Tuition

"The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher."  Lk 6:40 (NIV)

Tuition is defined as giving teaching or instruction for a fee.  The lucrative tuition culture has spawn in many countries like Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea.  This is in part due to the high-pressure cooker society children are being brought up in and the expectations parents have on their kids.  Many children would have at one point in time received tuition for academic subjects they study in schools.  Because of the one-to-one or small group dynamics that operate in a tuition set-up, children receiving tuition under such circumstances usually show great improvement.  I myself have also received tuition in my secondary school days for second language (parents didn't speak Chinese), which I managed to pass at O levels.   I also gave tuition when I started working - to primary kids and then A level students.  Many of the A level students that I taught improved on their performance at the national exams.   My own children also received tuition for Chinese before their PSLE, with one of them having Math coaching as well.  They did well enough in their PSLE to proceed to the secondary school they wanted.    

As can be seen, there's value in tuition but it comes at price, depending on the experience of the tutor hired.  The tutor who has the necessary knowledge and know-how to impart important skills to his/her charges would usually command a premium.  The scripture verse quoted above tells us that the knowledge and skill sets of the students would not rise above that of the teacher.  A mediocre teacher would produce students with mediocre results; likewise, an excellent teacher would have the potential to produce students with excellent results.  I want to say that if a child has the right attitude to learn in school then there is absolutely no necessity for him/her to be given tuition.  The teachers in schools are the best resource persons to consult when children have doubts or difficulties over their work.  Many teachers will go the extra mile to help their students if they see the children have a positive attitude towards learning and improving.  Once students have passed certain exams, they moved on to the next level, being taught by another group of teachers who can take them further in their cognitive development. 

In the pursuit of academic excellence, we must not forget to impart to our children important values like self-discipline, resilience and hard work.  Self-discipline is needed to enable them to prioritise their activities in life.  For example, those that are not so important can wait or be relegated to the last on the list.  When they don't do so well for certain test or assignment, they need the resilience to bounce back, learning from their mistakes or failures.  They also need to learn that success does not come on a silver platter; it requires hard work and effort.   My children are no longer receiving tuition; they have begun to rely on their school teachers by making appointment to clarify their doubts.  This too is an important social skill they have to pick up along the way.  Where Chinese is concerned, my wife would be in a position to help them.  What's more they are also immersed in a Chinese culture through attendance at Mandarin services and oikos meetings.  I would also play my paternal role to help them in Math or Humanities-related subjects.  By God's grace, they are not doing badly in their academic work.