Five Marks

I call him CY.

A teachable, humble Normal (Academic) course student with an Express course student mentality and a winsome personality.

When I first met him back in June, his Math tutors dropped me a note about his English proficiency. When I saw his sentence structure making, I knew he needed much help. And he knew it himself too.

Had he met me a year ago, I would have straightened his English out and he should be passing well by then. But just four months before his Preliminary exam?

I myself also needed a miracle to see him through.

He may not be as articulate as the other Secondary Four girls, but his willingness to participate in discussion, to voice his opinion, to share his views demonstrates one fact: while he has not fully developed his writing style, he has substance.

That's also the pre-requisite for a potential GP student. Without content substance, every teacher knows that there is little chance to write a reasonable argument.

One of his math tutors, TS, revealed that he did not start off with such humility and a thirst for knowledge two years ago. Instead, he was overly confident of himself to the point that it was almost impossible to teach him. To make the matter worse, he refused to acknowledge his weakness in English Language.

Well, he was certainly making the old adage alive: an empty vessel makes the most noise.

However, under the patient guidance of the Math tutors, he began to change for the better in the subsequent years. Given his immense interest in Geopolitics and Current Affairs, he was encouraged by his tutors to read widely and hold discussion with them on topics of his interest. As such, he began to speak more confidently and eloquently.

I must say, this young man has earned his right to be heard and to be taken seriously.

I work with him. Even when the other students in the group are leading the discussion, I know he is learning by listening. When he speaks, he puts it across cogently. And he puts in effort to write more coherently.

Recently, he received his Prelim Exam results. His English essay had been held up by his class teacher as the SECOND-HIGHEST-SCORING ESSAY in the class. I can tell he was elated!

To reward his good effort, I bought him a cake.

Picture from http://www.womanandhome.com/recipes/292936/glamorous-chocolate-cake

He was too surprised. So, he blurted out, "I don't need this."

TG (his other Math tutor) and I looked at each other.

I thought, What? That's absolutely obnoxious!

"Oh no! I'm sorry. I mean to say, 'I don't deserve this!' " He apologised profusely.

Oh well, that's humble CY who scored a 25 out of a full score of 30 in his Prelim Exam essay.