Kaelynn is a Year 4 undergraduate at FASS, majoring in Philosophy and Political Science, and participated in the Undergraduate Teaching Opportunities Programme (UTOP) in AY2023/24. Kaelynn also received the Individual Award for the SEDA/JISC Student Partnership Impact Awards for her involvement in UTOP.
She reflects on her UTOP experience in this post.

 

Teaching and Mentorship in UTOP

I first embarked on the Undergraduate Teaching Opportunities Programme (UTOP) in my first semester of Year 3, teaching the course GESS1029 “Everyday Ethics in Singapore” under my mentor Dr. Daryl Ooi. During my time in UTOP, I was involved in conducting tutorials, participating in lecture segments, facilitating dialogue sessions and creating teaching materials. Although this initially seemed daunting, Dr. Daryl provided steady and reassuring guidance in developing my teaching competencies and personal philosophy. He even included me in a teaching internship course with other NUS students for pedagogical and social support; I had access to valuable resources and a community to share my reflections and experiences. It was very fulfilling, I am truly grateful for his effort in going above and beyond to nurture my passion for teaching.

 

Personal Growth and Fulfilment

As I near the end of my university journey, I can confidently say that my UTOP experience was one of the best decisions I made. It taught me the skills to be a good educator: to be flexible and adaptable to students’ needs, to have good public speaking skills in lecture, to be judicious yet understanding in marking. However, above all, my time as a tutor has shown me what a joy teaching is. Nothing has made me happier than when a quiet student raises their hand for the first time, or when I see a students’ eyes light up, or hearing laughter in the classroom.

 

As a young tutor, it was no doubt a daunting experience at the beginning. However, I think it is a precious opportunity to be both teacher and student at the same time. It is something that will colour my view of teaching no matter where I go from here. A cautious experiment became a genuine passion; what a blessing it is to know where your passions lie as a young adult! I’m currently in my fourth semester of teaching this year 🙂 I am incredibly thankful for the support from my team, without whom this would be impossible (especially Dr. Daryl), and am excited for all that is to come.