About a boy…

Let me introduce you to Isaac. I met him when he was fifteen going on sixteen. He attends a very good school with competitive entry but, not unlike many young lads, was disaffected with much of his academic study. He was, however, unhappy to be scoring D grades in his English class papers and school exams.

His parents spoke to me about his lack of motivation and asked if I would help him.

Three lessons later, he turned to me in wonder, declaring that he was actually enjoying the poetry we were studying.

We then planned a piece of reflective writing which he decided to base on a rugby match where a last-moment try won both the match and a trophy. Later on that term he used this as the inspiration for a controlled assessment at school based on memories. He was awarded an A grade.

He then asked me to help him with his school text ‘ Of Mice and Men’ as he had to redo his assessment, having underperformed initially. We discussed a chapter at a time, with tailored revision notes for support, culminating in a discussion on the role of Lennie. Some weeks later he casually told me that he had scored an ‘A’ in this recent assessment. He hadn’t even told his parents yet! I watched his elder sister’s jaw drop as he then informed his family.

At very short notice I was then asked to help him think through the relationship between Lord and Lady Macbeth in comparison to Carol Ann Duffy’s Miss Havisham. We had a couple of intense sessions brainstorming ideas, looking at passages and analysing the poem. After sitting his third controlled assessment at school his teacher took him to one side and congratulated him on his essay. Today, in the middle of a lesson on how to write persuasively he interrupted, with a grin, ” Oh by the way, did you know that I got an A * for my Macbeth assessment?”

The final proof, of course, is in the examination score.

Predicted a hopeful ‘C’ he actually achieved an ‘A’!

It is hard to say who is the most pleased: the young man himself, his teachers, his parents or his tutor!

All this lad needed was some targeted teaching, some confidence and some help with structuring his writing. He no longer needs my help – he has the confidence he can do this himself. Job done!

1:1 teaching allows time for an individual response tailored to suit specific requirements and for maximum results.