Since young, my ambition was to become a teacher. Being the eldest in a family with four children, I used to play something we called "teacher teacher" with my sisters when we were young. I would make them do assessment books while I marked and also reprimanded them like how my teachers used to do it in primary school.
As I was growing up, my relatives would constantly ask me what I want to be when I grow up. When I told them I wanted to be a teacher, no one took me seriously. They were always telling me how I should aim to work in the finance industry like my cousins as those jobs would allow me to earn alot in future. I did not like the idea at first as I have heard that the finance industry is very competitive and alot of people there will step over you to get to where they want. However, after some time, I let their words influence me and convinced myself that a job in the finance industry would be the right choice for me. That was how I decided to come to NUS and major in Mathematics.
However, after a few semesters in NUS, I came to realise that I am not one who is comfortable in dealing with stress and the competitiveness. I also realised that actually all along I still had the passion to be a teacher. I started giving tuition to gain some experience in teaching and also to earn some money on my own. There are some challenges I am facing now as a tuition teacher. I have a primary one student who has problems learning and is also hyper-active. It is not easy teaching him and I often find myself getting irritated and angry at him. However, I see this as a challenge to myself and I hope I can find a way to help him in his studies.
My goal now is to graduate from NUS and save enough money so that I can go overseas to be a teacher. I hope that I will have the will power and determination to see my plans through.
