I was reading a book on crafting resumes and delving into the world of chronological resumes and skills resume when a brainwave hit over me. Do I really have to follow these accepted norms? I have undertaken myriad teaching jobs whose nature is as different as day and night, so why don’t I create my own format?

I think my brainwave was stimulated by the fact that I was preparing my students for interviews for their Industry Experiential Programme. It’s easy to remember ideas in a triad, so I was getting them to identify and remember three strengths. So why don’t I modify the skills resume and structure my original one in the format of ACE? I have a unique background, so ACE is tied to my three strengths: Adaptable, Creative and Enthusiastic. I could then “park” my skills and competencies under the most appropriate strength.

Lets go!

My strengths are pretty clear. I adjust well to different teaching environments, I come up with creative methods to teach my students and I am eager to try new things. Whether it’s lesson design or project management, I’ve made a difference throughout my life.

Adaptable

My passion for teaching is founded in my love of people. I love people. I love getting to know them. And I love to help shape their character.

I also customised learning experiences to improve English proficiency across diverse student groups:

• Embraced my role as the Literacy Support I/C in 2024 and promoted awareness of feasible methods that could alleviate dyslexic students’ reading and writing difficulties.
• Thrived in leadership roles as both Level Coordinator (NorthLight & Naval Base) & Module Coordinator (Singapore Polytechnic), guiding colleagues to support students. Relished managing all aspects of delivery, including setting exam papers, vetting of curricular materials, & initiating standardization workshops.
• Engaged fellow educators on fun and serious topics alike in various settings, including NorthLight School in-person workshops ("Drinking Parties in Japan" & "Sign Language") and SgLDC Virtual Meet Zoom sessions ("Learning-focused Interactions for Primary English Language" & "Comics Creation with Pixton for English Language Students"). Furthermore, I produced informative PechaKuchas ("Spaced Repetition with Quizlet" & "Using ChatGPT for everyday work").

Creative 

My quality holds up even when the deadline is tight!

• Outside the classroom, I am an innovative project manager:
  • Spearheaded the English department in organising the Spelling Bee in 2022 & 2023. Formalised the instruction of finger spelling and "Look Say Cover Write Check," which helped students apply spelling methods. Our NorthLight approach was featured on Schoolbag; I also did a poster presentation for Teachers’ Conference and ExCEL Fest 2023.
  • Equipped 14 Primary Six students with project management skills and coached them to organise the inaugural Virtual Games Programme for their Primary 2 juniors in 2021. I presented on this for Teachers' Conference and ExCEL Fest 2021.
  • Guided 26 student leaders to organise a wildly successful virtual Teacher’s Day Celebration in 2020. Our innovative event was featured on Schoolbag.
  • Partnered with the Chinese department of Kranji Secondary School to organize the National Bilingual Speech Contest in 2009 & 2010, mentoring the next generation of bilingual speakers.

Enthusiastic

Whenever and wherever possible, I’ve sought out opportunities to learn more about ICT tools and educational pedagogies. I can’t tell you how exciting it was to see my ideas and my work come to life in front of staff and students alike.

• My adeptness at managing work commitments means I'm trusted with additional tasks, and I seize the opportunity to launch my passion projects:

• Welcomed Ms Yeo Xin Yi and Mr Marcus Tan Lee Kiang to life at NorthLight School as their buddy in 2023 & 2024 respectively.
• Contributed an article about my teaching experiences in NorthLight twice for our in-house publication, Heartworks.
• Served reliably as the emcee for Awards Day (2022 – 2023) as well as Chinese New Year concert (2016 – 2018).
• Facilitated a lesson on food between Singaporean students and visiting students from Thailand. An article I wrote on this was then featured in a newsletter published by Lifelong Learning Institute (2016).
• Partnered Mercy Relief to guide 20 polytechnic students to impart oral communication skills to 140 Vietnamese students (Apr 2010)
• Took part in Teacher Work Attachment in Dec 2007 & provided useful training to boost the capabilities of teachers-in-training at the National University of Laos for three weeks (Dec 2007)

Closing

I realise that the challenge and variety inherent in your teaching post are a perfect match with my career aspirations. The vibrancy and team camaraderie are all factors that will motivate me to excel. I look forward to discussing with you the energy and enthusiasm I can bring to the table as a new member of your staff. I hope to touch base soon.