Tuition Success

Teaching is just like holding an umbrella walking along with the kids. The weather is the influence around him or her. There are rainy seasons, there are hot weather, cold weather, nice weather. The weather is analogous to the people and environment which the children mixed around. Not all things around the child is bad, so there are good and bad influence. Likewise, the weather, there are good and bad weather. The teacher holds the umbrella, trying to ‘protect’ the child as much as possible, trying his or her best. The child must co-operate. If the child does not want to co-operate, he or she will still get wet if there are rain. As a teacher, the child’s progress, performance and future(their marks, their thoughts) lies in your hands. You need to ‘cover’ the child, make sure she understands why he or she does not get wet so that he or she will walk with you.

Yesterday Valerie’s mother send me a message. Valerie had scored very well for her Maths Exam. Her Maths Paper I was 43/50 and Maths Paper II was 42/50. This make her Maths Exam a total marks of 85/100. This is indeed a fast progress. She was very weak in her foundation and concepts the first time she came to my home for tuition. She was not even sure of significant numbers and operations of signs when she came. I was not aware of that until she did the exam papers.

Valerie first came to my house for tuition on 3rd September 2007. She told me she was weak in a few topics. For a about two weeks plus, I went through these topics with her. Subsequently, as her exam dates were drawing near, she was asked to practice exam papers at the same time. It was only upon attempting the exam papers that I realised that she was ‘not so good’ in her other areas, like decimal place and significant figures. She had done badly for these exam papers.

More revision need to be given to her since she did not even understand some very basic concepts. By the last week, as the week for her school exams were just a two days away, we had already finished revision. Everything were going through exam papers. During her last two exam papers, I found that she had improved. She did well for the exam papers, passed both exam papers and both Paper I and Paper II. I do not know if that was coincidence, but I asked her and she told me she had better understanding now. I asked her,”Before tuition and after tuition, how would your rate your understanding now?” Valerie told me that before tuition, her understanding of her Maths was like 3/10 but after tuition 7/10. I was relieved to hear that. But I do not know if she said that so as to comfort me. But yesterday after I knew her results, what she said was true. She had put in lots of effort herself too. During the last weekends, where her exam was only two days away, I asked her to do the exam papers. One day did two exam papers and she did. She was hardworking. If she had not been hardworking, she would not have done well. I congratulated her.

It was such a stressful months for the past two months teaching her. By teaching her tuition, she is another of my kid, my ‘adopted’ kid. How can I not be stressful? Now that her exam are over and she had scored well, I heaved a sign of relief. However, as I had mentioned in my post, my stress is just half-over. My children’s exams are not over yet. I do not have much time with my children. I do not blame them if they had not done well. I just hope that they can pass all subjects.