Shaheed Salim Tuition

  "What is ml?" Unsure. Litre? "How many millilitres is equal to 1 litre?" Unsure again. So I taught the student the conversion from litres to millilitres and the reverse. Some students will be able to master the formula and “prove” to us that they understand, but do they? As teachers, tutors and adults, will you deceive yourselves and move on to the next skill, telling yourself that the student understands the concept? You should test him for his true understanding. “Look at this packet drink? How much liquid is in it?” Silence. “Guess. Come on.” Silence again. “Come on, just guess.” What sort of Math teacher is this man?" the kid was probably wondering. “I don’t how,” the student finally replied. “I know you don’t know, but just guess.” He kid guessed a number, which was wrong, and then I said, “Look at the packet drink and see how much liquid there is in it.” The child picked up the packet drink and turned it this way and that, searching for a number.  “100!...

  Mr M and I chatted over the phone and he was very concerned about his son, E. He wanted to know my thoughts about his son. That was how it all began. When I received scans of his son’s SA2 Math paper, the name of the school and the unique ways the answers and corrections were written made me feel that I was not discussing about a common student. This one was different. Sensing the father’s deepening interest and dedication to his son, I needed to meet his son to know for sure whether my gut feel was accurate. E and I met before my talk. Within 30 minutes, I knew what the problem was. E was autistic.  It brought me back to almost 2 decades ago when Mr and Mrs Y entrusted JY to me. However, the couple did not tell me that their child was autistic. They had told me about some of his problems but never once did they say he was autistic. I knew then and now why the Ys and Ms do not tell tutors about their child’s autism. They do not want the thick limiting ceiling to be there at ...

  To those who have lost hope in Math, don’t give up yet. Once upon a time, when I was a secondary school student, Math became very difficult for me. It began at the end of Secondary 1. My grades continued to plunge until I failed quite terribly in Secondary 2. We didn’t have money for tuition and so failing Math was a real probability for me. However, a Mr Pei of Bartley Secondary taught E. Math in a clear and logical way that I was able to pick up some concepts. It gave me hope that I could pass Math if I worked very hard. And I did work very, very hard. At the end of Secondary 4, I scored A1 for Math. Would I have gained if I had a good tutor then? Of course. I think I had spent too much time on Math. Studying it on my own, I sacrificed the other subjects. However, because I did it on my own, I comprehend Math concepts at a deep level, which is to my advantage today. Self-teaching oneself Math is not a joke but on my own, I guided, counselled and motivated myself at every step. ...