Dear Parents: Things you need to know, from a GCSE Maths Tutor

Being a gcse maths tutor and working closely with students is by far one of my most favourite things.

Every student is so different and each house I visit has its own vibe and rhythm.

Most of the conversations I have with parents and students are great. Students ask me all kinds of crazy things about the universe and my life and why I love maths so much.

Sometimes, they argue with me about the answer to 10 x 10 or the square roots of numbers, to which I very politely reply: “You know you must be right, you’ll be changing the entire rules of physics, but you’re definitely right.”

Sadly, though, sometimes students tell me things which I think you parents should know.

So here’s a list (which I will update time to time) of some of the things I can remember or have experienced:

1: Please stop sending your child to school when they have anxiety or are feeling sick. The attendance does not affect their grades - it is just a tickbox for ofsted. In fact, they will get way more done if they have a few days off.

2: Please don’t expect top grades from your students when they are going to school during the day, doing some other activities in the evening and then expected to socialise with family on the weekends. Its too much pressure for them and not enough down time. Adding a maths tutor to the mix is not going to fix the problem.

3: Nagging your child for not doing their sparks homework is pointless. I’ve not met a single student whose grade has gone up because of sparks. That again, is a tickbox for teachers because it does everything for them. Students who do sparks have usually found other ways to find the answers, like googling the answers online - so no one is actually doing sparks homework. Let it go.

4: If your child has been given a detention for something silly, fight for your child and have their back. They will remember it for years to come. Don’t take the side of their teacher, its not worth it.

5: Please stop comparing your child to their siblings or cousins - and kindly stop aunts and uncles doing the same. Children should be studying for themselves and love being themselves.

6: Tell your children your love is not conditional and certainly not conditional on their exam grades. Tell them this often.

7: GCSE Tutors are not miracle workers, kindly hire us before April Year 11, if you want to see a tangible difference in your child’s grades.

8. Telling off your child in front of a maths tutor will not work. It makes the tutor very uncomfortable and it will only embarrass and demotivate your child further.

9. Your child is no longer a child. Give them the independence they crave and let them learn for themselves. Some times you have to let them go.