![\"Ng](\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.teachformalaysia.org\/blog\/home\/teachfor\/public_html\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Ng-Li-Yen-MED-RES.jpg?resize=1000%2C667\")
<\/p>\n\u201cWhen you understand your students, and you learn about their backgrounds, it changes the whole way you look at them.\u201d \u2013\u00a0<\/i>Ng Li Yen, 2015 Fellow<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I think one of the greatest challenges ever is to know how much to push a student.<\/p>\n
We know that not all students\u00a0are cut out for studies. I realised over time that I can\u2019t make everybody be what\u00a0I<\/i><\/b>\u00a0want them to be in life.<\/p>\n
My role as a teacher and a Fellow is to provide them with opportunities they might not otherwise get.<\/p>\n
For some students, studying just isn\u2019t\u00a0their thing\u00a0\u2013\u00a0but sometimes with a little push, a little prompting,\u00a0a little more focus from the teacher, they may realise that they like something they think they don\u2019t like right now.<\/p>\n
The challenge is, we don\u2019t know when to stop.<\/p>\n
Change takes time.\u00a0When we don\u2019t know when it will come, we may give up before it happens. Then sometimes we might push and push, but change never\u00a0happens.<\/p>\n
One of the main challenges as an educator is to know\u00a0when it is time to push a student harder, and when it is time to stop. There isn\u2019t one answer for all students.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve learned that when you humanise the people you teach, it\u2019s very different. I studied in a very competitive school where it\u2019s all about making sure you score and teachers were always focused on getting the subject matter across, the theories, how to answer questions \u2013 but the\u00a0soul<\/i><\/b>\u00a0isn\u2019t taken into account.<\/p>\n
At my school, you can\u2019t just focus on putting across knowledge. Their literacy is so low, they aren\u2019t interested in studying. If you keep pushing them, it\u2019s a bit harder because they\u2019re a bit slower. The only way for them to catch up is to give them a reason to learn.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve talked to visitors from European countries where English is not their first language. They would say \u2018Oh I only picked up English after college, and I learned it within a year.\u2019 And I thought, wow that\u2019s very interesting. Maybe I shouldn\u2019t push my students\u00a0to study, study, study \u2013 but make them think about\u00a0why<\/i><\/b>\u00a0they want to study a subject.<\/p>\n
And that can only happen if you know\u00a0your\u00a0students. Each student\u00a0is different, and we need to take time to get to know them.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard to be invested in everyone, but when you understand them and you learn about their backgrounds, it changes the whole way you look at them.<\/p>\n
Take for example, the\u00a0students who shout at you.<\/p>\n
If you start talking with them,\u00a0getting to know them, you\u00a0realise maybe they weren\u2019t brought up with parents in their homes. Maybe they were never treated respectfully by other people. Maybe shouting is just the way they communicate. When you realise that, you\u00a0don\u2019t get quite as angry. I\u2019m not saying\u00a0that it\u2019s right to shout, but with understanding, we can learn to relate to\u00a0them in a more positive way.<\/p>\n
Not all students will study.\u00a0Not all students will want to go where\u00a0we<\/i><\/b>\u00a0want them to go in life. Some are happy just earning a few ringgit, but maybe they\u2019re happy because they\u2019re\u00a0doing something they enjoy.<\/p>\n
At Teach For Malaysia, we\u2019ve been talking a lot about student vision \u2013 knowing where you are now, where you want to be, and who can help\u00a0you get there. I think a lot of students know where they want to be. They have dreams.\u00a0They may say they want to be a doctor but have failed all their exams. We need to ask them, \u201cHey where are you now?\u201d and then \u201cHow are you going to get there?\u201d<\/p>\n
I think teaching the subject matter is just passing knowledge. As an educator you are happiest when you actually see your students learning because they want to, not just producing the work.<\/p>\n
Ng Li Yen graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. She joined the Fellowship in 2015, and is a second-year teacher in a high-need school in Kerian, Perak. Li Yen teaches Science and English, as well as Physical Education!<\/i><\/p>\n
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