Where should I begin with the amazing standards of learning at The Thought Tailor Centre?
Last year, when I received my end-of-year results for English, I felt rather disappointed. I was not disappointed at the fact that I merely got a B3/4, but rather disappointed at the fact that I was unable to achieve my greatest potential. Before getting my results for end-of-years, I tried to work really hard to address the problems that I have. All I ever got then were ambiguous and rather kurt suggestions, which still left me bewildered and nonplussed. Just imagine being in a situation where you have really worked so hard for something, only to realise all of these efforts are simply futile and pointless. It was bittersweet. When asked how to annotate a text for instance, the one thing that I prominently recall to this day was “Read the text again”. At that juncture, this main worry came to my mind: Can I do well for O Level English? Well no, judging at how progress was then. Fear of failing English had been instilled ever since I started Secondary School, but without effective capabilities to do well in school, has it ever been fair to keep fearing for my grades?
I decided that I had enough.
TTT has changed my life. The immeasurable impact that it had on my life cannot be expressed truly just by words. For one, lessons are so much more focused and efficient. In my school, the main barrier that had kept me from learning effectively was a rather convoluted and messy structure. During those English lessons, at one moment I could be doing comprehension exercises, and then abruptly continuing with editing assignments. And of course it was quite a mess during the oral preparations: Intermittent lessons scraping the surface, and English Content Lectures that were hard to dissect and seave out necessary information. By comparison, while lessons at TTT are quite intense sometimes, there seems to be a much clearer direction towards things. This is essential especially if one is considering doing well in exams. But perhaps the more impactful feature would be the extensive preparation – loads of focused drill practices that cater precisely to the main problems that I had. In my school, another major barrier would be the fact that there is little to no micro process writing, in which paragraphs are written rather than full essays to analyse at a micro level. The TTT programme is full of this, and my essays have considerably improved in terms of language and content generation. This is all the more made even more efficient in the many group exercises and is certainly not seen on such a regular basis in school! Some of the highlights of the programme that I attended would include oral content lectures, in which meticulously researched, concise and thought out content were provided to enable us to tackle spoken interaction with ease, and the recent SVOCA (Editing) masterclass. Where else would you find such a centre that actually provides concise and precise strategies for editing, and even a whole content bank filled to the brim with high-impact and easy to apply information?
I feel that the main conundrum in school is that teachers often lack enough time for adequate preparation, and this could compromise the support given to students. In TTT, this is rarely the case. Perhaps the next reason why TTT is the desired place to learn English would be its unwavering support system. I vividly recall this period of time where TTT dedicated two whole months for oral drilling practice to leave no stones unturned – the vibrant cacophony of my peers drilling their reading passages and spoken interaction, juxtaposed against the clear focused criticisms from my teacher Mr Russell. Two people that I would like to bring up would be Mr Russell and Burdette.
I think that the most unique thing about Mr Russell is that he is the best of all worlds in ensuring high quality lessons, effective notes and personalised support. While anyone can simply come up with their own notes and brand it as the ultimate notes, Mr Russell not only embraces the mentality that there is always room for improvement, it is his compassion to be the best of himself for his students that makes coming for his lessons meaningful and enjoyable. On a personal level, he has inspired me to be the person I am today. He is the one who instilled meticulousness. He is the one who gave me hope that I can do well in English. He is the one who rekindled my love for the subject after a plethora of disappointments and unease. Some people may have concerns that one’s teachers are nonchalant, indifferent or even apathetic to students’ needs, especially if it comes to English, the most important subject. Your worries will certainly be alleviated here! Another key person to look out for would be Burdette. While a part-time staff member, she constantly seeks to liven up the atmosphere and be someone whom we could confide in in our times of need. She really makes TTT not just as a tuition centre, but also a support centre too!
And perhaps the most selling thing about TTT is the fact that it inculcates holistic learning. In my teenage years, I admit that I may not be the most sociable person around. However, it is the group projects that I embarked on that has really widened my social circle, and I’ve really made some wonderful friends throughout the year. This actually extended beyond the centre itself. In school, it is this programme that has made me and my peers from my school closer together. As a matter of fact, it has motivated me to form a study group where we under the same tutelage can share our ideas, help others out, and even crack jokes and humour to diffuse tension in our lives. At the end of the day, had I not joined TTT, I would perhaps be quite isolated. My experiences do not necessarily reflect those who join TTT in the subsequent future. However, I can assure you that whatever it is, you will learn some things more valuable than just merely preparing for a major exam or test.
Looking back to when I was just starting my upper secondary life. “What’s there to study for English? Nothing!” I used to tell my friends that, and I really grudge myself for this. English tests had been the bane of my existence before I attended TTT, and I looked upon it with dread and apprehension. Now, I really look forward to each test that I take, as an opportunity to apply whatever | have learnt to good use. Even though I may fail and not get the desired results I want at times, TTT always provides me the motivation to keep striving for excellence in English. TTT is more than just a tuition centre, more than a place to just learn English, and really much more than just a school! Do join the centre, because I assure you, I have put the persuasive techniques I’ve learnt to good use! (Hahaha)