I’ve worked with so many students, each one different from the next. I’ve learnt that everyone learns in their own way. Spending one-on-one time with these students has taught me just how much their confidence (or lack thereof) can affect their progress. Sometimes it’s not the maths problem or the reading passage that’s the problem, it’s the stress behind it.

One of the most important things I’ve learnt is that students need to know they are supported before they’ll open up. Some need a few minutes to relax, some need a challenge to engage, and some need to talk for a minute before we even start. But once they feel safe, the learning is so much easier. I’ve seen students who would never bring a book to read suddenly excitedly show me what they’re reading. I’ve watched kids who thought they were “bad at maths” ask for harder questions. Those little shifts are what mean the most to me, more than any worksheet we complete.

Tutoring has also taught me to look for the small things. A student tapping their pencil, taking a while to answer, or pausing before writing something down usually tells me more about how they’re doing than the work on the page. And being able to adjust in those moments is what builds trust.

My favourite part of tutoring is seeing those small improvements over time. Not just better grades, but kids who are more confident and more independent. When students start to believe in themselves, everything changes. Their attitude, their effort, their willingness to try.

Tutoring isn’t just about schoolwork. It’s about helping kids believe they’re capable, even when the task in front of them looks overwhelming. It’s about acknowledging the small wins and showing students that they can grow, with the right support. And to be honest, my students teach me just as much as I teach them.

Daniella Siljeg

There’s a moment in tutoring that always makes me smile, when a student finally feels comfortable enough to ask their first real question. Not the polite “Is this right?” or the cautious “Do I have to write this?” but a genuine, curious , “Wait… why does this actually happen?”.

That moment tells me they’re starting to trust the process.

Asking questions is often misunderstood. Many students believe it exposes what they don’t know. They worry about sounding silly or slowing things down. Some even think asking questions makes them look less capable. But in reality, it’s the opposite. Students who ask questions engage more deeply, understand more clearly and learn more efficiently.

Tutoring makes this possible because it removes the fear of judgement. There’s no classroom full of eyes watching, no pressure to keep up with thirty others, no expectation to stay quiet. It’s just the student, their thoughts and a safe space to explore them and the change is remarkable.

A student who begins a session quietly, barely whispering answers, can end up leading the discussion the following week. They start asking things like, “What’s a better way to attempt this” or “Is there an easier way to remember that?” or my personal favourite, “Can we go over that again so I properly understand it?”.

These aren’t signs of weakness, they’re signs of maturity. They show a student who isn’t satisfied with memorising, but wants to truly understand.

When a student asks questions, they take ownership of their learning. They begin steering the session. They become active rather than passive and most importantly, they build a quiet confidence that spills into the classroom, exams and beyond.

So whenever a student hesitates to ask a question, I remind them, the smartest learners aren’t the ones who know everything, they’re the ones who want to.

Isabella Naumovski

As Year 6 students approach the end of primary school, they stand at an exciting crossroads! While the transition to high school can feel daunting, exploring high school content early, especially at tutoring, can make this step smoother, more empowering and far less intimidating. This exploration is not about rushing students; it is about building confidence, curiosity and readiness. One of the greatest benefits of introducing high school-style content in tutoring is familiarity. When students get a preview of what lies ahead (e.g. early algebra, science-style investigations or more advanced reading tasks), they begin to understand what learning in Year 7 will feel like. This removes the fear of the unknown. Instead of entering high school unsure and overwhelmed, they walk in thinking, “I know this. I’ve done something like this before.”

Tutoring also allows for targeted skill development. High school requires strong organisation, independent thinking and deeper comprehension skills. Tutoring centres like First Education provides the perfect structured setting to carefully build these skills at a student-tailored pace. Tutors can identify gaps early and extend their students just enough to prepare them for the demands of secondary schooling, ensuring they start Year 7 with a solid academic foundation.

Exploring high school content in primary tutoring also boosts engagement. Many older primary students appreciate the idea of being challenged. Giving them opportunities to attempt more complex tasks keeps learning exciting. In a tutoring environment, these challenges should feel safe, supportive and personalised to students’ strengths, as well as areas needing improvement.

Most importantly, early exposure nurtures a positive mindset. It helps students see themselves as capable learners ready for the next chapter in their schooling journey. With guidance, encouragement and the right level of challenge, Year 6 students step into high school with confidence rather than anxiety. Supporting students through this transition is not just about academic preparation; it is about empowerment. When students feel ready, their start to high school becomes a launchpad for future success!

Kaelyn Tan

There’s a very specific sound students make when something finally clicks. It’s not quite a word, not quite a sentence, just a simple, drawn out….

“Ohhhh!”

Every tutor knows it. Every tutor waits for it and honestly? That tiny moment is one of the biggest rewards of the job.

It often comes after a long explanation, an attempt, a confused stare, a half finished sentence or three different diagrams drawn at slightly odd angles. Then suddenly there it is. Something shifts. Their eyes flick up. Their posture changes and you can practically see the idea land.

What’s funny is that the “Ohhhh!” rarely appears in the classroom with 30 other students. But in tutoring, where there’s no pressure to be quick or perfect, students give themselves the time and space to actually understand. That’s when the magic happens.

Sometimes the moment is small such as, “Ohhhh… I didn’t realise negative signs move when you solve the equation”.

Sometimes it’s dramatic such as, “Ohhhh! So that’s what Shakespeare meant. I thought he was just being dramatic”.

And sometimes it’s quietly triumphant such as, “Ohhhh… I get it now. I actually get it”.

Tutoring isn’t just about worksheets or grades, it’s about these little breakthroughs. Every “Ohhhh!” is proof that effort works, confidence grows and learning is actually happening beneath all the stress and self doubt students carry around.

It’s only a second, but it’s a powerful one and for tutors, that single second is enough to remind us exactly why we do what we do.

Isabella Naumovski

Recently I’ve started tutoring primary school kids, and it’s actually been more challenging than anything I’ve done with older students. I went into it thinking it would be easier because the content is “simple,” but I learned pretty quickly that the real challenge isn’t the work — it’s how you teach it.

With senior students, you can explain something once and they usually meet you halfway. With younger kids, everything has to be broken down into really small steps, and you constantly have to make sure they’re still focused, still understanding, and not drifting off into their own little world. I’ve had to slow down my whole teaching style and rethink the way I explain even the most basic concepts.

But honestly, it’s been good for me. Teaching little kids forces you to go back to the foundation of learning — things we normally take for granted, like sounding out words or understanding place value. You realise how important these basics are and how much confidence comes from mastering them early.

The best part has been seeing how excited they get over small wins. When a student finally reads a tricky word or nails something they’ve been struggling with, they light up in a way that reminds me why I like tutoring in the first place.

So even though it’s been a big learning experience for me, it’s also been rewarding in a different way. Teaching primary kids is definitely its own challenge, but it’s made me a more patient and adaptable tutor.

Ellie Mceachern

Hey everyone, today I watched Maddie’s primary school English tutorial.

It was great to see how friendly her student was and how well they got along. Her student was very comfortable with Maddie!They had a great relationship and they got along really well.

They started the session by going through her students homework, Maddie gave her last week. Maddie marked her homework and then went through any errors she made. She then explained the mistakes her student made, so she wouldn’t repeat the same mistake. Maddie then spent half of the session going through her students school homework. They read a book the student choose in class. They then spoke about the book. Maddie corrected any words her student pronounced incorrectly. She also explained any word her student didn’t understand.

They then moved onto spelling words to prepare her for her weekly spelling test. Maddie started by reading out each spelling word. She would then put the word into a sentence to give the word some context. She would then get her student to spell out the word and to write it on the whiteboard. Maddie also got her student to put the word into a sentence. If her student got the word wrong, Maddie would help explain why she spelt it incorrectly and would give her another chance to spell it correctly.

Maddie also then worked with her student on some maths. They did some fraction worksheets. They did some identification of different types of proper and improper fractions where Maddie got her student to colour in different fractions. They also did some addition and subtraction of fractions. When her student got stuck, Maddie would give her student some hints to help her.

Maddie then gave her student some fractions homework to do, based on what they worked on in the session.

Overall, Maddie did a great job helping her student. It was a great session and such a pleasure to observe. Keep it up!

Ashley Cohen

I observed a math session conducted by Chris. At the beginning of the session, he asked the student if they had any questions from the previous week. The student had many hard questions that he was unable to work at home. Instead of Chris directly answering the questions, he was able to convince and motivate the student to answer the question, providing guidance on how to answer the question without giving the answer. This is something that I will like to include within my own sessions, as it provides the student with the independence and autonomy to answer questions that they previously had difficulty answering. This is an effective way of allowing the student to think outside the box and steer them back into the correct method to answer the question. It gives them the self-satisfaction of answering hard questions.

After this, he started going through the new topic, integration, with hard questions. He used the same approach as he did with the homework, allowing the student answer the questions but also introducing the new topic. This method of simultaneously solving the question with previous knowledge whilst also incorporating the new techniques to answer hard questions is something I would also like to include within my session. Sometimes they would get different answers and go through each method to see where they went differently. This allows for the student to see where they might of gone wrong within the question and adapt to the tutors method of approaching the question.

This session was done great, allowing me to learn new techniques that I’ll approach within my sessions.

James Bletsas

Many high school students feel overwhelmed because they approach their workload as one large, undefined problem instead of a series of small tasks that can be completed one at a time. When assignments, homework, tests and extracurricular commitments all blend together, the mind treats them as a single source of pressure, which creates stress and reduces the ability to start any of them effectively. Students often think they are overwhelmed because they are not capable enough or not organized enough, but the real issue is that their work has not been broken into clear, manageable steps. When a task feels unclear, the brain avoids it, which leads to procrastination, rushed work and even more stress. For me, a personal anecdote is when I need to start a CompSci assignment, or project, it is next to impossible to even start if I don’t break things up and plan ahead. For most students, this doesn’t need to be such a high level, but any level of task decomposition is effective.

Task decomposition means taking any piece of work and dividing it into specific actions that can be completed within short time periods. For example, instead of writing in your planner that you need to study for science, identify the exact actions such as review chapter three, complete ten practice questions and summarise key terms. Instead of telling yourself to start an English essay, identify the actions of choosing a quote, writing a thesis, planning the paragraphs and drafting the introduction. Clear steps reduce mental load because you always know the next action.

A second cause of feeling overwhelmed is the lack of a predictable routine. When tasks are done randomly or only when motivation appears, there is no structure that helps the mind stay on track. Creating a simple daily routine with short focused study blocks gives your brain a reliable framework to work within and prevents last minute stress. A final factor is unrealistic expectations. Many students try to complete everything at once, which guarantees burnout. Focusing on one task at a time and finishing it before moving on increases productivity and reduces anxiety. Overwhelm is not a sign that you are unable to succeed. It is simply a signal that your tasks need clearer structure and more realistic steps.

Samin Sadaf Hossain

Many parents are surprised when a child who once read confidently in primary school begins to struggle with reading in the later years. It can show up as difficulty keeping up with novels, frustration with textbook chapters or an overall drop in comprehension. At First Education we see this pattern often and the reason is rarely a decline in ability. It is usually the result of the type of reading changing faster than students expect.

In primary school most reading is narrative based and written in accessible language. Texts are designed to build fluency and enjoyment. Once students enter secondary school the expectations shift. They encounter subjects like science, history and geography which require them to read informational texts filled with specialised vocabulary and complex sentence structures. A student who has never been taught how to break down these texts may suddenly feel overwhelmed.

Another factor is that reading becomes a tool rather than the focus of the lesson. Teachers assume students can interpret diagrams, skim for key information and summarise arguments, but many learners have never been explicitly taught how to do this. Without these strategies they read everything at the same pace, miss important details and lose confidence when assessments require deeper analysis.

There is also the challenge of digital reading. Many students are used to scrolling rather than sustained concentration, so long chapters or dense articles can feel tiring. This does not mean they are poor readers. It simply means they need support rebuilding their endurance and learning techniques to stay engaged.

Tutoring can make a significant difference by teaching students practical skills such as annotating, identifying author intent, unpacking unfamiliar vocabulary and understanding text structures. When students learn how to approach a difficult text step by step their confidence grows and reading becomes more manageable again.

The good news is that a decline in reading skills is not permanent. With the right guidance students can adapt to the demands of secondary school and become strong, independent readers once more.

Frederick Le Vay

For Year 11 and 12 students, the HSC can feel like a huge mountain of content. It’s easy to think tutoring is just about learning more stuff. But in my experience, the biggest wins come from working on simpler, smarter skills.

Here are three key ones:

1. Interrogate the Question.
Before answering a question, spend one minutes dissecting the question. Circle the key verb—‘analyse’, ‘evaluate’, ‘discuss’. Underline the core concept and any text or source mentioned. This simple act forces you to engage with what is actually being asked, ensuring your entire answer is on target from the very first sentence.

2. Practice under timed conditions.
Knowing the content is only half the battle; delivering it within the strict exam timeframe is the other. Instead of only writing full practice essays, break it down. Set a timer for 10 minutes and draft a single, perfect paragraph. Or give yourself 5 minutes to plan an entire essay structure. This builds ‘muscle memory’ for the exam’s pace and reduces panic on the day.

3. Past Papers.
The best way to study is to use past papers. There are numerous places where these are accessible, whether through school or websites such as THSC, these past papers are your best friends.

True preparation isn’t about endless, draining repetition. It’s about targeted, intelligent practice. By focusing on these three strategies, you build confidence and clarity, turning the HSC from a marathon of memorisation into a manageable showcase of your skills.

Ella Fisher