Every now and then, a student comes up to me at the end of class and asks something to the degree of, "Will I be getting at least a B+ as my overall result?" Although grades are not released to students just yet, what I believe students also need together with letters and pluses is self-confidence.
During the past summer, I had the chance to coach the HKCC and SPEED student MCs for the Welcome Ceremony. With my colleague, we taught the students techniques on how to make a good speech. I gently told them that speaking in front of a large audience is not always an easy task; it gets better with practice. Aside from training their pronunciation and body language skills, I noticed the students had what they needed within themselves. As a coach or lecturer, I try to help the students reach their potential by guiding them to re-ignite their self-confidence that has been lying dormant for some time due to an unpleasant academic past or other reasons. It feels nice to see that the students you have trained can now be good MCs, but it feels even better to know that they may now pass on what they have learned to their peers throughout years to come.
The first semester is drawing to an end and students are juggling between course assignments and university applications. While I am more than happy to write reference letters at the request of hardworking students, when they tell me the names of institutions they are interested in applying to, my heart would sometimes sink a little. The reason is a few of them have decided not to apply to the other top-tier schools. I ask them why and they say they are not sure whether they will stand a chance. I still encourage my students to try and reassure them that even if they do not get accepted to a particular school this time around, having an opportunity to be interviewed would be a great experience.
Encouraging words can really make a difference. After some casual chatting, I see my students' faces light up.