It was term 1 of year 8. I still remember that the student teacher handed out the math papers ranked from highest to lowest. I was one of the last few people to receive my paper. I knew it was over. I flipped the page and saw the lowest mark I had ever received. I skimmed through the paper and only terrible working out and silly mistakes stared back at me. If I couldn’t do well in basic year 8 math, how on earth would I even attempt math in senior years? 

That exam stayed with me long after I left the room, lingering not only as a mark, but as an uneasy fear that I would never improve. It pushed me to rethink how I studied.

 I moved away from excessive note-taking, and spent less time sitting in theory and more time doing questions. As year 11 and 12 came around, I shifted my focus toward HSC-style questions rather than relying solely on textbook problems. I started making spreadsheets analysing every single mistake I’d make in a past paper no matter how small the mistake was, recording each mark and the time it would take me to finish the paper. I compared the stats after every 3 past papers, understanding the errors and planning how I would improve for the next set of practice. 

I was shocked when I finished the HSC with outcomes I would’ve never imagined including an ATAR of 99.40, a 97 in maths advanced (accelerated in year 11), 95 in maths extension 1 and 94 in maths extension 2. 

As your tutor, I’ll..

• Offer consistent support: No matter the question, I’m here to help you move forward. Everyone has had moments where it’s 11pm and they’re still stuck on the same question and learning starts feeling like a chore. I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can with detailed solutions so learning feels productive (not painful). 
• Help with organisation and time management: I love planning and I would check-in with you consistently to improve your scheduling so that year 12 doesn’t feel overwhelming. We all know the quote, “if you fail to plan, plan to fail.” 
• Encourage curiosity: I genuinely don’t think ‘dumb questions’ exist when you’re learning. You’re always welcome to ask questions and will be met with no judgement. 
• Change your perspective about studying maths and chemistry: the symbols, equations and formulas are only boring when you aren’t taught well. I loved these subjects thanks to my teachers who made learning fun, and I want to help you experience that same excitement when studying.