We have interviewed our instructor, Dr. Cecilia Cheung, in the following Q&A session.
- What do you like most about giving classes to our students? What makes your teaching experience the most rewarding?
I enjoy giving classes to my students the most is that I enjoy the feeling of satisfaction that they can learn to overcome their fear and weaknesses, and become more motivated to keep learning themselves. Sometimes, just simply a smile on their face that they realize the fun behind the knowledge, or a positive discussion that they show me they are mentally aroused, will make my day. A even more satisfying one was, seeing my students able to improve, and get over the hurdle to pass important exams. - What part of your PhD and research work abroad has helped you the most with being an instructor?
I feel that what has helped me massively from my PhD and research work abroad, was that I am now able to read and learn much faster than before. It has helped me to be able to get through materials and books very quickly and efficiently. I hope my students can learn to achieve effective learning too. Other than that, I feel that my oral English and writing skills have improved drastically through my PhD and research era. I feel that I am benefitting from these skills as an instructor. - Do your students come and go a lot throughout the past few years? How do you feel about it?
To a certain extent, yes. I have some students who have moved away to continue their adventures in other countries. I feel very happy and excited for them, as I myself had lived in other countries and can imagine that feeling. It is a good life experience and opportunities to learn about different cultures by experiencing it. Other than that, I have previous students who I feel that their learning methods and attitudes had been very well themselves, and my help was mere an extra, and not a total necessity to them. I am glad to have assisted part of their learning at some point in their journeys. But I do have some students that keep coming back for more, and I feel happy to see these familiar faces. I would miss them as if they are my friends. I am trying my best to help with their learning, and constantly pushing them to their new limits. - Can you describe one of the most memorable incident happened during your class?
The most memorable incident was one of my youngest students cried for the first time during the lesson. I am usually nice to my students, provided that they behave nicely too. But if they did not follow my instructions during class, it would be my responsibilities to discipline them and guide them to make the most out of the class. My student got upset and cried after the discipline. As a single child in the family, and usually teaching much older students, I was not sure how to interact, and what to do when my student cried. Luckily, the student’s auntie was there and helped with the situation, and I felt relieved. I now have learnt how to deal with similar situations, and feel that this could be just part of the learning process of an individual. - How has your class been affected during the Coronavirus outbreak?
My class schedule has been affected significantly during the Coronavirus outbreak. I usually start class during after-school hours. But with the COVID-19, some of my classes got shifted to school hours, and I have been happily benefitting from longer work hours. - Are you enjoying your work? Did you always think that you would become an instructor one day?
I enjoy my work more than I can say. I also have troubles in trying to be more specific about this – there is just something about giving private classes that keep me going naturally. I never imagined myself being an instructor, until I first tried to be one by accident. I took the opportunity as encouraged by a great friend. I was trained as a scientist, and had spent many of my years reading, absorbing knowledge, and carrying out experiments in the office and laboratory quietly and independently. I did not imagine myself would become an instructor who spent most of my time talking this much, spreading the knowledge and skills that I have to my students. But I feel happy to finally be able to spread and “release” my knowledge at a much higher rate than before. - Did you learn or gain anything through the classes yourself?
I have learnt together with my students in knowledge throughout my class. There are so much knowledge out there, that are new to me every day, and I share the most interesting ones with my students. Many curious students have asked me plenty of questions, that I sometimes need to learn and research to find the answers. I enjoy the process of questioning, answering and learning together with them. Other than that, I have looked for materials that offer me an alternative perspective to explain the same certain logic. I have gained from exposing to more variety of ways how things can be explained and thought about. - What kind of students should choose to take class offered by Integralxsolutions and, comparing to tutorial centres? What kind of parents should choose to take class offered by Integralxsolutions?
Classes at Integralxsolutions are more personalized to individual needs, than those being offered at tutorial centres. Due to higher flexibility and more tailor-made to students’ needs and weaknesses, students who would like to learn at their own pace should choose Integralxsolutions. Other than my specialties, provided preparation time is allowed, I usually would accept any materials that my students would like to me to look at with them together. To me, learning follow the same logic, and there is a pathway (to investigate, observe, analyze and conclude) that I know who lead to success. Parents who would like to have their kids to be educated with instructors of extremely well qualified should choose Integralsolutions. Other than that, you would be taught by the same instructor throughout the course, and not felt that your learning is intermittent by multiple or constantly changing instructors. Moreover, those who would like to keep updated with their kids’ learning performance with their latest lesson feedback and communications with their instructors should choose us.
For more information about our instructor, please visit here. For more information about Integralxsolutions personalized STEM education services, please visit here.
