History & Literature teacher for IGCSE & A levels (Cambridge Certified). More than 10 years experience in teaching the CIE syllabus.

Find out more about Rimla

• When did you develop an interest in your chosen field and in private tutoring?

  Back in 2014, I found a couple of my students struggling in three major subjects: First Language English, Literature in English & History. They were also finding it difficult to find teachers who had knowledge of the subjects and prepare them for their upcoming exams. Since I too had sat for these subjects, I decided to look into the syllabus and found that I had both the knowledge and expertise to teach it to them. Thus started my journey in IGCSE teaching.

• Tell us more about the subject you teach, the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less).

  My favourite subject to teach is Literature in English as the subject is vast & requires a lot of discussion that makes the lessons interesting. The syllabus also gives a lot of options so that means I never have two students doing the same thing even though they are sitting during the same exam session. This allows me to also improve my teaching skills.
  
  I also love teaching English First & Second language because it is entirely based on your skills. Teaching skills to students requires both patience and practice. Students need to be resilient & practice vigorously to get high grades. That is where proper guidance and experience comes in as a teacher.
  
  While History is my favourite subject, it is not my favourite to teach because the syllabus is incredibly vast. I love to teach German & American history along with the first 3 chapters of the syllabus. I am less excited to teach chapter 6 & luckily that is the chapter that comes out the least!

• Did you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you?

  I have several role models. One of my best role models is my own mother who was an English teacher for more than 35 years. She taught me that patience & encouragement is key in the child's learning journey. My other role model is my Literature teacher from school Ms Marijke who taught us how to analyze texts. I have kept that knowledge with me for more than 25 years. Another of my role models is my International Studies teacher Dr Yeoh from Monash University. From him I learned that all geopolitics issues have a history and that is something I like to teach my students as well. This not only makes the class interesting but increases their knowledge of current affairs.

• What do you think are the qualities required to be a good tutor?

  The three most important qualities of being a good teacher is to have patience, know what you are teaching & always keep the student's best interest at heart. This means that if you feel the student can do better with another tutor, learn to let that student go so that they can achieve their goals.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  In grade 7, our teacher decided to teach us A Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare. Even though the topic, theme and understanding Shakespeare was difficult, I was excited because I loved the storyline. We performed scenes & memorized much of the play that I remember to this day. It is one of my most cherished memories from school.

• What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or still facing in your subject?

  One of the biggest difficulties I face are with students who come to me with a very short time span to prepare them for their exams. Oftentimes, I am unable to take these students but on the rare occasion I do, it causes stress to both teacher & student. However, having said that, I have had several students who have done extremely well in their exams due to putting in additional hours & working with me till the end to do well. Hard-work and dedication is required from both teachers and students in such circumstances.

• Do you have a particular passion? Is it teaching in general or an element of the subject or something completely different?

  My favourite thing to do is to create lessons for my students, especially for English First Language. This is something I am extremely passionate about. Most of my students are second language learners who are sitting for a First Language exam. This means their foundation has to be extremely strong. To aid them in their journey I have started creating lessons where I slowly introduce IGCSE skills in lower grades. I have found this to be extremely benefitting for my students.

• What makes you a Superprof (besides answering this interview questions :-P) ?

  My experience & passion for always putting my students first is what makes me a Superprof. I am dedicated to their learning and will find as many ways as they need to get them to learn something. To me, that is my biggest strength.