Elation
Have been very busy of late, hence was unable to share my elation promptly.
In tuition, it often takes 3 parties to clap; the student, parent and tutor. I was fortunate enough to have the chance to work with 2 boys, who were from a renowned boys’ school near Woodleigh. While it was tough to cater a specific set of slides within a tight period to match their capabilities, what is memorable was the exhilarating experience, which I relished to this day. Ms N Tan was very receptive and trusting to my suggestions as well, which further cemented my commitment towards this family.
WIshing Zen and Nigel all the best!
All the three of you will be missed, and keep in touch!
*Thanks Ms Shirleen Tan from Sowing Seedz for the referral.
Deja Vu…
Monday marked a unique moment when I felt I was back to my teens (When I first started out as a budding tutor), as it was my penultimate session with this pioneer batch of students at a graduating front, albeit on online front.
This pair of twins came to me for Additional and Elementary Maths in mid July this year, heading for ‘O’ Levels in 3 months’ time. The goal was to complete all revision and address all doubts within this time frame. Sounds difficult isn’t it?
I had to curate the resources on a rolling basis, as this would have been specially prepared for them. It was indeed a tough 3 months for me, as I had to spend countless nights and weekends conceptualising what I anticipated they would not know, and translate my years of experience into physical slides, while navigating the perceived limitations of online learning.
Most readers would be aware that I am not for online learning, as it’s tough for me to achieve the kind of bonding that I endear myself to. Apparently, the limitations of online learning did not seem to manifest itself when I taught this pair of twins. In fact, I was driven to meet the challenge of clearing at least the major topics, as explained to their parent. By 23 Oct, we had completed all but 2 chapters for Additional Maths, and all but 1 for Elementary Maths. This is unprecedented, and would not have been possible had the students not been fundamentally sound.
It’s never easy to say goodbye to such pleasant parents and children. I wish these boys all the best, and I hope that all the efforts I have poured in would make a significant difference to their lives.
A child’s learning journey
Writing this post to document a child’s growing journey, and how parental intervention is paramount.
Eric Ng Junior, since young, has always zero tendency towards work. Work is often fraught with errors, and he would often put up extreme resistance when told to complete the simplest of tasks. While he is smart (very street smart in fact!), he was doing badly in studies. It was close to 2 years ago, that I felt my intervention was necessary to halt this. And I was able to do so holistically because I was cooperating with myself (teacher and parent!)
Initiatives to halt the poor effort include inculcating values that studies is a responsibility, and not a choice. And no, no rewards system! And when exams are around the corner, family outdoor activities typically come to a standstill, to illustrate the importance of studies. I will often tell my children that “Daddy and Mummy will support and stand by you in this crucial juncture, instead of going jalan jalan by ourselves.”
Nowadays, work comes with very little mistakes, and he’s receptive whenever Daddy teaches him.
Sometimes I imagine where he would stand, if I were to adopt a chillax attitude, since he was Primary One 2 years ago? Or, like what many parents seemingly say “to allow one’s child to develop at his or her own pace”. It has probably come to a form of realisation, after teaching for 27 years, that more often than not, parents use this quote upon realising at a really late juncture that nothing much can be done anymore, much to poor strategy at first instance. More as a form of self consolation…..
Would I tell a child “studies is not everything”? Usually no, as it would undermine the importance of exams, and bring about a whole load of issues in the later stage. Neither would it be life- defining too, to a certain extent.
Feel free to follow PassionInLearning as I share more on academic-related parenting.
Used resources
For parents who could be wondering how to dispose of…
Congratulations to all parents, as the curtains would come down soon for PSLE and secondary school examinations.
Some parents may have been wondering about how to go about putting used materials (assessment books, textbooks) to better use, after this milestone.
Most of you would have been aware that over since 2017, some parents had passed used books to me, after learning that I offered compassionate assistance to certain groups of students. Beneficiaries include students who were less well-off. And some were given to students who were not under my tutelage.
If any parent here would prefer to share their used resources directly with users, please feel free to message me.
Note: Used resources preferably not assessment books which are totally completed, and not limited to graduating years.
On a side note, I will like to thank the parents who had previously driven and passed their books to me, given the considerable load.
Have a great day ahead!
Regards
Eric
passioninlearning.wordpress.com
http://www.facebook.com/passioninlearningericng
passioninlearning@gmail.com
Of gratitude
This year, I took on an unprecedented 3 more PSLE students even though my schedule was close to breaking point. Much of my personal and family time was sacrificed as I needed to attend to these students, in the hope that I can initiate avoidance of poor results. And of course, to instill that very ounce of confidence and fighting spirit!
Worth it? Likely so, at least based on these messages.
When the heart overrules the mind
Like what I often share with my readers of my page and blog, it’s imperative that parents exercise some control over children, rather than fully engaged with negotiation approach.
Why do I say so?
Quite simply, children nowadays largely lead very sheltered lives, and are unlikely to know the consequences of their actions. To put things in perspective, while children may know the face value of money, they do not know the intrinsic value (what it takes to earn that $8-9/ hour in a supermarket).
What happened over the weekend was that this Secondary One child was in a race against time for lateral promotion. Being usually sensible, she received a birthday invite over the weekend, approximately 2 weeks before her end of year exams. She had contemplated cancelling my session with her on that day, only to be told by her mom to join in the birthday celebrations after my session.
Some points to note
Firstly, had this parent given in, floodgates may open. Secondly, parents need to set the tone that, especially with the end of year exams and with a clear target to achieve, it’s apparent that there’s no time to lose, and studies need to come first.
I often stress it’s imperative that parents and I are on the same page, to reap maximum benefits for the child.
Of online sessions..
With online modes of learning, I often feel that I am handicapped by the lack of personalised element in the teaching process, as well as the bond. In this case, having spoken to the parent, I felt that it was worth the effort to help her twins.
While it is purely revision, I am glad that I managed to clear the entire Sec 3 E. Maths syllabus, and a whopping 7 chapters of Additional Maths, within 2 months on online sessions each lasting 1.5 hours.
Cheers!
Of mocks….
In the past, I do not endear myself to mock assessments during my teaching sessions, as invaluable time to teach would be compromised. However, noting that students these days are not well-equipped to handle the rigours of exam conditions, I have since accounted for mock exams as part of my student training.
Now, what does this entail?
Prior to the commencement, I would orientate and condition the child, in order to simulate exam conditions. In the process, I watch out for body cues and indications of panic. After identifying some aspects, feedback would be provided, and a discussion would be done to see if there’s a need to conduct further mocks.
Now, certainly, mock extends way beyond parents simply giving a set of papers for the child to work on, while setting the time limit.
Feel free to follow or like the page, if you would like to keep yourself in the loop for advice on how to help your child.
Exam readiness training
This would have been a lengthy post.
Exams always serve as a conundrum for parents; with it comes stress, without it comes uncertainty about a child’s learning.
While mid-year semestral examinations have been officially made redundant since start of the year, many schools have already phased it out a few years back. In place though, are holistic reviews or weighted assessments. This undoubtedly would have very much reduced a child’s experiences in large scale examination. An analogy would have been a top badminton player who always falter at the last hurdle, or finals of tournaments.
Two years back, I recalled a child from Pei Chun. While she was intuitive in her learning in PSLE, somewhat or rather, she would not get above AL6 for Maths in examinations, though she was able to score 90+ when she did her top school papers at home.
While many parents would have bought piles of past year school papers for the child to perform, there is more than meets an eye. In Sept 2021, I had zoomed in on her lack of exam readiness. I simulated exam conditions and environment factors at the location where she was about to attempt RGPS 2019 Maths paper. While attempting halfway, this child had a mental collapse, and got 41/100 at the end of the paper. Doing a post mortem, she confided that she had encountered a total blackout while doing the paper beyond the comfort of her own home. And kudos that I was able to spot this. When she reached home and attempted the same paper again, she scored 91/100, though I did not explain her faults earlier in the day.
Since then, simulating high – octane exam conditions has been a mainstay in my training for students. This would have been of opposite polarity compared to doing papers even with time constraints at one’s own residences, which are mostly inconducive.
In short, lessons should not solely be just teaching a subject and answer doubts. It’s also about “learning to learn”, and beefing up on exam readiness.
For parents who may be keen to find out more, feel free to reach out to me.
Passion In Learning 