Here at IB Lounge, our mission is to inspire our students. Although this may seem like a vague statement, it actually contains a lot of meaning. Let us dive in to what our story actually means. 

The Backstory

As a student, I personally didn’t enjoy studying. I would often complain to my parents that it is a “waste of time” and what I was learning was “irrelevant”. Although my grades were fairly decent, I mostly studied hard only to satisfy my parents. Deep inside, I did not really care about the subjects. 

But, there were some subjects which I thoroughly loved learning. 

Through the years, I did not understand why there was such a difference between subjects I loved and disliked. This was until a few years ago when I really sat down to think about it. 

I realised the difference was in the teacher. 

Let me give you a brief example. I always disliked Mathematics because it seemed like a rigid subject. Most teachers teach Mathematics as if the only way to learn it was to memorise formulas and just apply them mindlessly to mountains of past-year examination papers. To me, it seemed completely monotonous and repetitive. 

In essence, I felt that there was no actual learning, just regurgitation. Because of this, I did not study wholeheartedly for Mathematics and always felt that it was a drag. 

During Junior College/High School, this changed. I remember my Mathematics teacher walking in on the first day. He was rather tall and frankly, initially intimidating. But as he taught, I saw that his eyes showed passion. Not only in Mathematics but also in teaching it. 

His lessons explained Mathematical concepts by bringing in his own analogies and how they can be applied in to the real world. He taught his classes with enthusiasm and his lessons were never boring.

He managed to bring life in to something so seemingly mundane. 

And I was entranced. 

I began focusing on Mathematics and even developed a keen interest in what was taught in class. I even took the effort to consult my teacher whenever I did not understand any concept and did extra practices on my own. 

However, due to my weak foundation, I struggled during the initial months of Junior College. I now had the interest and heart to study this now beautiful subject but lacked the skills. 

Fortunately, my teacher was also kind and generous. He took the extra effort to make sure we understood the concepts and even stayed back after school to help those who lagged behind. He believed that everyone of us had the potential and it was evident that he was there to help us achieve it. 

Seeing his determination to help us not only understand, but appreciate and enjoy Mathematics also spurred me on. I studied extremely hard for Mathematics but for once, it wasn’t that painful.

I eventually managed to score a 7 (the highest grade) in Mathematics during the IB. This was of course something I was proud of but that wasn’t the biggest takeaway. 

What I gained most from my teacher’s guidance is a deeper appreciation and enjoyment of Mathematics. I was able to view it in a different light which helped me get over my initial prejudice. This, I felt, was much more valuable than just attaining a good grade. 

To all the teachers who make the extra effort to inspire their students, we thank you!

So How Do We Practice our Mission on a Day to Day Basis? 

After Junior College (equivalent of last two years of high school), I wanted to pass on the gift of having an educator who believed in his/her students. I found that many tuition services in Singapore were only focused on dumping practices on their students without any personal connection. 

Therefore, one requirement in our recruiting process is that tutors must genuinely care about their students. To do this, we deep deeper in to their motivations for tutoring, looking for tutors whose goal is focused on students. We also look for tutors who would go the extra mile to help their students, not just in terms of time but also in making lessons more effective. 

I also believe that learning shouldn’t just be about memorising or regurgitating but about having a deep appreciation of the subject. Of course, there is a fine balance between this and achieving good grades but they should not be mutually exclusive. 

To do this, our tutors incorporate real life examples about how the concepts are applicable in the real world. Beyond this, they also find interesting ways to explain difficult concepts. Some of these concepts helped the tutors while they were students and now they share them with their students. Another trait that we look for during recruitment is whether the tutors are passionate about the subject they are teaching. We usually screen this through a demo lesson that tutors conduct for our more senior tutors. Because our tutors are passionate, this shows during their lessons.

Passion is infectious. 

Our tutors also make lessons enjoyable. We encourage our tutors to make lessons more engaging and fun. To do this, some group lessons have friendly competition amongst the students. Another way we have achieved this is to treat our students more as friends rather than students. This helps to break the ice and create more amicable friendships between tutors and students. Students often also share the challenges they face in school and we are able to relate due to our own similar experiences. Eventually, lessons become more engaging and sometimes, even funny. Our belief is that if learning is fun, students will enjoy coming to class!

Of course, we don’t neglect the fact that as tutors, our job is also to prepare students for their examinations. Yes, we do provide practices, quizzes, notes and many questions for students to attempt. There is nothing new about this! The only difference is that we do it differently.

Unlike traditional tuition services, we encourage students to make mistakes early. We inculcate in them that this is perfectly normal and that learning is a process not a destination. If a student makes a mistake in our class, he/she is not shamed but instead encouraged. Our tutors even take the extra effort to understand why the mistake was made and address any misconceptions. Our students have thus become participative in class.

They answer with the mindset that trying is more important than getting the right answer. 

Well, there are more examples that I can show you how we are trying to achieve our mission everyday. But this mission is not something that can really be achieved, in an absolute way. Everyday, we are finding better ways to do so, sometimes with the help of our students. 

Our hope is to be able to inspire and help as many students as possible. Not only in their studies, but also in life.