School Teachers Working as Tutors

[smurf]

Hi Chenonceau,


‘fairs’ is wrong meh?

[Chenonceau]

Yeah lor… "fairs" is salah…

[pixiedust]

ridcully:

Assuming a core knowledge, it is not terribly important that a teacher/tutor has a first class honours degree; I would prefer HUMILITY and PASSION.

Agree on above. Unfortunately, it is not easy to find people with humility and passion, let alone a tutor. I see many who just want to make a fast buck out of this 'tution nation' phenomenon. For parents who have limited content knowledge, best bet would be to pay a NIE-trained tutor - the assumption is that at the minimum the content knowledge and marking guidelines are relevant.

Chenonceau, I've met one who wrote 'Dear Dairy'....ya, no kidding !

[jamestancx997]

I will just let the considerable number of past students I've taken, some of whom had gone through a string of unsuccessful MOE/NIE-trained tutors before encountering me, enjoy the fact that I do not boast -- I state.


Sure, of course some will have higher qualifications than myself. That's hardly the point, as you correctly note, ridcully. The true winning combination is the academic knowledge, as indicated partly by the qualifications, and the actual teaching ability.

Let me reiterate: based on my observation over the years, an MOE/NIE background confers no particular advantage on the tutor. It does not serve as an indicator of skill and tutoring ability.

Another ancillary point: a fair number of tutors out there who are competent, i.e. the kind who will not say \"fairs\" when they mean \"fares\", know the so-called marking scheme as well as the teachers themselves.

I have never been afraid of being misunderstood as being arrogant. I know where I stand, I know what I am capable of, and I know that I have helped many students and parents who remain grateful. I know that I am able to continue doing this, and this gives me my sense of self-belief and my driving passion to take what I do, and develop it to the next level.

Self-promotion? Of course. I want my services to benefit as many people as possible. I have been transparent about this from my very first post: I have nothing to hide. I've opened my centre, and I am confident of bringing the very best out of every student I have.

[ridcully]

jamestancx997:

I will just let the considerable number of past students I've taken, some of whom had gone through a string of unsuccessful MOE/NIE-trained tutors before encountering me, enjoy the fact that I do not boast -- I state.

Always enjoy your postings, jamestancx997!


My favourite is:
http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=22647

jamestancx997:

I basically am a firefighter, have been for the last 8 years. Parents always used to get me to come in and have me be a statue of Buddha for their kids to hug my feet.

That's quite a powerful 'statement'. Frankly, I am in awe.

Rgds
R

[sunnydays]

I would rather prefer suitable and responsible tutors.

[Mdm Koh]

I think, honestly, it depends on the individual, and perhaps word of mouth is the best gauge of a tutor’s ability.


Just as there are tutors who are in tuition for a quick buck, there are also NIE-qualified teachers who, despite their training, are bad at teaching and regularly get a poor grade in their yearly review.

This poor grade, to my knowledge, has an impact on their bonuses, but it’s not enough to get them dismissed.

[Mdm Koh]

pixiedust:

jamestancx997:

..So, I just want to ask, why do you parents still think that being MOE-trained is still necessarily a marker of credibility?...

I speak for myself : because I expect a MOE-trained aka NIE-graduate teacher, to have knowledge of CURRENT PSLE syllabus and marking guidelines. Period. This, to me, is especially important for LANGUAGE componets eg. EL and CL compos.

Pixiedust,

The current PSLE syllabus can be easily downloaded at http://www.seab.gov.sg/.

[pixiedust]

Thank you Mdm Koh.


Exam format and marks for each section, yes can download for SEAB.
Guidelines to allocate marks for EL/CL compo, no cannot download.

PSLE Syllabuses are here : http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/syllabuses/
Sure, can download easily too. For PSLE science, it is about 58 pages. I expect a tutor I am paying to know the syllabus well and also the emphasis of marking.

My earlier response is my 2cents contribution to question raised and its my personal opinion - my choice as the paying \"customer\".

[atutor2001]

pixiedust:

... I expect a tutor I am paying to know the syllabus well and also the emphasis of marking. ...

Hate to disappoint you. For science, knowing the syllabus does not equate to knowing how to use the concept i.e. analysis and application.

I think many Pr science teachers themselves don't know how to tackle science Section B. Neither can they fully comprehend what is expected from each question. The worst is when the question itself is questionable. Maybe the syllabus itself is at fault as it covers only the main points without highlighting to students that there are always exceptions.