Qualified and called

"You ownself do this question." This was uttered by an English tutor to her student. I condone the act of the parent in terminating her services after having heard that statement. It is flabbergasting to read this statement uttered by a fellow tutor to her student. I can now understand why the parent sat in for the first lesson of the new tutor. It can be a discomfort to be scrutinized while teaching but I guess parents want to ensure they have employed the right tutor, especially since there have been reports on tutors not being entirely truthful about their qualifications or carrying out immoral acts with their students. I am thankful however, that almost all of the parents I have worked with have trust in me and don't scrutinise me during lessons. :) I am aware though, that they get feedback about me from their children.

To deviate a little, I was terribly disturbed when I heard a mother reading aloud to her child, presumably from a book, "Where is the mouse? Under the stair? No." I was so tempted to correct her mispronunciation. It should be read as "stairs", not "stair". My gosh! I am not viewing her with condescension but her child will definitely need a proper English teacher when he is older.

Tutoring is a calling for me and of course, I must have the qualifications to prove I am able to teach my subjects. However, the former is more important to me, and to cheat my clients and sexually abuse my students are things that are truly unbecoming. They insult the meaning behind the concept of being called to this vocation. In fact, I feel I am more of a big sister or even a mother, than a tutor to some of my students :P I have been gifted with the ability to create a rapport with them, as if I have been sent to them as God's instrument. The review of secondary school education last month has suggested a focus on stronger student-teacher bonds, and I am glad I am ahead of the trends in this aspect.

I must say however, that some parents fail to understand the different teaching know-hows behind different subjects. It takes a rather short time for Mathematics grades to improve rather drastically once the student fully understands how to apply the formulae to questions. It is vastly different for English grades to have the same result. The student's foundation in English should be laid when he is very young, or once he starts primary school, at the latest. He should be exposed to all kinds of books and given the opportunity to read a lot. Only then can his grammatical and vocabulary skills be established and then developed with time. It is a challenge trying to do all these when the student is in his secondary school years. I have to go back to basics with the student because his foundation in the language is weak. This results in the student's English grade taking a longer time to improve.

In the same way, English incorporates oral skills as well, which means the student needs to be accustomed to carrying a conversation with someone. That was included in my lessons with one of my students and so we sometimes "chatted" about her experiences in school.

It is also good for people to realise that there are different areas of specialization in the subjects I teach. I may not be able to be as confident in some areas because I did not specialise in them, though that does not mean I can't teach them :P

Some tutors reject certain students out of fear for their reputation should they fail in their jobs to help the students. I too, have a certain criteria towards selecting my students but for different reasons. I don't take students who live outside a specific distance from where I live because I can't travel too far. I am also particular about the work attitudes of students. If they are weak in the subject but are willing to work at it to improve their grades, I will take them in. I am not open to those who don't put in any effort at all and make me feel as if I have wasted my time and energy on them.

Parents are also concerned about the rapport created between the tutor and their children. If there isn't any, it would be akin to the parents having employed a robot to teach their children. A friendship formed between the two parties would be beneficial to the teamwork between them but of course, there must still be a line drawn so that respect and discipline are still maintained. Woe to tutors who go beyond friendship! I have definitely been blessed with this gift of rapport with the young. :)

Therefore, one may be qualified but not called to teach, based on the attitudes towards students. One may also be called to teach but not qualified to, as we can see from those who don't present their true academia to potential clients.

Inflexible marking of English assignments

"Rushed" and "Ran" is the same as "In a quick way". Just because the given answer is the latter, the former is immediately ruled out. English is supposed to encourage creative expression and yet the markers themselves exhibit the opposite. How ironic. As an English teacher, I believe there is room for the rephrasing of the answers. I usually try to think from the point of view of my students when I see a different answer from what is given. I attempt to analyse the reason behind their answers and at times, this results in discussions between my students and I on the questions, which I rather enjoy.

It is not so easy to read the mind of the teachers who set the questions and attempt to give the exact words of the answers. Each time I try to explain to my students to make an attempt to read the teachers' minds, I am given confused looks in return. I don't blame them. Telepathy is something beyond natural.

If the answer is rephrased in a different way but has the exact meaning as the given answer, it is acceptable. This is especially applicable to Science questions. Kettle A being against a bigger surface is the same as Kettle B being against a smaller surface. These two perspectives are referring to the same answer.