I failed Maths. I'm a Math Tutor.

At the end of Sec 2, my academic life was in a sorry state. I failed almost all my subjects with an average score of 46. My parents and I were called into the principal's office and informed that I was no longer allowed to continue my education in the institution.

I was in a state of disbelief and so, blocked out most of what happened. With less than a month to the new term, I, thankfully, got myself a place in Sembawang Secondary School.

So what went wrong? For one I had a tough time transitioning from Primary School, especially to the school that was then ranked the #2 co-ed school in the country. What was most disappointing for me though, was how I did for Maths. I had this mousey teacher who couldn't control our notorious class. He was short, with hair coming out of a mole on his chin, and a voice so soft that he resorted to speaking into a mic with a portable speaker clipped to his pants. I didn't understand anything that came out of his mouth and got so frustrated that I scribbled Maths Makes Me Mad and DDR arrows in the textbook so I could practice the moves under the table during class.

I ended up learning nothing from him and he made no attempt to help me escape my fate. While my smarter classmates graduated and others got retained, I slipped through the cracks.

So just as I was starting Sec 3, my parents hired a maths tutor. When she worked with me, things became surprisingly easy. It took me two months to learn what I was supposed to know in two years, and before long I was competent enough to follow what was going on in class. I became engaged during lessons, and my teacher was actually brilliant. She was sharp, precise and taught with such clarity that it would've been hard not to understand her. With their help, I ended off my O levels with an A1 for E Maths and A2 for A Maths.

My math teacher in NYJC, whom some said looked like Garfield, had a wicked sense of humour and a knack for shaming students who didn't put in effort, was a genius. With that, I sailed through to an A at A levels.

When I completed my NS, I was looking for a job before starting my tertiary education. On top of being a sales assistant at Sony and enjoying the thrill of selling big ticket items over the Christmas holiday, I started tutoring Math.

I had been someone who royally sucked at maths and helped me empathise with the kids, forcing me to explain complicated things in the simplest ways, channeling the great teachers I had. Then, if the kid was cooperative, slightly hardworking and just a bit clever, they would reach heights they never imagined. It was gratifying to change their mindsets from "trying to make it" to "the sky's the limit". That's why I didn't stop teaching through my years as an undergrad and my first job.

And now, I'm a Math Tutor.