|
My Profile
Born and educated: University: Qualifications: Teaching experience Current: Past: Subjects taught: |
United Kingdom London School of Economics BSc Accounting & Finance Trinity CertTESOL Independent private tutor ITS Education Asia Kellett School Alpha Academy Yew Chung Arts and Language Centre Granville Campus Learning Centre Maths, English, Latin, French, Verbal and Non-verbal Reasoning |
Background
Born and raised in England, I studied at a highly-selective independent girls' school near Liverpool, where I achieved 10 GCSEs and took A levels in Maths, Latin and Russian. I had a passion for languages from a young age, but did not immediately pursue a language-related career after graduating from The London School of Economics in Accounting and Finance. Instead, I joined the Tax department at Ernst and Young, London in 2002. I was granted an internal transfer to Hong Kong a year later, a city I had always adored and wanted to live in. Weeks and months passed, up to a point I no longer wanted to do tax computations and crunch numbers any more. I wanted a job that gave a sense of achievement, more interaction and creativity. It was time for a change...
Early years of teaching
In 2005, my first full-time teaching role at Granville Campus, an English learning centre, gave me insight into phonics, writing, grammar and conversation classes. This was an initial experience in teaching a large group of students from the age of 4-12, and I realised how classroom management was essential to keeping control and order. The most rewarding thing about teaching is watching your own hard work reflected in the student as they steadily read and speak more fluently in English. At weekends, I privately taught small groups of students working towards the Cambridge Young Learners exams: Starters, Movers, Flyers, KET and PET.
In the summer of 2005, I spent one month completing my Trinity CertTESOL with English for Asia. The course improved my skills with respect to lesson preparation, teaching methodology, error correction and increased my awareness of students' needs. I have been able to apply what I learned here not only in teaching English, but also French and Latin.
Common Entrance preparation
I worked at Alpha Academy for over two years focusing on English, Maths and Latin. I specialised in training students for the UK Common Entrance Exams (CEE) and Non Common Entrance exams at 11+, 12+ and 13+. I also gained insight into the local schools and international schools education system and curriculum. I gave a number of summer courses on "Learning English through Drama" and Verbal and Non-verbal Reasoning.
In 2008, I joined ITS Tutorial School (now ITS Education Asia) and on Saturdays I taught English reading and writing courses at Yew Chung Arts and Learning Centre (YCLA). I continued to teach Maths, English and Latin at ITS, and with a growing number of Latin GCSE students, I became conversant with the Latin OCR syllabus and examinations. During this time, I also taught Maths at Kellett School based on the Key Stage 3 syllabus to prepare students for the CEE.
Becoming a private tutor
Since 2011, I have worked independently of any tutorial school. Over this period, I have focused on reworking teaching materials and honing my teaching skills to accommodate the needs of every student from primary to GCSE. I have extended my scope of teaching to Year 9 French, with particular focus on the UK syllabus. Throughout my years of teaching the most heartwarming moments are when students tell me they love learning what I am teaching them, or get excited about what they are going to learn next. And, of course, the sense of achievement upon receiving news of a student's acceptance into the school of their choice, improved exam results or a fantastic GCSE grade.
Students who study with me may have a specific target in mind or may simply want to learn a language for linguistic or cultural interest. Whatever the purpose, I strive to enliven the learning process and deliver what is expected of me so that all students achieve their goals.