My Teaching Journey – Elaine Lim
Name: Elaine Lim
Organisation: Punggol Group Tuition
Role: Tutor/Teacher
Bio: I am a private school teacher who specialises in preparatory course for Primary levels, following MOE syllabus and curriculum. If you're keen to know more, please contact me via WhatsApp
What inspired you to be a tutor?
Well, I feel that it is a fulfilling challenge to be able to stimulate the next generation to become lifelong learners. When I was studying in the University, I gave private tuitions to students who needed extra help in order to pass their examinations. Fast track to present day, as a mother of one, I am still heavily involved in teaching at the primary level. Honestly, there is nothing quite like seeing the spark of understanding on a child's face as a lesson “clicks” for them. I enjoyed that then, and it still does the same for me now. At that point, I thought that venturing into the teaching profession was a natural progression for me.
What are the qualifications and skills needed for this role?
I believe a good degree in the related subject that you are teaching helps, coupled with an enthusiasm in interacting with kids and the innate ability to make your lessons “digestible” to them.
Tell us about your teaching experience.
A typical day starts off with working on or adjusting my lesson plans for the students and incorporating ideas on how I can make the lessons livelier. After all, no student likes to attend boring lessons. There comes the marking of books and corrections, and even more corrections! There are times when I do need to maintain noise control, as a class filled with vocal students tends to be highly interactive. There is a vast difference between teaching a big group of 30 students and three in a group. Classroom management is very important to discipline a large group. In a small group, quality time is spent on teaching the concepts though.
What are some of the biggest challenges you face in the course of your work? How do you deal with them?
As in all jobs, there are bound to be challenges. One of the most challenging aspect of teaching is where I have a large group of students with different learning abilities in front of me and there is little scope for personal attention.
The approach I found best in dealing with this is to make the lesson enjoyable as a game or a friendly competition where all students could participate in. In their quest to win, they would need to understand the topics well and so forth.
In a small group setting, the only challenge I faced is to get the kids speak up as some can be quite shy!
What is the best part about your job?
Hmmm… receiving chocolates and flowers from my students on Teachers' Day, maybe? Just kidding. Well, I feel satisfied when my students demonstrate proficiency in the subjects that I am teaching them. That brings a smile on my face more than chocolates.
What advice do you have for parents who wish to enrol their child in your group?
Kids being kids, we should let them play hard when it's time to play and study hard when it's time to study. Let Punggol Group Tuition take care of your child's studying needs if you need an extra helping hand.
Keen to share your teaching experience? Head over to this page to submit it online!
A big fan of MOOC, I am intrigued by how technology has transformed education and makes learning fun again.