In the past, I could have never achieved an A in English. Perhaps it is because English isn’t my first language, but whatever English capabilities I had simply could not be translated into the skills that were required for examinations. When I first got in touch with Mr Russell in Secondary 3, I was still new to taking tuition and didn’t really know what to expect besides extra work and maybe gradual, baby steps towards an eventual A1 for O Levels. So, the jump in grades really surprised me.
I had gone from floating in the Cs and Bs to my first A in English, A2, and the improvement didn’t stop there. Under his guidance, I achieved 3rd in my Sec 4 cohort for English in my Sec 4 Preliminary Exams at Kranji Secondary, which was something I had never thought to be possible before!
I also managed to get an honours certificate that recognised my excellent academic achievement for English. The A1 in English for my O Levels came soon after, and after I went to Junior College, I managed to clinch the top 5% in my cohort for General Paper.
All of this would not have been possible without his help, and I am definitely grateful to him for helping to push me beyond the limits I thought I had and to reach my goal. He taught me how to strategise and how to prepare for the subject, and how to continuously strive for perfection even when I was already getting an A1.