First Education

Academic frustration is something every student experiences at some point. Whether it’s struggling with a difficult concept, falling behind in class, or feeling like they’re “just not good” at a subject, these moments can lead to a loss of motivation and self-confidence. But with the right support, frustration can be transformed into progress—and that’s where a tutor plays a vital role.

Tutors create a safe, low-pressure environment where students can ask questions freely and make mistakes without fear. This emotional safety is essential for learning, especially for students who may feel embarrassed or overwhelmed in the classroom. A good tutor listens, observes, and responds with empathy, helping the student feel heard and understood.

Frustration often stems from feeling stuck. Tutors are trained to break concepts down into manageable steps, making even the most challenging material feel approachable. They adapt their explanations to fit the student’s learning style and pace, ensuring that the student fully understands before moving forward.

Another way tutors help is by shifting the student’s mindset. Many frustrated learners fall into negative self-talk, like “I can’t do this” or “I’ll never get it.” Tutors counter this by encouraging a growth mindset, reminding students that learning is a process and that effort leads to improvement. This helps rebuild confidence and resilience.

Tutors also celebrate small victories. Recognizing progress, even in small steps, reinforces a sense of achievement and motivates students to keep trying. Over time, students learn to manage their frustration more effectively and approach challenges with curiosity instead of fear.

In the end, tutors don’t just support students academically, they help them build emotional tools to navigate learning. With patience, encouragement, and tailored guidance, a tutor can turn a frustrating experience into a breakthrough.

Allegra Pezzullo

Exams can be a major source of stress for students of all ages. The pressure to perform, manage time, and retain large amounts of information often leads to anxiety and burnout. This is where a tutor can make a huge difference, not just in improving grades, but in helping students approach exams with a clear strategy and a confident mindset.

Tutors should provide personalised support, which is often missing in a traditional classroom setting. We should focus on identifying strengths and weaknesses, and help build a targeted study plan. This focused approach saves time and ensures that students spend their energy on the areas that need the most attention.

Beyond content review, we should teach effective study techniques and test-taking strategies. This might include time management, active recall methods, how to approach multiple-choice questions, or how to write strong essay responses under pressure. These skills not only help during exam season but build lasting academic habits.

Another critical benefit of having a tutor is accountability. Having regular sessions creates structure and encourages consistent study habits for students, which can prevent last-minute cramming and reduce stress. We should also adapt as the student progresses, adjusting goals and pacing as needed.

Perhaps most importantly, we should focus on building confidence. A student who understands the material and feels prepared is less likely to panic on test day. That confidence can lead to better performance and a more positive overall experience.

In short, tutors do more than help students study – we should assist in providing structure, support, and strategy. With the right guidance, exam preparation becomes less overwhelming and more productive, giving students the tools they need to succeed both in school and beyond.

Allegra Pezzullo

In a world where education often moves at a fast pace, many students find themselves struggling to keep up. That’s where tutoring comes in — offering a personalized learning experience that can make a world of difference.

Tutoring provides something that traditional classrooms often can’t: individual attention. In a one-on-one setting, a tutor can quickly identify a student’s strengths and weaknesses, tailoring lessons to fit their unique learning style. This targeted approach not only helps students understand material more deeply but also builds their confidence, making them more willing to ask questions and engage in their studies.

Beyond academic improvement, tutoring teaches valuable life skills. Students learn how to break down complex problems, manage their time more effectively, and approach challenges with resilience. Over time, many students develop stronger critical thinking skills, laying the foundation for success not just in school, but in future careers and personal endeavors.

For parents, tutoring offers peace of mind. Knowing that their child is receiving customized support can relieve a lot of the stress that often comes with schoolwork. Meanwhile, students enjoy the chance to move at their own pace, celebrating their wins without feeling rushed or left behind.

Tutoring isn’t just for students who are struggling, either. Even high-achieving students can benefit by deepening their understanding, preparing for exams, or exploring subjects more thoroughly than a typical curriculum allows.

In short, tutoring empowers students to take charge of their learning journey. It’s not about doing the work for them — it’s about giving them the tools, strategies, and confidence to succeed on their own. Whether it’s mastering a difficult subject or preparing for future challenges, tutoring lights the path toward lifelong learning.

Daniel Aghmesheh

Year 12 is often described as a “make or break” year—full of pressure, deadlines, and high expectations. With so much riding on these final assessments, it’s easy for students to feel overwhelmed, confused, or even disheartened. That’s where tutoring comes in—not just as academic support, but as a real game-changer.

First, tutoring creates space. Space to ask questions without judgement. Space to go over something again without the fear of slowing down a whole class. In a one-on-one or small group environment, students can work at their own pace, target their weaknesses, and stretch their strengths. It’s personalised, which is the exact opposite of how most students experience school.

Tutors can also offer strategies—not just subject content, but how to study, how to revise, how to plan. These are the tools that often get overlooked in busy classrooms but can make a huge difference to confidence and performance. Sometimes, it’s not about explaining what to learn, but how to approach it.

And maybe most importantly, tutoring adds a human element to the madness of Year 12. A good tutor becomes a consistent presence in a chaotic year—someone who understands the pressure, who can offer encouragement, and who helps students stay accountable without burning out.

Of course, tutoring isn’t a magic fix. But for many students, it’s the difference between floundering and finding their footing. Between barely scraping through and actually understanding what they’re learning.

In a year that asks so much of young people, having someone in their corner—who believes in them, challenges them, and teaches them how to back themselves—can be one of the most powerful tools they have.

Because success in Year 12 isn’t just about marks. It’s about mindset.

Tom Gloster

School plays a crucial role in shaping the future of individuals and society as a whole. It is not just a place where students learn to read, write, and solve math problems—it is where they develop essential life skills, build character, and form social connections that shape who they become.

One of the most important aspects of school is that it provides a foundation of knowledge in subjects such as science, history, and literature. This helps students understand the world around them and encourages critical thinking. Through learning and discussion, students develop the ability to form opinions, solve problems, and make informed decisions.

Beyond academics, school also teaches valuable social skills. Interacting with classmates and teachers helps students learn teamwork, communication, and respect for others. These are essential qualities for success in both personal and professional life.

Additionally, school helps students discover their interests and talents. Through subjects, sports, and extracurricular activities, they gain confidence and begin to imagine future careers. Education also opens doors to opportunities and provides the tools to overcome challenges in life.

Moreover, school plays a key role in teaching responsibility, time management, and discipline—skills that are important long after graduation. It creates a structured environment where students can grow emotionally, socially, and intellectually.

In conclusion, school is more than a place of learning—it is the foundation for personal development, lifelong success, and a better society. The lessons learned in school stay with us far beyond the classroom.

Elise Petritsis

Teaching primary school children is a unique and rewarding experience for us as tutors. At this stage, students are curious, enthusiastic and developing the foundational skills that will shape their future learning. As tutors, some may not realise but our goal goes beyond teaching content–it is about creating a positive learning environment where young learners feel safe, supported and motivated.

One of the most important aspects of working with primary students is building strong relationships. Children learn best when they trust their tutor and feel comfortable asking questions or making mistakes. I make it a priority to get to know each student–their interests, learning style, and what motivates them. For example, having a warm, encouraging tone and a patient attitude can go a long way in building this trust. By doing this, it will help a student feel more at ease within the sessions.

Engaging lessons are essential for younger learners. Attention spans can be short, so it is important to incorporate variety, and creativity. For example, creating a game or using visual prompts to help reinforce times tables or a writing task. When working with visual learners, I often use drawings, diagrams or stickers. These strategies not only keep students interested but also help them retain information more effectively.

Primary school children also benefit from clear structure and routine. I have found that setting clear goals at the beginning of a session like, “This is what we are going to work over today”, “I would like you to create three paragraphs” gives students a sense of purpose and helps them stay focused. Young learners also need positive reinforcement as their confidence is developing during these stages so recognising effort and progress is important. For example, using simple praises like, “Well done, this is great” can make a big impact.

Teaching primary students means laying the groundwork for lifelong learning. By creating a fun, supportive and structured environment, we can help them develop the skills and self-belief they need to thrive outside the tutoring walls.

Annie Bulkeley

As a tutor, I have worked with students across all walks of academic life – from the high achievers to those who walk into a session without a clue what they are learning or subject they need help with. It is the latter group, the disorganised students, who often present the biggest challenge but are also the most rewarding.

Disorganisation can take many forms: forgotten assessments, half ripped worksheets, last minute panic, or just the vague shrug of “It’s only due next week”. These students often are not lazy, they are overwhelmed, under-supported, or simply unmotivated. For some, school feels like a wave of deadlines, so they disengage to avoid the constant sense of failure. Tutoring these students is not about turning them into perfect planners overnight. It is about meeting them where they are and building trust to create progress. I have found that starting each session with a quick check in, “What assessments have you got coming up”, “Have you been given any assessment tasks?”, “Do you know when everything is due?” can go a long way. If they do not know, we look it up together. Slowly, they are able to start seeing the value in having a game plan.

I’ve also learned to be flexible. Sometimes, the best use of an hour is not drilling practice questions, it is helping them set up a planner or setting out how they will approach an assessment. These may seem like small wins, but for a student who is used to chaos, they are major steps forward. It can be easy as a tutor to project our values and beliefs, but it is important to adapt to the needs of each student. What we see as important – organisation, high achievement – may not hold the same value for them.

Progress does not always look like higher marks, sometimes it is the moment a student remembers their book two weeks in a row or says “I got my assessment task today, can we go over it?”. Working with disorganised students has taught me to value patience, and celebrate small wins, because when students finally believe they can keep up, everything starts to align better.

Annie Bulkeley

Hey everyone, today I watched Jemima Maths Standard tutorial session. She did a great job working through maths tutorial practice questions and any homework questions her student had.

Jen did a great job explaining different concepts to her student. She used the Cambridge go textbook to get theory information and also textbook questions to help consolidate her students understanding of the new topic.

They also went through the concept summary when they finished the last topic so her student can revise constantly.

The mind map was a great way for her student to visualise each concept and formula she needs to know for her exam.

Jemima did a great job allowing her students to work through math problem step by step. When her student got stuck she helped her to work through each step in chronological order. It was great to see how she would let her student try to work out each problem rather than giving her the answer straight away.

She did a great job at using a whiteboard to draw diagrams to explain different ways to approach the question. By giving her student numerous ways to solve a problem, it allowed her to pick the way that made the most sense to her.

She helped her understand the question by getting her to draw diagrams on the whiteboard. She also got her to draw a mind map of the topic summary on the whiteboard to help her connect each formula to the right concept.

Jemima was great at answering all of her students questions and she always gave very clear responses. Her student was very appreciative of Jemima’s response.

It was great to see how friendly they were and how comfortable she was with Jemima. They had a great relationship and they got along really well.

Jemima did such a great job helping his student to build her confidence in maths.

Overall, Jemima did such a great job helping her student to understand, interpret and practically apply mathematical theory to his students homework questions. It was a great session and such a pleasure to observe. Keep it up Jemima!

Ashley Cohen

I observed Riva’s tutoring session with her year 12 maths student Sophia. Riva and Sophia worked on a series of integration problems in preparation for her upcoming exam. The session was calm and focused, with Riva adopting a supportive, student-led approach. After briefly reviewing the topic at the beginning, Riva stepped back and allowed Sophia to take the lead in solving the set problems. Riva was mostly quiet throughout, observing closely but providing reassurance and clarification when needed but overall taking a step back and giving Sophia the space to think independently. Their dynamic demonstrated a strong rapport, with Sophia clearly comfortable expressing uncertainty and asking questions when needed. Midway through the session, they took a short break from problem-solving to chat casually about school and weekend plans. This light moment helped to ease the intensity of the session and strengthened their working relationship. Overall, the session was highly student-centred. Riva’s calm presence and minimal intervention style created a learning environment where Sophia was encouraged to take ownership of her learning. Her thoughtful reassurance and the occasional guiding question ensured Sophia stayed on track while building confidence in her ability to handle complex problems independently. The balance between focused work and casual conversation also contributed to a relaxed but productive atmosphere.

Grace Apted

When it comes to teaching young students concepts like money, adding totals, and calculating change, engagement is everything. One of my favourite methods is turning the session into a real-life shopping experience. I start by heading to Canva and printing a shopping list template, adding the student’s name to personalise it. Then, I bring in a stash of small Coles collectible toys (remember those mini grocery items from a few years back?) and set up a mini shop.

The student gets to name their shop which is a simple step gives them ownership and excitement from the get-go. We use the play money in Room T to “buy” and “sell” items, adding up totals and working out change together. I make sure to use the whiteboard to show the maths visually, and keep it as interactive as possible. You can even do this with real snacks like lollies and chocolates from the front of the centre (which makes for a fun treat at the end!).

For students in Kindergarten to Year 2, another great idea is to have them draw a picture of their favourite thing. I usually come up with this activity when a student is chatting a lot about a certain topic – they’re already excited, so I use that to transition smoothly. Once they’ve drawn their masterpiece, we use sight words to describe what’s happening in the picture, including what the character looks like and what they’re doing.

The heart of this approach is making learning interactive, fun, and tailored to each child’s interests. By doing so, we’re not only helping them understand key concepts but also building a positive attitude toward learning that lasts.

Briana Vaz