MHI Tuition 2003
Introduction
MHI Tuition has undergone a few major
revamps and direction since the start in 1992.
We have also seen the changes in demographics of the students coming
through the doors of MHI tuition.
In the beginning when we first started
tuition, there were no students who know about our services. It started after
we decided to use our skills of sign language in order to reach out to the Deaf
Community. Raising the Deaf student’s academic ability seems to be the best way
to reach the student and its family and teaching the student to read, write and
communicate is the initial step in sharing the Gospel with them.
We tried reaching some parents by word of
mouth about our services when we started on Saturday. A few parents brought
their child, but they were not impressed with the attendance because there are
so few. Furthermore, we are just starting out in the use of sign language and
we are still in the process of learning how to communicate. Therefore the
attendance of such parent-student is not regular. Sometimes we are left with
nobody to teach. It was very
disappointing.
Later on, we called the Principal of the
Singapore School for the Deaf. We
offered them free tuition and invited them openly to come to Wesley Methodist
Church. However, we met them at YMCA and
then brought them into the church. The first tuition was remarkable. It was as
if the half the school descended upon MHI.
But the response was immediately attenuated when some of the Muslims as
well as non-Christians complained it was not appropriate to attend tuition in a
church.
Though after that exercise, we did see a
few more students getting to know our services and they continue to come for
tuition. We expanded to include extra
curricular activities to continue to attract these students to stay on. Next we attempted to contact the parents of
these students and establish a rapport with them. This further strengthened our
bonds with them.
As the attendance improved, we decided that
it should not be a homework center. The students need to learn something from
the volunteers. Therefore we decided, in
line with the first aim to share the Gospel with them, English language should
be the emphasis of the MHI Tuition.
Second comes Mathematics and then subsequently the other subjects. Later
on it went on to include Principles of Accounting and Additional Mathematics
when they reached secondary school.
By 1995, we realized that tuition is the
way to go as the population of students from not only Singapore School for the
Deaf increased and as more get promoted to Upper Serangoon Secondary School, we
need to expand to accommodate the number of students. The proposal for a full time Program
Coordinator is put up to the church.
Tuition expanded beyond Saturday and went on to Tuesdays as well as
Fridays.
By 1996, we have a full time Program
Coordinator. We established contacts
with the principal of Upper Serangoon Secondary School and have close rapport
with him. The Program Coordinator was
able to enter the school to provide interpretation for the students within
their own classrooms. A large group of
them are preparing for their O Levels and N Levels. We decided to prepare them and immerse them into
a highly specialized tuition called Success in English (SUE). A selected group of tutors were roped in to
conduct the course and it was very successful.
Most of them continued after the major exams with further education
either in Polytechnic or in ITE and none dropped out to the workforce.
In 2000, the demographics of the students
begin to change noticeably. With the
emphasis of integration, Ministry of Education has encouraged students with
disability to mainstream them into the normal schools. As a result, the
enrollment for Singapore School for the Deaf (SSD) as well as Canossian School
for the Hearing Impaired (CSHI) saw decrease in their population and
application to enter the schools. At the
same time, the introduction for the Cochlear Implant for students with medical
subsidy to the families with Deaf children have also encouraged more parents to
send their children for the operation.
CSHI worked closely with the hospitals in order to receive some of these
children in order to help them with the rehabilitation program because CSHI
have adopted the aural-verbal mode of education/ communication.
MHI also experience a change in the number
of students. The old group using the sign language is getting older and they
move either towards the workforce or they entered Polytechnic. Instead a new
group of students with hearing impairment known currently as Hard of Hearing
(HH) enter MHI to take up tuition.
MHI Tuition 2002
MHI Tuition in 2002 pose a significant
challenge for MHI as we enter into the new year. Currently as I see it, there are a few groups
with different needs and different levels of communication.
1)
The Adult group. Mode of communication : sign language. They
are usually the upgraders. Basic level of education is secondary school and
most do not have O Levels. They are trying to pass the BEST and WISE examinations
in order to upgrade and receive a better pay.
Numbers : 2 –3
2)
The Teenager group
(mainstream). Mode of communication :
speech. Currently studying in the
mainstream school. They may have been
through Canossian School for the Hearing Impaired. They have adapted fairly with the hearing
stream and needs help to keep up with the daily pressures of homework. They will eventually take N and O Levels.
Numbers : 1
3)
The Children group
(mainstream). Mode of communication : speech.
Currently studying in mainstream school.
They will take the PSLE. Numbers
: 1
4)
The Children group
(aural-verbal). Mode of communication :
speech and gestures. Currently studying
in Canossian School for the Hearing Impaired.
They do not sign and sometimes view signing as “second-class”. They will take PSLE eventually. Some of them
have Cochlear Implants. Numbers : 5
5)
The Children group
(signers). Mode of communication: speech
and sign. Currently studying in
Singapore School for the Deaf. They are
fluent in sign and use speech also. They practice Total Communication. They will take PSLE Numbers : 2
6)
The kindergarden group. Mode of communication : speech. Numbers 1
This will pose a big challenge for MHI to
remain relevant.
As we can see, the needs of individual
children cannot be a “one-size fits all”.
The only way is to know their needs and try our best to adapt to their
ability.
Solutions?
1)
Recognize that English is
important for the students to do well in school.
2)
Categorize the students in
order to fit the tutor to the students.
3)
Monitor their progress and
adjust again in order to fine tune our aid to them.
Communication
MHI volunteers in the tuition program must
understand that there are a few different groups of children. All of them have different needs
and there are a few minimum requirements each tutor need to take note and
understand.
1)
MHI Tuition is a means not an
aim in order for MHI to help the students to understand the Gospel
2)
We need to know what is the
ability of language of the student. Are
they comfortable with signs or aural?
3)
We need to know the IQ and
academic standard of the student. Even though they are much older, they may be
studying in an academic standard way below their age.
4)
The volunteers should be paired
accurately with the communication ability of the child
5)
The emphasis should be to
upgrade the level of English so that they can understand written as well as
spoken language
6)
The progress of each child
should be monitored very closely together with the parents
7)
Perhaps a change of mindset towards
our tuition center of students as well as parents and volunteers should be
introduced. They should not see the tuition center as a once or twice weekly
affair in order to help the child cope with the academic requirements of the
school. Instead all should see it as a holistic approach to integrate the child
into MHI, Wesley Methodist Church as well as to Singapore. All is to target at integrating the child to
function normally in his environment to be a happy and productive child of
God. The strategy is therefore long term
and not just 2 hours per week during the school term. Parent and child should
therefore see an integration of their lives into the life in MHI and Wesley
Methodist Church.
Victor Keng
27th January 2003
Volunteer
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