Academic Success Takes Work!


 Every learner needs to put in the effort, time and energy to learn and master new knowledge and skills. There is no short-cut to learning. You cannot take a pill and expect to attain higher levels of mastery. Such pills only exist in the world of fiction, not reality. If you want to master any difficult knowledge or skill, you need to put in the effort, energy and persevere through the difficult period called the learning process.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tuition With Me

Image
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&#
Read more

What Makes A Great Teacher

Image
In my life as a student, I have met only a few great teachers. Who is a great teacher to me? First of all, a great teacher need not be working as a teacher. A great teacher transforms some of his students positively and inspires many more to new and greater heights. He cannot but be passionate about teaching, and it is likely he is always in a permanent learning mode. A great teacher creates impact although he may sometimes steer off the syllabus. If you were to ask him why he steered off track, perhaps he would tell you that positive transformation is at the core of the curricula, and therefore, he has stayed true to the purpose of teaching and the curricula. Mr David Fahy, an Irishman in my secondary school, was more a lion than a school teacher. Much larger than most adult Asians, his size, voice and antics scared the hell out of my classmates. Thinking logically and being articulate in our thoughts was the path that led to a well of knowledge the lion protected. One not to shut his
Read more

Don’t Give Up On Math Yet

Image
  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. This
Read more