[The following is my impression of the documentary Unteachable. The opinions and views expressed here are my own.]
Unteachable (77 mins) is a documentary about a young teacher’s attempt to introduce a new teaching pedagogy to Normal (Technical) students in a secondary school. Directed by Yong Shu Ling, it premiered at the 2019 Singapore International Film Festival.
The documentary focuses on two protagonists – Damian, a Secondary Two student at Shuqun Secondary School and Ng Meixi, who received her Bachelor’s degree in Education at a foreign university. Damian is a personable boy who speaks with a halting shyness, but comes across as all the more eloquent for it. In the latter part of the film, he is disappointed with his final examination results, but he concludes sagely that "results don't tell your future". Meixi is the fresh-faced and passionate key driver of the new teaching pedagogy called Tutoría (from the Spanish), or ‘Tutoring Relationship’, something she came away with from a study trip to Mexico. [Whenever she mentions the term, she makes it a point to pronounce it with a Spanish inflection.]
It is revealed that this new pedagogy is being trialled at Shuqun Secondary School for the subject of Mathematics. While the film is not clear, I infer that the trial lasted some two years. The school’s Principal has a short appearance describing his hopes and expectations for the trial.
When the film accompanies Damian and Meixi to the school, nostalgia washes over me. The film offers snippets of the daily school routine: students in uniform, singing the National Anthem at morning assembly, the class attendance written in a corner of the classroom whiteboard (no longer the black of my schoolgoing days – a stark symbol of the inexorable evolution of the classroom), students standing at their desks receiving a scolding by the teacher, the feeling of anticipation when sitting for exams and receiving results, the banter between students and teacher.
We see Meixi having jitters as she prepares feverishly for the trial; she opines that Singapore’s education system favours the accomplished by saying something along the lines of “If you do well, doors open. If you don’t, the doors are closed.”
The film follows Damian as he tries to navigate his way through this trial – it seems evident that he is a willing subject, and he tries his best to absorb what is given to him.
I can only guess at the reasons why we don’t hear or see much of other characters revolving around Damian and Meixi. For instance, Damian’s parents are conspicuous by their absence (only snippets of his mother appear, while both parents attend a class to be ‘tutored’ by Damian) – it would have been enlightening to hear how they might have influenced Damian’s worldview. There is a particularly poignant scene where Damian prepares and consumes breakfast alone and the clock says 5.50am as he leaves home for school.
In contrast, Meixi’s mother is vocal (compared to Damian’s parents) and we get a far more detailed picture about Meixi’s motivations and ambition. This scene also takes place in the family kitchen where mother and daughter are preparing a meal together.
Damian’s classmates also appear in the film; but again, we only get a superficial acquaintance with them. This is probably due to family reticence (although one of the girls has quite a bubbly character). This is a shame because one of the other girls is described as a leader, but we don't get to see anywhere in the film how she manifests this quality. There’s Jamie, also part of the girl gang, who professes a wish to sing, but I feel my heart go out to her when she says “but in Singapore this is impossible.”
The film eavesdrops on Maths Dept teacher meetings where they discuss how the trial is progressing. I get the impression that, in spirit, they are willing to participate in this trial and welcome the opportunity to try something new. However, some of their expressions reveal that they are mindful of the constraints they face. Meixi tries to empathise with them, saying that as a ‘non-NIE trained teacher’, she can to some extent understand what they are experiencing. During one meeting, one of the teachers expressed his concerns about the trial, taking care not to pour cold water on the trial completely. Observing this scene, I felt like a facilitator in a personality profiling session. This teacher was the logical, analytical one. His practical, pragmatic approach was representative of the mindset that underpins the Singapore education system. Curiously, the film did not feature interviews with the other teachers involved in this trial.
There were positive moments of course in the film of course. Meixi feels immensely gratified as she looks through the students’ personal reflections after the lesson. She mentions that Tutoría is not only about academic learning, but has a lot to do with personal growth as well. The school Principal also said as much when he reminded the students at a morning assembly address that for the coming term, he wanted them to think not just about what they want to be when they grow up, but what sort of person they can be as well.
The film ends on a mixed yet cautiously upbeat note. Damian does not do as well as he expected for the final examination. Yet, he is clear about the direction he wishes to take after serving National Service, which is to be a chef.
Meixi understandably has mixed feelings at the trial’s end, but I believe this is to be expected. How can a two-year pedagogy trial hope to bring down 40 years of entrenched segregation? But she still carries hope and a fervent ambition – she will go on to Seattle to pursue her doctorate in Education.
This was yet another juxtaposition that brings to light how one’s academic or socioeconomic status may affect one’s access to opportunities. I wonder if these contrasts were deliberate on the part of the director.
The film ends with Meixi’s eloquent hope that the Singapore education landscape would continue to evolve; her last words are: “…no student is unteachable’’.
Singapore International Film Festival webpage:
https://www.sgiff.com/onscreen/unteachable/
About Tutoría:
http://fiftyfold.org/what-is-tutoria/
http://fiftyfold.org/what-is-tutoria/
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