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Day 1: "If you never try, you'll never know
what you are capable of." - John Barrow
The PACE programme is a tuition cum mentoring programme that works towards academic progress among underperforming Form 3 students. I had obtained a chance to participate the programme. My task is to be an English mentor in a boy’s school which is called SMK Sentul Methodist. As I am still a student, I do not think that I have a sufficient knowledge to teach them. Besides, they were preparing for their coming exam, I worried that if I would make any mistake affecting their exam. Nonetheless, I will try my best to be a good mentor and give my full commitment into the PACE fieldwork.
Taking Initiative
When I entered the classroom, there was Chinese boy sitting behind the corner. His behaviour made me feel that he was reluctant to get involve in the PACE program. At that moment, something appeared in my mind. I hope that I could attract his interest to participate to the programme. My hope came true, I was assigned to be his mentor.
I am not an extrovert person, so do my mentee. We both felt awkward, however, I have to solve this problem since I was allocated to be his mentor. I gave him a simple introduction of myself. After having a short conversation with my mentee Yap Kin Boon, I realised that his personality is identical to my younger brother. Both of them are a smart person but their laziness ruins them. When I asked him to read out the question, he rejected me. I thought that he was shy to read it out, I thus suggested to read it together with him. Again, he rejected it. I had no alternative way and asked him to answer the question. Not surprising, the answer he given was correct. As I said earlier, he is smart.
Following the statement of C. S. Lewis, “it may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.” Although the process of teaching might be hard, I would never give up. The reason is simple, if I give up, Kin Boon would not be able to catch up his study.
Day 2: an unforgettable conversation
Today was the second mentoring session in SMK Sentul Methodist. We went through the session like normally in the beginning until my mentee said a words that makes me really unforgettable. He asked us what University we are studying and why we are so bad in teaching. This happened when I was explaining and translating a passage into Mandarin while doing comprehension part. In that part, he asked why “in total” can and must be used in that sentence but “at total” or “on total” cannot be. I realised that I was unable to explain to him so I just told him that is just an English rule and it cannot be explained. Apparently, my mentee did not like my answer.
At that moment I only knew, surely and clearly, that I was not a good mentor. I have done nothing for my mentee. Every week, I just went in the class and told my mentee which answer was wrong which was correct. That was so meaningless. Now I am wondering was that a good and correct way of teaching? Hey! I am supposed to teach the exam technique to my mentee, not being an answer machine. Hence, I decided to change my current way of teaching. Even though it is too late to teach him English step by step since the PT3 exam is right around the corner, but I can teach him some study strategies that I have found to be effective in the period leading up to his exam. I used to be a PMR candidates so I have experience about how to maximize the study prep in the week or two before the exam.
As Marva Collins once said “Do not try to fix the students, fix ourselves first. The good teacher makes the poor student good and the good student superior.” I have a good mentee who having a strong thirst of knowledge, I should feel happy and improve myself to be a good mentor. Through this experience, I have confidence that I will do better in mentoring if I still have chance to join this kind of activity in my future workplace.
Good Teaching Is About Hard Work, Not A Halo
Day 3: full commitment, full contribution
Today, there was a student missed the bus because of late. As a classmate, I think that time management and be punctual is very important. Poor time management could bring a lot of disadvantages. For example, the student that missed the bus will be losing marks in the assessment. It will also lead to whole group of people unable to work efficiently. Hence, we should manage time wisely and be punctual especially when it is involve whole group of people.
In today PACE activity, we mentored our mentee as usual, which was doing PT3 revision paper. I felt that the relationship between mentors and mentees has become closer. The mentees are dared to speak with their mentors compare to the first time. This is a good sign and I felt glad because the relationship between my mentee and I has become closer too.
After last time experienced, I determined to put my full commitment to the PACE activity. I promise to myself that I will not let my mentee disappointed again and feel that this PACE activity is useless and meaningless to him. Hence, I had prepared a notes that full of English grammar rules while he was doing his set paper. As English is not my first language as well, that is the way I learned English previously. Apparently, the notes was very useful to my mentee. He did the questions which are correcting grammar by referring my notes and got the answers correct. I hope the notes could really help him in his revision.
In this particular PACE activity, I have learnt that practice does improve a person because I have seen it in this PACE activity. Ray Bradbury once said “I know you’ve heard it a thousand times before. But it’s true – hard work pays off. If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice. If you don’t love something, then don’t do it.”
After the revision session, students had a competition which four groups had to compete with each other. The fastest who raised the hand gets to compete. The competition was to guess one simple English vocabulary according the mentee who acting in front of the class. As my mentee is a shy and passive person, I have observed that he could not managed to get into the competition. However, he was so focussed in the competition even though he did not raise his hand and answer. I believe that he was actually willing to involve in this activity. Nothing defines humans better than their willingness to do things. Nevertheless, I hope my mentee could be more extrovert as involving is very important in this society. As David Whyte once said “A sure sign of a soul-based workplace is excitement, enthusiasm, real passion; not manufactured passion, but real involvement. And there's very little fear.”
Day 4: The change is important
In the last PACE session, I felt very excited to see them again although my mentee was not excited, as it was the last time I see the mentees. We cherished our last moments together with the mentees as we know that it would be the last time we see the students. It is very regrettable that we forgot to take the class photo with all of them.
The class was on as usual, we taught the mentees the English grammar and the technique to answer the question. I have observed that my mentee was really improved as he is become hardworking. He was willing to write the answer in the answer sheet now. However, he still refused to read out the essay. During today session, I have come to realize that my mentee forgot again what I taught him last week which is all English grammar rule, and his PT3 exam is drawing really near, therefore the only thing I could do was to teach him again and again, ask him to take out the note I wrote for him last week and do revision. By the way, I was a little bit surprised that he was actually still keeping my note in his bag. I feel so happy about that. Now I only understand the feeling of being a teacher.
When the time of revision was coming to an end, I told him to have some revision at home as early as possible so that he would not fail in his English examination. I really hope that he could do well in his exams, so that all my hard work that I have put in him does not become invalid. After the revision, I saw he really improved and understand on questions, and I am glad that mentee’s effort was not a void.
Before the end of the session, my mentee need to leave early as he had a tuition after this. I was very happy because he told me that he will study hard and do the revision in the tuition. I never expect that honestly, but it did happens. For me, he is a hardworking and kind boy. He does not missed class from the beginning to the end of Pace activity.
Overall, I was happy about I could change my mentee to be more hardworking, and I know I have contributed to the community and changed the student. The change is important because as Frank Herbert once said- “without change, something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken.
Day 5: Grace Community Service
As a non-profit charitable organisation, Grace Community Service was formed with the primary objectives to generate community care, support and voluntary participation in programs, activities and services for people with special needs.
Today was my first day to join the Grace as last week session was cancelled due to the very unhealthy level of Air Pollutant Index (API) reading. After the briefing, I was allocated into the team that sorting clothes.
Initially, I thought this job was just a piece of cake because it is just folding those clothes and I always do that at home. But after that, I found that is not as simple as I think because we would need to be very well organized. For example, we need to categorise the clothes by gender, age, size, and even the type of cloth such as traditional clothing.
I always take things easy including my exam, but not this activity. The aim of such activity is to help those people with special needs. Therefore, I had put much effort on it than usual. In my view, when you commit your time and effort to an organization or a cause you feel strongly about, the feeling of fulfilment can be endless. That is the main reason why I did enjoy a lot in the Grace Community Service.
Through this service-learning session, I know how important is the community responsibility and the community service is. You will never know if you never experience it. As what Theodore Roosevelt said "This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in." As my mom is a volunteer in an orphanage and she often goes there and helps, I have decided to go with her next time to do community service. I hope that my little help can really make people with special needs to live better.
