English has never been my forte. In fact, it was one of my worst subjects in school. I was constantly failing my examinations, and at best, I could only achieve a borderline pass. Like everyone else, I used to think that English was very boring and dry, and it is a subject that cannot be studied for. As a result, I was under a huge amount of stress and burden as I was afraid that without a passing grade in my English, I would not be able to be promoted to the next academic level. Yet, I still had no clue on how I could improve with guaranteed results.
Fortunately, I was recommended by my cousin, who was studying at TTT for GP. Though I was hesitant, I decided to join in fear that I would not pass my EL in the O Levels. After attending lessons at TTT, I realised that there were actually a number of things that I could actually study for, and that the subject can be approached and practised with the correct methods and techniques. Through my lessons with Mr Russell, I realised that EL could actually be fun and engaging, and I was able to learn a lot of the different answering strategies and skills needed to score, which were never taught by my teachers in school!
Moreover, Mr Russell utilises a step-by-step approach to teach us in answering every component in English, especially for the various types of comprehension questions. The lessons at TTT were clear and structured, and there was a lot of emphasis and focus on the skills and methods taught. Each lesson was paired with a clear objective and Mr Russell was always very clear and in-depth when teaching. The lessons were also very engaging with lots of laughter and joy, yet it was very impactful and informative. The notes and materials provided were concise, perfect for learning new and unfamiliar techniques, and were extremely helpful for any last minute revisions before the examination.
Being a very quiet and shy person, I appreciate the fact that TTT also provides 1 to 1 consultations with the teachers to allow students to have a better understanding of their mistakes and weaknesses. The teacher focuses on each and every single individual in class, and would often identify our strengths and weaknesses. This allows us to understand which area we should be focusing on more and exactly how we can work on it, as well as allow us to clarify any doubts we may have previously.
Furthermore, he has specialised and arranged targeted skill-based drill sessions for us to have more practises on the techniques taught, where we can identify our common mistakes and correct them directly. After getting my hands on the notes, along with the help I had received during the drill sessions, I was able to see significant improvements in my understanding and application for EL. I was truly impressed when I saw significant improvements in my comprehension results, where I had improved from miserable single-digit fails to consistent, higher passes in just a short period of time! I genuinely doubt that I would have been able to go from scoring F9s to achieving a B3 in my O Levels without TTT.
I would like to thank Mr Russell for being very patient and understanding with me. He had always guided me through all my mistakes and provided me with the apt notes needed when he realised that I was lacking the skills in a specific area. For example, he had provided me with a large vocabulary list when he realised that I had limited vocabulary in my essays. He also constantly provides the best for his students despite always being sleep-deprived and tired after marking our work. Our intensive drill. sessions were basically held every day, and Mr Russell had to work tirelessly through the entire period. Yet, we have never heard him complain and he was more than willing to help all of us through the tough and stressful periods leading to our O Levels so that we can perform to our fullest potential without any regrets. He constantly encouraged us and provided us with all the needed motivation we needed.
TTT is truly more than a centre, better than a school. The centre always feels very homely and warm, and I look forward to attending lessons every week.