My journey as a tutor started when I was 12 years old and asked to tutor my younger brother who was a year behind me in school. He was having trouble solving linear equations and his teachers and my dad had not been able to explain it to him in a way that made sense.

Looking back, it seems clear, that my brother had dyslexia but at the time this was not something anyone knew or talked about and instead of trying to understand why he had difficulty understanding and retaining concepts, the adults blamed his attitude and lack of effort. I knew from spending most of the day with him that my brother was neither “lazy” nor could he be blamed for “not wanting to learn”. He really tried hard but things that came easily to others were hard for him.

So when at the age of 12, I was able to explain a concept to him it excited both of us. For me it was the knowledge that I could do something better than the adults around me and for him it was the hope that he could actually get things if they were explained in a way that made sense to him.

Since then I have taught thousands of students as a teacher and as a tutor. I enjoy helping those struggling with their studies to build their confidence and skills in the relevant subject while trying to help them understand how it is relevant to the real world. For those, who are already doing well, I challenge them to do better by developing a broader and deeper understanding of their topic; to question not just how to do things, but why they are done that way?

My brother persevered with his studies and the boy that most school teachers predicted would “never complete his O Levels” ended up doing a BEng Chemical Engineering from a Russell Group university and ended up becoming Head of Department for Mathematics before progressing on to become a Deputy Head.

He serves as an inspiration to me, to never give up on my students. Every student can learn! They just the right teacher who they can connect with to teach them in a way that makes sense for them.