I have a few years of experience teaching for students of varying ability, all of whom were more excited and confident with their subject by the end of our time together. Often it can be frustrating for capable students to feel behind classmates or teachers’ expectations; I have found that I can support tutees well to be more confident in the classroom and less stressed when approaching exams which we all know leads to better results. I have never found a student who I do not believe is capable of succeeding in their subject, despite how adamantly they might disagree.

I like to work in parallel with the school to make sure the tutee is getting the most out of both. I plan lessons for students when we can communicate well what units are being covered by the school. I find it best to not stick rigidly to plans with some students as it’s more prescient to troubleshoot issues; often students will struggle in class, not because they don’t understand new material but, because there are underlying issues in their foundational understanding of the subject, so I prioritise solidifying these foundations. I don’t often give homework as I think it is usually unnecessary and students have enough to do without the additional stress. I also like to offer additional sessions in the run up to exams where necessary and at the discretion of the tutee.