The world of Tzu Chi Nov-Dec 2022 (Vol.144)

2022 • 12 10 pecial Feature approach to learning, high level of class participation, and good progress in the Malay language. He became confident and started to make an effort to open up, braving himself to speak and interact with his peers. With that, he made some friends at school and developed close friendships with other kids in his neighbourhood. When Rakin learned that Teacher Chor, whom he has looked up to as a role model, had to leave them at the end of September to concentrate on his SPM examination, he was sad. However, he knew he should give his blessing. Thus, he decided to cherish the last few lessons with the teacher, and paid more attention and studied harder instead. A pleasant first experience Teacher Chor was gratified to know how his students appreciated him. He said, “I did not expect to meet a good bunch of students the first time I became a tuition teacher. I am very happy and touched.” Teacher Chor learned that Tzu Chi was recruiting tuition teachers for the “i ∙ didik” programme from his mother, who is a member of Tzu Chi Teachers’ Association and the programme’s promotion team. She had encouraged him to apply to become a Bahasa Melayu tutor considering his proficiency in the Malay language. As Teacher Chor felt it was manageable to spare 1.5 hours weekly for the tuition, and spurred on by his intention to contribute to the well-being of the care recipients’ children, he gladly accepted his mother’s suggestion. Teacher Chor shared, “I was overjoyed when I was accepted as a tuition teacher. At first, I only had three students. The number eventually increased to six. They are all Primary 4 and 5 students.” He also added that his mother has been running a tuition centre for more than a decade, and from his observation at the tuition centre, it was not all that difficult to be a tuition teacher. However, he soon discovered that online teaching was much more challenging than handling a physical class. Without being with the students face to face, he did not know whether the students really paid attention.Worse still, some students did not stay in front of the camera. He later instructed everyone in the class to sit in front of their cameras. Nonetheless, the students were unresponsive most of the time, and did not even respond to questions he posed. Faced with such situation, it was inevitable for a rookie, who lacked experience, to feel nervous. Despite his effort in preparing teaching slides, he soon realized that if he kept focusing on teaching, the children would lose their concentration and get distracted, and even display signs of impatience. After referring to some online teaching techniques, he found out that some teachers were really engaging and able to attract the students. Thus, he decided to emulate them and make his teaching interesting too. Knowing that primary school students enjoy playing games and listening to stories, he tried to incorporate these components in his class. He added a game session before and after the lessons to lighten the atmosphere, and would frequently pose question to the class as a way to get the students to recall what they had learned. He would also patiently repeat the vocabulary or grammar that the students had difficulty understanding. His generous compliments on the slightest progress the students had made often made them happy. Moreover, he adopted a humble