JC Economics Education Centre is ‘one-man-strong’, with Mr Anthony Fok at the helm. He is not only highly qualified and experienced in preparing students for the A-level Economics examination, but also extremely passionate about grooming young minds. He is an effective tutor who is popular with his students, which makes the lessons both engaging and enjoyable, but at the same time, very useful and effective in helping students improve their scores.
Our Tutor
MR ANTHONY FOK, THE FOUNDER
So, tell me more about yourself!
I graduated from Nanyang Technological University with an honours degree in accountancy and have also earned a Masters of Education. One of my first job was at a major audit firm but while the job was stable and relatively-well-paying, I left it after discovering my lack of passion for it. I had the desire to teach and to inspire. I wanted to help young minds grow into mature individuals. I became a MOE school teacher and while it was a fulfilling time, I knew I wanted to teach in an environment that was more flexible, while pursuing my PhD in Education.
Nonetheless, the time spent in MOE schools proved to be a valuable asset to me as I began to understand how schools operate, their requirements and their methodology. I could observe what worked and what did not, and most importantly, identify gaps in teaching which can be bridged by tuition.
I finally decided to strike it out on my own, starting from scratch. It was not easy at first, but I soon built JC Economics Education Centre by putting 100% into helping each student who comes to me. Today, I have taught hundreds of students and this has provided me with the experience to deal with all kinds of students and their learning abilities. Some require more guidance, while others require stimulation. Different kinds of learners will then require different methods to facilitate learning. This kind of tailor-made pedagogy is often unavailable in a school with a bigger class size.
My approach to teaching has also changed over the years, keeping pace with changes in syllabus and testing styles. For example, Cambridge is recently leaning towards testing questions that involve concepts from different topics, which continue to throw students off.
Nonetheless, understanding is probably still of utmost importance. Only through actual understanding will students have a strong foundation and appreciation of the subject.
What keeps you going as a teacher?
Running a one-man show tuition centre at JC Economics Education Centre is not particularly easy. I have to not only design and carry out the lessons, but also complete the administrative tasks, etc., all by myself. It is all very exhausting but I turn up for each lesson as motivated as when I first started. Teachers have the potential to make a huge difference to students, and I would like to think that I am not only imparting knowledge to, but also instilling confidence in my students. Most importantly, I hope that I help to develop good moral characters. I derive my motivation at the end of the day, satisfied that I have done my very best to achieve what I have set out to do. It makes me smile when students tell me that they fully understand and enjoy coming for classes. I still remember in the early days of JC Economics Education Centre when it was less widely regarded – how my passion was my source of energy. Today, passion continues to motivate me and I am more convicted than ever that teaching is indeed my calling. I look forward to meeting you in class!