1.5 years: part-time tutor and after-school caretaker for P1-P6 (class up to max 15 students)
June 2021: Completed CELTA (Teaching English as a 2nd Language)
Lower secondary level - English History Social Studies
Upper secondary level - English History
University Entry Exams - IELTS
Commitment / Other Details
free to transition into full-time tutoring, unless I am offered a position with an ESL school, in which I would give advance notice and still be available in the weekends. Group class: Admiralty/WL
Rapport Building
It depends on the age of the students. For lower primary children I like to give stickers, sometimes sweets (after I have gotten the permission of parents of course) and I generally enjoy chit-chatting with the younger students, most of whom I can confidently say enjoy my company (I have photo evidence!).
For upper primary kids and above I generally try to treat them more as equals, since they tend to dislike being 'looked down upon'. I also usually make small-talk with them when I can, to try and get to know them better as individuals, and tailoring my teaching style according to their personalities (for example, when dealing with more sensitive students).
As for parents I try to communicate with them after every class, to let them know what their children are weak at, and how they can also improve outside of class time - for example, through self-practice. I also let the parents know of their children's behavior during class; whether they are attentive or not in particular (since I have dealt with kids that sometimes just refuse to do their work).
Keeping Up with Curriculum
I have younger siblings still in school with all the relevant materials to keep me in the know of the syllabus.
As a Good Tutor
I think patience and control of one's temper are the most important qualities. As someone who has handled large classes of children for months being patient with each child is difficult especially when they all go at their own pace, but very important. There is a general tendency to want to rush through things with every child, and having patience to work with each is thus important.
I've also dealt with children that are not always the most well-behaved - my previous workplace has kids that cannot sit still, like to move around and also like to talk back to teachers and try to get away with doing less work. Controlling my temper to make sure I do not explode and affect my student, while still disciplining them properly is a skill I believe is also necessary. A tutor should know when to be nice to a student and when to go hard on them when it is needed.
