An inspirational and patient educator is sought to work with a lovely girl aged 9. She will be starting a new school in September and a full-time home-school teacher is required to accompany and assist her to fully access, understand and develop material delivered online.
The Tutor will adhere to the school’s philosophy and make sure that all objectives are met and exceeded where possible. The role is most likely to take place in Silicon Valley, California. The second semester may see a change in US location.
The student is a charming, sweet and kind-spirited girl who enjoys close family relationships and friendships. She gets on well with her elder brother, who is 11 and a great brother to her; she is admired by family, teachers and peers alike. Her brother's education will be supported by a second tutor following a similar format. Her social bonds also extend to her beloved dog and cat; she compares both of their personalities to human-like qualities; one suits her best when she’s feeling mellow, and the other when she is up for some fun. Further pastimes and interests include soccer, basketball, surfing, tennis and arts and crafts. The latter embraces pottery and fashion-related endeavours, such as making clothes and dressing up with friends. She is a devoted gymnast and absolutely loves taking part in the sport, along with admiring other gymnastic routines on television. As with schoolteachers, she prefers fun and kind-hearted coaches who assist in her favourite area of tumbling.
Her school record has included some excellent highs, in terms of remarkable intellectual acknowledgment and also some lows, given her young age in class and difficulties in certain areas. Her parents have recently made the decision to change her school for the upcoming academic year, where she will repeat 3rd Grade as one of the oldest and benefit from time to consolidate, and thus excel across the board. Her school reports and additional assessments have certainly highlighted some extraordinary achievements, namely her incredible ability to vocalise ideas and to engage articulately in spontaneous conversation. Her strong verbal and communication skills also echo high intellectual functioning and response to narrative.
Her strong visual, verbal and spatial awareness all serve her well in terms of composing imaginative and descriptive stories and even acting. She recently co-wrote and starred in a screenplay which was filmed by a movie production company. However, weaknesses have been identified when it comes to transmitting her fantastic ideas onto paper herself. Her phonological processing allows her to write words as they sound, but not does cater for effective formation of other, more irregular spelling groups. She has improved in terms of sequencing events and becoming more organised in her approach to writing, nevertheless, there is work to be done in order to bring her written expression in line with her verbal capacity. Her creative writing still remains more consistent than that of informational attempts and her general recall of vocabulary is improving. Application of high frequency words into everyday writing presents more of a challenge, along with a work pace and use of punctuation which leave room for improvement. She likes book talks and portrays good, general memory and recollection, both apparent in comprehension work.
Reading has been an area of concern in the past, with the underlying worry of possible dyslexic and decoding issues. However, recent reports have shown a more satisfactory response deeming her an accurate reader at peer level. Continued support to develop effective reading skills and encouraging reading aloud has been recommended, but moreover, in terms of a slight impairment in written expression. This suggested intervention also leans towards maths, whereby her progress is developing twofold. On the one hand, her maths recall, use of multiplication and division facts and ability to make real-world connections are improving; whereas on the other hand, she struggles with multi-step directions and problems. She loses track or becomes distracted when content is not delivered in digestible segments, yet displays good non-verbal reasoning skills and responds well to one-to-one support. She is diligent and upbeat, always adopting a can-do attitude and will ask for help when needed. She works well in a quiet, calm environment and is extremely cooperative.
Her other school accomplishments include great artistic talents, good understanding of Lego robots in technology and also bridge-building and engineering strategies. She performs well in physical education and tries hard in Spanish. She is a budding recorder player and teachers describe her as a dependable science partner. She gets on well with her peers and shows leadership qualities; she is also a deep-thinker and can be sensitive and anxious towards certain issues, such as bullying or feeling judged.
The purpose of this role is to supplement the student's remote school tuition, effectively bringing online lessons to life and creating an in-house classroom beyond the screen, during Covid-19 restrictions. Teachers and assessors alike have acknowledged her fortitude to learn and retain information more effectively when working in small groups or one-to-one. Therefore, the ideal Tutor will be well-accustomed to providing individual support and responding to customised needs. A background in specific learning disorders requiring remediation in written expression and multistep calculation strategies would be of huge benefit, along with a nurturing, patient approach.
The Tutor will aim above and beyond the school’s overall objectives, producing bespoke material where appropriate and providing the lending hand that she undoubtedly needs to build confidence and reach new goals, specifically in writing and spelling. The Tutor will break concepts down into smaller chunks and give time for reflection and practice, without the normal constraints or time pressures of a standard classroom dynamic. In fact, it has been recommended that she receive extra time allocation whenever needed, in order to reinforce ideas and allow time for discussion.
In addition to the supportive element of this role, an understanding of the American educational system is exceedingly important, as is her smooth transition into a new school, albeit virtually. She will not be sharing the online classroom with her usual classmates and everything and everyone will be new to her. With this in mind, the Tutor will accelerate the adjustment process to make it as smooth and stress-free as possible. They will encourage her in her other hobbies and activities, ideally sharing an interest in some of them. A knowledge of Spanish or German would also be beneficial to aid her understanding when they are being spoken at home.
Technology and a range of electronic devices inevitably form an integral part of modern curricula; hence, the Tutor will knowingly incorporate them for educational purposes. They will also promote and respect the family’s wish to avoid excessive exposure out of school, favouring outdoor activities and making the most of the fantastic surroundings that California has to offer.
The first semester will most likely take place in Silicon Valley, California with the second half of the school year under discussion. Suggested locations include: Sag Harbor, New York; Los Angeles, California; Palm Beach, Florida; or Austin, Texas. The eventual destinations of this role will have no bearing on the quality and variety of work offered by the Tutor, moreover, they will serve as extended learning opportunities and exploration.The Tutor is expected to work around 40 hours a week, offering support and extension to the student's school hours on weekdays. A degree of flexibility is required on the Tutor’s part, to cater for any change of plans.
The Tutor will be entitled to two consecutive days off per week, usually at weekends, in keeping with the general school timetable. The Client will endeavour to offer at least two weeks’ notice of when the Tutor’s ‘weekend’ break will fall. The standard minimum 9 weeks (45 working days) of paid vacation allowance applies to this contract. It is expected that the Tutor’s holiday will be taken at times based around the children’s schedules. The Client will endeavour to give two weeks’ notice of when these times will be.
The Tutor will be provided with furnished accommodation close to the Client’s home. They will be given access to a car if necessary and be responsible for their own personal phone bill. The client will cover all other expenses.
The Tutor will be fit, healthy and a non-smoker, always on hand to assist with educational and pastoral issues. One of the main aims of this role is to help the student to bring her general progress in line with her superb intellectual function, which has been recognised as higher than her peers on many levels. The Tutor will be pleasant and fun and able to offer many other constructive attributes to the role. They will be responsible for their own health and travel insurance and will be guided through the visa application process for the US, if necessary.