First Education

A strong tutor-student relationship is one of the most important factors influencing a child’s academic growth. While subject knowledge and teaching strategies are essential, trust and connection form the foundation that allows real learning to happen.

When students feel comfortable with their tutor, they are more willing to participate actively in lessons. Many students hesitate to ask questions in school because they fear being judged. In a trusting one-on-one environment, a good relationship allows students to express confusion, admit when they do not understand something, and take the time needed to work through challenges. This open communication helps tutors address misconceptions early and tailor explanations to the student’s learning style.

Strong relationships also boost motivation. When students feel that their tutor genuinely cares about their progress, they are more likely to stay engaged and put in the effort required to improve. Encouragement from someone they trust carries more weight, reinforcing positive attitudes toward learning. Over time, this emotional support contributes to greater resilience and persistence when faced with difficult content.

Consistency is another key benefit. A student who enjoys their sessions is more likely to attend regularly and maintain steady academic growth. The relationship creates a positive learning routine, which helps students build effective study habits and long-term discipline.

Finally, building rapport allows tutors to understand each student’s unique strengths, interests, and challenges. This deeper understanding enables more personalised teaching, making lessons both more efficient and more meaningful.

In short, strong tutor-student relationships are not just “nice to have” but essential for effective learning. Trust, communication, and care transform tutoring sessions from simple instruction into powerful opportunities for growth and confidence building.

Pasquale Simone Mendoza

There’s something uniquely challenging about the last term of the year. Everyone is tired; students and tutors alike, and every lesson can start to feel like pushing a boulder uphill. Motivation to commit to study slips, student attention spans shrink, and even our most enthusiastic learners start counting down the weeks. Furthermore, the season of HSC brings about a tension in the building that can permeate through the remainder of the term.

I’ve found that this time of year is less about “big academic wins” and more about small victories, keeping everybody’s spirits up, maintaining structure, and fostering connection. Kids have been working hard for months, juggling school, sports, and social lives, so their brains are begging for the massive holidays approaching. Tutors are no different; we are all in the same boat, often trying to summon enthusiasm from a half-empty tank.

A few things have helped me (and my students) stay afloat:

1. Loosen the structure without losing direction. Depending on the year of your student, end-of-year sessions can focus on review games, creative applications of what they’ve learned, or low-stakes problem-solving tasks.

2. Acknowledge the fatigue. Sometimes just saying, “I know everyone’s tired, let’s take this one step at a time,” immediately softens the atmosphere and lowers the stakes without the expectations for lessons.

3. Celebrate progress. Look back at how far they’ve come since Term 1. Highlighting growth rekindles pride and momentum for both tutor and student.

4. Prioritise connection. When energy dips, rapport keeps lessons alive. Check in, share a laugh, or let them teach you something for a change.

The truth is, the last term isn’t about sprinting to the finish line; it’s sometimes just about walking it together. If we can finish the year feeling connected, confident, and only slightly exhausted, it can not only guarantee academic success in Term 4, but lay the groundwork for the next year following.

Toby Bower

This afternoon, rather than letting the unexpected free time go to waste, we used it productively to engage in professional development and peer learning by engaging in the Tutors Taking Out Tutors initiative.

We discussed our subject areas and our tutoring preferences, finding a shared appreciation for Mathematics. It was nice to hear how Pamela approaches her sessions and what she enjoys most about tutoring at FE. These kinds of conversations are always refreshing and remind me that we’re part of a supportive and passionate team.

As a longtime tutor with understanding of the centre, Pamela introduced me to the FEC platform and showed me how to log sessions, cancellations, and other activities. I greatly appreciated this opportunity to learn more about the workings of FE and connecting with a fellow tutor.

FE initiatives like Tutors Taking Out Tutors are a great reminder of the value of teamwork and peer support. It was great to meet Pamela and learn from an experienced tutor what I can take into my own practice.

Angelique Malakonakis

Today, we decided to take part in the Tutors Taking Out Tutors initiative. Since Angelique is a new tutor, it was a perfect opportunity to connect, share experiences, and exchange ideas about tutoring. I began by walking her through the process of completing a blog post for a cancelled session, explaining what details to include, and how to reflect on the experience. We discussed the importance of reflecting on our conversation, using these reflections as a tool for continuous improvement.
After that, our conversation changed to the subjects we each teach and the different challenges and rewards that come with them. I shared some of my own tutoring experiences, what I’ve learned about adapting lessons to different learning styles, keeping students motivated, and managing time effectively during sessions. Angelique asked thoughtful questions about building a connection with students and balancing structure with flexibility, so I offered advice on setting clear expectations early on while remaining responsive to each student’s needs.
We also talked about handling cancellations and no shows, including how to use that unexpected time productively by finding resources, and observing another tutor’s practices. By the end of our discussion, Angelique expressed that she felt more confident in her understanding of the tutor role and better equipped to manage future sessions. It was a productive and enjoyable experience for both of us, that reinforced the value of peer collaboration and mentorship within our workplace. It was great to meet Angelique and gain a new perspective on tutoring older students.

Pamela Casiou

George Orwell’s work continues to resonate not because it paints dystopia in broad strokes, but because it captures something deeply unsettling about the human spirit. In Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell doesn’t simply describe a world ruled by totalitarian power, he shows how such power reshapes the most instinctive aspects of human behaviour: rebellion, loyalty, love, and emotional endurance.

We often assume that the human spirit is innately rebellious, that in the face of oppression people will cling to their emotions as a final sanctuary of freedom. Orwell challenges this assumption. Through Winston and Julia, he demonstrates how control is not just about surveillance or censorship, but about altering the interior landscape of thought and feeling. Love becomes a liability, memory a weapon turned against the self, and instinctive responses are systematically dismantled until obedience feels natural.

This is the truly frightening dimension of Orwell’s vision: totalitarianism doesn’t merely silence voices, it rewrites them. The Party is not content with punishing disobedience; it aims to make disobedience unthinkable. Even the most tenacious emotions, desire, hope, resistance—are shown as fragile under the weight of ideological manipulation. Winston’s eventual surrender is not portrayed as a personal weakness but as the inevitable outcome of a system designed to erode resilience from the inside out.

What Orwell leaves us with is not despair, but a warning. The human spirit is not unbreakable; it can be reshaped by systems that understand how to control language, history, and memory. Recognising this vulnerability is not an act of cynicism but of vigilance. If resilience is to endure, it must be nourished collectively, protected from forces that would distort it, and constantly renewed in acts of truth-telling, empathy, and resistance.

Allegra Pezzullo

Tutoring sessions can be intense, especially when working through challenging maths problems. To keep students focused and productive, I have found that short, purposeful breaks make a big difference.

Instead of powering through a full hour nonstop, I include one or two mini breaks for a few minutes. During that time, we might stretch, chat briefly, or even do something light like a quick mental maths question or puzzle. The goal is to reset their focus without losing momentum.

These short breaks help prevent mental fatigue. I have noticed that when students work for too long without a pause, they start to rush, make careless errors, or lose patience. A quick break helps them come back sharper and more ready to think clearly again.

I also use breaks as a natural transition point between topics. For example, if we have just finished algebra and are moving on to measurement, I might say, “Let’s take a quick minute, grab a sip of water, and then start fresh.” It keeps the session feeling balanced and structured.

Small breaks might not seem important, but they can completely change how much a student takes in during a lesson. When used right, they keep the energy up, reduce frustration, and help students stay engaged from start to finish.

James Valiozis

In maths specifically, practice and repetition is a student’s best friend. To comprehend and entirely understand maths questions and techniques practice is the way to go. Practicing questions that align with the maths topic allow a student to become familiar with a range of questions, making them more prepared for their exams and any questions that come their way. Repetition and practice also allows the student to remember to content better making sure they don’t forget any important nuances or steps within a technique. This type of study method also allows the student to identify any understanding or knowledge gaps as they can see if there are any specific types of questions that they may be consistently getting incorrect.

By completing practice questions before the student is able to identify things they do not know and return to the content allowing them to learn it and avoid them from being stumped in an exam. Practicing past exams is another excellent strategy in preparing for exams as it allows the student to understand the ratio of topics that they are likely to see. Practicing these exams in examination conditions will also help them immensely and prepare them further for the exam as well as making sure they are not reliant on any notes. This method of study with also avoid ‘blanking’ during the exam as it provides a more realistic environment rather than normal study conditions with resources readily available.

Overall, repetition study and practice exams/questions and significantly help students within exams especially in regards to maths.

Olivia Moustakis

School teaches you a lot, but it doesn’t always cover everything that actually helps you succeed. Sometimes it feels like you’re just trying to keep up rather than really learning. That’s where tutoring can make a massive difference.

In a classroom with 30 other students, it’s easy to fall behind or feel like you don’t get it but you’re too afraid to ask. Teachers have limited time, and lessons have to move on whether everyone’s ready or not. Tutoring slows things down. It gives you space to ask questions, go back over stuff you didn’t fully understand, and build things up from the beginning until it makes sense.

Tutors also teach you skills that school doesn’t really focus on. Like how to manage your time properly. How to break down a big assignment into smaller tasks. How to actually study in a way that works for you. These things can make school feel way less overwhelming and help you stay on top of everything without burning out.

And it’s not just about academics either. A good tutor can help build your confidence. When someone believes in you, explains things clearly, and celebrates your progress, it gives you the boost you didn’t even realise you needed. You start to see school as something you can handle, not just something you’re stuck in.

At the end of the day, tutoring fills the gaps that school can’t. It’s that extra support that helps students not only do better in class but also feel better about learning in general. Sometimes all it takes is one person explaining it differently and suddenly, it clicks. That’s the power of tutoring.

Eireyna Papinayn

I have always been a rather indecisive person when it comes to academic decisions – do I study science or arts? History or mathematics? Philosophy or physics or psychology? These are the decisions that we are required to make during our studies in school, and which often dictate where we end up in university and beyond. In this day and age, I believe that there is a pressure to be good at one particular thing and see it through – as though each person has a mind for a particular subject, without the need for balance or breadth of study.
During my schooling, in high school and beyond, I have always been questioned for my academic interests – why would someone choose to go to university and study a joint degree in astrophysics and English? – but I believe that it is this breadth which makes any perspective unique and valuable in having productive discussions and generating creative, interdisciplinary ideas. Most of all, it is the exposure to different modes of thinking and approaches to problems that impacts the way we approach decisions and issues in our own lives. Being able to think methodically like a statistician, but to compose arguments like a philosopher, to communicate concisely and effectively as a writer, are all important skills which allow us to be well-rounded members of society and to make a positive impact on our environment and other members of our community.
Therefore, we should encourage all students to pursue any interests that they have, no matter how small, because it is in exploring these avenues that we discover the endless pool of things to learn while improving ourselves along the way!

Tyler Klinger

Tutoring is more than explaining content, it’s about connecting. As tutors we juggle timetables, assignments, part-time jobs and sometimes our own study; our students bring their own pressures too. When we focus on engagement instead of just delivery, lessons stop feeling like lectures and start feeling like shared problem solving.

Engaging students begins with listening. A quick check-in at the start of a session, “How are you going with this topic?” can open the door for honest conversation. Some students need the gentle nudge of extension tasks; others need the slow, steady unpacking of one idea. Scaffolding small wins helps confidence grow: break a task into tiny steps, celebrate each success, and avoid overwhelming them with the whole mountain at once. We can also use their interests as hooks. If a student likes sport, music, or games, we can include examples from those areas into problem to boost attention. Ask open questions that invite thinking rather than yes/no answers, and pause after asking them. Silence can also be a powerful tool, as it gives space for the student to process and respond.

Inspiring curiosity is important. When you show how a student how to tackle a tricky question by thinking out loud, or making a plan, checking your work, then students learn a process, not just answers. Give regular, specific feedback: “Nice step, you used the formula correctly, now check how the units fit.” That kind of guidance teaches both skill and self-monitoring. Also, emotional support matters. Gentle encouragement, being ok with mistakes, and sharing coping strategies you use when stressed helps students build resilience. Being an engaged tutor is as much about the relationship as the content, when students feel seen, heard and guided, they learn more and they enjoy learning more.

Katie Waller