Kate is our first Tutor of the Week - if you are interested in being featured on the Beanbag Blog just drop me an email at matt.jukes@beanbaglearning.com

 
Location -  Malvern
 
Subject - English & Literacy from KS1 to KS4

How long have you been tutoring?

I started tutoring when I had been working as a TA for a couple of years.  Although I have a degree, class teaching did not appeal to me and I didn't want to be part of the Education System.  Tutoring individually gives students opportunities they simply don't get at school and is very rewarding.  I started with a local agency.  My lovely agent suddenly died, so I teamed up with a friend and started our own tutor network.

Most rewarding part of tutoring?
 
The most rewarding aspect of tutoring is the relationship you build with a child. Once they realise they can trust you and ask you anything, they often ask about something they have missed at school that is getting in the way of their progress.  Once they realise they can do whatever it is  - be it to write more expressively, read more fluently or understand Shakespeare, to take a few examples; that is the reward for the tutor.

Most challenging aspect of tutoring?

The most challenging aspect of tutoring for me is when a child arrives with the aim (perhaps the aim of the parents) of getting through SATs or GCSE, but it is too late to overcome all the problems presented.  So often parents leave it to the last minute and panic.  I would far rather have a year of gentle preparation with a student, than a couple of months cramming and pressure.

If you could sit on a Beanbag with anyone (historic or current) who would it be?
 
If I could sit on a beanbag and chat with someone, it would have to be Jamie Oliver or Gok Wan.  Nothing to do with English, but they both have a "can do " attitutude and are so positive in building confidence and self esteem of the people they work with - young chefs in Jamie's case, and women in Gok's. If schools could do the same for all their pupils, we would have a much happier young population!

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