One of the students that I teach tuition this year is the daughter of my primary school mate. So, I told him that his daughter made some silly mistakes (she was confused about grammar i.e. verb and noun). But somehow other friends who also have children who are taking SPM this year know about the tuition thingy. One of them asked me “Kau bukan mengajar kat UTM ke? Sejak bila buat kelas tuisyen? Ada pusat tuisyen ke?”
The answer to the first question is YES. The answer to the second and third questions is NO. I am not trained to be an English teacher. But spending one year at school teaching English for Latihan Ikhtisas gives me the chance to conduct tuition class until now. I am still learning from my colleagues and former students who are senior English teachers. They are the ones who share ideas with me and teach the students on daily basis. I am clearly cannot compare myself with them on that level. My stance is simple. I teach courses such as pedagogy, and thus I need to remain abreast of school-related stuff. One way is to be at school as regularly as possible. That’s it. It is that simple.
What is the difference between being a teacher and me as a tuition instructor (I cringe to use the word “teacher” at this moment)? If I can use an analogy, the teachers are the gardeners, I am just a lawn-cutter. I just come once a while to spruce up things a bit here and there. The plants cannot thrive well without the care of a gardener.