Skype - "a handy tutoring tool"

Sara Chatterton, of Chatterton Tuition, uses Skype for some Tutoring Lessons – we asked her what she thinks of this ‘handy little tutoring tool’ …

What is Skype?

A way of teaching online.  A great way to tutor without having to be with the student in person.  Its free and I find it really easy to use.

Do you do a lot of Skype tutoring?

One or two hours a week, but this increases dramatically when it snows!  Occasionally I take enquiries from families who live a distance away, perhaps on a farm or outlying area – Skype is definitely a good idea for them!  Also from children away from home at boarding school and the occasional overseas student.

What are the advantages of using Skype in tutoring?

Well, obviously there is one big advantage because it means that tutoring doesn’t have to stop due to the weather.  Also, it saves time in travel (either for me or for my student) and the cost of fuel.  The time that I can spend tutoring increases too because I am able to tutor students in different time zones.  Increasingly children are becoming more and more comfortable and capable with  using technology so it isn’t a problem for them at all!

What are the disadvantages?

If a student struggles with confidence, a lesson via Skype can be limited as I always find a one-to-one personal connection is much more valuable in this situation.  Also, there is the occasional hiccup with a student’s internet connection.  Tutoring by Skype is also dependent on good organisational skills.  You have to be well prepared and I often email what we might cover ahead of time so that we can both be working from the same worksheet for example.  Though you can send files to each other via Skype while you are talking.

Do you like tutoring using Skype?

It very much depends on the student concerned and how communicative they are.  I can’t see what they are writing as they write it so I need the student to speak to me about what they are doing at all stages.  Providing they are communicative then its great! I love the convenience and ease of using Skype.

How do parents pay for their children’s lessons?

Parents either post a cheque to me or the majority pay me by BACS.

Do you recommend your other tutors to use Skype?

Most definitely, though it should never totally take the place of one-to-one tuition for most students.  It certainly has a place in certain circumstances and is a really useful way to keep continuity for students, especially in the lead up to exams or tests.  I’ve learned a lot from using it, and its certainly a ‘very handy tutoring tool’!

Chickens and Tutoring

It can sometimes be quite difficult juggling my family life and my working life. I  suppose it doesn't help that I am based at home.  There are so many advantages to working at home: I have everything here at hand, my commute is non existent, I am here if the children need me.  However I am also having to rescue our four chickens from neighbour's gardens or retrieving the poor things after they've been chased by a dog. Also dealing with frightened lambs who have somehow managed to make their way into my garden but then can't get back into the field. Not to mention removing large spiders from children's bedrooms.

On balance though, I am very happy working away here looking out over the open fields watching the chickens and lambs interact and watching the sheep chase off our kitten when he tries to stalk anything in their field.

This time of year is my favourite time with everything growing in the garden and the promise of summer.  However it is also the busiest time with regard to tutoring.  There just aren't enough hours in the day to satisfy the needs of various pupils who want extra lessons before their all important exams. Also to be able to answer the phone to new enquiries and spend the time making sure that the tutor I place them with is the most suitable for them.

I love to tutor when there is a fixed goal to aim for - it is immensely rewarding helping someone to achieve their academic goals and often to surpass their expectations.  Just recently when the last GCSE results were out it was great to learn that Tamsin had passed her GCSE Maths particularly as she had missed so much school due to illness  She was over the moon as were her parents - it was a privilege to share in that success. 

Most of my own tuition is maths but as the summer progresses the balance switches to more and more 11+ work for Ripon Grammar entrance exams.  I suppose it is my logical brain but I really do enjoy working through the 11+ papers, so much so that I've had fun writing some of my own.  Some of my year 5 pupils are really quite little characters too and I enjoy my hour with each of them.

In August, I am taking on a huge personal challenge, which is to ride 100 miles (102 actually but who's counting) in and around London.  I am doing this with Phil, my husband, and we are trying to raise as much money as possible for Leukaemia Research.  We are busy planning a science activity session on 30th July. All of the money raised is going to the charity but I have to say we're really looking forward to the day - there will be lots of hands on experiments, some of which are going to be explosive!  I am, however, a bit more concerned about the bike ride.  I need to train (and train a lot) but I'm too busy.  Perhaps if I commuted to work by bike that would count as training - but I work at home!