Kat

Although I studied maths to degree level, I often found it hard, frustrating and upsetting! I totally understand why many people are scared of maths. When I am teaching, I tend to know which bits my students will find difficult, so I empathise with them and let them know that it is okay to struggle to understand and feel frustrated by it. Maths is challenging for a lot of people. As well as teaching maths skills, I am often counselling my learners through the process, encouraging them to persevere and practise as that is the way to improve. When learners give me the line "What`s the point of this, when am I ever going to use it?", I tell them that learning maths is like a work-out for the brain, I tell them about the research being done in neuroscience that shows that the brain grows when you make a mistake, but when you get something right there is no brain growth, so mistakes are good.

Having worked in many different fields, I have returned to teaching because it makes the best use of my skillset. I go into a zone and I am focused on the needs of whoever I am working with. Below is some of the feedback I have received from my students in the last few years:

"Hey just to let you know I got a grade 5 in my maths, I want thank you for all the help and support you have given to me."
Bethany (Foundation GCSE 2021)

"Hi Kat, just wanted to say thank you so much for your help and support this year, you were an amazing teacher and I am very grateful! I had a great time doing 1 to 1’s with you."
Joel (Foundation GCSE 2021)

"You’ve been a wonderful teacher. You always explained everything in a great way, understanding that we all learn differently and providing lots of different techniques to learn and offering support to all! And you’re a lovely person on top of it all. Couldn’t wish for a better teacher!"
Cyntia (Foundation GCSE 2020)

"I`m absolutely buzzing that I received a 4. Thanks for all your hard work over the past couple of years to get me to this point. Coming to your classes have been so much fun and I enjoyed it very much.
Thanks again for everything."
Terry (Foundation GCSE 2020)

"Pass, fail, lose or draw, whatever the outcome, it’s been a pleasure attending your lessons. The enthusiasm you show is a lesson in itself ! which, hopefully, we’ll all be able to draw on."
John (Foundation GCSE 2020)

"I just wanted to thank you for being such a brilliant maths teacher for me this past year. Just wish I’d have had you when I was a little girl throughout primary school and beyond, as would have made all the difference to my maths! I can’t thank you enough for your support."
Suzanne (Foundation GCSE 2019)

"I got a 5 in Maths 🙂;; so I`m happy. Now I`m planning my next steps. Thankyou so much for your wonderful tutelage. Thankyou again for being a wonderful teacher, I hope to see you again 🙂;;🙂;;
What do you call -1 in a room on its own? Overnumerousness."
Aaron (Foundation GCSE 2019)

"Thank you for everything! When I started Pre-Access/Access, I was a bit reluctant returning to learning. However, the past 2 years had been wonderfully inspiring and that’s thanks to you. You have been amazing part of my academic journey. I wish you all the best."
Maj (Higher GCSE 2018/ Access to HE 2019)

"A big thank you. I really enjoyed your class. I am going to miss coming to it."
Ken (Higher GCSE 2018)

"Thanks for all your hard work with me over the past year. I have enjoyed Maths for the 1st time ever and feel very proud to achieved under your supervision."
Neil (Foundation GCSE 2017)

"I just wanted to thank you on behalf of the students on the access course. So thank you!! And I would like to say a massive thank you personally for helping me with my maths I haven`t had the courage to do it and self doubted myself for years but you have helped me so much and being the way you are has really gave me huge amounts of support."
Dana (Access to HE 2017)

"Just wanted to say a massive thank you to you for getting me through my maths. I couldn`t have done it without you.
Thanks to you I have now got a new job in a high school and I support year 8 class with all the lessons including maths!!!!!!
So thank you again for everything."
Cara (Foundation GCSE 2016)

Availability: I am available to teach online anytime on Mondays and Fridays, plus evenings on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Willing to travel: Home Only

Experience: For the majority of the last 8 years, I have taught maths full-time to classes of adult students in a further education college. Mainly, I teach GCSE at Foundation and Higher levels as well as Functional Skills at Level 1 and Level 2. I have also designed and taught maths courses for Access to Higher Education at Level 2 and Level 3. Since last year, due to the pandemic, my teaching has moved online and I provide extra maths support to 16 to 18 year olds both one-to-one and in small groups as well as teaching Functional Skills to work-based learners studying on apprenticeship programmes.

I started teaching 26 years ago at a further education college. I taught a range of maths classes from basic numeracy to GCSE. I taught in the college maths workshop, providing one-to-one additional maths support to students studying maths at any level. I left teaching to work in IT for a number of years and I also worked as an advocate for children and young people in care, using my ability to connect with and communicate with people in order for them to express their needs, wishes and feelings to the agencies involved in their lives. After working in these other fields, I had to conclude that what my father had told me many years before was correct: teaching people who want to learn is the best job in the world.

In terms of private tuition, have taught maths to students at a variety of levels: GCSE and Key Stages 1 to 4, as well as successful preparation for 11+ entrance examinations, working on maths, English and verbal reasoning. I have helped adult students to pass Level 2 mathematics courses such as GCSE (Foundation and Higher, Functional Skills and Edexcel ALAN exams). I worked with a very lively 7-year-old girl who was finding numeracy difficult at school and had achieved Level 1 at the end of Year 2. At the end of Year 3, she had progressed to Level 3B at which point she told her parents that numeracy was now her favourite subject. Another of my students was Level 3A at the end of Year 4 when I began tutoring her. She progressed to Level 5C in her end of Year 6 SATS Maths test. Other students in Year 7 and Year 9 were moved up a set after working with me for a short time. At GCSE level, all the students I have worked with on a regular basis have achieved their desired grade.

As a volunteer for Age Concern, I set up a computer skills workshop for older people. These learners would either bring their own laptops or they use the laptops provided. I taught them whatever they want to learn including using the internet, email, finding information, online shopping, Facebook, downloading photographs, organising files, writing documents as well as general issues, such basic computer care and online security.