths Bio/Chem Biology Chinese E Maths Higher Chinese Social Studies
Junior college level - Biology General Paper
Commitment / Other Details
I am able to start from the 6th of June 2015 onwards. Other than my current tuition on Wednesday 1930h, I am generally free on weekday afternoons, after my lessons. On weekends I have activities on Saturdays afternoon from 1500h to 1800h and on Sundays.
Rapport Building
I believe that trust between a tutor and a tutee is built through frequent communications and reflections. Through asking the student what they feel they are weak at and looking through their school's assignments and comments, I am better able to find out what they can improve on and thus match my materials. Other than reviewing their work, I would also ask for their opinion of the lesson - whether the pace is suitable and what they feel they need help in. By asking such questions, the students can be more involved in lesson planning.
When building rapport with parents, I feel that it is necessary to provide frequent updates on their child's progress as well as providing outlines on what we did for tuition that day. Whatsapp and SMS can be useful tools in communication which can be used to understand the parents needs and concerns.
Keeping Up with Curriculum
I have a large extended family which I am close to. Their ages ranges from 10 to 18 (primary 4 to J2). At times they would seek academic help from me. This allows me to be constantly updated with the curriculum. In addition to being updated with the syllabus by helping my cousins and siblings with their work, I ,sometimes, would go to bookstores such as Popular to look at the content of assessment books and ten year series to see how the syllabus has changed since I studied.
As a Good Tutor
Being a tutor is not easy. I believe one of the qualities of a good tutor is adaptability. Each student has different needs and learning pace. A good tuition teacher is one that can modify his or her lesson plans in order to have a good balance in suiting the needs of the child while pushing the student forward to learn more. In addition to adapting to the learning capability of the student, the tutor must also be adapt in dealing with different types of character and behaviour, only then can the time spent be fruitful.
Other than being adaptable, I feel that punctuality should be a quality of a good tutor. It is not only a matter of responsibility where parents have paid you for your time, it is a matter of accountability and trust as well. Being punctual and prepared for your lessons reflects tutor as one who is willing to put in the time and effort to help the students. It builds trust and rapport among the tutor, the student and the parents.
Lastly, I find that a knowledgeable tutor is of benefit to the student. Being knowledgeable means that besides the content in the textbook, the tutor is able to draw from real life situations or is well-read. Such a quality not only benefits the student as they continue to learn outside of school, this can also spark interest in the students to pursue further knowledge. A good tutor is one that is able to spur his or her students to learn even without a teacher around.
