Hi! Welcome to my profile :) I'm a friendly, patient and approachable tutor with many years of experience in supporting adults and children in their learning journeys. My students tell me that they benefit the most from my growth mindset approach and my ability to meet them wherever they are at the time. I really enjoy helping my students build on what they already know to reach new levels of achievement, growing in skills and confidence, and developing a wholly new (and sometimes unexpected) enjoyment of their subject. To relax in my free time, I love travelling (I've explored 64 countries so far and hoping to have more adventures as soon as I can), learning foreign languages, crochet, photography and yoga.

About Me

I graduated from the University of Cambridge with a Master's degree in 2006, after which I set off for my first job as an English teacher at a private boarding school in China. I've worked in education for around 20 years, including 5 years teaching all levels of ESOL in Manchester's Chinatown, various roles in Trafford schools, and many years of enjoyable one-to-one tuition in maths and English. 

I was also employed as a software engineer for a number of years - I enjoyed developing my maths and coding skills on this career path, as well as mentoring less experienced colleagues, and eventually left corporate life because I wanted the freedom to use my teaching skills and creativity to help more people on a self-employed basis. I find one-to-one tuition is the best way to do this, and I love seeing the progress that my students make when given both the time and accepting environment in which to flourish.

Among the subjects that I teach, maths has the unusual reputation of being something that you can either do or you can't, to such a degree that maths anxiety is a recognised condition. That's why a vital part of teaching theory that informs my approach is the Learning Zone model. I find that some of my students have found themselves in the 'Panic Zone' when it comes to maths, and that this has hindered their ability to think clearly and learn well. I put a lot of emphasis on supporting my students to leave their comfort zone safely and enter the unknown, where new discoveries can take place. My most rewarding times come when my students transform from feeling confused or disillusioned by the one-size-fits-all approach they may have encountered previously to realising that they can find a way of learning maths that suits them and their way of thinking.

As a lifelong learner, I also really appreciate the value of showing my students how to learn, and to rediscover the fun of making connections and independent thinking. This is a skill that extends way outside the classroom, and is just as important as mastering the curriculum content. I am also confident in using various platforms to deliver online lessons.

Services

Maths tuition from KS1-KS4 GCSE (adult learners also welcome).

IELTS and ESOL/EFL - Cambridge English as well as general ESOL skills

Coding - Python, JavaScript, React, HTML & CSS

To help my students reach new levels of achievement, lessons will be adapted to their needs and preferred learning style. We will use revision guides and past papers regularly to build the confidence and skills needed to approach exam-style questions from any chosen board. With agreement from the student and parent\guardian, homework will also be an important part of embedding the skills learnt during the lesson.