MY STORY AS A TUTOR/TEACHER
I started tutoring when I was serving NS in Singapore. My first students were my cousins. In that first experience, I doubt that my tutoring was helpful. As an idealist who believed that education should be free, I saw tutoring as a social service for the needy and planned to provide this service free to all. That idea did not last long.
A year after National Service, I pursued a Diploma In Education with NIE/NTU. After 2 years of full time study, I was posted to teach at Chongzheng Primary School. I was 25 years old then, and still quite idealistic. The salary as a Diploma holder was not great, and I supplemented my income by providing tuition classes. The story of my first paid student can be read here, and that was the real start of my journey as a tutor, in 1995. It was also the start of my life as a teacher. 31 years have passed. Wow! Time flies.
Teaching as a school teacher and teaching as a tutor are uniquely different. In my opinion, every educator must experience both types of teaching. As a teacher, you will find that you are busy with groups of students, classroom management and administrative matters. You may or may not discover specific strategies to help some students who are struggling with the subject. When you teach as a tutor, you have a razor sharp focus – the mastery of content knowledge and skills by your student/s. It is in my teaching as a tutor that I discovered Breakthrough Teaching, a new teaching approach which I shall write about one day. Insha Allah.
After less than 3 years as a full time primary school teacher, I became disillusioned with Singapore's education system. I set up my own tuition centre called Metamorphosis Education Centre in Ang Mo Kio, just above the town council, on the 3rd floor. I became disillusioned too with the tuition industry which focussed on money and marks. "This is not education," I told myself. I was searching for meaning in the wrong place. In my third year of operations, with my frustrations reaching a climax, I wrote a book called I Challenge The Education Culture, in 2000 or 2001. I was so green and naive. Very foolish of me.
For the moment, I do not offer face-to-face tuition sessions. Tuition lessons are conducted online via Zoom. I am a little busy too. If you have exhausted alternative options and still cannot find a solution for your child, then do contact me via WhatsApp Messages: 97739441.
Do also check out www.shaheedsalimtuition.blogspot.com for updates.
Remember one more thing – tuition classes are for students who struggle with their academic subjects. If your child is already scoring As, he/she does not need tuition. Cycling in the park may be a better alternative for your child. Think, act and decide with wisdom.
