I am back!

Hello, everyone. Sorry for not posting any entry for the past two weeks. Was busy with the setting up and registering of my learning centre. It was tiring but satisfying. Some parents even offered to help when they knew about it. Even though I did not approach the parents to help out, I was really touched by their gestures. Thank you once again! I moved my boxes of resources to the learning centre yesterday. Will be posting some pictures of the learning centre soon.

Yesterday, I received an sms from a parent of one of my ex-tutees. She informed me that some parents were puzzled when they did not receive any reply from me. My apologies to those parents who tried to contact me but did not receive a reply. I missed a number of calls in the past two weeks. I have contacted those who left behind an sms. However, if I missed you out, please do not hesitate to send me an sms.

Doing Our Best

Met an ex-pupil on the MRT today. She was wearing the uniform of my alma mater, RJC. The sight of the familiar white and green uniform brought back many wonderful memories. We started chatting about life in RJ.

I shared with her that the teachers did not really exert pressure on us to perform well academically. Instead it was the peer pressure that propelled us to study hard. I would be awed by my brilliant classmates.

When I was schooling, I was very "kiasu". I did my best. I worked hard. When I was in the education service, I was not ashamed to tell my pupils that I was a "kiasu" teacher. I always do my BEST to coach my pupils so that I can stretch their potential. Likewise, I expect a certain amount of commitment from my pupils. I expect my pupils and my tutees to have the desire to do well.

Year after year, I have seen different batches of pupils graduate. What sets one pupil apart from his or her peers? Even in a high ability class, there will be some who will be way ahead of the rest despite the streaming or banding exercise. I feel that what sets these pupils apart is their mindset. Usually, these kids are very self-motivated. They want to do well. It is not their teachers or their parents who force them to do well. Instead, they themselves have set certain targets for themselves and want to achieve them. They want to do their BEST. Yes, these kids have the hunger or desire to do their best and succeed. They are willing to work VERY hard to achieve their goals.

Hence, as parents and educators, I think it is important to instil in the kiddos the importance of doing our best. It is not enough to give our second best. It is not about winning the rat race. It is about doing our best so that we can fulfil our own potential. It is about doing our best so that we do not look back at our lives in regret and lament that we could have done better.

Difference between may and might

One of my tutees asked me, "Teacher Serena, what is the difference between 'may' and 'might'?" Do you know the difference?

Both the words are auxiliary verbs. They are used to either express possibility or seek / give permission.

Examples of usage:

(1) I may be able to attend the party tonight. (express possibility)

(2) You may leave the hall now. (give permission)

(3) May I go to the toilet? (seek permission)

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(A) "May" expresses a possibility that is stronger than that expressed by "might".

A.1 I may attend the party tonight. (express a possibility)

A.2 I might attend the party tonight. (express a lower possibility)

(B) As "may" expresses a higher possibility, it will be used in expressions of good wishes instead of "might". If we use "might", we will appear insincere.

B.1 May you have a good trip. (Correct)

B.2 Might you have a good trip. (Incorrect)

(C) When we change a sentence from direct speech to indirect speech, if the reporting verb is in the past tense, "might" is used in the indirect speech in place of "may" because of backshifting.

Example:

C.1 Direct Speech: Mrs Tay said, "The match may be postponed."

Indirect Speech: Mrs Tay said that the match might be postponed.

(D) Use "may" in concessions.

D.1 I may not be pretty but I am kind-hearted.

~ Serena's Greenhouse

Value-addedness (Part 2)

I received a telephone call from a friend who has a child in P1. She asked me how she could gauge the effectiveness of enrichment classes. I shared with her my opinions.

Some schools have made teachers track their class results in terms of value-addedness. I think this is a very effective way of assessing a teacher's effectiveness.

Teacher A may be teaching an average ability P6 class whereby all the pupils failed Math (40+ marks) when they were in their respective P5 classes. In P6, most of these kids started to pass and gain confidence in Math. By the end of the year, two to three of these kids attained A* in PSLE while the majority attained As and a few attained Bs.

Teacher B is teaching a class with pupils of above average abilities. In the PSLE, half of the class gets A* while the other half gets A. Does that mean that Teacher A is less effective than Teacher B? Of course not! We must always remember that the kids' starting points in these two classes are different. As an ex-Science Subject Head, I see the reliability of using value-addedness to assess a teacher's effectiveness.

Hence, my advice to my friend and all parents is that assess in terms of value addedness. Do not just gauge by the end results. We must be aware of the different entry points of the kids. At which spectrum or mark range were the kids before the enrichment lessons? After a year, at which mark range are the kids?

Moreover, one size does not fit all. What works for one child may not work for another. Personally, if the child is very weak in the fundamentals, I think the child will benefit more if he or she can get individualised coaching. Of course, my friend did have a valid point. She mentioned that individualised coaching will only work if she gets a good tutor.

Value addedness (Part 1)

I received an sms from one of my ex-pupils who is in Sec 2 this year. He thanked me and shared with me that his score for a recent Composition test was the third highest in his class. He mentioned that he had used the vivid phrases that I had taught him when he was in Primary 6.

I was happy for him as he was able to apply what he had learnt in school. However, at the same time, I felt a little sad. Some of you must be wondering why I felt sad. Shouldn't I be happy when my ex-pupils are doing well in secondary school?

The truth is I felt sad that there was little value addedness to my pupil's learning at this stage. It's true that when I was teaching in school, I had always exposed my pupils to phrases that were beyond the P6 standard. I am not one who believes that we should limit a child's learning. Even though the boy and his classmates were in an average ability class in school, I did my best to expose them to a number of vivid phrases and writing techniques that I usually teach my high ability classes. I was heartened to see the improvement in their writing after one year of hard work. Hence with their foundation, I am sure more can be done to add value to them at this stage of their learning journey.

I have always prayed that my ex-pupils will be in a school environment that will continue to add value to their learning. This is not the first time I have heard of comments from some of my ex-pupils who are in secondary school that they are still relying on the phrases that I taught them in primary school. What has gone wrong? I am not sure.

All I hope for is that my ex-pupils will be as fortunate as I was when I was a pupil. I have met numerous dedicated and inspiring teachers who had added value to me. Perhaps that is why I always reminded myself that it is important to add value to my kids in school when I was an MOE teacher. It is still my philosophy now even though I am a tutor.

Do fish get electrocuted on rainy days?

One of my tutees asked me an interesting question. Do fish get electrocuted?

Teacher Serena's explanation:

The ocean is a salt solution which consists of a lot of salt ions and this makes it a good electrical conductor. When lightning strikes, anything sticking above the surface like a swimmer or a boat is likely to be struck by it.

Why are fish not electrocuted? When lightning strikes, the current shoots along the surface in all directions but does not go very deep. Hence only fish that are swimming near the surface will be electrocuted. The fish that are swimming deeper in the sea are spared.

~ Serena's Greenhouse

How to make a raw egg bounce?

How can you make a raw egg bounce? Is it possible? Read on to find out...

Materials:

• 1 raw egg
• 1 bottle of white vinegar
• 1 container / bowl
• water

Steps:
1. Place an egg into a container / bowl.

2. Pour white vinegar into the container until the eggs are completely submerged. Observe what happens.

3. Change the vinegar on the second day and subsequent days for a week.

4. Pour the vinegar away and rinse the egg with water.

5. Observe what happens to the egg.

6. Bounce the egg.

Note: You can place the egg in vinegar for about 48 hours and the egg will still be able to bounce.

Video:

Watch a video on the experiment.

Teacher Serena's Explanations:

When vinegar is poured into the container, bubbles are seen forming on the shell. The bubbles contain carbon dioxide. Why? Vinegar is an acid while egg shells are made up of calcium carbonate. The vinegar reacts with the calcium carbonate by breaking the chemical into the simplest parts, the calcium part and the carbonate part. The calcium part floats around in the solution while the carbonate part reacts to form carbon dioxide bubbles on the shell.

Some of the vinegar will pass through the membrane of the egg, causing the egg to become slightly bigger. This process is known as osmosis. Osmosis is the flow of a liquid from one solution through a semi-permeable membrane into another less concentrated solution.

~ Serena's Greenhouse