Your Child CAN Improve in English
with the Right Help!

“Ms Wong’s lessons were always engaging and easy to understand. She managed to turn what would otherwise be a boring lesson, into a fun and interactive learning experience every time.”
– Xuyun

Our Approach

  • Develop a love for writing

  • Step-by-step approach to tackling questions

  • Motivated and independent learners

  • Fun learning experiences

  • Progressive improvements

Our Classes

  • $160 – $240 per month (depending on level)

  • 20+ years of experience

  • Author of 5 series of assessment books for EPH

  • Aligned with MOE syllabus

You’ve done all you can to help your child improve.

His results are still the same and you can’t help but feel that all the time, money and effort are for nothing.

For over twenty years, Teacher Sarah has guided countless children under her wings. She has learnt that a child will choose to put in the efforts, want to do well and subsequently, progress, when the educator understands his/her temperament and learning style.

Every child is different. Each child has to be handled differently. It’s not merely about attending tuition classes. It’s not about rigorous drilling and doing lots of assessment books, worksheets and school papers.

It is more than that.

It’s about knowing exactly where the child is at and then using the learning resources effectively.

Having encountered so many students, along with the spectrum of challenges, those listed below are the few common ones.

Challenge 1 – Your child struggles in composition-writing.

“My child doesn’t know what to write.”
“My child’s idea jumps from one to another.”
“My child has the idea but he/she doesn’t know how to express.”
“The composition is not interesting enough. My child doesn’t know how to elaborate.”
“The story is irrelevant.”
“My child makes (too) many grammatical mistakes in the composition.”

And the list goes on.

What makes a good composition?

LANGUAGE

Spelling, Punctuation, Grammar Hardly any mistakes
Vocabulary Varied and appropriate usage, including figures of speech
Sentence Structure Varied and fluent

CONTENT

Story Development Clear and thorough
Relevance Good ideas with additional information
Interesting Highly

As seen, to do well in compo-writing is not a simple task.

For the language component, My Mustard Seed’s lessons are planned to equip your child with the required skills. The in-house resources are specially prepared with exercises for your child to master the language proficiency, from grammar basics to vocabulary-building and sentence variation.

This is half the battle won.

Contents-wise, your child will be taught to write unusual stories that are logically-developed
with :
• attention-grabbing introductions
• fully-developed body paragraphs
• relevant and interesting conclusions

SHOW NOT TELL techniques are broken into digestible components that are easy to understand and apply. Hence, your child can write the necessary details and create his/her own creative expressions (instead of memorising those from guide books).

Sample Composition

HONESTY

PRIMARY 6
SY, JYPS

The day dawned crisp and clear. The blue sky was dotted with clusters of white clouds. Adrian, a middle-aged man, scurried to the supermarket. “You’d better get those abalones by today. Also, give me the money for the red packets!” Horrifying scenes of his terrifying wife flashed through his mind. As you can tell, Adrian was the husband of a very domineering woman.

Under the blistering sun, sweat of anxiety streamed down his face as he rushed. He did  not want to be reprimanded by his wife.

At the supermarket, shoppers thronged the whole place in search of Chinese New Year special deals. With all the vegetables and food items for dinner in the trolley, Adrian rushed to the cashier counter to pay for them.

Clunk! Clunk clunk clunk clunk…

The hasty man had kncked down a pyramid of canned abalones! All heads turned and all eyes were fixed on the disarray. Adrian let out a loud, long sigh of exasperation as he stood with arms akimbo. Then, without a second thought, he stooped down and picked them up.

“Thank you!” the elderly sales assistant thanked earnestly.

“No problem!” he smiled as he continued to pick up the cans of abalones. Suddenly, a realisation dawned upon him. He gasped, “I’ve forgotten to buy these!” Alas! He remembered, much to his dismay, he did not have enough money.

An idea came to mind.

Swiftly, Adrian grabbed a can and shoved it straight into his bag. His hands had turned clammy and his lips twitched from the rush of adrenaline. He was not caught on the surveillance camera as someone was blocking him. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he took the basket of groceries and stood in line. He waited impatiently. A dilemma began to rise within. “Should I put it back? Should I keep it?”

After a thousand thoughts, he decided to keep the abalone. He paid for the groceries and hurried home.

A few days later, the Chinese New Year reunion dinner arrived. The fragrance of the stew and the sight of the abalone simmering within reminded Adrian of his theft. The deed was like a black stain on a pristine white wall. He did not enjoy the dinner at all. Now, whenever he sees a can of abalone, he would recall that act of dishonesty…

Comments :

SY is an example of what hard work and earnest efforts can do. From P1 to P4, she struggled in composition-writing. She was not able to do well until she attended Writer-in-Progress. However, that would not have helped if she had not purposefully applied what was taught. Along the way, she learnt from the mistakes and persevered. She also grew in creativity. This is the end result of her hard work 🙂

Click HERE to read more sample compositions.

Challenge 2 – Your child is not scoring for Paper 2.

“My child is weak at grammar.”

“My child’s vocabulary is very poor.”

“My child cannot do well in Comprehension.”

“My child has lost many marks due to careless mistakes!”

Our response?
These problems can be overcome!

GRAMMAR

Grammar is the foundation in order for any student to do well. Hence, it is important that your child understands the various grammar rules and exceptions. In My Mustard Seed, grammar rules are clearly explained and reinforced by drilling — an age-old, time-tested method.

VOCABULARY

While reading widely does help to expose your child to a wider range of vocabulary, what if your child refuses to read, no matter what you say or do?

Whether we like it or not, making an effort to look up the meaning in a dictionary is still the timeless solution. Will your child do that?

The answer is a resounding “Yes!”

The students at My Mustard Seed are trained to be independent. You’d be surprised at the power of influence and routine. “Teacher Sarah, may I use the dictionary?” This is the delightful question posed by students as young as those in Primary 3.

Being a student, your child is exposed to unfamiliar words all the time. In fact, so do you and I. Hence, what is most important is his/her willingness to find out what the word means and build his/her Vocabulary bank over time.

COMPREHENSION

Some students are daunted by the passages ; some read without paying attention to the contents ; some earnest students try the questions but they just can’t get them right. As for some students, they lose marks due to spelling and tense errors.

Regardless of the issue, your child will be equipped with a step-by-step approach to tackle this section, from having a clear understanding of what each question is asking to obtaining the relevant information and answering the questions accurately.

Challenge 3 – Your child is not a motivated or earnest student.

“My child is lazy.”

“My child does not like to study.”

“My child doesn’t read.”

“My child doesn’t want to do homework.”

“My child only wants to play.”

All these behaviours stem from the root of “attitude”.

“Train a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not turn away from it.”– Proverb 22 : 6.

A positive attitude can be instilled by coaching. Your child will be nurtured under Teacher Sarah’s tutelage. First thing that needs to be done though : Let us stop giving your child the identity — “lazy” 🙂

The most straightforward method is fun learning experiences. Group work and goals pitched at the individual child’s standard are some of the ways to enliven the lessons. When your child is clear about the achievable learning objectives, he/she is more likely to be motivated to work for it.

Because we believe that premium education need not come at a premium rate, we provide affordable solutions.

Contact our English Specialist, Teacher Sarah at:

Address: Block 201B Tampines Street 21 #02-1069 (back entrance) S(522201)

5-min walk from Tampines East MRT Station (Downtown Line)

    “How long does it take for me to see a marked improvement?”
    “How much progress can I expect to see?”

    It depends on your child’s foundation. It depends on how “teachable” your child is.

    We cannot promise you an overnight miracle or boast a magic formula of “See astounding results in 3 months!”

    A weak foundation means that a lot has to be imparted. And that takes time, depending on each child’s learning aptitude and attitude. However, there will be progressive improvement — step by step.

    A “teachable” child is willing to pay attention during lessons. He will also apply whatever is taught dutifully and purposefully. This child should see a significant progress within a semester.

    For a teachable child who only needs to grasp the techniques and master the skills, he/she will definitely see a marked improvement within a semester.

    However, a child who needs to foster a teachable attitude requires more time as we need to “plough the soil of his heart”. Together with you, we will persevere for the positive change in your child’s attitude. So long he/she is willing to sow the seeds of effort, surely, there will be progress. (“In hard work there is always something gained.” Proverb 14:23)

    What Our Students Say About Us

    “When I first joined Ms Wong’s class, I was afraid of stepping out of my comfort zone and trying new things, afraid of failure, afraid of making mistakes.

    I’ve always stayed on the safe path, the path without any risks and I was contented with that. But under the care and guidance of Ms Wong, I’ve learnt to be more confident in myself. Ms Wong is very passionate about teaching, always willing to stay back for her students to ask questions. Her classes are always enjoyable and effective, and I found myself improving under her teaching and guidance. She inspires me to do my very best, and that it is okay to make mistakes because they help us to grow and become a better person. She is my role model, and I am very grateful for all her teachings throughout the 5 years I’ve been with her. To say that I am blessed to have her as my tutor is an understatement.”

    Cassandra

    “Ms Wong turned my doubt and fear into hope and potential. English has always been a subject which pulled me down, but through my two years of experience in her class, I have learnt not just English, but much more.

    Her effective teaching of understanding instead of memorising retains important information in my mind. I dare say, with confidence, that Ms Wong has played a pivotal role in my tremendous transformation from a C6 to an A2 last year. During class, she often gives deep insights on a variety of issues, many of which I find enlightening. The positive vibe she radiates creates a comfortable and friendly learning environment, and I find her to be one of the most influential and inspiring figures in my life.”

    Nicholas

    “For myself, I’ve been taught by Ms Wong for approximately 2 years and throughout these 2 years of English tuition at My Mustard Seed, I’ve had many takeaways. Firstly, I would like to mention that the care and concern Ms Wong has shown me and the rest of the students is really commendable.

    I lacked the motivation to even go for tuition or do the work assigned to me. However, I didn’t want to disappoint Ms Wong because she genuinely wants us to do well not for her own benefit, but ours. Secondly, my grade for English itself was always stagnant until I actually turned up for tuition every week and made sure that I completed the work assigned. At the end of the mid-year exams in the year 2015, my grade improved from C5 to B3. I was proud of myself but I’ll always remember how Ms Wong encouraged me and believed in my potential. Lastly, Mustard Seed is not just any ordinary tuition centre. It’s a place where you can make friends and to study in a conducive environment. The tutor-student relationship that I’ve forged with Ms Wong is of no doubt memorable to me, and I thank her for the love that she’s shown, her passion for teaching and for believing in me, which was a motivating factor, and I got an A2 for O’s. “
    Woon Hong

    “I attended Ms Wong’s English class back in 2009 and 2010. English had never been my favourite subject in school and it didn’t help that my school teachers had a mundane way of teaching the subject.

    However, tuition classes with Ms Wong were always fun and interesting. She makes essay writing and comprehension (especially summary writing) so much more enjoyable. Up till this day, I’m still putting a skill that she has taught me into practice. I remember looking forward to Saturdays not only because it was the weekend but because I got to attend her class. Apart from being a skilled and awesome teacher who imparts us with knowledge, she is also a wonderful and friendly individual who is always generous to share life stories with us. She would always go the extra mile to understand us and be our friend, guiding us along the way.”

    Ru Ai

    “Ms Wong was my English tutor from Primary 5 to Secondary 4. Under her guidance, I was able to do well in school and ultimately got an “A1” for my ‘O’s.

    Ms Wong’s lessons were always engaging and easy to understand. She managed to turn what would otherwise be a boring lesson, into a fun and interactive learning experience every time. She created a positive learning environment at My Mustard Seed that really helped me endure the difficulties I faced while learning English. At the end of the day, I can confidently say that every lesson at Mustard Seed was an invaluable experience that maximised my potential.”

    Xuyun

    “Though I joined My Mustard Seed at Sec 2, which is quite late as most of my friends started tuition even before Sec1, I thought that I would fail my English all the way.

    However, after I joined Mustard Seed, my English started improving immensely through extra lessons and advice from Ms Wong. I even managed to jump 5 grades proving my school teacher wrong as she thought that I had no hope in passing.”

    Chelsea

    Moving Forward

    At My Mustard Seed, we believe premium education that need not come at a premium price. Our affordable monthly rate is a nett amount that includes all necessary resources. We will not charge you for anything else.

    Why aren’t we commercialised?

    The reason being — We honour your parent-heart of love.

    We understand your earnest intention. We know your challenges. We are well aware that you are pouring in your hard-earned money into your child’s education. That’s why we do our best to teach and nurture your child too.

    If you want to find out more about how we can help your child to excel in English:

    • Please Call Us at 9100 8878.
    • SMS/Whatsapp 9100 8878 with your enquiry and Teacher Sarah will respond to you within 24 hours.
    • Whatsapp Me
    • Alternatively, please fill up the form and receive a call back.

    Address: Block 201B Tampines Street 21 #02-1069 (back entrance) S(522201)

    5-min walk from Tampines East MRT Station (Downtown Line)

      Our Location

      (5-min Walk from Tampines East MRT)

      Click HERE to open on Google Maps

      Timetable

      English Timetable

      The schedule is subject to change

      PSLE & Upper Secondary Levels:

      Friday & Saturday lessons complement each other.

      This is for the purpose of ensuring that the students have weekly practices for both components, which are equally important. In this way, they are amply prepared for their national examinations.

      Fees (Group Lessons)

      English Fees for Group Lessons

      Fees (One-to-one)

      English Fees for Individual Lessons