Everyone Deserves Another Chance ...

With Much Appreciation ...

                                                                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                                                                

"When your students write you a note telling you how lucky they are to be in your class ... you know you have chosen the right path.

As a young, inexperienced teacher, I was thrilled and felt blessed when offered a job in Taylor's College ... almost right after I graduated with a Bachelor of Science with Education degree from University Malaya. I will be forever grateful to the late Mr Frank McFarlane, the then principle of Taylor's College Canadian Pre-University Program, for believing in me. Little did I know then that it takes so much more than mere motivation and a university degree to be a good teacher ... especially one who has the ability to inspire. 

A few months into the job, I was shocked when my students turned the table on me. I realized that in my eagerness to impart as much as I could in each lesson, I taught too much too soon and learned the hard way that more is not always good. In time, I learned that 'striking a balance' is indeed the name of the game!

Eventually I learned to turn one of my weakness,which is overloading my lessons with information, into one of my strengths, which is being skillful at repackaging knowledge creatively into manageble chunks.The feedback from my students informed me that it was a step in the right direction. Many thanks goes to Mrs. Janet Brown Chin, who generously showed me the way. Every afternoon she would leave her teaching file behind so that I could see what her lesson plans were like for the next day. Often, she would sit down with me and patiently go through the parts that I wasn't sure. With her support, I slowly but surely became a more confident teacher.Teaching is indeed a complex matter! Honestly, I did wonder if what I learned in university was of any use. I strongly believe that personal development hardly occurs without pain.That was the start of my passion for this profession. Mrs Chin is truly unforgettable!

Thus, I would like to think that everyone, even the weakest of our students, deserves another chance ...