I am able to start immediately and continue lessons for as long as required. I prefer to conduct my lessons on Saturday or Sunday mornings and, if absolutely necessary, weekdays after-school hours (around 7pm). I am able to adhere to a very strict schedule, or provide more flexible arrangements (last minute postponements made half an hour before the lesson is acceptable).
Rapport Building
I always ask to see a new student's past test papers and assignments on the first day of the tuition. This allows me to get to know your child's abilities and potential where the subject is concerned. I also like to understand your child's study habits at home and in school, and his/her personal concerns about the subject. I like to find out what the parent expects of my tutelage (e.g. do you expect monthly updates about how your child is doing? Would you and/or your child prefer fixed or flexible tuition dates?)
Keeping Up with Curriculum
I am currently teaching Biology at a local Junior College. I am highly familiar with the curricular pace of the subject, as well as other academic commitments your child has (e.g. Project Work cycle, Mother Tongue intensive training periods, and the CCA commitments). My school policy mandates that all teachers participate in Professional Development meetings in which we share with each other pedagogical know-how and common misconceptions students have with the various topics.
As a Good Tutor
Good tutor pays attention to the academic and emotional needs of the student. Students need to be challenged, and feel that they are successful in accomplishing these difficult tasks. As such, good tutors must be equipped with the skill of creating novel questions and tasks that are pitched to the right difficulty according to the student's level of competency.
Each student is different in what aspect they need help in (e.g. techniques for memorizing details, grasping new concepts, organizing different concepts into a holistic framework, analyzing the question, applying concepts to tackle specific questions, examination tricks and techniques). Good tutors must be able to provide training for each and every one of these aspects and be astute in judging which aspects to focus on for a particular student.
