Teaching is Her Calling!

To understand your surroundings, first you need to understand your own self.

“This is my favourite quote! I can confidently label myself a reflective practitioner. For me, this means taking the time and space to reflect on my actions,” says Hemalata Shuvas Bahadur, a Science tutor from Gopeng, Perak.

Graduating this year, this 27-year-old lady is one of the top-ranked graduates from the Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching (PGDT) programme. Completing the PGDT has now made Hemalata a certified teacher.

She explains, “I grabbed the opportunity in September 2020 when one of the schools I worked for sponsored me to sign up for the programme. Pursuing my study at OUM has proven beneficial to me.”

Hemalata was motivated to be an educator back in the days when she first conducted part-time tutoring to earn pocket money. After completing her degree in Applied Science at a local university in Penang, the teaching profession became an everyday reality for her.

“I have been teaching Science subjects to secondary-level students at three private schools from 2018 until June this year. I think the last three and a half years of teaching have moulded me into a better educator and given me valuable insights into work life,” says Hemalata.

The struggles of working and studying at the beginning of the pandemic are still vivid in her memory as she almost reached the point of burnout. “I worked continuously almost ten to twelve hours every day during the two-week school break to prepare for upcoming online classes. I had to make a lot of changes to adapt to this new approach,” she recalls.

Though currently busy with her PhD study, Hemalata is still tutoring part-time. In fact, she has been providing tutoring services on Facebook since 2017 under the name MHHTS, which stands for Miss Hema’s Home Tuition Service.

“I strongly believe that each child learns independently and has a unique learning style. Children may have varying grasping skills, so it is the responsibility of every educator to identify and address them, and then strategically work towards narrowing the performance gap.”

She adds that she has cultivated patience to listen and study her students’ body language so she can better connect with them. She tries to imagine herself as a child studying under the same conditions, and analyse the needs and expectations from the teacher.

This dedicated tutor strives to provide a personalised learning experience to her students and most of them have excelled academically.

“The methods I use have really helped me identify and implement the best way to guide and teach them effectively. I often carry a gadget with me on my walks with my puppy to record the sound of nature, such as rustling leaves, and the buzzing of bees. I incorporate these beautiful sounds in my video lessons,” Hemalata says.

With her unique approach, the MHHTS Facebook page has been flooded with updates and positive reviews from satisfied parents.

While we all know teaching is a noble profession, Hemalata will be taking her calling a step further by giving free tutorials to underprivileged students.

“My sole intention is to contribute to society, and I believe that every child should have access to education. I am working to provide free sessions via an online portal. The updates will be posted on the MHHTS Facebook page soon and I will be advertising this on other social media platforms as well!” concludes Hemalata.

By Izyan Diyana Merzuki