“This isn’t like you, I know you can do better than this.”

My Chemistry teacher wasn’t even mad. Just disappointed, like I was in myself. The mark was the worst I had ever gotten for any subject. For a student who had achieved a 90+ average in Chemistry year 11, Rank 100+/150 felt like a death sentence. 

“What went wrong?” 

I studied, I did the homework, I didn’t do tutoring (odd for a selective student), but it had never mattered before. I had always done well. So I tried working harder. I took more notes, went over worked solutions, and did mountains of practice papers. 

But when the next task came in my rank had dropped again. I was now bottom 30 and considering dropping the subject when my teacher said, “Stay on for one more term. Let’s try something different.”

And it worked. I ranked in the top 10 for my next assessment, and went from 100+ to 17th by the end of the year.

So what changed?

I stopped staring blankly at my textbook and switched from rote memorisation to intuitive understanding of scientific concepts. I discussed questions with my teacher and peers, learning how to tackle the same idea from different standpoints to write more comprehensive and concise responses in the exam. I took my learning out of the classroom and quietly revised my knowledge in everyday situations, allowing me to appreciate just how valuable science and maths is to our lives.

Most of all, having my teacher believe in me despite my mistakes gave me the confidence to learn from them and try again. Chemistry became an enjoyable journey rather than a massive failure.

How can I help you?

Making learning a passion instead of a chore changed my academic life forever. Instead of just working harder, learning to work smarter saved me a lot of time and stress for better results across the board. I know first hand how challenging the HSC is, and how discouraging a bad mark can be. My hope is that I can share my tips, tricks and knowledge with you so you can be on top of your worries and marks.

Tutoring with me will be:

• Enjoyable – If your learning is mandatory, then making it fun should be too! A happy student is a productive student.
• Personal – Banter and a strong rapport makes for a comfortable atmosphere to ask as many questions as you need and learn at your own pace. There are no stupid questions, not when each answer you get builds up your knowledge base.
• Effective – Your academic progress is our priority. In addition to covering theory I will also share study techniques and exam strategies to amplify your growth beyond our lessons.