09 June, 2025

MD Home Tutoring


It seems like an age ago, but I used to run a small craft business. I had a break from teaching to expand my creative side (quelled in childhood, it had been waiting to emerge for decades). Photography, digital imaging and graphic design were everyday tasks as I interacted with members of the public in every state and territory via my two online stores. I still like to explore my creative side when I make resources, write lesson plans or design worksheets. Recently, I spent some time improving my online presence for MD Home Tutoring. Love a customised word cloud! - Mel

04 June, 2025

Clarity through Writing


More and more, students are asking me: "Why do I have to learn how to write a paragraph? Generative AI can do it for me." As an educator, I am always thinking about how I will reply to these and other similar questions. I often find that students are merely seeking some confirmation that I know why I am asking them to do certain tasks. Is it appropriate for a student to question a teacher's intentions? Perhaps not - as a student myself, I simply trusted the process. But we are living in a rapidly changing educational context, and I find I always need to be ready with a clearly stated response, such as, "Because in daily life, you need to be able to THINK. Paragraph writing is a reflection of your organised thoughts. I want to see that your thinking skills are developing." Students normally reply with a "fair enough" or "makes sense." It's up to us as educators to always be a step ahead, to be conscious of the tasks we're setting and to expect authentic engagement through creative instructional design. - Mel

18 April, 2025

Teaching bilingual students...


MD Home Tutoring offers personalised support to bilingual learners to strengthen language confidence across all areas. My sessions emphasise clear, accurate expression, both spoken and written. Grammar usage is always taught in meaningful, practical contexts. All students are encouraged to expand their vocabulary and develop greater fluency when communicating. My approach is patient and responsive to each student's unique linguistic background and learning goals. - Mel

Maths Tuition


Although I am a specialist teacher of the English language, Maths was actually my best subject in high school! Lately, I have gained so many students who need tuition in Maths. Oftentimes, they don't see the point of this subject and part of my role is to convince them that it is vital for the development of financial understandings, logical thinking, attention to detail and problem solving strategies (just to name a few!). - Mel

04 January, 2025

Recognising your significance...


Sometimes it can be difficult to see any significance in what you do. You work hard, try your best, give it your all. You try to better yourself, learn more, give more. You do it to share your skills, your understandings, your life lessons. Sometimes, however, your reach seems so limited and your efforts worthless. At this point, it becomes harder to see your purpose in this world. I'll always remember a priest who spoke at a Sydney youth festival: "A lot goes into a person." It made me reconsider what my parents wanted for me and some of the conscious choices they made. Each one of us is unique, the product of a myriad of experiences, teachings and interactions. Each one of us has so much to share, but sometimes the opportunity to do so is lacking. 

I've spent a lot of time in my life trying to impress the wrong people. But several years ago, I started to recognise my worth. All those public holidays spent reading to become the best teacher I can be; the many all-nighters spent planning the perfect sequence of lessons when many students these days simply don't care; the intricate feedback comments that are barely read by students or their parents. Ultimately, however, all of this time and effort hasn't amounted to nothing. The product is a teacher who thinks critically and who has something of worth to share with her students. I have been very fortunate to receive fantastic feedback in recent years from parents whose children I tutor. My teaching is being witnessed in their homes, its merits evaluated. In schools, limits are set on what I am able to contribute, but outside of that context, the sky is the limit. - Mel