BlogStudyHow Alex Got Confident & Achieved Top 10 in Year 8 Maths in 12 Months

How Alex Got Confident & Achieved Top 10 in Year 8 Maths in 12 Months

Thinking about getting started with Art of Smart but not sure if we’re the right fit for you?

Gloria and her son Alexander (Year 8) have been working with Art of Smart over the last 18 months across Maths, Science and more recently English.

Gloria shared her experiences with us in both working with other tutors prior to coming to Art of Smart, and her son, Alex’s experiences with Art of Smart and his coach Benedict!

Alex with his tutor Benedict

Prior to getting started with Art of Smart, what help was Alex needing?

We noticed that Alexander was falling behind in Maths at school. Alexander goes to a private school and they do some great work internally in bringing kids up to speed. What we noticed however was lots of parents were doing extra subject tuition outside of school and the result was that we were seeing Alexander start falling behind.

We then received his report card and it confirmed our concerns. We had to ask, “What are we going to do? How do we bring these grades up?”

How did you hear about Art of Smart?

I looked through our local paper and rang from work and spoke with Fiona, one of the Art of Smart team! Fiona provided some options and we felt that Benedict was the best fit for Alexander as we were looking for a male role model and someone who could relate to Alexander. We booked in for 1 hour of Maths, and 30 minutes of Science weekly with Benedict.

With most organisations and tutors charging $90 for 45 minutes, we found Art of Smart to be a bargain!

Was there anything that you were unsure of that may have prevented you from getting started with Art of Smart?

In looking for a tutor for Alexander we were in particular looking for two things.

(1) Personalised tutoring support as Alexander learns better with 1 on 1 support

In a classroom of 22 students, Alexander was getting lost in the classroom. Some of the Maths concepts weren’t sinking in and Alexander’s not a student who would ask questions in class.

We were looking for 1 on 1 tutoring so that Alex could say “I don’t understand” and feel comfortable. When in group with your peers it can be hard to ask questions, without risking the “You’re so dumb” comments from peers.

We wanted an experience where Alexander could be 100% comfortable in saying “I don’t get that, can you go over this.” As a result it was key that we found an organisation that provided the option of 1 on 1 tutoring at our home. Art of Smart ticked this box!

(2) Someone who could build a fantastic relationship with Alexander

In the past we’d hired teachers and we found that they didn’t work for us. While they would be fantastic at teaching the content, we found that Alexander didn’t relate to them particularly well. As a result he didn’t feel comfortable asking questions. Additionally, we weren’t wanting more of a classroom environment as Alexander experiences that at school

We were looking for more of a mentor. Someone who was young, had gone through high school and the HSC, and could relate to Alexander and be a buddy, mentor and role model. 

Why did you ultimately choose Art of Smart?

Art of Smart provides both 1 on 1 tutoring at home which was critical for us. Additionally we were looking for someone young, who had gone through the HSC and could be role model and mentor for Alexander and this was the key factor why we went with Art of Smart!

Art of Smart specialises in going beyond the curriculum by also providing mentoring for students, and Benedict has been a great role model for Alexander!

What was the moment in working with Art of Smart that you knew you’d made the right decision? Why? What did we do?

The moment was when when Alexander said to us, “Oh he’s so cool Mum, he’s a really good bloke.” This told us that Benedict was building a fantastic relationship with Alexander which was what we were looking for! Additionally, we (as parents) also felt really comfortable working with Benedict as well.

We could have a conversation, sit down, and set goals and plan of attack with Benedict which was refreshing. It wasn’t just someone who comes in, does the session and then just leaves – we’ve had teachers like this in the past and it didn’t work for us.

What has Benedict done to help Alexander? What have the results been?

Each week Benedict gives Alexander a quick quiz to see if there’s anything from prior topic that he needs helps with. They then work 1 week ahead of school so that the material is covered prior to class. So class structure is revise prior content, and go week ahead. So they cover both!

Alexander was near the bottom of the class for Maths and he’s now Top 10 of the class! With Science, Alexander was bottom of the class, and he’s now #2 in the class with 30 mins per week!

What’s the best thing your tutor has done to support your child?

Benedict has instilled confidence and belief in Alexander that it is possible that he can improve his results! Benedict is so encouraging! Not everyone does this. Some people are more clinical (teachers included from past experience!)


Are you looking for a tutor who could change your child’s life?

We pride ourselves on our inspirational coaches and mentors – just like Erin!

We offer tutoring and mentoring for Years K-12 in a large variety of subjects, with personalised lessons conducted one-on-one in your home or at our state of the art campuses in Hornsby or Hills!

Our wonderful Castle Hill Maths tutors, Hurstville tutors, Sutherland Shire tutors, Parramatta tutors and Kellyville Maths tutors are here to ensure you ace maths?

To find out more and get started with an inspirational tutor and mentor get in touch today! 

Give us a ring on 1300 267 888, email us at [email protected] or check us out on Facebook!

 

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