Benefits of Home Tutoring

What are the benefits of MD Home Tutoring?

• Face-to-face teaching in a familiar setting where distractions are limited;

• The opportunity for me to quickly identify gaps in learning and personalise activities to promote engagement;

• Constant interaction, clear explanations and visual demonstrations that are not always possible in other educational settings.

Please get in touch to initiate an exciting educational journey for your child/ren. - Mel

Using AI for writing tasks in the classroom

 

It's hard to imagine the long-term effects of the use of AI on students' writing development. Many argue that the composition of unique text is no longer a necessary requirement for most people. This is probably true in numerous professions, where communications, emails and other texts aren't highly specific in nature.

But what concerns me most as a teacher is the gradual inability of students to think for themselves. Using AI for text composition has the potential to extinguish novel ideas and discourage personal insights.

The process of writing requires students to synthesise ideas and make new connections. It is through this arduous and challenging process that deep understandings can develop. I like to think of writing as 'the construction of thought'. Concepts will never be fully understood by students who can't authentically work through them and assimilate them with existing knowledge. 

Therefore, in order to teach students the skill of articulating their own thoughts, we need to become more inventive as educators. We need to redesign writing tasks to ensure that students have ample opportunities to consider possibilities without the influence of AI-generated brainstorms. 

I believe students should engage in daily opportunities to record and explain their ideas. I prefer for this to be done collectively, recorded in books or on sheets of paper. This improves student creativity and encourages risk-taking (i.e. no idea is a bad idea - it's all part of the process). Furthermore, a focus on formative assessment of the writing process, which includes outlines and rough drafts, places less focus on the final task in determining grades.

Writing should never be about the regurgitation of other people’s ideas to prove understanding. It's a highly rigorous process that gives students the opportunity to create new ways of thinking and knowing. - Mel

Gifts of appreciation...

The chocolate boxes I received from tutoring parents in 2025

Since I am a part-time specialist teacher in a school, my contribution can definitely be forgotten. Whilst words of appreciation are sometimes received from colleagues for going above and beyond, direct thanks from parents can be rare. In short, parents don't really know of me and may not realise just how much I care about the education of their child. Sometimes students see their classroom teachers as the 'real' teachers and view me as a 'subsidiary' teacher who enters their academic life from time to time. Over the decades, I have stayed back after school or even come in on school days as a volunteer to provide students with additional assistance just because I care. It's this same level of dedication that I apply to MD Home Tutoring. The difference is that my efforts and extra time are sometimes acknowledged in the form of words of thanks and gorgeous gifts! I received a few generous presents at the conclusion of 2025, for which I am extremely grateful. I don't know what it is about me that screams quality chocolate, but these treats certainly hit the spot after a busy year of preparing for, travelling to and tutoring students as part of my small business. - Mel

Some co-workers in schools

I recently read a quote that resonated with me: "What they hate in you is missing in them." I can certainly relate to this in terms of my work ethic within the school system. See, I came from an undergraduate experience that pushed us extremely hard. We were teaching small lessons to real kids in Week 3 of our teaching degree as 18-year-olds. We needed to attend uni 5 full days per week, starting at 8:30 in the morning. No sleep-ins for us; no relaxed days working from home; no earnings possible during work hours. Some lucky ones were able to plead their case and get Fridays off since some courses had been organised to squeeze into the first 4 days of the week. So when I'm pegged as being overly dedicated as a teacher, it's because many of my co-workers believe:

• school is for socialising and having a party as well as teaching;
• 'winging' lessons is good enough when you have the hubris to pull it off;
• working hard makes others look bad (I have been told this);
• hard workers are martyrs for the cause (I have also been told this);
• there are no prizes for finishing off tasks after school, so why bother?

My response to these attitudes is:

• some sharing and laughs are okay but not when it adds up to hours of time;
• decent planning should go into lessons to cater fairly for students;
• the salary is good overall, so working hard during school hours is par for the course;
• people who work hard are merely doing their jobs (they might need to go beyond due to a lack of funding or support);
• some teachers seem to think the 7.6 hours printed on their payslip is literal when in fact it is indicative of school-based hours only. There are many more hours that teachers are paid for (e.g. school holidays) that form part of their total hours.

I'm just so glad I recognised what teaching in schools was becoming a few years ago. I started my own tutoring business where teaching, and teaching well, is the sole focus. In fact, parents wouldn't have it any other way! The pay might be less, but my passion for teaching is still alive and well. - Mel

Blast from the past...

I recently spent a small fortune on Snatch n' Sniff stickers when I found out that Trend Enterprises, the creator of these quirky stickers, is saying goodbye after 55 years in business. It was rare to receive one of these stickers as a student, but I have never forgotten the novelty of the different scents such as dill pickle, cowboy boot, peppermint and popcorn. The scents aren't quite as powerful now, probably due to laws restricting the chemicals that can be used, but they're still a whole lotta fun. I'm hoping my tutoring students will enjoy receiving them for a job well done! - Mel

A lasting impression...

Image credit: Ross Macdonald 2023  Location: Loch Eck, Argyll  Quote: Maya Angelou

I can't take credit for the following written piece (I'm not sure of the source), but I love the sentiment:

"After a long day at work, I was walking to my car when a row of Canadian Maple trees caught my eye. Their leaves glowed with a vivid, almost neon red against the cool autumn air. The sight was breathtaking. A final flourish of beauty before the leaves began their slow descent to the ground. Weeks later, the same leaves lay faded and broken underfoot, barely recognisable. And yet, what remained was just as striking: delicate impressions etched into the pavement, quiet reminders of a former brilliance.

This description makes me think of the people in our lives who leave a lasting impression, not only in the prime of their lives (like gorgeous maple trees), but also in their quiet acts of love, and beyond their presence among us."

I often think about the many volunteers who gave their time to teach me when I attended free extra-curricular activities as a child. My parents never wanted to spend money on these activities, so they sought out ones that had minimal or no fees: PCYC T-ball, gymnastics and Ju-Jitsu; Brownies, Guides & Venturers; Little Athletics, basketball, tap dancing (this did cost something), Shopfront Theatre, youth group... there are probably a few I have missed! Needless to say, I was a busy child, barely at home, and I'm thankful for that. I'm thankful for the many adults who gave up their time to teach, nurture and guide me. People who weren't even my own parents, who weren't remunerated, but gave a lot to me and others, just for the sake of giving back. It seems as though this type of altruism has faded in modern society, or at least it has where I live.

I write this post in memory of May (Ballamara) Jones, who served the Girl Guide movement with dedication, sincerity and wisdom. She was strict and never let me off the hook! (lol) She had such high expectations of me. She used to tell me that my 'badge preparation' impressed her. At times, she would fail me for sections I had completed in a half-baked fashion. She gave so much of herself and I will always remember her effort. I can't recall how many times I went to her house for badge assessments! She passed away during a difficult time in my life, and I had not visited during her convalescence. For that, I am deeply sorry. - Mel