Tuition With Me

To meet the educational and academic needs of most students, school should suffice. Yet this is not the case in many Asian countries, and Singapore is no exception. Some parents insist that an A is not good enough and tuition is the logical means for their children to attain an A-star in the exams.  

I have provided tuition services to students over the last 3 decades, and it is crystal clear to me that the students who truly need the services of tutors are those struggling academically. This is because tuition is equal to extra academic support. Why would students who are already getting an A grade need extra academic support beyond the guidance of school teachers?

In 2018, I taught the above and below 8 students. 6 of them failed Math at P5. At the PSLE, they achieved 1 A-star, 2As and 5Cs. It was a spectacular year. 

For 2021, I am focussing on Mathematics for students studying in Primary 4-6 and Secondary 1-2. In Singapore, these 5 levels of study can drastically affect a student's educational journey because streaming takes place  at Primary 4, Primary 6 and Secondary 2. The highly effective school intervention programme for Math strugglers, called the Learning Support Programme (Math), covers the levels from Primary 1 to 3. The dips in the performance of Math strugglers are usually seen in the upper primary levels. 

Although access is not denied to hardworking students, the streaming process limits students who in the lower streams easier access to strategic educational programmes. For many Math students that I have taught, their awakening to the importance of academic performance only begins in the secondary school years. For some students who do not get the right tutors and teachers, they fail Math miserably and become disillusioned by the subject.

I believe it is my duty to help Math strugglers so that they excel in Math and become Math enthusiasts, seeing meaning the academic work they do. Why? This effort may significantly brighten the academic future of some students. For this reason, if your child is already attaining an A grade, do give this opportunity to another child, who requires my teaching more than your child. However, if there are enough vacancies in my classes, I am more than willing to teach your child and perhaps show him/her the meaning, value and joy of studying Mathematics.

Shaheed Salim